Time for New Strategy to Defeat Radical Islamists
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says the United States needs a new, bolder strategy to deal with the serious threats facing America from radical Islamists “who want to kill us.” Gingrich said America is at risk because “Our secular elites find it very hard to understand the power if religion, and find it very hard to take seriously [any] threats to America. They're always excusing, apologizing and explaining people who are our mortal enemies. 'Radical Islamists are people who want to impose on the rest of us sharia, which is a form of Medieval law, which would fundamentally end America as we know it.

Sheriff: ‘Our Own Government Has Become Our Enemy’
Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff Paul Babeu, whose deputies patrol a county along the U.S.-Mexico border, is hopping mad at the federal government. Babeu told CNSNews.com that rather than help law enforcement in Arizona stop the hundreds of thousands of people who come into the United States illegally, the federal government is targeting the state and its law enforcement personnel. “What’s very troubling is the fact that at a time when we in law enforcement and our state need help from the federal government, instead of sending help they put up billboard-size signs warning our citizens to stay out of the desert in my county because of dangerous drug and human smuggling and weapons and bandits and all these other things and then, behind that, they drag us into court with the ACLU,” Babeu said.

Missouri voters reject Obamacare
Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a key provision of President Barack Obama's health care law, sending a clear message of discontent to Washington and Democrats less than 100 days before the midterm elections. About 71 percent of Missouri voters backed a ballot measure, Proposition C, that would prohibit the government from requiring people to have health insurance or from penalizing them for not having it. The Missouri law conflicts with a federal requirement that most people have health insurance or face penalties starting in 2014. Tuesday's vote was seen as largely symbolic because federal law generally trumps state law. But it was also seen as a sign of growing voter disillusionment with federal policies and a show of strength by conservatives.

Kansas Primary Election Results
See the results of the national and state races for Kansas.

State and Local Debt Bombs Ticking Throughout US
Washington has made things much worse for states because our nation has moved so far away from sound economics," "Rich States, Poor States" co-author Jonathan Williams says in the August issue of Newsmax magazine. ?"Unfortunately," Williams adds, "the Obama administration is talking about sticking it to big business more than they are, making the U.S. a less competitive place for capital. And believe it or not, without capital you don't grow jobs."

Congressman: We can do anything
Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) takes questions at a town hall meeting and says that the Government can pretty much do whatever it likes upon the people.

Wikileaks Founder has blood on his hands
The warning came as the US military’s top officer, Admiral Mike Mullen said that Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, may already have blood on his hands following the leak of 92,000 classified documents relating to the war in Afghanistan by his website.

Suspected Army Traitor is Gay Activist
Bradley Manning, the prime suspect in the leaking of the Afghan war files, raged against his US Army employers and "society at large" especially regarding gay rights issues on his Facebook page in the days before he allegedly downloaded thousands of secret memos. Mr. Manning, who is openly homosexual, began his gloomy postings on January 12, saying: "Bradley Manning didn't want this fight. Too much to lose, too fast." At the beginning of May, when he was serving at a US military base near Baghdad, he changed his status to: "Bradley Manning is now left with the sinking feeling that he doesn't have anything left." Five days later he said he was "livid" after being "lectured by ex-boyfriend", then later the same day said he was "not a piece of equipment" and was "beyond frustrated with people and society at large".

Sheriff Joe Concerned about Terrorist Infiltrations
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is warning that illegal aliens may have gained access to a U.S. Army installation in Arizona that also serves as the nation's largest military intelligence-training center. An FBI advisory stated, "A portion of the operatives were in the United States, with the remainder not yet in the United States. The Afghanis and Iraqis shaved their beards so as not to appear to be Middle Easterners." According to the report, illegal aliens from the Middle East paid Mexican drug lords $20,000 "or the equivalent in weapons" for smuggling them and their weapons through the tunnels. One source whom spoke with DEA intelligence agents said the weapons included two Milan antitank missiles, Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles, grenade launchers, long guns and handguns.

