Cheap Seat Report: Republican Presidential Picks As of Today 11.13.15

Following their last debate.

My picks up to now with information I have up to now: First off, I need to clarify that I am not a Republican, so I have no party loyalty to the Republican party and will never hesitate to throw the party under a bus. That said, I ID myself as more of a Constitutional conservative and the Republican party tends usually to have a better pick of candidates that lean that way. Also, my main focus is on religious liberty...and I have stated many times over the years that I dislike politics as a general rule....but will deal with it when it encroaches on religious freedom.. So, I look for the candidates who I think are most apt and able to address and protect that. Followed by illegal immigration, abortion, and the economy.

1)Ted Cruz. Another impressive debate with the right sound bytes in the right places. His simple flat tax plan would effectively end the IRS and, so, not only revising the tax code...but ending a lot of other federal tyranny with the same plan. The left is crying foul because such

a plan would cost the Fed money. There may be some initial cost......but in the long run.........the freedom to spend your own income goes back to you as a citizen. No one should be overly concerned with the gloom and doomers who feel the world would end if parts of the current governmental system would go bankrupt. Most of it should just by simple reaping what it has sown...but the rest of the Fed jumps in to bail it out. The federal government is a tyrannical monster with lots of evil tentacles.

2) Ben Carson. The attacks by the media have resulted in nothing except to reveal how crooked the media (like CNN and Politico) can be. But that really is not something we didn't already know.  Carson is a soft spoken outsider   and that is a large  part of his appeal. The attacks against Carson came just as he started to take leads in the polls. The Hillary Clinton campaign (aka, the mainstream media) did the best they could to protect their crooked leader but it all went awash.  Herman Cain got the same treatment from the media when he rose in the polls, but though he never admitted his involvement in the sexual harassment, his dropping his race left more questions than answers. As Carson has said, the media should vet candidates...they just need to quit lying about things when they do.   In comparison, though, the media still hasn't vetted Barack Obama and don't seem to be too interested in looking at Hillary.


3) Mike Huckabee. He hasn't polled up there with the big dogs yet, but his commitment is real. The former Baptist pastor has a strong commitment to religious liberty which is an important foundation to be addressing for America to remain the land of the free. When I observe strong Christian candidates I also see that the media tends to  avoid them altogether. But when they do they just don't seem to know how to handle it. It seems like if they suggest they understand then their piers would say they are not being objective. Big news media outlets tend to hire what they call "Religion Specialists" or "Religion Analysts." They tend to be as worthless as integrity in an Obama Department of Justice as they pretend to know everything about all the religions and after diluted analysis reveal they know nothing..and particularly nothing about Christianity.

4) Donald Trump. Last month he was at #3 but I see a few things deteriorating. Eminent domain, his tax plan, and his not so wise attacks on Ben Carson  suggesting Carson is "pathological." I still think Trump is the wild card and still the anomaly so I don't rule him out. Of all the candidates he is probably the one who would shake up DC the most and I don't see that as a bad thing. He is the best candidate on immigration and I concur with his views about Vladimir Putin and Syria.

5) Rick Santorum. He hasn't garnered the evangelical support like he did in his last run. Considering the state of flux "evangelicalism" is in right now I guess that's not to be unexpected. Santorum has a speaking platform as long as he stays in the race, but that's about it.

6) Bobby Jindal. I've liked him as a man of Christan convictions. I am beginning to have doubts about him as man of Christian convictions in a nationally elected position. Issues in Louisiana like unemployment and budgets are increasing as concerns. It gets a little hard to sort, though, since Louisiana--like Mississippi--runs ever  mean, vicious and corrupt campaign seasons. As Louisiana has been in the  process of electing a new governor, a lot of dirt got thrown Jindals way.

 7) Rand Paul. His libertarian ideas are some of the good things about him and his libertarian idea are some of the bad things about him. Like his dad, though, it would appear he would be weak on defense. He would be strong on a social issue like marijuana...but, frankly, no one should care what a candidates position is on marijuana. I certainly don't.  To me it's like asking the "boxers or briefs" question. There's far more important issues to address.

