The Front Page Cover
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened"
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Featuring:
Religious liberty issues at Supreme Court marriage hearing all but ignored by media
Mark A. Kellner
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"Rise up together as one voice"
"Be careful where you stand"
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Carson, Fiorina, Huckabee Announce Presidential Campaigns 
This is the week for the idealists in the Republican presidential primary, the long shots, the Washington outsiders and the underdogs. Three GOP contenders have stepped out onto the field and, while they face a long climb to become regarded among the front running candidates, their campaigns could influence the party as a whole.
Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who could become the Right's answer to Hilly Clinton, announced her campaign from social media. "Our nation is at a pivotal point," Fiorina said in a video, "We need to restore possibilities for every American regardless of their circumstances."
Meanwhile, Ben Carson, who was asked to be surgeon general by both George W. Bush and Barack nObama, said he would announce his campaign Monday. "Many people have suggested to me that I should run for president, even though I'm not a politician," Carson said. "I began to ask myself, why are people clamoring for me to do this? … I'm not 100 percent sure politics as usual is going to save us."
And former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will announce his second campaign for president Tuesday. Huckabee is expected to run on his record as governor and his political battles against the Clintons in Arkansas. He's also likely to pull support from evangelical voters with his strong social conservative stance. With months to go, who knows? Maybe the GOP should pick a Washington outsider, a person who would be a contrast to Hilly Clinton's baggage. More... -The Patriot Post
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Clinton: Religion Must Surrender to Progressive Ideology There is little question the American Left is arrogant. It is an arrogance suffused with a self-aggrandizing worldview that begins and ends with the simplest premise: You either agree with us, or you’re wrong. But not just wrong in the sense of having a different opinion. Wrong in the sense that you’re a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal at best, or the embodiment of evil itself at worst. In other words, you’re either on board with us, or you’re completely illegitimate.
The above explanation fits Hilly Clinton to a tee. At the sixth annual Women in the World Summit, Clinton brought up one of the Left’s most cherished planks, abortion on demand. “Far too many women are denied access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth," she insisted, "and laws don’t count for much if they’re not enforced. Rights have to exist in practice, not just on paper."
One is left to wonder what denial of access Clinton bemoans. It can’t be Planned Parenthood (PP), an organization whose name completely belies its true function. As its 2013-2014 Annual Report reveals, PP received more than $528 million in taxpayer funds in the form of government grants, contracts and Medicaid reimbursements that accounted for 41% of its total resources. And despite its ostensible non-profit status, the abortion giant has $127 million in excess revenue and more than $1.4 billion in net assets. -The Patriot Post
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NATIONAL SECURITY FOCUS MAKES LONG SHOTS LONGER
There are a lot of reasons why today’s two new official entrants into the Republican presidential hunt – former neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former tech CEO Carly Fiorina – are long shots to win their party’s nomination: Name identification, fundraising and, in Carson’s case, a tendency toward verbal miscues. But you only need one. The latest WSJ/NBC News survey reveals that national security is the clear number one issue for GOP primary voters. It’s the top topic for 27 percent of respondents now. It was 8 percent four years ago. The major issues for Republicans in 2012 were nObamaCare and the economy, perfect fits for Carson and Fiorina respectively. But the world looks different now. And Sunday’s attack in Garland, Texas will do nothing to cool the ardor of Republicans to see someone who is ready to be commander in chief when they see their nominee.
So Republicans are thinking a lot about ISIS and the unrest in the Middle East. Who benefits and who else suffers? The overseas attention is good news for Sen.Marco Rubio, who has made foreign policy his focus in the Senate and a warning to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that he had better be ready to stand and deliver on foreign policy issues when he hits the campaign trail. The open question is whether frontrunner Jeb Bush and his family can fully rehabilitee their brand on the subject. That looks like a long climb and certainly will put him in some tight quarters when it comes to debates and interviews. -Fox News
There are a lot of reasons why today’s two new official entrants into the Republican presidential hunt – former neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former tech CEO Carly Fiorina – are long shots to win their party’s nomination: Name identification, fundraising and, in Carson’s case, a tendency toward verbal miscues. But you only need one. The latest WSJ/NBC News survey reveals that national security is the clear number one issue for GOP primary voters. It’s the top topic for 27 percent of respondents now. It was 8 percent four years ago. The major issues for Republicans in 2012 were nObamaCare and the economy, perfect fits for Carson and Fiorina respectively. But the world looks different now. And Sunday’s attack in Garland, Texas will do nothing to cool the ardor of Republicans to see someone who is ready to be commander in chief when they see their nominee.
