Heritage Reaction to SOTU Address
The President must not understand that an economy based on free-enterprise with limited government involvement will, in fact, work for and benefit more than just the wealthy. His administration’s idea of an economy that works involves imposing heavy-handed government regulations and threatening tax increases at every turn. Right now, the country is experiencing the tremendous uncertainty that such policies breed. It is the bad kind of uncertainty, the kind that keeps employers from hiring and entrepreneurs from launching new businesses. It keeps the economy stuck in slow, instead of revving it up. In place of more regulation, higher taxes, and increased government spending, the President should propose to take the country in a new direction in tonight’s speech. A direction that leads to less onerous government regulation, fundamental tax reform, and a government that spends taxpayer dollars responsibly.
Buffets Secretary Makes Between $200-500K per Year
Warren Buffet’s secretary, Debbie Bosanek, served as a stage prop for President Obama’s State of the Union speech. She was the President’s chief display of the alleged unfairness of our tax system – a little person paying a higher tax rate than her billionaire boss.
TSA Detains US Senator!
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says he was stopped briefly by security at the Nashville airport when a scanner found an "anomaly" on his knee. The Republican who frequently uses the airport about an hour from his Bowling Green, Ky., home told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he asked for another scan but refused a pat down by airport security. He said he was "detained" at a small cubicle and couldn't make his flight to Washington for a Senate session.
Drive-By Media Ignores Pro-Life March Again
Don’t be too surprised if the mainstream media, like CNN, ignores the fact that thousands of pro-life defenders are peacefully marching in Washington D.C. today. Amidst rain and weather that dropped well into the thirties, thousands gathered to stand up for life following the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, a decision that legalized abortion in the United States. Yet 39 years after the legalization of abortion, we find ourselves in a nation whose heart has changed.
Homeless Bill Targets FLA Pro Sports Teams for Accepted Government Money
A pair of bills making their way through the Florida legislature could have local homeless sleeping on the 50-yard-line of Sun Life Stadium or up in the rafter of the AmericanAirlines Arena. Florida State Senator Mike Bennett (R-Bradenton) and State Rep. Frank Artilles (R-Miami) have introduced bills to demand Florida’s professional sports franchises to either start housing homeless folks in their stadiums and arenas, or give back the hundreds of millions of dollars they have received from the state.
Romney Campaign Run by Charlie Crist Aides
As Mitt Romney puts the South Carolina primary in his rear-view mirror and hits the accelerator in a bid to win Florida, he may discover himself crashing headlong into the bitter legacy of Charlie Crist, the former Florida governor who defected from the GOP and was soundly defeated for the U.S. Senate by Marco Rubio. Romney’s “Charlie Crist” problem is this: Romney’s chief campaign strategist and several of his most senior campaign staff were Crist’s top political advisers — the same ones who crafted Crist’s moderate, ignore-the-tea-party strategy epitomized in Crist’s famous “hug” of President Barack Obama. That strategy led Crist, once the most popular Republican governor in the nation, to defeat.
Supremes Reign in Police on GPS Trackers
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that police violated the Constitution when they attached a Global Positioning System tracker to a suspect's vehicle without a valid search warrant, voting unanimously in one of the first major cases to test privacy rights in the digital era. The decision offered a glimpse of how the court may address the flood of privacy cases expected in coming years over issues such as cellphones, email and online documents. But the justices split 5-4 over the reasoning, suggesting that differences remain over how to apply age-old principles prohibiting "unreasonable searches."
Democrat Staffer Charged for Leaking Information
The Justice Department on Monday charged a former CIA officer with repeatedly leaking classified information, including the identities of agency operatives involved in the capture and interrogation of alleged terrorists. John Kiriakou also served as a senior Democratic Senate aide.
Only 30% of Chicago Murders Solved Last Year
Murders in Chicago were down last year, but it’s a different story when it comes to the number of murders actually solved. As WBBM Newsradio’s Steve Miller reports, the murder clearance rate – the number of homicides that were solved the same year – has slipped.