8) Marco Rubio. If it had to come down to it, he is probably the only establishment connected Republican I would be OK voting for. His immigration ideas are weak but not the weakest. (That designation goes to John Kasich).

9) Chris Christie. He can quite frequently talk the impressive talk. It's walking that talk that leaves some doubt in my mind. I don't think DC would be anything he would be interested in changing and would likely just assimilate within it.

10) Carly Fiorina. She is the Republican answer to Hillary Clinton: A female who talks out of both sides of her mouth. Her "I'm a victim because somebody said something bad about me and I am a woman" media tours are tiring.

11) Jeb Bush. What can be said about Jeb Bush that can't be summed up in a pretty lame retool of a failing political campaign that says "Jeb Can Fix It." If Jeb could fix it he could fix his campaign.

12) John Kasich. Nada. I'd take more time to write more about him but that's just "too much to do."

 13) Lindsey Graham, George Pataki and Jim "who???" Gilmore. [expletive deleted)

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MEME REPORT:
AS CHRISTIANS, HUMANISM HAS NO PLACE IN OUR HEARTS

Cheap Seat Report: The FBN/WSJ Republican Debate 11.10.15

CNBC has just announced that Hillary Clinton has won tomorrows GOP debate

 All the Republicans going into tonights debate all have one bright shared consolation: None of them are David Vitter.

 Looks like the new season of "The Voice" is going to get a new viewer tonight. That George Pataki supporter has to do something....

 Hillary"s campaign is saying they will not watch the debate and instead are going to be "moving our country forward." They didn't explain what country is hers and where they are gong to move it, though.

 Only 35 more days til the next GOP debate

 If the first question to all the candidates is "would you sign a pledge to not stab anyone?" then you know Fox Business is gunning for Carson.

 "The reason we lose nationally is because we try to be a cheaper version of the Democratic party." --Bobby Jindal

 So far Fox Business isn't fueling a cage match between personalities. A debate that stays on topic seems rather bizarre just for not being bizarre.

 Christie has deflected a question about himself 3 times now and diverted it toward Hillary twice and Obama once.

If there's a drinking game where you drink every time a candidate says "I'm the only one", then those playing will pass out long before round two on the big stage.

 Jindal wants to fire everybody in DC. Personally, I lean more toward a straight out deportation.

 Megyn Kelly just blamed the candidates for the Fox News debate kerfuffle. She says she was trying to do it like Fox Business just did it.

 FBN pundits are giving the win to Christie for first debate. I have to lean toward Huckabee. Christie avoided directly answering the most questions..followed by Santorum. .

"We need more welders instead of philosophers." --Marco Rubio

 Kasich doesn't care who's here if they are already here.

 Who cares what the Clinton campaign high fives, Jeb. Hillary high fived her staff after the Benghazi hearing.

 WINNER: "We would see stories about the economic calamity" of illegal immigration if journalists' wages were affected" --Ted Cruz

 "I want a government so small you can't even see it." --Rand Paul

 So far so good: Half way through the debate and Ben Carson hasn't stabbed anyone yet.

 "If Republicans join Democrats as the party of amnesty, we will lose" --Ted Cruz

"More words in IRS code than in the Bible." --Ted Cruz
and in may respects they have the same penalties.

 "We should vet all candidates. I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about and then putting that out there as truth." --Ben Carson


 Score again:
"If you think defending this country is expensive, try NOT defending it." --Ted Cruz

 Trump playing the peacemaker among the candidates?

 I think I'm with Trump on this one. (His views on Russia and Putin)

 "We shouldn't have another financial crisis".-- Jeb Bush
.
Whats scary is that I think that is the complete Jeb Bush economic plan.

 Shorter John Kasich: I would let the government do what it has always been doing. I would just let it do what its always been doing better.

"Thank you for not asking me what I said in the 10th grade" --Ben Carson


 Fiorina has already started her "Trump picked on me " media tour. I didn't think she would start on it til tomorrow.

 "You can never say something is never going to happen" --John Kasich.
Actually you can: Kasich will never be president.

