THE FOUNDATION

“[N]either the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.” —Samuel Adams, essay in The Public Advertiser, 1749

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

Maybe It’s Not a ‘Gun Problem’

It took Barack Obama just 12 hours to classify the senseless killings in Charleston as a “gun problem,” exploiting the blood of innocents as political fodder to advance his gun control agenda. In a press conference Thursday, Obama asserted, “At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries.” Unless you count all the “mass violence … in other advanced countries” like the recent Charlie Hebdo attack in France, where eleven were murdered. Oh wait, the Paris hate crime was perpetrated by Islamists — Obama doesn’t count those (see Ft. Hood attack). But it was a nice sound bite. Moreover, other countries have not deliberately institutionalized urban poverty plantations, which have become mass breeding grounds for such violence. That is the inconvenient truth Obama will never mention. Alveda King, NAACP member, Christian civil rights activist and niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., acutely observes, “To politicize this by calling for gun control — we already know that gun control is not going to stop the violence. Only a change of heart is going to do that.”

Comment | Share

GOP Must Decide ObamaCare Policy Before SCOTUS Rules

The Supreme Court could issue a ruling as early as Monday in King v. Burwell, the case regarding whether the federal government overstepped its authority in paying out subsidies to those purchasing health insurance on the federal ObamaCare exchange. The GOP has been preparing for this moment for awhile now. If the Court strikes down the subsidies, a legislative fix will be needed, and proposals have been coming in from all sides of the conservative spectrum. Sen. Ron Johnson proposed extending the subsidies to 2017, as a Republican administration may occupy the White House then. The Heritage Foundation suggested repealing the subsidies. And Rep. Paul Gosar unveiled his Premium Reduction and Insurance Market Reform Act, a bill that would end subsidies and also end regulations like the age rating restriction. Now it is up to the Republican leadership in Congress to plot a policy and strategy to enact a conservative reform to ObamaCare. Chief Executive for Heritage Action for America Michael Needham said, “A continuation of illegal subsidies will simply cover up the law’s costs while giving the impression Republicans believe subsidies are necessary for Americans to afford health insurance.” But that option is tempting GOP leadership, as Barack Obama and the Left will make a King v. Burwell fallout politically fraught.

Comment | Share

Texas to Take Back $1 Billion in Gold From the Fed

Texas no longer trusts our nation’s central bank to safely store its gold in New York City. For years, the Lone Star State has kept its $1 billion in gold in the hands of the Federal Reserve Bank, which has safeguarded the bullion of the U.S. government, foreign governments and other major organizations. But now, the state is setting up its own bullion depository and will soon withdraw its gold from Fed control. “Today I signed HB 483 to provide a secure facility for the State of Texas, state agencies and Texas citizens to store gold bullion and other precious metals,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement June 12. “With the passage of this bill, the Texas Bullion Depository will become the first state-level facility of its kind in the nation, increasing the security and stability of our gold reserves and keeping taxpayer funds from leaving Texas to pay for fees to store gold in facilities outside our state.” The move could be as simple as Texas stepping up and taking responsibility for its own assets, as well as providing a place for Texas citizens to store gold. Or, as CBS notes, it could be a step toward establishing a currency if Texas were to secede from the union. Regardless, it’s a Texas two-step toward greater autonomy.

Comment | Share

FATHER’S DAY

Sunday is Father’s Day, a fitting day to consider four contexts for “father” — God the Father, our own earthly fathers, the role of men as father to their children, and the legacy of our forefathers. They combine to create a rich and abiding sense of what fatherhood means, as well as what it should look and feel like in heart and practice.

But for tens of millions of Americans from broken homes, the consequences of failed fatherhood are the enormous obstacles their children must endeavor to overcome in relationships with their Creator, with their own spouses and children, and in their ability to honor their forefathers' legacy.

Patriot fathers, if you want to extend the Legacy of Liberty to the next generation, there is no better place to start than in your own home.

In the words of the Father of our Nation, George Washington, “May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.” (1790)

For more, read Mark Alexander’s essay, Fathers and Freedom: Irrevocably Linked.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS

The Pope’s Encyclical Isn’t That Revolutionary

By Lewis Morris

Pope Francis released his much-discussed 184-page papal encyclical on climate change Thursday and the Leftmedia have already distilled the message down to a one sentence quote: “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.”