Newt Wins South Carolina
Newt Gingrich bid for an upset Saturday night in the South Carolina primary, the first Southern testing ground in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and historically a harbinger of the final outcome. As polls closed across the state, exit polling showed the former House speaker ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney overall, and leading by a wide margin among the state's conservatives, tea party supporters and born-again Christians. Romney held a small advantage among moderate and liberal voters.
Cuban-American Leader Endorses Gingrich
Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has picked up another key endorsement with the backing of Carlos Perez, a Miami broadcaster and influential voice in Cuban-American circles. Perez, who once was President Ronald Reagan’s point man in Miami, formally endorsed the former House speaker on Saturday. “Newt is my candidate of choice because, number one, our conservative principles.”
Chuck Norris Endorses Newt
I'm tired of watching our country be torn to shreds by those who think the answer is more government debt and control. I'm tired of being in bondage to a tax system that robs U.S. citizens as the king of England did before the Revolution. I'm tired of watching our sovereignty be sold by foreign loans and loose borders. And I will not sit back and merely watch this decay and degradation of the U.S. and then hand it over to my children and grandchildren to deal with. That is why Gena and I have committed the rest of our lives to help Old Glory rise again to its heights of splendor. And that is why we are endorsing and standing with Newt Gingrich, because we believe he can lead all of us who have committed to the same. If you're ready to keep fighting the good fight and once and for all restore our republic, then I invite you to join Gena and me by endorsing, rallying behind and voting for Newt Gingrich as GOP nominee and then president of the United States.
Obama Reaches New Approval Low
President Barack Obama averaged 44% job approval for his third full year in office, which ended Jan. 19. His third-year average is down slightly from his second-year average of 47% and much lower than his first-year average of 57%. Obama’s third-year average is based on approximately 175,000 interviews with U.S. adults conducted between Jan. 20, 2011 — the second anniversary of his inauguration — and Jan. 19, 2012.
Solyndra Caught Destroying Millions in Assets
"Ahhh, fuhget about it." Thus seems to be the sentiment of Solyndra, the now-bankrupt California solar company that, thanks to government (read: taxpayer) "investment," now owes the American public half a billion dollars. They don't seem to be too worried about that, however, as CBS caught them destroying millions of dollars worth of brand new parts that they apparently didn't try too hard to re-sell.
Christie Bends Over to Gay Community in Appointment
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie moved to diversify the state’s all-white Supreme Court on Monday by proposing two firsts: the nominations of an openly gay black man, If confirmed, Bruce A. Harris would become New Jersey’s first openly gay justice, and Phillip H. Kwon would become its first Asian representative. “Bruce will join a historic group of justices across the country as the 7th openly gay State Supreme Court Justice if he is confirmed,” said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Scalia: If you don’t like ads turn off tv
U.S. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia has a simple solution for people who don't like all the political advertisements unleashed by the court's decision two years ago that ended limits on corporate contributions in political campaigns. Scalia says: Change the channel or turn off the TV.
Illegal Immigrant Felon Released by Obama Murders Three
When burglar Kesler Dufrene became a twice-convicted felon in 2006. And because of his convictions, an immigration judge ordered Dufrene deported to his native Haiti. That never happened.
Instead, when Dufrene’s state prison term was up, Miami immigration authorities released him from custody. Two months later, he slaughtered three people, including a 15-year-old girl. The episode is a black eye for U.S. authorities, who by law could not detain Dufrene indefinitely after the Obama administration ordered a temporary halt of deportations to the island nation.
Bruins Goalie Say No to Obama Meet Up
Tim Thomas, one of two Americans on the roster, chose not to attend today's ceremony at the White House. Thomas has issued the following statement: "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People. This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an individual."
