That's Not Who We Are

By William L. Garvin

Lately we've been lectured by the president, pundits and politicos of all stripes that "that's not who we are" and "those are not our values."  For the moment, let's put aside the condescending dismissal of opposing viewpoints and the arrogant, self-appointed status they've assumed as the ultimate arbiter of who "we" are.  Let's look at how far we've come with this "fundamental transformation" of the United States.  Remember when the president declared that we are no longer a Christian nation?  Now prayer is being eradicated from schools along with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Students have been told they can't read the Holy Bible during free time and to cover up their crucifixes.  Notre Dame covered up its cross when the president spoke at its university.  Other universities do not fly the Stars and Stripes for fear that it might offend foreign students.  The Ten Commandments is being removed from public squares along with nativity scenes.  A Christian high school football coach has been suspended for praying on the field after a game while a Virginia geography teacher circulates the Koran and has her students copy the "shahada "which translated means "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."  Some Tennessee schools have removed the Ten Commandments but the "5 Pillars of Islam" remains posted.  Where is the Freedom From Religion Foundation and their ubiquitous lawsuits against these practices or does its "separation of church and state" vendetta only apply to Christians and Jews?

Gone are the days of the "shining city on the hill" when the world's foremost beacon of freedom beamed brightly.  Gone are the days when one would "ask not what the country could do for you but what you could do for your country".  Gone are the days where politicians represented the will of "we the people" as well as real choice and loyal opposition.    Gone are the days when allies could trust us and enemies would respect us.  Today this is a country of feckless foreign policy, disappearing red lines and broken promises.  Today we not only negotiate with terrorists but we actively fund the world's number one sponsor of state terrorism.  On the home front, police officers are guilty until proven innocent and their cities will burn either way.  Here to stay is the establishment of one-party rule-the fiscally irresponsible, self-perpetuating, elitist political class.  With malice of forethought, Congress passed and the president signed another trillion dollar spending bill adding to the astronomical $18.8 trillion national debt.  Addicted to gargantuan government and illiterate economic and national security policies, our leaders are willing to forego domestic peace and prosperity in favor of "charitable" giving to nations that hate us and continually oppose our best interests.  Buried in over two thousand pages of budget chicanery is another $1.8 billion to resettle illegal aliens in addition to full funding for Planned Parenthood's continued war on the unborn and for sanctuary cities harboring of foreign felons.  Senators Sessions and Cruz warned in advance:  "Congress is days away from consideration of an omnibus year-end funding bill that would set the U.S. on an autopilot path to approve green cards, asylum, and refugee status to approximately 170,000 migrants from Muslim countries during the next fiscal year. In addition to that tens of thousands of temporary visas for entry and employment, and the entire sum is added to the rest of the annual autopilot green card, asylum, refugee, and foreign worker flow."  Leftists ignore the unique political components of Islam (dhimmitude, jizyah, taqiyya, and Al-hijra) and that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain all refuse any refugees because of "security concerns." Islamapoligists ignore Islamic State warnings that they will imbed terrorists among the refugees.  They also ignore warnings from the FBI and Homeland Security that there is simply no way to properly vet these people.  And of course, they also ignore the simple laws of supply and demand and fail to acknowledge how a continual influx of poorly educated and unskilled labor, both legal and illegal, depresses minimum wage increases.    

Leftists also claim that they can prevent terrorist attacks by passing more laws restricting law abiding citizens' ability to protect themselves and their families by purchasing weapons.  Newsflash for liberals: criminals don't obey laws!  Attacks on the Second Amendment are unrelenting and a sad portend for the future is Yale students happily signing a petition to eliminate the First Amendment because the entire country should be a "safe space."  If these are our best and brightest and the leaders of tomorrow, God help us all!  If this is who we now are, then cultural suicide is our new American value!

Sit Down and Shut Up!

By William L. Garvin

The “never let a crisis go to waste” leftist playbook was employed instantaneously in San Bernardino.  The terrorist carnage was barely contained before progressive politicos began shilling for more gun control and more speech control.  CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) ignored its own terrorist connections and blamed USA foreign policies for the incident.  Leftists large and small began speaking not of the dangers of radical Islam, homegrown terrorists and jihad but of an anticipated anti-Muslim backlash.

One can easily recall the president solemnly intoning that “The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”  But to him, Benghazi was “a bump in the road”; Paris was a “setback”; the targeting of Jews in a kosher deli was “random”; and the Fort Hood slaughter was “workplace violence.”  He even fantasizes that going to an unrelated meeting is a “powerful rebuke” to terrorists!  Following suit, his Attorney General Loretta Lynch goes to the Muslim Advocates to commiserate and share her greatest fear: that anti-Muslim sentiment will lead to attacks on Muslims.  In light of beheadings, murders, 9/11, Ft. Hood, etc., one could easily postulate that America has been remarkably restrained and tolerant in its response.  Has there been a single Muslim beheaded or a single mosque burned or bombed in this country?  No there hasn’t but the AG fired a preemptive nuke declaring that “anti-Muslim rhetoric” that “edges toward violence” and “actions predicated on violent talk” will be prosecuted.”  This is just another patented pandering ploy that is lockstep with the president’s inability to recognize or oppose the danger of radical Islam.

The president said that the radical element in Islam is only a “tiny fraction” of the Muslim population as a whole.  How does he know that?  There is nothing new in radical Islam.  Aggression, terror, and conquest have been part of the Islamic history for 1400 years.  While he was quick to change the focus to the crusades, he conveniently ignored the 400 years of Muslim jihad and savagery that precipitated the retaliation.  If one is to criticize jihad, dhimmitude, or Sharia law, if one is to criticize the violent history of Islam or violent sections of the Koran, is that “anti-Muslim rhetoric” that “edges toward violence”?  We already know that cartoons will push some radical Muslims over the edge?  Some leftists have said the male terrorist in San Bernardino was justified because someone made fun of his beard.  An Al-Jazeera America producer said it was disrespectful for the face of the female terrorist to be shown without her burqa.  Given the proliferation of micro-aggressions, trigger warnings, “safe space” needs, and the hypersensitivity with which many greet each day, everyone gets to be a victim.  On some campuses black students feel “oppressed’ by even having to share the same class or space with “white privilege.”  Offensive language is quickly becoming anything anyone says that does not fit the leftist model.  Is that where Ms. Lynch is going?  We already know that Lois Lerner and her IRS cohorts will bring the full force of government to bear on those who hold opposing political views. 

In light of all this, what will the AG choose to ignore and what will she choose to prosecute?  Will she prosecute those who shout “What do we want?  DEAD COPS!  When do we want it?  NOW!”? Will she prosecute “Pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon!”  Will she show equal zeal for Louis Farrakhan saying that Judaism is a “gutter religion” and that “white people are potential humans--they haven’t evolved yet” and says that his greatest enemy is the white man?  Eric Holder didn’t prosecute the New Black Panther Party when they put out a bounty on George Zimmerman; would she?  If she continues the partisan prosecution preferred by her predecessor, she might soon hear cries of “no justice, no peace” from an entirely different American constituency.  We will continue to proudly (not bitterly!) cling to our God, our country, and our guns.  We won’t be giving up our first and second amendment rights.  We won’t be sitting down and we won’t be shutting up. 