Liberals embrace the Pope, or any aspect of religion in general for that matter, when it suits them. The rhetoric surrounding this encyclical is no different.

An encyclical, for those of us who are not Catholic, is an open letter written by a pope. They are not considered infallible. Think of it as an opinion piece written by the pope.

The document, entitled “Laudato Si” (Praise Be to You), states, “Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.”

Francis blames the problem on consumerism, corporate greed, overreliance on technology and the poisonous political atmosphere in and among many nations. He called for a radial change in how people conduct their political and economic affairs and suggested that the time has come for each of us to alter our individual lifestyles in response to climate issues.

The encyclical was leaked earlier this week by the Italian magazine L'Espresso, which set off half-baked opinions and speculation about what the document was going to say, with liberals pre-embracing Francis' message and conservatives expressing concern about the injection of the Vatican into a debate that is far from settled, despite what environmentalists would have us believe.

It is interesting how liberals, who have always rejected religion in favor of worship of the state, have embraced Francis since his ascension in Rome. Francis, who comes from Argentina, is the first pope from the developing world, and, coming from a poor nation as he does, his worldview is shaped accordingly. He has frequently spoken on issues of poverty and inequality, often excoriating capitalism and calling on Western democracies to do more for the world’s poor.

This message of taking from the rich and giving to the poor combined with his latest writings on climate change fall right into line with the liberal narrative, and they have fallen over themselves to praise the pope’s latest message.

Of course, the liberal media has been quite selective in its adoration for Francis, choosing to promote his words that match their ideology, but somehow failing to report on other parts of the pope’s message that don’t swing with the liberal dogma.

Here are a few excerpts from “Laudato Si” that are unlikely to make the front page of the major daily newspapers:

• “A spirituality which forgets God as all-powerful and Creator is not acceptable.”
• “When media and the digital world become omnipresent, their influence can stop people from learning how to live wisely, to think deeply and to love generously.”
• “Concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion … It is troubling that, when some ecological movements defend the integrity of the environment, rightly demanding that certain limits be imposed on scientific research, they sometimes fail to apply those same principles to human life.”
• “Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work.”

While the document does reveal a more considered and practical view of the Catholic Church’s stand on environmental and cultural issues than the media would have us believe, there is still cause for concern as to the sources Francis has chosen for his own climate change education.

The pope has relied on some less than reputable sources for his encyclical. Jeffrey Sachs, an economist with a lifelong adoration of socialist policies, has been a vocal supporter of abortion and just the kind of redistributive activities that make him a darling of the Left. The Vatican invited him to speak at its conference on climate change.

Another “gem” the Vatican has listened to is Hans Joachim Schellnhuber. Schellnhuber, director of Germany’s Potsdam Institute and the WBGU, a German climate change advisory council, authored the two-degree-trigger, which stated that a two-degree-Centigrade average rise in global surface temperature was the point of no return in terms of climate change. He claimed that we would reach this point by 2020. Of course, the 18-year lull in rising temperatures forced Schellnhuber to revise his doomsday date to 2030.

Whether or not Francis chooses to surround himself with real scientists or enviro-Nazis is his choice, but has the pope stirred a storm by injecting the Catholic Church into the environmental debate?

The Catholic Church has always been part of the political debate in Europe and around the world. Hundreds of years ago, Church decisions drove politics and individual nations followed its lead. Today it’s a different story, though. Christianity is facing a withering ideological attack in the U.S. and Western Europe by secularists who preach the primacy of the state or the individual above God. Except when it suits them, like with “Laudato Si.”

It could be that Pope Francis is not the liberal activist the Left wishes him to be. He still holds dear many tenets of the Church that rankle liberal ideologues, such as his beliefs onheterosexual parents and abortion. And even if Francis chooses to embrace the radical liberal environmental agenda, there will always be room for a loyal opposition within the Catholic Church.