Anonymous to go after SOPA supporting Dems
SOPA and PIPA may be in zombie mode, having burned up in the fire of SOPA “Blackout Day” protests and the largest attack by Anonymous on record, but activists who opposed the legislation understand that the Internet wars have only just begun. Anonymous, announced that his own group, Project PM, will be keeping an eye on Democratic congressmen who hope to “quietly support” the legislation.
Schumer: Everything’s Great
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a leader in the Senate Democrat Majority, responds to Gov. Mitch Daniels' (R-IN) lament that, "[W]hen President Obama claims that the state of our union is anything but grave, he must know in his heart that this is not true."??Schumer says, "The Republican speaker last night, Mitch Daniels, talked about Americans must talk about the state of the union as grave. So, we think we are in great shape. We are in good shape."
Silence to Understand and Listen, Key to Meaningful Communication
The pope celebrates World Communications Day explaining that the key to communication is Silence. Amid the deluge of information and nonstop chatter in today's media, the church needs to help people find safe havens of silence, Pope Benedict XVI said. Words without reflection and silence without meaning result in confusion, coldness and communication breakdown, he said. "If God speaks to us even in silence, we, in turn, discover in silence the possibility of speaking with God and about God," he said.
New York Times Refuses to Report 500,000 People at the March for Life for Fifth Year in a Row
The Times ran a “Happenings in Washington” blog post Monday that mentioned that the Boston Bruins were set to be honored by Obama, and that South Korea’s ambassador to the United States would be in town to sign an environmental agreement. If the mainstream media doesn’t report a half million people peacefully protesting abortion in Washington, D.C., does that mean it didn’t happen?
The Youth and Their Fight Against Abortion
When my older children were little, they used to say, “Mommy why don’t adults get it?” I told them not to worry. Doesn’t it make sense that the pro-lifers will have more children than those who are for abortion? After 39 years and the deaths of 54 million unborn babies, things have changed. A new poll conducted by the Knights of Columbus states that 51% of Americans are against all abortions despite the media attempts to hide this fact.
300 Benedictine College Students Attend March for Life
After a spiritual start of Eucharistic adoration and confession, nearly 300 Benedictine College students and staff headed from their Atchison, Kan., campus on Saturday for a 1,000-mile trek to the national march. This year, the college group also coordinated the trip with more than 200 area high-school students in the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan.
9.5 oz Preemie Leaves Hospital
One of the smallest babies ever born was discharged from Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, almost five months after entering the world weighing only 9.5 ounces. Melinda Star Guido was born Aug. 30 -- 16 weeks early. County health officials said that according to Global Birth Registry figures, Melinda was the third-smallest baby ever born who survived. The infant weighed less than a can of soda, and about the same as two iPhones.
Obama Orders Catholics to Act Against Their Faith; Bishops Call it 'Unconscionable'
The Obama administration on Friday finalized a regulation that orders all Americans—unless they work directly at a church--to purchase government-approved health insurance plans that cover sterilizations and all FDA-approved contraceptives including those that cause abortions. The regulation further requires that health-insurance plans must provide sterilizations, contraceptives and abortifacients without any fees or co-pay.
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo: The Survival of Religious Liberty is at Stake
On the eve of the March for Life, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo roused a crowd of 20,000 pilgrims with the message that the Obama administration’s health care policies threaten the religious liberty of Roman Catholics and other pro-life Christians. “Never before in our U.S. history has the federal government forced citizens to directly purchase what violates our beliefs.”
Pope Warns Bishops of 'Radical Secularism' in U.S.
Pope Benedict XVI says Roman Catholics in the U.S. need to understand the "grave threats" to their faith posed by what he calls radical secularism in the political and cultural arenas. He addressed visiting U.S. bishops Thursday and used the same language in warning that attempts are being made to erode their religious freedom.
NYC Protests Banning Churches From Meeting in Public Spaces Intensifies
New York City clergy and council members invoke the Civil Rights Movement for their latest protest of the city’s policy banning churches from renting meeting spaces at public schools and city facilities. More than 150 protesters, led by New York City clergy, were joined by several members of the city council Wednesday at a press conference on the steps of the Tweed Courthouse in lower Manhattan.