 

Winner by Knockout!

By William L. Garvin

In the “sweet science” of pugilism, there is a common plan for those beginning their professional careers.  Competent trainers don’t throw their novices into the ring with an undisputed champion.  They start off with lesser skilled opponents, pugs of limited ability, to build up the fighter’s confidence and won-loss record.  It appears that the Democrat party is using the same strategy.

It was obvious in the so-called Democrat debate that Hillary was made to look good by surrounding her with stumblebums and palookas.  Of course she shined in comparison, especially when Bernie Sanders took a dive on her emails.  The fix was in and obvious to all.  The debate ended up being a draw between the socialist and the progressive as to who could give away the most “free stuff” but Hillary got the decision on style points.  Neither candidate was queried as to how all this largesse would be paid for and how much it would add to the $18.5 trillion national debt.  Anderson Cooper ended up shadow boxing and lost a split decision to his shadow!

In comparison, the Republican debates were mostly characterized by a lack of moderation among the moderators.  In particular, the CNN and CNBC debates were deliberately staged to drop the gloves, engage in a bare knuckle brawl and instigate a cage fight if at all possible.  John Harwood of CNBC was particularly egregious in his smug and disdainful provocations.  That’s why Chris Christie drew such resounding applause when he said “even in New Jersey” Harwood was being rude.  That’s why Marco Rubio drew such resounding applause when he said that Democrats had the largest PAC of all…the main stream media!  That’s why Ted Cruz drew such resounding applause when he exposed their obvious ploy to degrade and destroy every Republican candidate on the stage.

To date, no Democrat has been subjected to even the mildest of challenges as to their record or qualifications.  The reason that no one laid a glove on Hillary is because no one even threw a punch!  No one in that debate asked why she exhibited such incredibly poor judgment in setting up her own private server thereby jeopardizing national security.  No one asked about the questionable donations from foreign entities to the Clinton Foundation, her inability to manage two email addresses, the $6 billion missing State Department dollars, her obvious lies about Benghazi, or how she would handle ISIS, Russia, Iran and China, the national debt, and this depressingly slow economic recovery.

As Bernie threw wild haymakers in the Santa Claus giveaway program, he waxed rhapsodically about Denmark and their freebies.  Maybe he should read Mikkel Clair Nissen’s book MANIPULISM AND THE WEAPON OF GUILT.  She wrote:  “I am a school-teacher from Denmark, making about $61,000 a year.  We get free education.  You don’t have to pay for the doctor, the hospital, and students even get paid to study.  It all sounds so great…right?  However, I forgot to mention that nothing is ever free.  The lowest personal income-tax in Denmark is minimum 40 percent.  Also, we pay a sales tax of 25 percent, and on top of sales tax the government applies further (generally hidden) duties and fees, to almost everything, making it really hard for lower-class people to get by, causing them to be deeply dependent on government handouts.  A gallon of gas is about 10 dollars.  Tax on a car is 180 percent, which brings a car valued a bit over $20,000 in the United States (e.g., Honda Accord) up to an astounding $50,000 dollars in Denmark.  Denmark is the highest taxed nation in the world—taxed an average of 80 percent of every earned dollar.  Caused by excessive taxation, Danes also have the highest private debt in the world.  Only few will ever own a car or a house here, banks generally do—hypocritically, the very same bankers that the collectivists despise.  Anyone who makes over $80,000 annually pays a personal tax of 68 percent.  This means that almost all people with higher earnings have either found ways to evade taxes, or have left the country, often bringing their companies with them, making employment scarcely low.  Denmark’s suicide rate has averaged 20.8 per 100,000 during the last five decades, with its highest level of 32.  The American suicide rate averaged only 11.1 during the last five decades, and has never exceeded 12.7.  Danes are deeply deprived, driven by severe narcissism, and so more than 11 percent of adult Danes—the supposed happiest people in the world—are on antidepressants.  Well of course Danes are happy; they are medicated to be!  Everyone wants the American dream.  In Denmark’s neo-communism, no one will ever own or accomplish anything.”  Do you feel the burn, Bern?

If Democrats are ever matched against the truth as Republicans are matched against the media, truth will be a winner by knockout…probably in the opening round!

Selective Surgical Slicing and Slander

By William L. Garvin

So let me get this straight.  Leftists are trying to remove every vestige of religious thought from the public stage.  However, if someone says that he will not support a Muslim for president who places Sharia law above the Constitution that is somehow Islamophobic and reprehensible.  Leftists holding that view are either ignorant as to the presidential oath of office or totally uninformed as to the nature of Sharia law…or both!

There are many more examples of their illogical and inconsistent thinking.  When the passengers on United Flight 93 said “let’s roll” and attacked their hijackers on 9/11, everybody recognized their incredible courage.  When three young Americans attacked and overpowered an armed terrorist on a Paris-bound train, they were universally lauded and applauded for their bravery.  However, when Dr. Ben Carson said that if he and others were confronted by an armed gunman intent on killing them he would advocate everyone rush the gunman, leftists went into hyperbolic outrage overdrive.  That’s how you selectively slice and slander a brilliant surgeon who has strayed from the democrat minority orthodoxy.  That’s how you hamstring and hobble a conservative who is rising in the polls and is the epitome of an American success story.  That’s why idiotic, intolerant, progressive magazines run articles headlined “F**k Ben Carson.”  That’s why a university professor suggested he receive a “coon of the year” award!  So where’s the NAACP?  Where are Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson?  Where are the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU?   Crickets…still just as complicit in silence as they were with Clarence Thomas, Allen West, Herman Cain, and Condoleezza Rice.  “Gentle Ben” can expect the same kind of support from those organizations that Sarah Palin received from the National Organization of Women.  Conservative minority men and conservative women need to know their place, mind their manners and get back on the liberal plantation.

As leftists continue to slice their pound of flesh, they deliberately misquote and distort the good doctor’s words.  When he said “[T]he likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed,” leftists pounce and pontificate as if he had said “If Jews had guns, they would have defeated the Nazis.”  No, they would not have defeated Hitler’s armies (and Carson never said they would!) but they could have made his “ultimate solution” more difficult.  Seriously, if you were a Jew in Germany in the Thirties/Forties, would you rather be armed or unarmed?  If your liberties are threatened by a tyrannical government today, would you rather be armed or unarmed?  Would you rather die on your feet protecting yourself and your family or would you rather die on your knees in a “national gun free zone?”

This radical left position was further clarified on “The Bernie-Hill Show” (the Democrat version of debate) that fixated on “common sense gun regulations” which is usually prog-speak for “confiscation.”  That’s why the president references Australia as he politicizes shootings.  Of course, he and Hillary love to spew spittle at the NRA, one of their favorite bogeymen.  How many of the “mass shooters” have been NRA members?  None but as usual, liberal efforts are geared to keeping guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens and do little to nothing about keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.  That’s predictable when you think about a party that refuses to defund sanctuary cities which deliberately harbor criminals.  That’s predictable when you think about a party that refuses to support mandatory sentencing for illegal aliens who commit serious felonies.  That’s predictable for a president who grandstands in Roseburg so he can charge his fundraising events to the taxpayer but ignores Chicago.