Milton Friedman, the Father of Economic Freedom
The Heritage Foundation bids goodbye to a leading intellectual light of the 20th century whose powerful ideas continue to transform our world. Milton Friedman's economic, philosophical, and political writing inspired decades of Heritage work in such diverse areas as Social Security reform, competition in education, and tax policy. We are particularly indebted for his role in championing economic freedom, and that effort lives on in the Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal annual Index of Economic Freedom.

Auto-mogul-in-chief takes new GM lemon for a spin
The One reminded Republicans that without federal largesse a whole lot of auto workers would be unemployed right now, which means America’s new electric money pit would be nothing but a pipe dream. In fact, this Volt photo (actually taken a few weeks ago) gave me the best chuckle I’ve had today. You can buy one today for “$41,000?!” based sticker price. And yeah, it’s a lemon. It can go a whole 40 miles without recharging its batteries.

Krauthammer: "The Chevy Volt Is A Disaster"
"This is a classic example of what happens when the political and ideological desires of an administration are imposed on a private company...It's not how many jobs you create or even save, it's can you sell a product in the market that will make a profit? Otherwise, it's a farce."

Congressmen propose ban on taxpayer-funded abortion
On Thursday Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) were scheduled to introduce legislation which would establish a permanent government-wide prohibition on taxpayer funding for abortion. Pro-life leaders praised the comprehensiveness of the proposal. The legislation, titled the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” also codifies conscience protections for health care providers who do not want to participate in an abortion.

Environmentalists stalling Kansas coal plant
Environmentalists want more time for the public to comment on a proposed 895-megawatt coal-fired electric power plant proposed for southwest Kansas. Earthjustice, an environmental law firm that represents the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club, said not enough information about the plant’s impact on air quality has been released yet.

PERC: Recycling Myths Revisited
Daniel Benjamin of PERC takes us through the common claims asserted on behalf of the multi-billion dollar recycling programs that are generally presumed to be wise public policy. Benjamin applies careful analysis to the claims made over the years about the “need” for mandatory recycling—and finds them to be bogus. He reminds us that before we rush into costly policies presumed to be saving the environment, sound science and analysis of the facts, which are rarely as interesting as fantastic scare stories, are much to be desired in a society that values freedom in markets and personal choice.

JoCo rules would require more waste recycling
New proposed regulations would require all trash haulers in Johnson County to offer services to residents that recycle more materials and keep them out of landfills. Will elected officials ever look at an honest cost-benefit analysis? See above story for details.

Once Again, Raising Taxes Reduces Revenue
Cigarette sales in California plunged to their lowest level in a decade last year as smokers were squeezed by new taxes and restrictions on where they could light up. The decline in smoking also means $74 million in tax revenues have disappeared like a puff of smoke, leaving health programs that rely on cigarette taxes to look for other ways to pay for services.

Men Run Onto Citi Field With Mexican Flags
Two men carrying Mexican flags in protest of Arizona's immigration law ran into the outfield during the seventh inning of the New York Mets' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night at Citi Field.

City salaries generate outrage
Residents of a California city are outraged after learning of the high salaries their city council members make by working for a town where many live in poverty. Residents of Bell, a tiny city just south of Los Angeles, are demanding that the high-paid council members resign or face a recall campaign. The outcry follows an announcement revealing that the police chief and assistant city manager were resigning because of a protest against their salaries, which comes to a combined total of about $1.6 million.

Cancer Imported from the Republic of Viet Nam
Many communist countries use poor standards when it comes to labor and environmental concerns. Here we see an example of imported catfish that ends up on our grocery stores and some restaurants.

Archbishop: Can't Be a Pro-Abortion Catholic
The Archbishop of St. Louis says it is "clear and unambiguous" that Catholics who want to remain in good standing with the Church can't support abortion. Archbishop Robert J. Carlson also says those who support legalized abortion should voluntarily opt out of receiving the Eucharist.

Dr. Howell Reinstated at U. of Illinois
Dr. Kenneth Howell, the professor barred from teaching after a student complained about his explanation of the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality, in a class on Catholicism, has been reinstated by the University of Illinois.

