Getting ready for a wave of coal-plant shutdowns
Over the next 18 months, the Environmental Protection Agency will finalize a flurry of new rules to curb pollution from coal-fired power plants. Mercury, smog, ozone, greenhouse gases, water intake, coal ash—it’s all getting regulated. And, not surprisingly, some lawmakers are grumbling.

Who Is Responsible for America's Security?
The Declaration of Independence announced the sovereignty of the United States and, with it, the “full Power to levy War.” Accordingly, the Constitution’s Framers viewed the security of the nation to be the foremost responsibility of the federal government. That security, history showed, could neither be maintained by committee against pressing and agile threats, nor placed in a single hand. Their solution, as elsewhere, was careful checks and balances involving all three branches of government—but with just one at the fore. Who is responsible for ensuring America’s national security?

How Democrats Hurt Jobs
The airplane’s aft section arrived early Monday morning. That’s what they’d been waiting for at the final assembly plant in North Charleston, S.C. They already had the wings, the nose, the tail — all the other major sections of Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner. With the arrival of the aft, the 5,000 nonunion workers in the plant can finally begin to assemble their first aircraft — a plane three years behind schedule and critical to Boeing’s future.

Another Run at the “Dominionism” Meme
And here’s the thing . . . It doesn’t matter what Barack Obama’s motive was in pushing for national health care. It doesn’t matter if he had a religious conviction, a secular principle, a sentimental attachment to the idea, or a desire to be the first Democrat to ever achieve such a thing. He gained power through politics and enacted his agenda. There is no difference in anything Rick Perry, Michelle Bachmann, or any other American officeholder might do. Indeed, the likelihood is great that any laws they might enact would be far less intrusive than one mandating that every American purchase health insurance.

First Lady Likes the Good Life
The Obamas' summer break on Martha's Vineyard has already been branded a PR disaster after the couple arrived four hours apart on separate government jets. But according to new reports, this is the least of their extravagances. White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10million of U.S. taxpayers' money on vacations alone in the past year.

Homeland Security 4.0: Overcoming Centralization, Complacency, and Politics
Getting the national homeland security enterprise right is among the most difficult challenges in Washington because the problems in protecting the homeland are rooted in overcentralization, pervasive complacency, and entrenched politics—problems that often cause Washington to not work properly. This report marks a path through this obstacle course. The recommendations in this report are essential steps in establishing the right type of homeland security for the United States—one that is enduring and efficacious. The experience of the past decade is a better guide to the future than what was thought in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. These recommendations are drawn from research by Heritage Foundation analysts over the past decade and from extensive outreach to and engagement with many of the stakeholders in the homeland security enterprise.

Dallas Paper: Obama’s Ed Sec Flat Out Lied
The obvious political purpose is to attack a Republican challenger to his boss, which would put Duncan out of work. Jones offers another motive: Perry’s refusal to join Duncan’s Race to the Top. Perry balked at the program as part of his general opposition to federal interference in state jurisdiction, which Jones calls “political,” but offers it as a reason that Duncan would want to make Texas’ education efforts look deficient. It seems that the Secretary of Education needs to repeat a course or two on research, honesty, and integrity.

Buffett’s Bad Math – Taxing Rich Won’t Help
Taxing millionaires and billionaires more – a position advocated by billionaire Warren Buffett and President Barack Obama – won’t make much of a dent in the national debt or the record federal budget deficits, a new study finds. “Even taking every last penny from every individual making more than $10 million per year would only reduce the nation's deficit by 12 percent and the debt by 2 percent,” according to the non-partisan Tax Foundation.

Pope tells 1.5 million youngsters to spread gospel
Pope Benedict urged 1.5 million young Catholics at a Sunday mass in an aerodrome to spread the gospel to others on the last day of a four-day visit to the Spanish capital marked by violent protests.

Facebook Removes Arizona Governor’s Post Criticizing Obama
Facebook said Friday it mistakenly removed a post in which Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer criticized a controversial policy decision by President Barack Obama's administration to limit deportations of illegal immigrants. The Republican governor had said in a post Friday that Facebook censored the item she posted Thursday because it apparently violated Facebook's community standards. Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes responded to a query by The Associated Press by saying in a brief email that Brewer's post was removed in error and that Facebook was sorry.

Gov't Paying Farmers, Ranchers $112M to Protect Bird
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is paying $112 million in tax money to farmers and ranchers in 11 Western states to restore the habitat of the Sage Grouse, a bird that has not been listed as either threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species law because the government says there are too many of them. That will bring to $112 million the total amount that the USDA has distributed over the last two years to eligible farmers and ranchers in 11 states as part of its Sage Grouse Initiative.

GM Not Responsible for Warranties
General Motors is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit over a suspension problem on more than 400,000 Chevrolet Impalas from the 2007 and 2008 model years, saying it should not be responsible for repairs because the flaw predated its bankruptcy.