An even more extreme position was espoused by Hillary, i.e., that not only should criminals who use guns be prosecuted but the manufacturer of the gun should also be prosecuted.  Now that’s quite a precedent.  According to the FBI, in 2011, there were 1,694 homicides committed with knives and a worldwide stabbing epidemic has broken out lately.  Let’s have common sense knife control regulations imposed and sue both the murderer and the knife manufacturers.  There were nearly 500 people killed in the same year with hammers, clubs and baseball bats.  Let’s have common sense hammer and baseball bat control regulations and sue their manufacturers.  Louisville Slugger beware!  In 2013, there were over 10,000 deaths from drunk driving accidents.  Now there’s a lawyer cornucopia for you.  We can sue the driver, the car manufacturer, the dealer, the bartender, and the distillery that produced the booze!  Don’t forget the farmers that raised the ingredients, the truckers that transported them, and the makers of all the brewery and distillery equipment.  Hillary hates guns, the NRA, and the Second Amendment almost as much as she hates Republicans!  It’s too bad she doesn’t hate career criminals, illegals, sanctuary cities and debt with the same venom.

  

Liberally Speaking

By William L. Garvin

“A man who chooses between drinking a glass of milk and a glass of a solution of potassium cyanide does not choose between two beverages; he chooses between life and death.  A society that chooses between capitalism and socialism does not choose between two social systems; it chooses between social cooperation and the disintegration of society.  Socialism is not an alternative to capitalism; it is an alternative to any system under which men can live as human beings.”  Ludwig von Mises

The leading Democrat candidate in the latest Ohio and New Hampshire polls isn’t even a Democrat!  It’s Bernie Sanders, an Independent and self-described “democratic socialist” who thinks the United States should be more like Scandinavia.  We too should have free college, free grad school, free childcare, guaranteed income, guaranteed retirement and of course single payer government run healthcare.  In typical liberal fashion, he’ll finance it with more taxes on the rich, on corporations, estates, and financial transactions.  He wants another trillion dollar stimulus package for infrastructure and cares nothing about increasing the national debt or “running out of other people’s money.”  Despite all this, more and more Democrats prefer him to Hillary the Inevitable who two-thirds of the people polled regard as a “liar”, “dishonest”, and “not trustworthy.”  About one-third of those polled will vote her anyway because she also promises free college and because she’s a Democrat.  Incredible.

Liberally speaking, it’s important to be compassionate.  We must show compassion for polar bears, for trees, for spotted owls, for Cecil the lion, for transgender persons, and for undocumented workers, formerly known as illegal aliens.  However, that compassion does not extend to the harvesting, butchering, and sale of unborn baby parts.  Naturally Nancy Pelosi decries the videotapes of Planned Parenthood’s pathetic and barbaric practices as fake even though she hasn’t seen them.  In her world, whistle blowers should be protected unless one of her campaign donors is being exposed.  And PP gives lots of money…to Democrats.  Incredible.

Liberally speaking, there should be an inviolable wall of separation between church and state…unless that church’s religious figure believes in open borders, climate change (formerly known as global warming), opposes the death penalty and castigates “unbridled capitalism.”  Such a figure will be welcomed with open arms, invited to the White House and given free rein to address Congress.  Naturally, liberals have no problem with the First Lady wearing a $2,300 dress to meet the Pope though they waxed apoplectic over a $990 blouse worn by Ann Romney.  Incredible.

Liberally speaking, inconsistency is a trademark.  Of course, Kim Davis should resign her position because she wouldn’t issue same sex marriage certificates because it conflicted with her faith.  At an LGBT “gala fundraiser,” President Obama opined that gay rights (not enumerated in the Constitution) were more important than religious rights (specifically enumerated in the Constitution).  However, when Ben Carson said he would not support a Muslim for the presidency if that candidate held sharia law superior to the Constitution, liberals were incensed and subjected him to the predictable media lynching.  Such inconsistency requires them to ignore the treatment of women, the treatment of homosexuals, the sex trafficking, honor killings, mass execution of Christians, and the sexploitation of children commonly found in Islamic countries.  In fact, a Green Beret is soon to be kicked out of our army because he pushed down an Afghan police commander for sexually abusing a young boy and beating his mother when she complained.  Incredible.

Liberally speaking, President Obama can pontificate about his “moral outrage” that millions of children are “just one mosquito bite away from death.”  It is important not to remember that it was liberal policies and the phony scientific support for Rachel Carson’s SILENT SPRING that restricted the use of DDT that had decimated the mosquito population and nearly eradicated malaria.  It is important not to ask whether it is a moral outrage to burn corn for fuel (ethanol) while millions are starving.  It is important not to ask whether it is moral to deliberately drive up the costs of electricity and fuel when that has a disproportionate impact on the poor.  It is important not to ask whether the concerns about crony capitalism should extend to all those popular “green energy” companies that are still inefficient, expensive and frequently corrupt.  Liberally speaking, only conservatives should be asked those questions.  Incredible.

Meanwhile back at the White House, Barack is telling Vladimir “My red line is ‘Assad must go.’”  Vladimir is telling Barack “You’re full of liberal borscht.  I will build army bases, airfields and seaports in Syria with my pals Bashar and Hasan (Iranian president) while you are leading from behind.”  Liberally speaking, it’s another great foreign policy deal.  Really incredible…and really stupid.

Arbitrary, Capricious, and Discriminatory

By William L. Garvin

“On principle, the success of our democracy depends on the rule of law.  And there is no public official that is above the rule of law.  Certainly not the President of the United States, but neither is the Rowan County clerk.  That’s a principle that is enshrined in our Constitution and in our democracy and it’s one that obviously the courts are seeking to uphold.”  Josh Earnest, President Obama’s Press Secretary

Is our nation governed by the rule of law?  There is ample evidence to the contrary.  For the rule of law to be effective, it must be applied in a consistent, fair, and impartial manner.  When laws are applied or not applied in an arbitrary, capricious, and discriminatory fashion, it breeds contempt for all the laws and for the enforcers of the laws.  The catalyst for this discussion came about when Kim Davis, a democratically elected Democrat, refused to issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples in Rowan County, Kentucky, citing her religious convictions.  Subsequently, to the delight of liberals everywhere, the court ordered her jailed for contempt.  Why the court didn’t just order the county to print up new license forms without her name as a “reasonable accommodation” is a subject for another time.  However, the hue and cry from many corners was that Davis should be fired, impeached, or forced to resign if she could not perform the duties of her office.  If this standard were to be consistently applied, we would have a dearth of office holders.

For instance, regardless of your views of California’s Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment legally enacted by California voters defining marriage as between a man and a woman, Governor Jerry Brown and Attorney General Kamala Harris refused to defend it in court.  President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder refused to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a duly enacted law by congress.  Exacerbating the situation, Holder even counseled and encouraged state AG’s that it was unnecessary to defend such laws in their states.  Holder also refused to prosecute the New Black Panther Party though even the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center had labeled them a hate group.  The Obama administration has failed to enforce immigration laws and has even failed to fully implement Obamacare with his incessant executive orders.  By the Rowan County standard, all these officials should resign.