CBS Apologizes: Not Enough Homosexual Programs
CBS President Nina Tassler has apologized for the network's low rating on the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's (GLAAD) recent "Network Responsibility Index," which ranked broadcast and cable networks by the percentage of "LGBT-inclusive" hours in their original prime time programming.

Orthodox Rabbi Criticizes Homosexual Practice
The leader of a coalition of Orthodox rabbis has criticized a declaration signed by dozens of Jewish religious leaders that urges religious communities to accept open homosexuals and eschew therapy to overcome same-sex attraction.

Warning: "The Kids Are All Right" Film Not All Right
Focus on the Family's Plugged In is raising a warning flag about a movie called The Kids are All Right, which is making its way into American theatres. There are several really explicit sex scenes -- one between two women and several between a man and a woman. Holz rates the movie as a "hard R" and adds that the film is even more subversive than Brokeback Mountain.

Aids in the Homosexual Community Not Mentioned in Aids Conference
Pro-family activist Peter LaBarbera says an important aspect was missing from last week's International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, when the Obama administration pledged the support of the U.S. in the global fight against AIDS. Based on the fact that the Obama administration has avoided the issue, the pro-family activist concludes that it has become "politically Incorrect" to talk about the dangers of homosexual behavior.

Catholic Psychologist Trains Confessors in Growing Problem
“Every day I talk to people who are struggling with this addiction,” said Kleponis, of the Institute for Marital Healing in West Conshohocken, Pa. “I don’t have any clients struggling with drug addiction or alcohol addiction alone. It’s mainly all pornography.” Kleponis told Our Sunday Visitor he talks to priests around the country, and “this is the No. 1 sin they are hearing from men in the confessional.”

Bishop Robert Finn's Pastoral Letter on Porn
The pastoral letter does not just condemn the use of pornography, but more importantly reaches out to those who use porn and lists ways for them to become reconciled with the Church. Bishop Finn writes: “While some would say that the opposite of love is hate, [Pope John Paul II] taught that the opposite of love is use." This gets to the heart of why pornography is wrong, he wrote. On the one hand, “One may never use another person as an object for one’s own pleasure.” And ultimately, wrote the bishop, “the only proper response to a person is love.”

Biblical Quotations from Early Church Available Online
An index of approximately 400,000 biblical quotations and references from Greek and Latin patristic texts of the first five centuries is now available online. The BIBLindex website declares that its eventual goal 'is to permit the identification of biblical quotations in all Jewish and Christian literature of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.'" There are perhaps more than one million total Patristics Scriptural quotations and could go a long way towards appreciating one of the most vital and vibrant groups of witnesses to the New Testament text.

Singing Nuns Get Death Threats
Benedictine nuns from a secluded convent in southern France have received death threats after winning a deal aimed at creating a chart-topping album, a newspaper reported on Thursday. The nuns join a label that includes the likes of Elton John, The Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga.

Treasure Discovered in a Dominican Basilica
A rare fresco of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus from the 600's was discovered in the church of St. Sabina in Rome. St. Sabina was martyred around 125 AD. Also depicted in the fresco are Sts. Peter, Paul, Sabine and Seraphia, as well as the Arch Presbyter Theodore and Presbyter George who are depicted as living in the iconographic style. Bishops Theodore and George were papal delegates to the 3rd Council of Constantinople in 680 AD.

Steve Rose: Tax Increases are Pro-Business
“The Kansas Chamber of Commerce needs to stay out of Johnson County… And they can take Americans for Prosperity with them… It is a group with one, and only one, priority: lowering taxes… In other words, higher taxes may be necessary to be really pro-business, because being pro-business means more than tax rates… It means a total quality of life that attracts businesses.”