Comment | Share

Share

TODAY AT PATRIOTPOST.US

• With Deadline Looming, U.S. Capitulates to Iran
• Trans Fat Ban’s Other Detrimental Effect
• Trump Hired Actors to Cheer During Campaign Launch
• SBC Head Vows to Defend Christian Principles

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

• Mona Charen: Hands Off Hamilton
• David Harsanyi: The Trans Fat Ban Is Worse Than You Think
• Michelle Malkin: The Creepy Consequences of Oppression Chic
• Jonah Goldberg: Nietzsche’s ‘Ressentiment’ Alive and Well Today
• Charles Krauthammer: A New Strategy for Iraq and Syria
• Tony Perkins: ObamaCare in Critical Condition at Court

For more, visit Right Opinion.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Mona Charen: “They’re coming for our money. OK, that’s nothing new, but this time, the Obama administration is coming for our $10 bills — the notes graced by the image of Alexander Hamilton. True to the identity politics of the Democratic Party, the Obama Treasury Department has announced that some worthy female will replace Hamilton on the currency. The sheer arrogance, ignorance and stupidity of this move are difficult to capture in one column. Let’s start with stupidity. If there’s one figure whose face arguably does not deserve to adorn the currency, it’s the man on the $20 bill, not the $10. That is Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States, adamant opponent of paper currency (!), friend of slave power and scourge of Native Americans. … Here’s the solution: Upgrade the security features on the $10, but keep Hamilton in his spot. Dump Jackson from the $20 and hold an essay competition among American high school seniors for his replacement. It would be a great exercise in the appreciation of excellence. Both sexes may be nominated. … [B]y announcing in advance that you’re choosing a woman, you’ve guaranteed that the honor will be downgraded to the ‘best woman’ rather than the best candidate. In short, you’d be echoing the Hillary Clinton campaign.”

Comment | Share

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “To enjoy freedom, if the platitude is pardonable, we have of course to control ourselves. We must not squander our powers, helplessly and ignorantly, 
squirting half the house in order to water a single rose-bush; we must train them, exactly and powerfully, here on the very spot.” —English writer Virginia Woolf 
(1882-1941)

Upright: “Clinton, if she wins, would be the first former secretary of state to be elected since James Buchanan — not an encouraging precedent. Reporters who have been demanding Bush and other Republicans say how they would have acted in 2003 may want to ask Clinton about how she actually did act between 2009 and 2013 — and what she would do going forward.” —Michael Barone

Demo-gogues: “I do not know how much longer we can thwart the views of the American public on taking reasonable gun safety measures.” —Harry Reid

Non Compos Mentis: “I call on all media to use terms ‘white racist’ + ‘terrorist’ with same force & ease that we would use terms ‘Muslim’ + ‘terrorist.’” —tweet by Van Jones

Village Idiots: “The ideology of racism promoted by … @FoxNews and Co. breeds the terrorists who commit #CharlestonShooting.” —tweet by University of Maryland professor Faheem Younus

Freudian slip? “We should be reforming our criminal justice system in such a way that we are not incarcerating non-violent offenders in ways that renders them incapable of getting a job after they leave office.” —Barack Obama

Comment | Share

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson

Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.

THE FOUNDATION

“There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” —James Madison, speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, 1788

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

EPA Causing This Summer’s Rising Electricity Rates

Due to EPA regulations, you’ll start to notice that your electricity bill is more expensive this summer. The Energy Information Administration predicted that Americans will spend 4.8% more on electricity this year than the last. Is global warming causing air conditioners to run more? Nah, it’s just EPA regulations that are causing power plants to close because they are not deemed green enough. “Consumers are receiving the dim news as utilities take tens of thousands of megawatts of coal-generated power offline to comply with a host of EPA regulations and because of the sharp increase in cheap, domestic natural gas,” The Washington Times reports. “Regulations such as the EPA’s mercury and air toxic standards already are having an effect on the power sector, utilities and analysts say, and the impact will be greater after the agency releases further limits on carbon emissions from power plants this summer.” The EPA argues the effects will be minuscule — people will hardly notice the bill. It’s all part of a fight against the boogey man of “global warming,” and old electricity plants must shutter to make way for politically correct plants — an expensive undertaking. But when has the EPA ever acted in the best interests of U.S. citizens?

Comment | Share

Donald Trump Brings Levity to Presidential Race

Donald Trump would be a mere sideshow curiosity in the 2016 elections if it were not for his name recognition and entertainment factor. According to Real Clear Politics, Trump is polling higher than Rick Perry, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham and Bobby Jindal. But even if he’s fired in the end — and we hope he is — he will provide some much-needed humor. After Tuesday’s announcement, Politico pulled Trump’s 10 best lines. Notably, however, Politico missed the best one: “When did we beat Japan at anything?” Well, there was that whole WWII thing in the Pacific… But to put things in perspective, as absurd as the Trump vanity campaign is, he is far more qualified than Barack Obama was in 2009 — or today! For example, Obama put Joe Biden on his ticket. When Trump was asked who he wanted as a running mate, he replied, “I think Oprah would be great. I’d love to have Oprah.” Frankly, presidential elections could use a little levity. It’s been a long time since the last billionaire vanity campaign kept us amused, compliments of Ross Perot!