Then there’s the “abuse under the color of authority” by the IRS perpetrated by Lois Lerner and her staff.  In a blatant abuse of power, her unit arbitrarily, capriciously, and discriminatorily targeted Tea Party and other conservative groups.  Subsequently she obstructed justice by crashing her computer destroying emails and refusing to be accountable to congress and the American people.  So what happened?  She received a bonus and was allowed to retire with full pension and benefits!  As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton easily bested the Lerner shenanigans.  In a flagrant lapse of judgment, she compromised national security by setting up a private email system and server, refused to turn over material, destroyed thousands of emails, and wiped her server clean.  As a former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, there is no doubt that she knew the principles of classification whether marked or unmarked.  Despite her capricious and foolish rejection of national security for personal convenience and control, many acolytes will vote for her anyway.

Hopefully we’ll see a new president that takes the time to consistently stand a little more forcefully for our military and our civilian first responders.  Hopefully he or she will condemn any group that chants:  “What do we want?” “DEAD COPS!”  “When do we want it?” “NOW!”  Don’t forget the recent paean to incivility: “Pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon.”  Incomprehensibly, the “Black Lives Matter” spokesman said it was all done in jest and good humor.  Other than politicians, who else would be able to get away with such claptrap especially in light of the recent ambushes and executions of police officers?  Maybe it’s time to take a closer look at “black privilege” and the ability to flaunt laws, rules and regulations, decorum and common decency with impunity.  Of course if you do, be prepared to be called a racist even when you sincerely believe that all lives matter. 

Democrat Smoke and Mirrors

Dear Editor,

It's mildly humorous to read the preeminent name-callers complain about name-calling!  Efforts to blow smoke and "prove" the economy is doing great are equally laughable.  When the Obama administration launched its reign, the national debt was $10.6 trillion; now it's $18.4 and still rising.  GDP growth for this year is an anemic 2.0 percent and continues the slowest recovery ever from a depression.  Income inequality has increased under this administration and the official poverty rate is 14.5%.  Only 63.4% of the population own homes, a 48 year low.  The labor participation rate is 62.6%, another 40-year low.  Over 93 million have dropped out of the labor force entirely.  They crow about jobs "created or saved" but millions more have been forced into part time positions.  Wages are down and net worth is down so it's no wonder that food stamps and other types of government assistance are up to record levels.  Naturally, they want to talk about anything other than Democrat policies and this Democrat administration's failures.  Unless you're looking for more of the same, be very careful with your vote next year.  After seven years, it's time for them to stop living in the past and take accountability for the present.

Sincerely,

Bill Garvin 

Politically Correct Deflections

By William L. Garvin

Having been born in a less confusing time, my birth certificate simply listed “Father” and “Mother.”  In its search for equality and all things created equal, political correctness now dictates change from the traditional to “Parent #1” and “Parent #2.”  Our courts have yet to decide how the order of listing will be determined, i.e., who comes in first and who comes in second.  I smell a Supreme Court case in the offing!

The same conundrum surfaces with marriage certificates.  My mom and dad were identified as “Husband” and “Wife.”  Now we have the devolution to “Spouse #1” and “Spouse #2.”  Dad would have liked to be #1 but in his heart, he knew he was #2.  Mom, being traditional, knew she was #1 but would have been more than happy to wear the #2 appellation.  Probably it’s a pile of “Number Two” to all but a pc few.

This foolishness matters only to those who prefer symbols over substance.  There is however a dangerous element to the pc police when it comes to serious issues.  For example, look at the current controversy over the term “anchor babies.”  The pc police (bullies) have now determined, by the power invested in them (?), that the term is offensive and even “vulgar” according to the Democrat National Committee chairwoman.  Erstwhile political pundits and presidential hopefuls of all stripes have bloviated that the matter is already settled and that the 14^th amendment to the U.S. Constitution confers “birthright citizenship” on anyone born in the United States.  The purpose of the vitriolic pc attack is to stifle debate and reasonable discourse about important subjects.  Just as anthropomorphic climate change is not “settled science” (which is why global warming advocates continually fudge their “science”!) so must the competing views on whether or not the 14^th amendment confers “jus soli” or automatic citizenship at birth to anyone born on U.S. soil be directly adjudicated.

For context, the Pew Hispanic Center puts the estimate of babies gaining birthright citizenship at 340,000 per year.  There are countries that openly run birth-tourism industries on the internet.  Earlier this year, federal agents broke up over twenty locations in Southern California where Chinese women on fraudulent visas paid up to $80,000 so their babies would be born U.S. citizens. The estimates are that 4.5 million children under 18 are living with at least one undocumented immigrant in the U.S. 

Now name another industrialized nation (besides the U.S. and Canada) that grants birthright citizenship.  If you named one, you are wrong.  In fact, only 33 countries on this earth have such a policy.  Australia and New Zealand?  Nope.  Sweden, Finland or Norway?  Nope.  France, Germany, England, Ireland, or Italy?  No.  Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Austria, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Spain, Portugal, or Switzerland…all no and on and on.  Why is that?

The heart of the debate centers on the first sentence of Section 1 of the 14^th Amendment:  “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”  History shows this was an amendment designed to protect the rights of native-born freed slaves in the years following the Civil War.  Senator Howard Jacob clarified the intent in 1866:  “This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers.”  Native-Americans were also specifically excluded from citizenship at this time.

Talking heads ignore “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” and proceed to cite the United States v. Wong Kim Ark decision of SCOTUS in 1898.  Of course, Wong was the child of legal resident aliens.  “The Supreme Court has never ruled directly on the question of birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens,” according to University of Texas law professor Lino A. Graglia.  “The court recognized that even a rule based on soil and physical presence could not rationally be applied to grant birthright citizenship to persons whose presence in a country was not only without the government’s consent but in violation of the law.”

Section 5 of the 14^th Amendment:  “The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.”  In 1993, Senator Harry Reid introduced the Immigration Stabilization Act to end birthright citizenship.  Today, H.R. 140, the Birthright Citizenship Act, addresses the same issue.  For once, Congress needs to do its job, pass the legislation, and fast track the constitutionality issue to the Supreme Court.  It is absurd to believe the Constitution ever intended to award citizenship on the basis of whose mom was best at playing hide and seek with the Border Patrol.  Stop the madness.         

    

Below the Radar

By William L. Garvin

“This is a good deal for the United States.  North Korea will freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program.  South Korea and our other allies will be better protected.  The entire world will be safer as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons.”           President Bill Clinton, October, 1994

There seem to be a number of stories escaping notice these days.  It’s understandable.  The “piranha press,” fueled by their partisan blood lust is swarming in a full-on feeding frenzy.  As usual, the media is solely focusing on a Republican.  It must be difficult for them to defend a Fox News anchorwoman given their one-sided track record.  Historically, they stand by in mute impotence when conservative women are assailed in the vilest of terms.  Now they are ranting and railing against a perceived slur of words.   Would that they had shown such moral outrage about Clinton Oval Office imbroglios or the Kennedy-caused death at Chappaquiddick.

Here in California, State Senator Leland Yee recently plead guilty to accepting bribes, extorting money and offering to smuggle weapons for the New Jersey Mafia.  He copped a plea to racketeering in exchange for the other charges being dropped.  Hopefully he will receive the full twenty years in the federal pen solely for his hypocrisy.  Lee was one of the most ardent anti-gun zealots in the California Senate!  But that’s okay; he’s a Democrat.