Gospel of St. Matthew 15: 21-28

21 And departing from there, Jesus withdrew into the areas of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a woman of Canaan, going out from those parts, cried out, saying to him: “Take pity on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is badly afflicted by a demon.” 23 He did not say a word to her. And his disciples, drawing near, petitioned him, saying: “Dismiss her, for she is crying out after us.” 24 And responding, he said, “I was not sent except to the sheep who have fallen away from the house of Israel.” 25 But she approached and adored him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And responding, he said, “It is not good to take the bread of the children and cast it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord, but the young dogs also eat from the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters.” 28 Then Jesus, responding, said to her: “O woman, great is your faith. Let it be done for you just as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

When watching the Food Network on television, the viewer focuses on a number of things. What technique does the celebrity chef use in dicing an onion? How is her hair highlighted? What kind of appliances has the network placed in the kitchen set? How does the food look? The attention is everywhere except on how the food will taste because that part of the process is too difficult to convey through a glass screen. A celebrity cooking program could be made in such a way that the viewer would be fully entertained and ready for another episode even if the dish were an absolute failure. Audiences lock in on everything other than the actual eating because they are culinary voyeurs.

American politics resembles cooking on television because our palate has been out of practice. We’ve eaten a relatively unseasoned mash of policy for a long time with little variation based on the chef. With the taste of the food varying so little, we have focused more on the politician as a celebrity. How does the prospective office holder look? What obstacles has the candidate overcome in childhood? Who makes for the best profile in People Magazine? David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, memorably swooned at the sight of President Obama’s “perfectly creased” pant leg. The presentation has taken precedence over the taste.

But things are changing. The unseasoned mash is getting a bit spicier (maybe enough to cause a little health care related heartburn?) and the sheer amount of it threatens the ability of even a championship eater to digest. And the bill at the end of the meal, by the way, is starting to look intimidating even for those carrying the fancy black American Express cards. With the change, the focus of the diners will also move. They will devote less attention to the image and more to what exactly it is they are putting into their mouths.

The test case is in New Jersey. Chris Christie, part Sicilian and part Irish, is no threat to cause anyone palpitations over the perfect cut of his big and tall size suit. But he has managed to make major changes to budget policy in a reliably liberal state. The Garden State, with taxes high and coffers empty much like the Roman Empire at the end of its existence, turned to the no-nonsense prosecutor. He has proved to be a serious man by successfully taking on public unions and attacking budget liabilities. The type of leadership he has provided has been little valued during the last 20 years, but it is coming back in vogue. Anyone can spend money and make vague promises about how to pay the promissory notes. It takes a leader who recognizes the moral responsibilities of governance to work through the ledger and decide where cuts must be made.

Debt-wise, we are now in a situation similar to the one America faced at the halfway point of the 20th century. We’d fought a hard, expensive war against the Nazis and the Japanese empire and needed to help rebuild Europe to forestall the victory of aggressive totalitarianism from the Soviets. The scandal is that we’ve reached a similar ratio of debt to GDP without anything approaching the kind of civilizational crises we battled through earlier. Western nations at that time chose able leaders to rebuild the world. Winston Churchill. Konrad Adenauer. Dwight Eisenhower. They had to be good, wise, and credible. Not only were they bringing the west out of the ashes, they were facing Stalin and Mao.

As good as those leaders were, they had an advantage we don’t have. Their people had been on rations for years and were ready to consume. Our citizenry, in contrast, has matched the habits of our government. But things have changed. The people have become wiser in the wake of financial meltdown in the real estate markets and on Wall Street. We are loaded with debt, but are now looking to save. As the government rolls out increasingly shocking deficits, we react by salting away more money against the possibility of dark days. Profligate spending by Washington undermines the confidence needed to fuel expansion. We realize that our political leaders are taking us on the path of greater spending accompanied by more debt service and higher taxes. The bill is going to come due and we know it. Like a wife hiding funds from an unreliable husband with grandiose visions and a record of failure (the War on Poverty), we are stewarding our resources and hoping for more responsibility. Aristotle said the best judges of whether a chef has succeeded in his craft are the diners rather than his fellow chefs. No matter how much other politicians may laud their peers who effortlessly spend other people’s money without worrying about tomorrow, the citizens (the diners) grow restless. We need leaders, like Chris Christie, who want no better legacy than to have applied the brakes on a runaway locomotive and who have the intestinal fortitude for the task. Hunter Baker is the associate dean of arts and sciences at Union University and the author of The End of Secularism