But In 2009 Obama Guarantees GM Warranty
In a bid to boost flagging auto sales, the federal government will pay for any warranty repairs on a General Motors or Chrysler vehicle if either company can't because of financial problems or a bankruptcy filing, President Barack Obama said on Monday. "Let me say this as plainly as I can. If you buy a car from Chrysler or General Motors, you will be able to get your car serviced and repaired just like always," Obama said in a speech. "Your warranty will be safe. In fact, it will be safer than it has ever been. Because starting today, the United States will stand behind your warranty."

Five headless bodies found in Acapulco
Authorities in Mexico found the decapitated bodies of four men and a woman in Acapulco on Saturday, the latest in a string of slayings in the popular Pacific resort this week.

Two men fighting for lives after bloody 49ers-Raiders game violence
Two men are fighting for their lives after one was savagely beaten in a Candlestick Park bathroom during the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders exhibition game and another was shot several times after the game in a double shooting in the parking lot.

Citing a Lack of Usage, Costco Removes E.V. Chargers
Costco, the membership warehouse-club chain, was an early leader in offering electric-vehicle charging to its customers, setting an example followed by other retailers, including Best Buy and Walgreen. By 2006, Costco had installed 90 chargers at 64 stores, mostly in California but also some in Arizona, New York and Georgia. Even after General Motors crushed its EV1 battery cars, the Costco chargers stayed in place.

Archbishop Chaput: Mass Media Not Trustworthy on Religious Issues
The news outlets CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, and MSNBC do not “provide trustworthy information about religious faith,” said Philadelphia’s incoming Archbishop, Charles Chaput, to two million young adults and youth at the Catholic World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. “And with relatively few exceptions,” he said, “the mass media tend to cover these disputed issues with a combination of ignorance, laziness, and bias against traditional Christian belief.”

Faith Trumps Relativism
The 1960s-style liberation — from moral codes, family obligations, religious commitments — has betrayed us. You’re OK, I’m OK. The millennial Catholics who practice and value their faith are doing something odd: They are spearheading a resurgence of traditional Catholic liturgy and disciplines that their parents and grandparents had largely abandoned. A similar desire for traditional religious practice has developed in recent years among many young Protestants, Jews and Muslims, according to a 2007 analysis by the U.S. News and World Report. Evangelical Christians, for example, are reciting the Nicene Creed, a fourth century expression of Christian doctrine, and offering weekly Communion services

Kidnapped Christian Girl in Sudan Escapes, Traumatized
Hiba Abdelfadil Anglo, 16, has escaped from a gang of Muslims who kidnapped her last year, but it may be a long time before she recovers from the trauma. As she told Compass how the kidnappers beat, raped and tried to force her to convert from Christianity to Islam, she broke into tears for nearly half an hour.

Pakistani Woman Refuses to Renounce Christ After Horrific Ordeal
A young Pakistani Catholic woman from Quetta, Pakistan is refusing to renounce Christ even after being forced to convert and marry a Muslim man who regularly drugged her and subjected her to mental and physical torture for two years.

USA Becomes Food Stamp Nation
Altogether, there are now almost 46 million people in the United States on food stamps, roughly 15 percent of the population. That's an increase of 74 percent since 2007! In some parts of the country, shoppers using food stamps have almost become the norm. In May 2011, a third of all people in Alabama were on food stamps -- though part of that was because of emergency assistance after communities were destroyed by a series of destructive tornadoes. Washington D.C., Mississippi, New Mexico, Oregon and Tennessee all had about a fifth of their population on food stamps that month.

The New Addiction
This new study asked close to 1,000 students in ten countries on five continents to abstain from using all media for a full day. Participants in the study spent just 24 hours without media (cell phones, computers, TV, etc.) and reported that the experience revealed their total “addiction” to it all and left them not just bored but upset, lonely, and depressed. They depended on the media for information, entertainment, and even companionship. Media used by these students was revealed to be used often as an escape.

"Selective Reduction" Abortions Highlight Problems
In the New York Times Magazine feature “The Two-Minus-One Pregnancy,”[i] “Jenny” acknowledges the ‘consumerism’ of the IVF process stating, “If I had conceived these twins naturally, I wouldn’t have reduced this pregnancy, because you feel like if there’s a natural order, then you don’t want to disturb it. But we created this child in such an artificial manner — in a test tube, choosing an egg donor, having the embryo placed in me — and somehow, making a decision about how many to carry seemed to be just another choice.

Major Blow Dealt to Catholic Charities in Illinois Over Homosexual Adoption
An Illinois judge has ruled that the state of Illinois may legally refuse to renew its foster care and adoption contacts with Catholic Charities adoption agency over the agency’s refusal to place children with homosexual couples. This is the latest ruling against Catholic Charities affiliates that have refused to bow to state pressure and allow children to be adopted by homosexual couples. If the Church is no longer taking care of the babies, the orphans, the widows, and the sick, that means the government will need more money to do this.