On the Hillary front, it’s helpful to recall that General David Petraeus was found guilty of keeping several personal notebooks that contained classified information at his home and making them available to his paramour/biographer.  Nothing was destroyed.  Hillary kept everything on her private server and has already admitted destroying thousands upon thousands of emails.  Many more emails are on a thumb drive in the hands of her attorney.  There’s no indication her attorney has never received a security clearance.  The FBI is finally investigating this matter but Hillary says it is not a criminal investigation.  Note to Hill:  the FBI does nothing but criminal investigations!

In the meantime, Hillary refuses to say whether or not she would approve the Keystone pipeline even though her State Department gave it the go ahead.  She flippantly quipped that if it was still an issue when she was president, then they would know her answer.  That is vaguely reminiscent of having to “pass the bill so we know what’s in it.”  Maybe that lack of specifics and haughty demeanor is why Bernie Sanders is now in a statistical tie with her in New Hampshire.  The inevitable one is not looking quite so invincible these days.  In contrast, Bernie is drawing huge crowds and wowing them.  Unfortunately, a dozen of the “Black Lives Matter” crowd decided to disrupt his latest offering in Seattle and refused to let him speak.  The BLM previously booed Democrat Martin O’Malley for the cardinal sin of saying “all lives matter.”  They have also threatened to disrupt the Republican convention.  So far, the only person they’ve avoided is Hillary Clinton.  Is that why she only speaks to small, handpicked groups of devotees?

Hillary has also refused to disclose her position on the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.  Maybe that’s why the National Nurses United labor union recently endorsed Bernie.  The NNU is 185,000 strong and is ninety percent female.  One could guess that economic issues are more important to them than gender issues.  The AFL-CIO has yet to endorse a candidate but we know it won’t be a conservative!

Hillary did release her tax records and they show that the Clinton’s made an adjusted gross income of $141 million since 2007.  No wonder she travels in a private jet and hasn’t driven for twenty years.  They did claim 10.8% or $15 million for charitable contributions.  Of course, they firmly believe that “charity begins at home” and $14.9 million went to their very own Clinton Family Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative.  They may not draw a salary but they certainly draw a lavish lifestyle.  Critics claim the foundations are merely a “slush fund” for the Clintons.  Do you think any of this will come up when CNN finally holds a Democrat presidential debate in October?

Apropos to nothing but balancing media concerns, did you know that lions kill 70 humans each year?  Tigers take out about 100; cape buffalos account for another 200; and elephants usually trample about 500 per annum.  Crocodiles vary from 1,500-2,500 kills each year but hippos highlight the human hit list at 3,000.  It’s a jungle out there and nearly as dangerous as Chicago or Baltimore!  

      

Not Found in the News

By William L. Garvin

“The greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion, which is war against the child.  The mother doesn’t learn to love, but learns to kill to solve her own problems.  Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want.”  Mother Teresa

Now that the Democrats have successfully avoided the effort to defund the barbaric practices of Planned Parenthood, it might be wise to see how they are bought and paid for.  After all, this is the party that continually screams about “crony capitalism” and “big money” polluting the political process.  According to the Federal Elections Commission, in the 2014 election campaign, Planned Parenthood contributed $404,907 to Democrat House candidates on the federal level.  They doled out a measly $2,823 to Republicans.  In the Senate, they dumped $181,188 into Democrat coffers and ZERO into Republicans.  No wonder year after year after year Democrats vote to give over $500 million of taxpayer money to PP because “other people’s money” can be funneled back into their own pockets.

It was a blessing in disguise for PP to have Cecil the Lion foolishly killed for sport by an American hunter.  In less than a day, mainstream media gave Cecil more coverage than PP’s sale of baby body parts had received in over two weeks!  Also curiously absent from media scrutiny was Boko Haram slitting the throats of sixteen Christians on the shores of Lake Chad.  A Google search listed 296,000 hits for the latest slaughter by Islamic extremists but 26 MILLION for the martyred lion.  If you use that as a guide, Christian lives don’t matter and baby lives don’t matter.  Those are pathetic media priorities.

Also not-newsworthy, some time back Dan Price of Gravity Payments received a great deal of publicity by deciding that all of his employees should receive $70,000 as an annual salary.  Since then, there isn’t much news about his company downfall and him living in his garage and renting out his house to make ends meet.  Economic reality is brutal when ill advised actions occur in the real world.  Some employees resented that newbies got larger raises than those who had been around awhile and demonstrated their worth and loyalty.  Clients and good employees left.  One said he was being paid the same as those who were “just clocking in and out…It shackles high performers to less motivated team members.”  That’s socialism for you in a nutshell.

Speaking of socialism, apparently Debbie Wassermann-Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, needs to do some brushing up.  When asked by Chris Mathews (surprisingly!) to explain the difference between socialism and Democrats, she was tongue-tied.  Four days later on “Meet the Press,” she still didn’t have a coherent answer.  Is it because she doesn’t know?  Is it because she doesn’t want to alienate socialist voters?  Or is it because there is really no difference between socialists and today’s progressive Democrats?  Certainly with increasing regulatory intrusion into the workings of private businesses and government’s increasing control over large swathes of the economy, a case could be made for the latter.  President Obama’s latest battle in his war against coal certainly adds fuel to that fire.  One could only hope that he would be as successful in his efforts to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as he is in his efforts to “degrade and destroy” the coal industry!

Another harbinger of things to come is proposed by the California legislature in Assembly Bill 69.  Democrat leaders hope to “confront the hostile environment” that workers face every day by being “stratified in their careers.”  Therefore, it is henceforth verboten to use such oppressive terms as “”supervisor, manager, overseer, team leader, leader, producer, director, controller, chair, boss, captain, head person, head honcho, authority, chief, chairperson, chairman, partner, inspector or any other term that may create a perception of inequity…”  Guidelines provided suggest more appropriate terms would include “buddy, comrade, crony, compatriot, chum, confidante, friend, mate, or colleague.”  Given that state law has already removed “husband” and “wife” and replaced them with “spouse,” it’s to be expected.  You can also expect that soon your chum will not be allowed to evaluate your performance.  Your colleague will not be allowed to direct your activities.  Your compatriot will not be allowed to determine your salary.  Your buddy will not be allowed to terminate your services.  Yes, comrade, it is indeed becoming a brave new world…but that’s not news!        

Quick, Kill the Messenger!

By William L. Garvin

The “media moth” simply cannot resist “The Donald” flame.  But rather than deal with the substance of his message, it is more important to assuage bruised feelings of a hypersensitive population.  Trump, whose “tone” was far less callous than Planned Parenthood, said that there was a crime problem stemming from ILLEGAL aliens.    “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them.  They’re bringing drugs.  They’re bringing crime.  They’re rapists.  And some, I assume, are good people.”  Guess who agrees with him?  The FBI!

In its 79-page National Gang Report published in 2013, the FBI documented that gang membership in the Southwestern border regions consisted of up to 80% ILLEGAL aliens and were responsible for “…drug related crimes, weapons trafficking, alien smuggling, human trafficking, prostitution, extortion, robbery, auto theft, assault, homicide, racketeering, and money laundering….Hispanic gangs, such as MS-13, the Eme, Surenos, and TB continue to pose a significant threat to the Southwest border region.”  If you didn’t know that in the 36,000 ILLEGAL immigrants released back onto the streets by the Obama administration there were 116 murderers, 43 convicted of negligent manslaughter and 14 convicted of voluntary manslaughter, it’s because the media and the government buried the story after making sure there was no messenger.