Comment | Share

White Male Targets Blacks in Charleston

A young white male in his early 20s murdered nine blacks who were attending a Wednesday night prayer service in Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. It’s still a developing story, as the murderer has not yet been apprehended and the names of the victims have not yet been disclosed, but according to Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen, “We believe this is a hate crime; that is how we are investigating it.” But already some anti-Second Amendment crusaders are exploiting the tragedy to advance their pet policy proposals. Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley was the first to do so, wasting no time advocating for greater gun control as a diversionary ploy. “I personally believe there are far too many guns out there, and access to guns, it’s far too easy,” he said. “Our society has not been able to deal with that yet.” Make no mistake: This story is newsworthy. But it’s also worth noting that, on average, there are between 30 and 40 homicides every day in America, most of which are black-on-black. If “black lives matter” to the Leftmedia, why aren’t these other victims covered in the news?

Comment | Share

Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column

Read Fathers and Freedom: Irrevocably Linked, a treatise on fathering, children without fathers, and the Left’s agenda to undermine marriage.

If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email, update your subscription here.

Did You Know?

The Patriot Post’s Digest — now offered five days a week — represents a collaborative effort of contributors, editors and technical staff who bring their passion and expertise from all walks of life. We work hard to ensure an accurate and penetrating analysis of the week’s news, policy and opinion. Indeed, this is what you, our readers, have come to expect over the last 18 years. Many Patriots volunteer their time and effort to our mission, while others receive only a modest salary. Nonetheless, publishing costs are substantial. If you find today’s Digest interesting, inspiring or informative, we humbly ask that you consider making a secure online donation to The Patriot Post’s 2015 Independence Day Campaign today.

Thank you!
 Nate Jackson

Managing Editor

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS

EPA Thinks Regulation Leads to Economic Growth

In the early days, fighting “global warming” was environmentally responsible; fast-forward a few years, and addressing “climate change” was socially just. Now, with only so much rhetoric left in the eco-friendly arsenal, battling supposed anthropogenic climate change has become economically advantageous.

At least, that’s what EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy argues in a piece published this week on Medium, in which she claims the administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) — a pleasant sounding name for sweeping additional government regulations of carbon emissions — is important to America’s economic strength. Notwithstanding the fact this administration doesn’t have the best track record on policies leading to economic robustness, McCarthy points to astudy by the liberal Economic Policy Institute that found “the CPP is likely to lead to a net increase of roughly 360,000 jobs in 2020, but that the net job creation falls relatively rapidly thereafter, with net employment gains of roughly 15,000 jobs in 2030.”

Those jobs are the new regulators who will be hired to enforce the new regulations, nothing more.

In other words, forget hoping a free market will drive economic growth; what’s really needed is new regulations on carbon emissions! As McCarthy writes, “When we set ground rules to limit carbon pollution, we send a long-term market signal that propels innovation and investment in cleaner energy technologies, expanding new industries and creating good-paying jobs.” She’s right that the administration is sending a market signal, but it’s not the one she claims.

Indeed, according to labor union leader Cecil Roberts, president of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), “The proposed rule … will lead to long-term and irreversible job losses for thousands of coal miners, electrical workers, utility workers, boilermakers, railroad workers and others without achieving any significant reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions.” The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers echoed this concern, cautioning against “focus[ing] solely on the environmental aspect of public policy at the expense of balancing our nation’s economic and energy needs” and noting, “The jobs of thousands of working men and women and the well-being of their communities are also worthy of saving.”

Furthermore, per a study commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, CPP’s regulations “threaten to suppress average annual U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $51 billion and lead to an average of 224,000 fewer U.S. jobs every year through 2030, relative to baseline economic forecasts.” And according to The Heritage Foundation, the economic impact would be even worse, with EPA regulations eliminating an average of $155 billion annually in GDP through 2030.