 Whine of the Night:
"We Can't deport illegals, there are too many of them." --John Kasich


 "In the two hours of this -- of this debate, five people have died from drug-related deaths, $100 million has been added to our national debt, 200 babies have been killed by abortionists, and two veterans have taken their lives out of despair. This is a narrative that we can change, not we the Democrats, not we the Republicans, but we the people of America, because there is something special about this nation, and we must embrace it and be proud of it and never give it away for the sake of political correctness." --Ben Carson closing remarks

 Over all, I think FBN did a good debate and stayed mostly on target with important issues and not personality driven. A few times I think moderators started to lose control but they reeled it back in and with that many egos on a stage I could see why that would happen.. I thought Cavuto was taking the Bank of America question to Cruz a little personal...but otherwise OK. IMHO

Wednesday Read 11.01.15

You can count on this: the mainstream media today is in the habit of telling you what it wants you to hear, and not telling you what it does not want you to hear. Long ago impartiality, neutrality and objectivity were abandoned, replaced by partisanship, agendas, and indoctrination.
Those who control the media control the flow of news and ideas, and in contemporary Western culture the media is overwhelmingly in the hand of the secular left. They determine what is news and what is not news. Therefore those who rely solely on the MSM we never be properly informed about what is really happening.
One will certainly never see the graphic reality of what an abortion actually does. We may see dead and bloodied whales or seals featured regularly in the MSM, but you will almost never see a dead and bloodied baby – the real outcome of the “pro-choice” position.
Nor will you hear about all the dodgy abortion clinics and all the botched abortions and hurt women. It takes the alternative media to cover such stories. --Bill Muehlenberg 

  Maine Attorney General Janet Mills filed a civil rights lawsuit against Lisbon Pastor Brian Ingalls for peacefully preaching a pro-life message outside a Planned Parenthood facility in Portland. Abortionists appealed to the pro-abortion Democrat AG saying that pregnant mothers inside their facility could hear the pastor's concerns about “murdering babies, aborted babies’ blood and Jesus.”  --Reuters


Yesterday morning right before last night’s Fox Business Network/Wall Street Journal debate, Ted Cruz courageously revealed his Spending Cuts — https://www.tedcruz.org/news/icymi-cruz-in-national-review-op-ed-five-for-freedom/ 

Ted Cruz:  …First, to begin the process of reducing the scope and cost of government, I have identified the Five for Freedom: During my first year as President, I will fight to abolish:

(1)  the Department of Education
(2)  the IRS
(3)  the Department of Energy
(4)  the Department of Commerce
(5)  the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Going even further last night on the Megyn Kelly Show, Ted Cruz stated, “I have been campaigning for a long time on repealing Common Core, abolishing the Dept. of Education, and block granting that money back to the states so that education can be handled on the state and local level.”

Ted Cruz’s statement is music to the ears of millions of Americans who are watching their children (1) lose their confidence, (2) cry and fret over their Common Core homework, and (3) become indoctrinated into Obama’s social justice agenda.

Ted Cruz’s statement is also music to the ears of millions of American teachers who know instinctively that their students are being deprived of a well-rounded education and that their students’ knowledge level is going down while their indoctrination level is going up. 


If each person is able to construct a personal reality, to define words in any which way, to determine personal right and wrong, then everything becomes meaningless. What is right for one is wrong for another. What one word means for someone can be entirely different to another. While the two individuals may get along for a while, who is to say that when one chooses to steal, rape, or oppress that it is wrong? As for appealing to the ‘do no harm’ principle, again, that is merely one form of truth if all truth is relative. Again, wrong and right are personal decisions, including issues of ‘harm’.
That even applies to racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. To one person, racism may be wrong, to another it is right. Same for sexism, classism, and homophobia. Again, if truth or morality is relative or a social construct then how can it be any other way?
In this moral framework the outrage we feel is real, but only real within the dominant social construct. The only way then to fight the injustices defined by the dominant social narrative is to maintain the power structures necessary to maintain the social construct that tells the public that certain things are right and others are wrong.
In other words, social constructs have little to do with what is ultimately right or wrong, just or unjust, but rather about the power to perpetuate themselves. --Intellectual Takeout

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MEME REPORT:
THE TED CRUZ PLAN

From the Cheap Seat: My Republican Picks as of Today 10.31.15

 I need to clarify again that I am not a Republican, so I have no party loyalty to the Republican party and will never hesitate to throw the party under a bus when necessary. That said, I ID myself as more of a Constitutional conservative and the Republican party tends usually to have a better pick of candidates that lean that way. Also, my main focus is on First Amendment issues like religious liberty and free speech. I have stated many times over the years that I dislike politics as a general rule....but will deal with it when it encroaches on religious freedom and free speech.. So, I look for the candidates who I think are most apt and able to address and protect that.