Meanwhile, Democrat presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley claims that “black lives matter, white lives matter, all lives matter” and gets booed by leftists.  That’s not surprising since Democrats booed God when He was mentioned in their platform at their convention.  Anyhow, O’Malley showed zero intestinal fortitude and actually apologized for saying “white lives matter and all lives matter.”  However, that doesn’t hold a candle to Hillary Clinton, the leading Democrat for president who said and then tweeted: “I’m not asking you to vote for me because I’m a woman.  Vote on the merits.  And I think one of the merits is, I am a woman.”  This is reminiscent of the aborted Obama campaign slogan: “Vote like your lady parts depend on it.”  In any event, the more Hillary is on the campaign trail, the lower her poll numbers fall.  She is unable to win hearts and minds and the incessant tsunami of scandals never ends.  Even the State Department Inspector General has recommended that a criminal investigation be launched.  Don’t expect anything to happen with this Department of Justice and we will probably never hear from that IG again!

Another message that has been buried is Susan Rice’s interview with Wolf Blitzer.  You remember Susan don’t you?  She’s the one who shamelessly broadcast Hillary’s canard that the Benghazi massacre was caused by a YouTube video.  On CNN in her interview with Wolf Blitzer Rice confirmed that there will be NO Americans involved in the inspections of the Iranian nuclear facilities.  Only countries that have “full diplomatic relations” with Iran will be on the IAEA inspection teams.  “There are not going to be independent American inspectors separate from the IAEA,” said Rice.  “The IAEA will do the inspections on behalf of the United States and the rest of the international community.”  Israel and the USA can rest assured that this administration doesn’t negotiate with terrorists; instead it capitulates to terrorists!

Also remember that the filmmaker who made the Hillary Benghazi scapegoat video was promptly jailed by the Obama administration.  Dinesh D’Souza also made a film critical of President Obama and was promptly prosecuted and jailed for a rather pedestrian campaign violation.  The administration has failed to cooperate with investigations about the IRS harassment and persecution of conservative organizations prior to the last election.  Now that videos have surfaced showing Planned Parenthood bargaining over butchered baby parts like an unsavory used car salesman, the maker of the videos (Center for Medical Progress) is going to be investigated by Democrat senatorial hopeful and California Attorney General Kamala Harris.  Loretta Lynch, the US Attorney General says she will also be looking into it.  Isn’t it pathetic that PP is so interested in saving and selling body parts of aborted babies but is not interested in saving the lives of those babies?  Anyone who believes that the recorded negotiations were just about the costs associated with storing and transporting the “parts” should not be allowed out without a guardian.

Leftists love to complain about “corporate welfare” and “crony capitalism” but have no problems funding the war on innocent, unborn lives.  It’s time to stop using taxpayer money to pay for Planned Parenthood and their barbaric practices.

Inmates Running Asylums

By William L. Garvin

Trigger Warning:  The following material is not suitable for politically correct, offense seeking, grievance industry, illiberal leftists, or close-minded, name calling cyber-bullies.  Proceed at your own risk!

Once again, the Obama administration maintains its impressive record of negotiations failure.  Hillary’s hilarious “reset” button with Russia resulted in getting our pockets picked with the START treaty.  Pledging “no American left behind,” we traded five top level Taliban prisoners for an American deserter.  So much for not negotiating with terrorists!  (And has anyone noticed that “Sergeant” Bo Bergdahl STILL has not received his Article 32 hearing let alone his court martial?)  Cuba ceded nothing towards curbing their human rights abuses and now the president is crowing about a treaty with the number one state sponsor of terrorism, Iran.

Iran has a forty-year history of lying and cheating regarding their nuclear program and avoiding UN and IAEA inspections.  John Kerry’s goal of “anytime, anywhere” inspections disappeared faster than his military medals.  Four Americans in Iranian prisons are still there despite being President Obama’s “top priority.”  Of course, that was not included in the negotiations because it would have “complicated” the nuclear issues.  Surprisingly, Iranian demands for relief from the conventional arms embargo (on which Kerry caved!) proved no such complication.  Releasing the $100 billion in frozen assets and removing sanctions to boost their oil economy will soon result in Iran being awash in terrorist cash.  They have millions chanting “death to Israel” and “death to America” but we are assured that they don’t really mean it.  Both Kerry and the President say the only alternative was war.  Really?  Wouldn’t “Negotiations 101” have pointed out that ratcheting up sanctions and cutting off the black market oil trading might have been a good intermediate step?  Or you could have supported the Green Revolution.  Or you could have sent a competent negotiator to the table.  But you didn’t.

Meanwhile, here at home, we have 276 “sanctuary cities” in 43 states that released 8,145 illegal aliens in the first eight months of 2014.  This is on top of ICE releasing 67,879 in 2013 into the general population.  The theory of sanctuary cities is that they want “undocumented immigrants” to feel free to report crimes without fear of deportation.  The efficacy of this theory is no more provable than the phantasmagorical “jobs created OR SAVED” or saved us from “the worst depression ever.”  The number of subsequent crimes and rearrests is sufficient cause for alarm.  We’re told that the “borders are more secure than ever” but Kate Steinle was not the first person murdered in San Francisco by a previously deported illegal however this murderer had been deported FIVE times!  Also remember that the murderer of Sacramento County Deputy Danny Oliver and Placer County Detective Michael Davis had been deported FOUR times!  So the question is “what border?”  Curiously, President Obama has never commented on any of these tragic losses nor did he comment on that of Chris Kyle.

We do hear the Obama administration’s concern about “income inequality.”  They seldom note that it has been worse under him than the previous administration.  Maybe when hundreds of thousands, even millions of poorly educated, low skilled workers come across the border with impunity, it might have an impact on income inequality.  It also provides an abundant supply of minimum wage employees which defeats the normal increase in wages dictated by labor supply and demand.  If it is pointed out that these are not “the best and brightest,” it is easier to kill the messenger than to deal with the message.  Some may remember when Castro cleaned out his prisons and mental health institutions with the Cuban boat lift from Mariel in 1980.  Truth is unsettling.

Finally, it is impossible not to note the video exposing the callous nature of Planned Parenthood operatives.  It was bad enough when one of their spokespeople said that it was between a woman and her doctor as to whether a baby that survived an abortion could be killed, a la Kermit Gosnell.  Here a PP doctor calmly eats her meal, sips her wine, and graphically describes how they crush a baby above or below specific areas in order to preserve specific organs and tissues FOR SALE.  There is no shame, no discomfort, and no awkwardness.  It’s just another transaction in the ordinary course of business, a business that receives over $500,000,000 in taxpayer subsidies every year. 

President Obama, the first sitting president to address his remarks to PP, closed his speech with “Thank you, Planned Parenthood.  God bless you.  God bless you.”  To paraphrase his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright:  “No, no, no. God won’t bless Planned Parenthood—God will damn Planned Parenthood!’”         