Washington Post Promotes Assisted Suicide on Roe Anniversary
On January 22, the Washington Post Magazine’s Manuel Roig-Franzia wrote a long profile of Lawrence Egbert, the former director of the Final Exit Network, who by his own admission has been present at 100 peoples’ suicides, and “was responsible for signing off on all suicides” for the Final Exit Network.
To Save the Baby Girls
Recently the interim editor-in-chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal made a radically pro-life proposal: to ban the disclosure to parents of their baby’s sex before 30 weeks gestation in order to save baby girls from abortion. The horrible practice of aborting baby girls due to a preference for sons has come to Canada with the immigrant communities who secretly practice it.
Boosting Self-Esteem Loses Favor in Public Schools
For decades, the prevailing experiment in education was that high self-esteem would lead to high achievement. Remember how everyone had to have a ribbon and trophy, even if they didn’t win? Remember the “no red pen” in schools because it might hurt a child’s self esteem? The theory led to an avalanche of daily affirmations, awards ceremonies and attendance certificates — but few, if any, academic gains. Now, an increasing number of teachers are weaning themselves from what some call empty praise. Drawing on psychology and brain research, these educators aim to articulate a more precise, and scientific, vocabulary for praise that will push children to work through mistakes and take on more challenging assignments.
Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability
Over the past decade, considerable research has emerged that demonstrates the benefits of religious practice within society. Of particular note are the studies that indicate the benefits of Religion to the poor.[2] Regular attendance at religious services is linked to healthy, stable family life, strong marriages, and well-behaved children. The practice of Religion also leads to a reduction in the incidence of domestic abuse, crime, substance abuse, and addiction. In addition, religious practice leads to an increase in physical and mental health, longevity, and education attainment. Moreover, these effects are intergenerational, as grandparents and parents pass on the benefits to the next generations.
The Universal Call to Holiness
Is holiness just for priests and nuns? Is sanctity reserved only for the “professionals?” St. Frances de Sales taught that there are two elements in the spiritual life: first, a struggle against our lower nature; secondly, union of our wills with God, in other words, penance and love. St. Francis de Sales looks chiefly to love. He compares devotion to sugar or honey, because it sweetens whatever way of life it touches.
15 And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues. 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.
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Obama’s “Forced” Keystone Decision Rejects Jobs, Energy, and Logic
Nicolas Loris
President Obama’s politically intoned decision to reject TransCanada’s permit application to construct a 1,700-mile pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to Texas refineries sent a clear message that special interest demands are of more importance than more energy and much-needed job creation.
Building the pipeline would bring over 700,000 barrels of oil per day and directly create 20,000 truly shovel-ready jobs. The Canadian Energy Research Institute estimates that current pipeline operations and the addition of the Keystone XL pipeline would create 179,000 American jobs by 2035.
Since TransCanada and Nebraska politicians have agreed to reroute the pipeline, the focus should now be on completing the reroute design and beginning construction. Congress should recognize the findings in the State Department’s “Final Environmental Impact Statement” and authorize the application submitted by TransCanada in September 2008.
Given the need for jobs and more oil on the global market to offset high prices, the permit application had been moving along positively with bipartisan support without much attention until environmental activists made blocking the Keystone XL pipeline their issue to rally around for 2011. Although President Obama and the Department of State (DOS) said they’d make a decision at the end of 2011, they ultimately catered to a narrow set of special interests, punting the decision until after the 2012 elections.
The payroll tax holiday legislation signed at the end of 2011 moved that decision date up to February 21. Today, however, the President rejected the permit, claiming, “This announcement is not a judgment on the merits of the pipeline, but the arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people.” President Obama initially delayed the decision because he claimed that additional environmental review from the DOS was necessary.
This is a stunning (though not unexpected) decision.