So Republicans are thinking a lot about ISIS and the unrest in the Middle East. Who benefits and who else suffers? The overseas attention is good news for Sen.Marco Rubio, who has made foreign policy his focus in the Senate and a warning to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that he had better be ready to stand and deliver on foreign policy issues when he hits the campaign trail. The open question is whether frontrunner Jeb Bush and his family can fully rehabilitee their brand on the subject. That looks like a long climb and certainly will put him in some tight quarters when it comes to debates and interviews. -Fox News
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McCon-nell may slam door on Rubio’s Iran effort - National Journal: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McCon-nell may be forced to end debate on the Iran bill early this week, marking the first time he has shut down the open amendment process that was a central promise of his bid for control of the chamber. Sen. Tom Cotton’s surprise move on Thursday to force votes on his own amendment and one from Sen. Marco Rubio highlights the perils of McCon-nell's commitment to an open amendment process. When Sen. dinky Harry Reid was leader, he often ‘filled the tree’ in Hill-speak, essentially preventing members from filing amendments without his express written permission. McCon-nell's stated preference for a free-wheeling debate allows members to follow in Cotton's footsteps and force votes on their amendments.” -Fox News
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WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE
WSJ: “Wayne Daley, a Georgia Institute of Technology research engineer, is pecking away at a serious question for the poultry industry: how to digitally detect the cluck of an unhappy chicken. It is a matter of profit for commercial chicken growers, who lose money on sick or uncomfortable birds. Chickens with feathers ruffled by heat or cold or illness don’t eat as well or fatten up as quickly as healthy, contented ones. Farmers say if software can alert them to warning sounds from their flocks, they can act quickly to adjust chicken-house temperatures or treat sick birds. … Using microphones and a recording app for smartphones made by Georgia Tech students called SCAR—an acronym for “Sick Chicken Audio Recorder”—Mr. Daley’s team of researchers, along with poultry experts from the University of Georgia, have recorded more than 1,000 hours of chickens clucking while content, sick, crowded and cold.” -Fox News
WSJ: “Wayne Daley, a Georgia Institute of Technology research engineer, is pecking away at a serious question for the poultry industry: how to digitally detect the cluck of an unhappy chicken. It is a matter of profit for commercial chicken growers, who lose money on sick or uncomfortable birds. Chickens with feathers ruffled by heat or cold or illness don’t eat as well or fatten up as quickly as healthy, contented ones. Farmers say if software can alert them to warning sounds from their flocks, they can act quickly to adjust chicken-house temperatures or treat sick birds. … Using microphones and a recording app for smartphones made by Georgia Tech students called SCAR—an acronym for “Sick Chicken Audio Recorder”—Mr. Daley’s team of researchers, along with poultry experts from the University of Georgia, have recorded more than 1,000 hours of chickens clucking while content, sick, crowded and cold.” -Fox News
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The Implications of the Dismissal of Stephen Coughlin
(Robert Spencer) - Stephen Coughlin Update. Here is an excellent summary piece on Coughlin’s firing, its implications, and what must be done next...This event on its own reveals that a senior U.S. advisor is being removed from his direct and critical role in the current war in which we are engaged solely because his message was defined as “extreme” by an advisor who caters to Islamist organizations in the U.S., not because it was factually incorrect. It is imperative that an investigation be open to determine the facts of this matter. If the investigation determines the facts of the matter to be true, provide the extent of the penetration within DoD, an assessment of the damage, potential violations of federal law, and recommended changes to Department policy and procedures to prevent a recurrence. http://www.jihadwatch.org/2008/01/the-implications-of-the-dismissal-of-stephen-coughlin-joint-staff-pentagon
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St. Dept Squirms Why Clinton Didn’t Adhere to Disclosure Agreement
(freebeacon.com) - The State Department’s refusal to answer questions about the Clinton Foundation’s failure to disclose donors from foreign countries and corporations continued Monday...State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke deflected many of the questions. Typically, the AP’s Matt Lee offers the most vocal and poignant line of questioning for Rathke. However, after stalling to answer Lee’s questions on whether the State Department had a problem with the Clinton Foundation, another reporter stepped up his critique. http://freebeacon.com/politics/state-dept-squirms-when-pressed-repeatedly-why-clinton-didnt-adhere-to-disclosure-agreement/