Questions of Perspective

By William L. Garvin

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. . . .”Charles Dickens, A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Recent Supreme Court decisions continue to define the cultural field of war and harden battle lines.  Chief Justice John Roberts continues to display amazing agility by ignoring plain language and resorting to “intent” in his ruling on Obamacare and then becomes a strict constructionist in his dissent on gay marriage.  Apparently he can have his cake and eat it too!

Now that he has extended federal subsidies for health care to those states without exchanges, what must they be thinking about all that time and money wasted setting up state exchanges?  It’s not as if they worked all that well anyway.  After more than $200 million, Hawaii closed down their state exchange as “economically unviable” and joined the shutdown ranks with Oregon, Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont, New Mexico, and Nevada.  So half the state exchanges have failed and proven to be bad ideas poorly executed and now turn to the federal exchange which is even more poorly executed and far more expensive!

In the meantime, all the promised Obamacare savings are gone with the wind.  Oregon expects more than half their plan premiums to be increased from 20 to 38 percent.  Blue Cross and Blue Shield have announced 2016 premium increases of 23% in Illinois; 25% in North Carolina; 31% in Oklahoma; 36% in Tennessee and a whopping 54% in Minnesota!  Furthermore, Aetna has bought up Humana and now Anthem and Cigna are in merger talks.  The “big five” may soon be the “big three” and consumers will have even fewer choices to bundle with their increased premiums and astronomical deductibles.

On the gay marriage front, battle lines center on the struggle between God’s law and Man’s law, between freedom of religion and a “no limits” interpretation of the 14th Amendment.  The ink was scarcely dry on the SCOTUS decision before a married couple in Montana requested a marriage license for a second wife.  Two sterling examples of leftist intolerance spit on Father Jonathan Morris during their gay pride parade.  Oregon levels a $135,000 fine against a bakery for not baking a cake.  After numerous threats and burglaries, the bakery closed down.  Adding insult to injury, Oregon has now issued a gag order and told them they cannot speak out on their views regarding freedom of religion while they appeal.  So no free speech for them either!  In their justification for the $135,000 damages, the plaintiffs allegedly suffered 88 symptoms such as “acute loss of confidence,” “excessive sleep,” feeling “mentally raped,” “resumption of smoking habit,” “impaired digestion” and “loss of appetite” which curiously also led to “weight gain.”

Meanwhile, all three clerks in Decatur County, Tennessee resigned their positions rather than issue same sex licenses.  An Alabama county has stopped issuing marriage licenses altogether.  Another judge has said he will no longer perform courthouse marriages.  Of course, the SCOTUS majority position assures churches and religious institutions that they have nothing to fear.  Apparently they think that the millionaire couple who will sue the Church of England to force them to perform their gay marriage could never happen here.  Tell that to the marriage chapel in Coeur d’Alene.  Tell it to the pizza parlor in Indiana, etc., etc., etc.  Tell it to the New York Times which advocated the loss of tax exempt status for churches saying they should be considered “political entities.”  Their premise is that the SCOTUS ruling makes “clear” that government shouldn’t be “subsidizing” religion and non-profits.

Finally, you’ve probably noticed that the illiberal left never asks a Muslim bakery for a cake or a mosque for a gay marriage ceremony.  Their activism is almost universally targeted at Christians.  So do not be surprised when more and more Christians engage in acts of civil disobedience based on sincerely held religious convictions and do not be surprised when God’s law prevails.  “When in the course of human events….”

'The Illiberal Left' and Tyranny

By William L. Garvin

"Liberals are supposed to believe in diversity, which should include diversity of thought and belief.  Instead, an alarming level of intolerance emanates from the left side of the political spectrum toward people who express views that don't hew to the 'settled' liberal worldview.  The passion for silencing isn't reserved for conservatives or orthodox Christians.  Moderate Democrats, independent minded liberals, and the ideologically agnostic become targets if they deviate on liberal sacred cow issues."

"This intolerance is not a passive matter of opinion.  It's an aggressive illiberal impulse to silence people.  This conduct has become an existential threat to those who hold orthodox religious beliefs.  But increasingly I hear from people across the political spectrum who are fearful not only of expressing their views, but also as to where all of this is heading…It's become clear that the attempts-too often successful-to silence dissent from the liberal worldview aren't isolated outbursts.  They are part of a bigger story."

When the previous sentiments are expressed by conservatives, the authors (whether local or national) are systematically attacked by a "politically correct lynch mob" that fabricates false motivations, repeatedly invokes the insipid "tin foil hat wearing kooks," and engages in politics of personal destruction and vituperation that ranges from kindergarten invective to patently vulgar name calling.  However, the foregoing passage was written by a lifelong liberal Democrat named Kirsten Powers in her book THE SILENCING; HOW THE LEFT IS KILLING FREE SPEECH.  She coins the term "illiberal left" and points out how they are most prevalent on campuses, in the media and how their "tentacles" are expanding into every sector of society.  Their goal is to quash dissent and debate of all "wrong" views and to demonize any who challenge the authoritarian thought police.  Maybe that's why Ms. Powers has seventy pages of footnotes and documentation to support her two hundred pages of text!

For example, in the chapter on "Repressive Tolerance," she notes that the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) documents that in the years 1987-2008, "…138 protests of planned campus speeches led to 62 incidents of an invited guest not speaking.  Yet in just six years-2009 through 2014, 151 protests have caused the cancelation of 62 speeches on campuses across the country."  Of course, conservative speakers are targeted at twice the rate of liberal speakers even though "…conservatives are far less likely to be invited to deliver speeches in the first place."  This is documented by another liberal author and FIRE president Greg Kukianoff in his book FREEDOM FROM SPEECH.

While free and open discussion and debate should be the hallmark of this nation and our educational system, many of the "illiberal left" have a different view of dissent.  For example, prominent environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that "I wish that there were a law you could punish them under" and the Koch brothers should be charged with "treason" for disagreeing with his views on climate change.  This fits in perfectly with the author's premise that "Any person who dissents from the illiberal left's settled dogma is viewed as an enemy to be delegitimized, demonized, and dismissed."

On campus, there is a school of illiberal leftist sharks constantly circling and searching for a real or perceived offense that they can seize upon in a feeding frenzy.  Safe spaces, micro-aggressions, triggers and trigger warnings are their bites for the unwary.  There's a reason why comedians as diverse as George Carlin, Chris Rock, Bill Maher and Jerry Seinfeld avoid universities and mock ingrained liberal hypersensitivity.  This authoritarian "thought police" is the antithesis of a liberal education, of robust debate, of a free and open exchange of ideas.  The entire college campus should be a free speech zone, not a small designated area where permission must be granted and scheduled for use!

Unfortunately, this absurdity has reached the point where a class of delicate hothouse flowers must be safeguarded from any thought, idea, theory or concept that might cause discomfort.  Should anyone deign to challenge their illiberal leftist dogma, they automatically propound that said disrupter is guilty of "hate speech" and must necessarily be destroyed by any means necessary.  There will be no debate; there will be no discussion; there will be no tolerance.  The illiberal left will wallow in their emotional angst, their sufferings "caused" by contrarian viewpoints, and use that fuel to justify retaliation, demonization, and the destruction of opposing voices.  Facts will be irrelevant; context will be irrelevant; truth will be irrelevant; means will be irrelevant.  The only thing relevant is the complete and total destruction of all opposition to their illiberal leftist thought and theory.  Read it and weep.