Disturbing News: Germany and EU to Legalize Pedophilia and Child Pornography
A pamphlet from the German Federal Health Education Center too graphic to discuss amounts to State-encouraged incest, which in most civilized societies is a crime, says Canadian author and public speaker, Michael O’Brien, who has written and spoken extensively about the crisis of culture in the West. ” The development is, he suggests, a natural outcome of the rejection of the Judeo-Christian moral order”. O’Brien concluded his comments quoting G.K. Chesterton: “When men cease to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing anything.”

U.S. Mental Health Professionals Seek to Normalize Pedophilia
The organization B4U-ACT sponsored the event in Baltimore last week, which was attended by pro-pedophile activists and mental health professionals. The conference examined the ways in which “minor-attracted persons” could be involved in a revision of the America. B4U-ACT classifies pedophilia as simply another sexual orientation and decries the “stigma” attached to pedophilia and is working to change that in our culture. Fifteen years ago, no one would have ever thought that “same-sex marriage” would be accepted. Gallup found that Americans opposed same-sex marriage by a 68 percent to 27 percent margin in 1996. Last May, Gallup found Americans in favor by 53 percent to 45 percent. That's a huge change in the culture in just 15 years.

Pint-Sized Preacher
Kanon Tipton, the son and grandson of Pentecostal preachers has become a YouTube sensation. He has brought congregations to their feet, and been the subject of a television special. Kanon is only four years old.

The Sweet Sounds of Sisters Singing
At the end of the pope’s meeting with some 1,600 young religious women — most under 35 — the Pope intoned the Lord’s Prayer in Latin and the sisters joined in. The pope and his aides — all men — usually lead the singing when the pope is with a large group, but the papal aides drew back quickly and the pope lowered his volume, letting the sisters’ fill the courtyard with their voices.

Stay at home Moms suffer more depression
Stay-at-home moms are more likely to exhibit symptoms of depression than their employed counterparts, according to new research. The study, which was written by University of Washington sociology graduate student Katrina Leupp, is in line with other research that has found working outside the home to be beneficial for a mother’s mental health. Stay-at-home mothers experience higher levels of depression as a result of wanting to hold a job but not having adequate resources or funds for childcare.

Gospel - Mt 16:13-20

13 And Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is? 14 But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? 16 Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. 20 Then he commanded his disciples, that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

When President Obama was inaugurated, he swore an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Article II, Section 3 directs the President to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Unfortunately, in what has become an all too common occurrence in this administration, Obama is once again bending that oath to the breaking point by specifically not taking care that immigration laws passed by Congress are faithfully executed.

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that it would halt all deportation proceedings against illegal immigrants who are attending school, have family in the military or are primarily responsible for other family members’ care, and allow them to apply for work permits. Apparently, the only illegal aliens that the Obama administration will detain and deport are those who have committed additional serious criminal offenses in the United States – the fact that they committed a crime under federal law by entering the United States illegally (8 U.S.C. § 1325) is apparently of no concern to this administration.

It is no coincidence that the factors that DHS says it will now consider are the very same provisions that were in the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors or DREAM Act that was proposed by Senator Dick Durbin. This bill failed to pass Congress because of principled opposition from senators like Jeff Sessions, who pointed out that this bill was so filled with loopholes that it would send illegal immigrants the message that the U.S. has “given up on enforcement of our immigration laws.” The DREAM Act really stood for “Deviously Replacing Enforcement with Amnesty” and that is the policy that has now been implemented by President Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

But this is also another example of the contempt that the President has for the separation of powers embedded in our Constitution. Obama is functionally implementing the provisions of the DREAM Act by executive fiat despite the fact that the Act did not pass Congress and is not supported by the American people. His assigned duty under the Constitution is to enforce the laws passed by Congress – not to act as a super legislator who implements his own laws when a particular bill he supports fails to pass in Congress. More than a flagrant abuse of the doctrine of “prosecutorial discretion,’ it amounts to lawlessness.

It is also not an isolated incident. For example, it was revealed several months ago that the White House is considering issuing an executive order that would implement the same campaign finance disclosure provisions against government contractors contained in the DISCLOSE Act, another bill that failed to pass the Senate. With this White House, it seems the answer is always: heads I win, tails you lose.

What is most shocking about this action is that when the President spoke to the National Council of La Raza in July, he said that he could not go around Congress and implement immigration “reform” or grant an amnesty because “that’s not how our democracy functions.” Yet three weeks later that is essentially what he had done.

The President has an obligation to enforce the immigration laws passed by Congress. He does not have the authority to ignore a comprehensive federal law that he knows is constitutional. In fact, this new policy not only ignores the law, it puts the federal government in the position of helping individuals violate federal law and avoid the sanctions that Congress provided. The President has no authority to provide a general amnesty – yet he (and his administration) act as if they are the law.

This new policy strikes at a fundamental underpinning of our nation – the rule of law. It rewards illegality and lawbreakers, encourages even more aliens to enter the United States illegally, and comes at a time when President Obama has started his reelection campaign with such a low approval rating, that it is essential that he get a substantial majority of the Hispanic vote to serve a second term. It is another shameful instance of putting politics before the law.

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