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Pamela Geller Battles CNN Host over Garland Shooting
(jihadwatch.org) - The stakes couldn’t possibly be higher, but no one in the mainstream media seems to understand that or to be willing to recognize it publicly. The question is this...will the free West allow thugs and murderers to dictate our behavior and force non-Muslims to conform to an Islamic religious law? Or will it stand up for the freedom of speech and recognize it as our foremost protection against an authoritarian government that would strip us of our other rights and freedoms CNN’s Alisyn Camerota, in this joust with Pamela Geller, exemplifies the moral blindness of the West, and its eagerness to go gently into that good night, submitting to the dictates of killers. http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/05/video-geller-vs-camerota-free-speech-warrior-bests-advocate-of-sharia-submission?utm_source=Jihad+Watch+Daily+Digest&utm_campaign=b329bcb4f5-Daily_Digest&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ffcbf57bbb-b329bcb4f5-123451509
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Sen Jeff Sessions To Pro-Illegal Alien Wall Street Journal...
(rickwells.us) - Senator Jeff Sessions dispelled some myths being perpetrated by the Wall Street Journal regarding the America workplace and foreign labor as well as some unfounded attacks they levied against him and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker...Two recent editorial articles, one of April 25th titled “Scott Walker’s Labor Economics” and an April 27th follow up “The Sessions Complaint.” The paper disagreed with assertions that immigration policies should be determined based upon what benefits the American citizens and workers. In a Friday letter to the editor, Senator Sessions wrote: “To support your belief that American workers should receive no protections, you recycle the myth that there is a shortage of qualified Americans to fill jobs in STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—and then demand more guest workers as substitutes.” “Your evidence for this claim is that the government ‘received a record 233,000 requests from American business for the 85,000 H-1B visas available.’ But the only thing this statistic proves is that companies prefer low-wage, bonded guest workers over higher-paid Americans.” http://www.rickwells.us/sen-jeff-sessions-to-pro-illegal-alien-wall-street-journal-america-is-a-country-not-a-spreadsheet/
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Dempsey Departing As Joint Chiefs Chairman
(rickwells.us) - On Tuesday Hussein nObama is expected to nominate Marine Corps’ Commandant Joseph Dunford as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...U.S. officials said on Monday, disclosing a widely expected pick likely to win swift Senate confirmation. Dunford, 59, would replace Army General Martin Dempsey, who is expected to step down in September as the top military officer after a tumultuous four-year period that saw most U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan but thousands return to Iraq. http://www.rickwells.us/dempsey-departing-as-joint-chiefs-chairman-marine-general-to-be-announced-to-take-his-place/
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Texas Gov Issues Warning in Nationwide Military Exercise
(gopthedailydose.com) - The Federal government is preparing to conduct a multi-state military exercise throughout the US, and (strangely) some folks are getting a little nervous...The war simulation has been clouded in secrecy, and everyone from conspiracy theorists to run-of-the-mill citizens are raising some eyebrows. And apparently the governor of Texas isn’t feeling warm and fuzzy about the operation either. Conspiracy theorists aren’t the only ones who aren’t fully buying the official reasons given for the large-scale military exercise code-named “Jade Helm 15,” a multi-state war simulation with mysterious intentions. Some believe President Barack nObama’s feds have a more sinister reason behind the large training operation. http://gopthedailydose.com/2015/05/04/texas-gov-issues-warning-to-obama-in-face-of-nationwide-military-exercise/
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The Elizabeth Warren Cheering Squad
(Jonathan M. Hanen) - In recent months, it seems as if every day the populist left-wing politician Elizabeth Warren has said “no” to her party’s Progressive wing, which desperately wants her to challenge the allegedly inevitable presidential candidate, former Secretary of State Hilly Clinton...But the Progressives keep on asking, begging, and pleading with the former law professor to declare her candidacy. “We think the stakes are so high that we want to push to get her in this race,” said T. Neil Sroka, spokesman for Democracy for America. Of MoveOn.org Civic Action’s effort to draft Warren, executive director Anna Galland said, “The top objective of our campaign that we have been explicit about from the beginning is that this is an earnest effort to get her into the race.” http://capitalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/OT0515.pdf