Some Disconcerting Disconnected Dots

By William L. Garvin

“Some people’s idea of free speech is that they are free to say what they like but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.”  Winston Churchill

When the Obama administration normalized relations with Cuba, the story was that after fifty years of failed policies, it was time for something new.  After fifty years of failed policies (and $15 trillion dollars!), isn’t it time for something new in the war on poverty?  In his column, Thomas Sowell points out that in the fifties, black poverty was worse than now.  White racism was also worse than now but black crime was less!  In fact, the murder rate was going down among blacks.  Black children mostly had two-parent families and among black married couples, the poverty rate was in single digits.  What changed?  Maybe the “great society” has removed a significant part of society from accountability, responsibility and consequences similar to the white underclass in Britain.

 

Now we have “protestors” marching down the street screaming “What do we want?  DEAD COPS!” and “When do we want it?  NOW!”  Any sensible person would be appalled at the dearth of common sense and decency as they exercise their freedom of speech but it’s a sad fact that their wish is being granted.  Felonious police officer fatalities increased 89% in 2014 over 2013 according to the FBI.  But of course, that’s not news according to mainstream media.  Everyone knows it’s the police who are to blame.

Even in Baltimore, where there is a majority black city council, a black mayor, a black police chief, and nearly 50% black police force, it is still the police at fault.  Remember in March of this year when President Obama and his task force on “21^st Century Policing” praised Baltimore’s police force for “implementing national best practices for policies and training” and for “use of force reforms”?  No, of course you don’t because then you would have to explain the disconnect that occurred in the last two months!  After four years in office, four long years of governing and satisfaction capped by presidential praise, suddenly the Baltimore mayor calls for a DOJ investigation of Baltimore police because of “widespread civil rights abuses.”  The new attorney general is only too happy to oblige.  As per Charlatan Sharpton’s request, one more city is falling under the web of federal consent decrees and we are inching closer to a nationalized police force.

Then there’s disconnected Chris Rock, normally a very funny guy: “It’s not that it’s gotten worse, it’s just that it’s part of the 24-hour news cycle. What’s weird is that it never happens to white kids. There’s no evidence that white youngsters are any less belligerent, you know? We can go to any Wall Street bar and they are way bigger assholes than in any other black bar. But will I see cops stop shooting black kids in my lifetime? Probably not.”  Newsflash for Mr. Rock:  in 2012, the last numbers that I have, 326 whites died in confrontations with police while 123 blacks did as well.  Nobody in the liberal media cares when a white or black cop kills a white teenager or when blacks kill other blacks.  You should care about the truth but apparently you don’t.

Of course, he’s not a journalist but Brooke Baldwin of CNN is.  She added to the “out of control cop” mythology:  “I love our nation’s veterans, but some of them coming back from the war, they don’t know the communities and they are ready to do battle.”  In one stupendously stupid sentence she manages to slur both veterans and police!  Finally forced to apologize, one can’t help but wonder if it was only because she was caught!

Another dot may be, as Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee University warned: "There is a class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs. There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don't want the patient to get well."  There is also a certain class of “not colored” people who wallow in emotional angst, search for “micro aggressions,” absolve criminal acts but discount hard work as luck, and who excuse crime as an aberration (unless it’s a cop then of course it’s “systemic abuse”).  There’s also a political party that profits by keeping certain segments of society on the voting plantation.  Guess which one! 

Curiouser and Curiouser!

By William L. Garvin

It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the tenor of the times since "the rules" are changing so rapidly.  For instance, did you know that if you labeled someone who burns buildings, loots stores, and throws rocks and concrete at police officers as a "thug," you are a racist?!  According to Baltimore politicians, "thug" is just code for "the n-word"…they should be addressed as "our children" and "misdirected youth."  The Baltimore mayor said it was appropriate that her administration "…gave those who wished to destroy space to do that…."  After all, according to Rep Elijah Cummings, this is "the civil rights cause of this generation."  Of course they now say they are taken out of context and misquoted even though the police "stood down" and did nothing to protect local businesses.  CNN and NPR both noted that Asian properties in particular seemed to be targeted.

Whole Foods and Five Guys also failed to keep up with the times as they furnished sandwiches to the National Guard who had been called in to maintain a semblance of peace and to protect lives and property.  The social backlash became so severe that Whole Foods deleted their publicity post on Facebook.  Chick-fil-A will never even have a chance to upset anyone at Johns Hopkins University since the latter voted to NEVER allow a C-f-A outlet on campus.  Of course they didn't allow their distinguished alumnus, neurosurgeon, and now presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson to speak at their commencement either.  The intolerance of the radical left is staggering and pervasive.  Dr. Carson will soon get the Clarence Thomas, Sarah Palin, Robert Bork character assassination treatment.

Curiously, a four-year old girl in Colorado was not allowed to eat the Oreo cookies her mother had packed in her lunch and her mom received a rude reprimand via a note in the girl's lunchbox.  Oreos must be very controversial as a Pennsylvania school needed signed parental permission to eat ONE Oreo cookie that was being used as a science demonstration.  Undoubtedly, since three of the six officers arrested in Baltimore are black, we'll be hearing more comments along this line.

Another curiosity is occurring around the Supreme Court hearing regarding same sex marriage.  A couple refused to bake a cake for a same sex wedding because they thought it was morally wrong.  A GoFundMe page was set up to solicit funds to assist them in their defense but GoFundMe shut it down.   Apparently they think such a page is morally wrong!  They also shut down a page designed to support the Baltimore police officers but of course liberal "minds" see no inconsistency.

Michael Moore not only wants to shut down these types of pages, he also wants to shut down and disband ALL police departments.  The "Reverend" Al Sharpton thinks that the police should be federalized.  Maybe if he would pay his taxes, it would help to fund such an undertaking.  His fellow MSNBC anchors Melissa Harris-Perry and Toure Neblett might also kick in their unpaid taxes to aid the "cause."  It would also be helpful if the IRS took the bonuses paid to their employees and credit them toward their unpaid taxes!  By the bye, how does tv anchor Sharpton get to decide whether Fox reporters can ask questions of Baltimore's beleaguered mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake?  No conflict here, move along, nothing to see!

As for you men, if your legs are too far apart when you ride the subway, busses, or trains, you are guilty of "man spread" with your "masculine power dynamic" and "a misbegotten notion of urban masculinity."  However, according to Jin Goh of the Northeastern University Department of Psychology, if you treat women with "kindness and love," or even smiling and showing common courtesy, you are guilty of "benevolent sexism."  "It's a very paternalistic, protective view of women, and it seems kind of appealing as a sort of chivalry," Goh said, "but it does contribute to inequality, because these men don't expect women to achieve high goals."  No wonder you guys are still living at home with your parents and playing video games!

The final curiosity comes from Hillary's "vote for me because I'm a woman" campaign.  "Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will," she asserts.  "And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed."  The Clintons have always believed themselves to be above man's laws.  With access to millions and millions of shady dollars, it wouldn't be at all surprising if she thinks she is also above God's laws.  Her acolytes will welcome such arrogance and breathlessly wait for St. Hillary to ascend man as well as God's throne!  May God save us all!