1) Ted Cruz. Before the CNBC Debacle they called a debate,  I was thinking Cruz would likely not be in 1st place. I was kind of frustrated with what appeared to be a "lead from behind" mentality with the idea that IF Donald Trump drops out that he stands to gain. Trump may not be dropping out any time soon and more likely not at all.  If he did in the future at all it will be too late for Cruz to mount an offense..based on money more than time. However, when he called out the moderators at CNBC for their debate debacle I think he caught a second wind and changed the direction of the debate and the audience knew....even the audience across the country.

2. Donald Trump. Still a wild card, but he has done enough shaking up of DC with just his campaign that I suspect he could do the same in DC. The common enemy most of us face right now is the DC machine and the way it is run year after year after year after year. Anyone going to DC who promises the same old same old should be ignored immediately. Would Trump shake DC up good or bad? I don't think there's any such thing as a good or bad shake. A shake is a shake. The alternative would be to tear it all down and start over. And though that would probably be the best option...a good shake up would work as well.

3) Ben Carson. The top three candidates on this list could be interchanged based on the strength of various subjects, but Carson has my interest for religious liberty issues and as an outsider from DC he would be an asset. He may be soft spoken, but I think he has hard convictions.

4) Mike Huckabee. He's probably a long shot in the scheme of things, but for his stand on religious liberty he is one of the best. There's still some uncertainty on his Common Core position based on some things he has said in the past. However, in a presidential market where a  candidate like Hillary Clinton can change her position on an issue within a matter of minutes in the same debate, a change over a few years by Huckabee is politically  laudable (at least to me)

5) Marco Rubio.  He's very likable.  He's just wrong on some issues, like amnesty. His CNBC Debacle remarks were well thought out and his counter against Jeb Bush's attack was successful.

6) Rand Paul. I  cant separate him from Ron Paul and I was not a fan of Ron Paul. Rand didn't try any misguided attack this time around, so he is teachable.

7) Bobby Jindal. I was gong to put Jindal and Santorum at the bottom of the list.  Not because I don't like their positions on many things, but just because they are long shots at this point...in fact more likely impossibles. However, I am rating all the candidates and once I get past #8, it would take some convincing to support any of them.  So #8 is, in many respects, the bottom of my list. Jindal is strong on religious liberty. In may respects right up there with Huckabee. I had high hopes for him and waited for his entrance into the campaign, but I dont think he is going anywhere.

8) Rick Santorum. Same as Jindal, just not quite up there with Huckabee. Jindal is a bit more personable.

9) Chris Christie. He is still here based on his performance at the CNBC Debacle. Otherwise he's still the same.

10) Carly Fiorina.  I don't trust her. She has taken positions initially and then changed them when it appeared the conservative trend was going another way. .The media, even at the CNBC Debacle were throwing soft ball questions at her. Being a media darling comes with it's own warnings.

11) Jeb Bush.  I cant figure out why he would admit to modeling his campaign after John McCain's campaign. Does he remember that McCain lost???? He tried a cheap shot at Rubio, but Rubio blew it off. Rick Perry's failed campaign sent him RNC establishment clone Austin Barbour from here in Mississippi, which by itself is enough to "just say no" to Bush.  But there was already plenty of other reasons to just say no to Jeb Bush.

12) Lindsey Graham. One of the worst Republicans I know, but he  got in a few humorous lines at the early debate. He's here for entertainment value.

13) George Pataki.  Pataki-who??