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Congressman seeks to unlock secret refugee program
(Leo Hohmann) - Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., has received a response to hisletter demanding answers from Secretary of State hanoi John Kerry about the planned resettlement of dozens of foreign refugees in his state...But the answers failed to shed much light on the secrecy that surrounds the refugee program. The process by which cities and towns across the U.S. are selected to receive displaced persons from United Nations refugee camps remains largely a mystery. As Gowdy discovered, the city of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was approved for an infusion of 60 refugees, mostly from Syria and Africa, by its own state government headed by Republican Gov. Nikki Haley. http://www.wnd.com/2015/05/congressman-seeks-to-unlock-secret-refugee-program/#R4GvBff27mpk1Aiz.99.
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The Corker Bill Will Not Block nObama’s Iran Deal
(Andrew McCarthy) - I’m in Gomorrah by the Potomac this weekend at the National Review Institute’s Ideas Summit. As you’d expect, one of the ideas coming in for a good deal of scrutiny is the Corker bill...the legislation proposed by Senator Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) that purports to give Congress an opportunity to review President nObama’s imminent, disastrous nuclear deal with Iraq. As a New Yorker, I have as my default setting: stay out of Washington. But defaults are made to be broken. From a comfortable remote, it is too easy a thing to dismiss this place as a lost cause for conservatives. From up close, though, it is plain to see that many of the bad ideas that come out of Washington — which often seems like a bad-idea assembly line — result from the frustration of doing battle, day in and day out, with both a destructive presidential administration and a Democratic party that has been commandeered by the hard Left. The Corker bill is one of those bad ideas. http://www.aim.org/guest-column/the-corker-bill-will-not-block-obamas-iran-deal/?utm_source=AIM+-+Daily+Email&utm_campaign=email050415&utm_medium=email
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Single Payer Health Insurance: Why Sanders Just Doesn't Get It
(John C. Goodman) - Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared onFox News yesterday and Chris Wallace asked him why his own state had abandoned all plans to implement single payer health insurance – something that is apparently allowed under nObamacare...Since Sanders is a self-described “socialist,” you would expect him to be up to the task. He wasn’t. Sanders had no explanation of why Vermont’s brief flirtation with socialized medicine was such a flop. Instead he repeated the standard leftist line: other countries spend half as much as we do and they guarantee everyone health care. If that’s true, why isn’t it a simple matter to copy what everyone else around the world is doing? Part of the answer is that the claim isn’t true. Other countries don’t spend half as much as we do and guarantee everyone health care. http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2015/04/20/single-payer-health-insurance-why-bernie-sanders-just-doesnt-get-it/
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Religious liberty issues at Supreme Court marriage hearing all but ignored by media
Mark A. Kellner
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In one exchange, Justice Antonin G. Scalia asked attorney Mary L. Bonauto of the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders about possible outcomes of such a ruling.
In one exchange, Justice Antonin G. Scalia asked attorney Mary L. Bonauto of the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders about possible outcomes of such a ruling.
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"I'm concerned about the wisdom of this court imposing through the Constitution a requirement of action which is unpalatable to many of our citizens for religious reasons," Justice Scalia said, according to an official transcript. "But once it's made a matter of constitutional law is it conceivable that a minister who is authorized by the State to conduct marriage can decline to marry two men if indeed this Court holds that they have a constitutional right to marry?"
"I'm concerned about the wisdom of this court imposing through the Constitution a requirement of action which is unpalatable to many of our citizens for religious reasons," Justice Scalia said, according to an official transcript. "But once it's made a matter of constitutional law is it conceivable that a minister who is authorized by the State to conduct marriage can decline to marry two men if indeed this Court holds that they have a constitutional right to marry?"