At a time when unemployment remains unacceptably high, Iran is threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and Canada is looking to take this oil elsewhere, it is difficult to understand how the President could say no to thousands of jobs and an increase in energy supply from our ally.
Environmentalists and opponents of the pipeline are blaming Republicans for forcing the President to make a decision that he was not ready to make (purportedly because additional environmental review was necessary), but this accusation is laughable. DOS has already conducted a thorough, three-year environmental review with multiple comment periods.
DOS studied and addressed risk to soil, wetlands, water resources, vegetation, fish, wildlife, and endangered species. They concluded that the construction of the pipeline would pose minimal environmental risk. Keystone XL also met 57 specific pipeline safety standard requirements created by DOS and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The pipeline would be equipped with 16,000 sensors connected to satellite that would monitor the pressure of the pipeline.
Much of the concern of environmentalists and Nebraska residents has focused on the original route of the pipeline, particularly the area where the pipeline would cross the Ogallala Aquifer—despite the fact that thousands of miles of pipeline already cross the aquifer today and DOS’s impact statement rated the potential for water contamination as minimal. Oil contamination of drinking water would not be likely in many instances because the soil composition prevents or mitigates the downward migration of oil. Simply put, this pipeline is environmentally sound, and even DOS has said so.
Making excuses that we need additional environmental review is catering to special interests.
But it’s a narrow group of special interests that the President is accommodating. Plenty of Obama supporters actually support the construction of the pipeline. The most glaringly obvious is the labor unions that stand to benefit from the job creation.
Nor is this a strictly partisan project. Democratic policymakers have also voiced their support. On October 19, 2011, 22 House Democrats sent a letter to President Obama pleading that “America needs the Keystone XL Pipeline. It is in our national interest to have a Presidential Permit issued for Keystone XL as soon as possible.” The letter mentioned that “the Department of State’s Final Environmental Impact Statement reaffirmed the findings of the two previous environmental impact statements, namely, that the Keystone XL Pipeline will have no significant impact on the environment.”
Understanding the economic implications, Senators Max Baucus (D–MT), Jon Tester (D–MT), Joe Manchin (D–WV), Ben Nelson (D–NE), Mark Begich (D–AK), and Mary Landrieu (D–LA) have all expressed support for the pipeline.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu did not explicitly support the pipeline but did acknowledge that “it’s not perfect, but it’s a trade off” and that Canadian oil sands producers are “making great strides in improving the environmental impact of the extraction of this oil.” These are bold words from a man who has unabashedly derided fossil fuels in support of renewable energy and welcomed high gas prices. President Obama’s former “car czar” Steve Rattner also emphasized that the President should approve the pipeline permit.
Moreover, just a day before the decision, the President’s own jobs council underscored the need for not only more oil, natural gas, and coal but also energy infrastructure projects. The report says:
Continuing to deliver inexpensive and reliable energy is going to require the United States to optimize all of its natural resources and construct pathways (pipelines, transmission and distribution) to deliver electricity and fuel. The Council recognizes the important safety and environmental concerns surrounding these types of projects, but now more than ever, the jobs and economic and energy security benefits of these energy projects require us to tackle the issues head-on and to expeditiously, though cautiously, move forward on projects that can support hundreds of thousands of jobs.
It’s ironic that the President’s first action following the release of this report is an abrupt dismissal of one of its key recommendations.
To meet those alleged environmental concerns in Nebraska, a reroute could be managed successfully by TransCanada and Nebraska state officials to alleviate any concerns, and construction of the pipeline could commence immediately if the President approved the permit. That’s why Congress should authorize the pipeline application as submitted by TransCanada pursuant to its authority to regulate commerce with other nations. Since there is no federal entity that sites and authorizes interstate petroleum pipeline construction, the state of Nebraska could site and approve an alternative route, following the PHMSA’s construction codes.
While the decision would again ultimately end up on President Obama’s desk, it would send a strong message that this country needs the jobs, the energy, and the economic growth.