Of course, before the EPA rams regulations down the nation’s throat, the administration wants to hear from Americans — sort of. When the public comment period opened regarding the then-proposed regulations on coal power plants last year, McCarthy wrote, “We expect great feedback at these sessions. And unfortunately, we also expect a healthy dose of the same tired, false and worn out criticism that commonsense EPA action is bad for the economy.” Ah, yes, agree with us or else you’re wrong.

But as Brooking Institution Fellow Phil Wallach wrote in Newsweek, by the time the comment period closed in December 2014 more than four million comments had been submitted. By comparison, Clean Air Act regulations usually garner a few dozen to a hundred. Instead of ceding that millions of Americans may have serious concerns with CPP, however, Wallach proposed that the “barriers to ‘participating’” in commenting might be a “bit higher, thereby saving our public servants a great deal of unnecessary work.” Yes, nothing like wasting the government’s time addressing the people’s tired, false and worn out petitions.

Public concern notwithstanding, the administration is plowing ahead with CPP, effectively claiming that by picking winners (solar and wind energy) and losers (fossil fuels, including petroleum, coal and natural gas) Washington regulators can create a strong economy. Because, you know, this approach has worked oh so well before.

Comment | Share

Share

TODAY AT PATRIOTPOST.US

• ANALYSIS: Gauging America’s Decapitation War Against Terrorism
• Govt. Shows Favoritism to Illegal Hiring

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

• Victor Davis Hanson: The New World Map
• Ed Feulner: Saluting a ‘Great Charter’ of Liberty
• Tony Perkins: Ration Roulette: House Debates Death Panel
• George Will: McDonald’s, the ‘Progressive Burger Company’
• Larry Elder: Father’s Day: Being Raised Without a Father Is Not a Death Sentence
• Veronique de Rugy: Expecting the Export-Import Bank to Expire

For more, visit Right Opinion.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Victor Davis Hanson: “In 1945, after some 60 million had perished in World War II, the Western democracies blamed themselves for having appeased and empowered fascist empires. That sadder but wiser generation taught us two lessons: Small sacrifices now can avoid catastrophic ones later on, and dictatorial regimes on a roll never voluntarily quit playing geostrategic poker. If the present trajectories continue, a reconfigured Middle East will be bookended by radical Islamic empires — the Islamic State caliphate and a new Persian empire. China will control most of the Pacific and adjudicate trade, commerce and politics west of Hawaii and to the south and east of India. The client states of a new Russian empire will border central Europe and be under constant pressure to leave the EU, NATO or both. How does all this end? One of two ways. America and its allies can reawaken, gradually restore deterrence and re-establish the old postwar order without a global war. Or the United States will not be bothered — at least until this new generation of dictators bothers us at home.”

Comment | Share

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “Liberty is the only thing you cannot have unless you are willing to give it to others.” —American journalist William Allen White (1868-1944)

Upright: “The Supreme Court of the United States is not the final authority nor is the culture itself.” —Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, on the church’s resolution on same sex marriage: “Resolved, that Southern Baptists recognize that no governing institution has the authority to negate or usurp God’s definition of marriage; and be it further resolved no matter how the Supreme Court rules, the Southern Baptist Convention reaffirms its unwavering commitment to its doctrinal and public beliefs concerning marriage.”

Alpha Jackass: “As hard as it is to believe, [Republicans] continue to deny the reality of climate change. They also deny gravity. But they also deny there is such a thing as climate change. That’s the problem. The point is the safety and security of the United States of America and every community across the country.” —Joe Biden

Non Compos Mentis: “I finally had a chance to read Caitlyn Jenner’s piece in the magazine. … I cried. Because I resonated with some of the themes of isolation, of being misunderstood — to not know if you have a conversation with somebody, will that relationship then end because they have seen you as one way.” —Rachel Doleful

Annals of the absurd: “[W]e’re not fixated on Iran specifically accounting for what [it] did at one point in time or another. … What we’re concerned about is going forward. It’s critical to us to know that going forward, those activities have been stopped and that we can account for that in a legitimate way.” —John Kerry

Village Idiots: “I hope that at the end of my two terms as president, I will have overseen an even bigger peacetime expansion of the economy than my husband did.” —Hillary Clinton

And last… “We’re coming up with new things to be offended by at a much quicker rate than we’re retiring old things. This is not sustainable.” —Frank Fleming


Comment | Share

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson

Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.