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Bonauto replied, in part, "I believe it is firm, that under the First Amendment, that a clergy person cannot be forced to officiate at a marriage that he or she does not want to officiate at."
Bonauto replied, in part, "I believe it is firm, that under the First Amendment, that a clergy person cannot be forced to officiate at a marriage that he or she does not want to officiate at."
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Justice Scalia responded that such exceptions are often permitted under state laws, "but if it's a constitutional requirement," he said referring to marriage, "I don't see how you can."
Justice Scalia responded that such exceptions are often permitted under state laws, "but if it's a constitutional requirement," he said referring to marriage, "I don't see how you can."
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In questioning U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr., Chief Justice John Roberts asked whether "a religious school that has married student housing would be required to offer such housing to same-sex couples?"
In questioning U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr., Chief Justice John Roberts asked whether "a religious school that has married student housing would be required to offer such housing to same-sex couples?"
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Verrilli demurred and said individual states would have to resolve that question since "there is no federal law now generally banning discrimination based on sexual orientation."
Verrilli demurred and said individual states would have to resolve that question since "there is no federal law now generally banning discrimination based on sexual orientation."
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In turn, that drew a question from Justice Samuel Alito, about a 30-year-old decision against Bob Jones University, a nondenominational Protestant school that claimed a religious right to prohibit interracial relationships.
In turn, that drew a question from Justice Samuel Alito, about a 30-year-old decision against Bob Jones University, a nondenominational Protestant school that claimed a religious right to prohibit interracial relationships.
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"In the Bob Jones case, the court held that a college was not entitled to tax exempt status if it opposed interracial marriage or interracial dating," Alito said. "So would the same apply to a university or a college if it opposed same-sex marriage?"
"In the Bob Jones case, the court held that a college was not entitled to tax exempt status if it opposed interracial marriage or interracial dating," Alito said. "So would the same apply to a university or a college if it opposed same-sex marriage?"
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Verrilli responded, "I don't think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it's certainly going to be an issue. I don't deny that."
Verrilli responded, "I don't think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it's certainly going to be an issue. I don't deny that."
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According to a Washington Post account of religious freedom questions at the hearing, "Justice Stephen Breyer asked whether purely religious reasons to oppose same-sex marriage were sufficient. John Bursch, who argued for state bans against same-sex marriage, replied that he is not arguing on the religious grounds."
According to a Washington Post account of religious freedom questions at the hearing, "Justice Stephen Breyer asked whether purely religious reasons to oppose same-sex marriage were sufficient. John Bursch, who argued for state bans against same-sex marriage, replied that he is not arguing on the religious grounds."
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Although it is unclear how — or even if — religious liberty considerations will play in the court's final ruling, one Canadian observer, writing before the oral arguments took place, warned that a marriage mandate might spell trouble for religious institutions.
Although it is unclear how — or even if — religious liberty considerations will play in the court's final ruling, one Canadian observer, writing before the oral arguments took place, warned that a marriage mandate might spell trouble for religious institutions.
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"I want to warn America to expect severe erosion of First Amendment freedoms if the U.S. Supreme Court mandates same-sex marriage," Dawn Stefanowicz warned in an article at The Public Discourse. "The consequences have played out in Canada for 10 years now, and they are truly Orwellian in nature and scope."
"I want to warn America to expect severe erosion of First Amendment freedoms if the U.S. Supreme Court mandates same-sex marriage," Dawn Stefanowicz warned in an article at The Public Discourse. "The consequences have played out in Canada for 10 years now, and they are truly Orwellian in nature and scope."
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Stefanowicz, who said she was the daughter of "a gay father who died of AIDS," wrote that she had filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court to argue against the redefinition of marriage. She wrote that because of provincial human rights panels that "police" speech, "Most faith communities have become 'politically correct' to avoid fines and loss of charitable status."
Stefanowicz, who said she was the daughter of "a gay father who died of AIDS," wrote that she had filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court to argue against the redefinition of marriage. She wrote that because of provincial human rights panels that "police" speech, "Most faith communities have become 'politically correct' to avoid fines and loss of charitable status."
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