14) Jim Gilmore.  See comments at  13

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MEME REPORT:
DNC IS PROBABLY RUNNING A HALLOWEEN SPECIAL ON MEMBERSHIPS

 

Thursday Read 10.29.15

A recent survey proves the success of public education indoctrination of children against freedom of politically incorrect speech:  A majority of college students across America believe that colleges should not permit faculty or students to speak freely because "hate speech" is against the law.  One-third of respondents indicated they were NOT familiar with the First Amendment of the Constitution ("whatever THAT is!"), while others say it is "outdated."



From "It’s Free Speech Week, and why some colleges hate it" by Hoppy Kercheval, West Virginia Metro News 10/29/15

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) reports at least 240 instances within the last decade where students and/or faculty made concerted efforts to block speakers because they thought their views objectionable.

Just last week, the invitation to conservative author Suzanne Venker to speak at Williams College in Massachusetts was rescinded by the student group that invited her because other students objected to her controversial views on feminism. . . .

The First Amendment Center’s Gene Policinski said the political correctness of college campuses is depriving students of a valuable part of their education. “Eliminating the serendipity of discovering other viewpoints or the intellectual challenge of confronting persuasive views that differ from our own drains both the meaning and value of free speech.”

To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.

“What it’s turned into is ‘Gotcha!’ And that’s silly,” Carson said Thursday in reference to the debate hosted by CNBC at the University of Colorado. The retired neurosurgeon, who has surged in the polls recently and is leading the GOP pack in Iowa, called for longer statements from candidates and more time to answer questions.
Carson credited Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who had one of the night’s standout performances, for pushing back amid the questioning. “This is not a cage match,” Cruz said before blasting the media as distrustful.
“I think the Cruz missile helped. That was excellent,” Carson told reporters before a rally at Colorado Christian University that attracted over 1,500 attendees. “It was a good way to use the Cruz missile. The whole format was just craziness.”  [Real Clear Politics]

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MEME REPORT:
STILL WAITING FOR THE GREAT DEBATE

Ted Cruz on Saving Social Security

MEME REPORT:

HALLOWEEN COSTUME SUGGESTION

My View of the CNBC Republican Debate from the Cheap Seat 10.29.15

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Jeb Bush will find anything "cooler" to do than show up at the debate tonight.




 The loser of tonight's debate gets to be stabbed by Ben Carson.




  Another  famous Boulder resident shows up for the debate.

CNBC has probably never had this many people watch it at the same time ....ever.

 Not much of a debate between candidates as it is between the candidates and the three CNBC moderators.

 A desperate move by Jeb against Rubio backfired. He should have learned from Rand Paul's first debate performance to know not to do that.

 "This is not a cage match. And you look at the questions: Donald Trump, are you a comic book villain? Ben Carson can you do math? John Kasich will you insult two people over here? Marco Rubio why don't you resign? Jeb Bush why have your numbers fallen? How about talking about the substantive issues that people care about?" --Ted Cruz

 Score one for Cruz!!Cruz is the man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After Cruz said what he did, they should have all walked off the stage and went home.

 Good response by Huckabee. he didnt take the moderators bait.

 "The Democrats have the ultimate super PAC, it's called the mainstream media." --Marco Rubio

 They seem to give Fiorina a lot of softball questions compared to the rest.

 "Even in New Jersey what you're doing is called rude." --Chris Christie

 Dear John Harwood,
you lied.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-gets-his-way_56210ecbe4b06462a13bb2ca

  For Halloween CNBC anchors are going out as legitimate intelligent news reporters because no one will be able to guess it is them.

I havent decided who won yet, but am pretty sure the big loser was CNBC's John Harwood.

Ole Miss Proves Its Just One of the Liberal Universities as it takes opposing side on Mississippi State Flag

The state of higher education in America is pretty much liberal/progressive. 

In a statement released today after anti-Confederate flag and pro-Confederate flag protesters clash in demonstrations.

“We commend our students for using the democratic process to engage in debate over civic issues.
As a state institution we fly the flags representing our state and nation. However, as a university committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus for all students, we continue to join other leaders in Mississippi to encourage our government to change the state flag.
Over the last few years our community has engaged in an open discussion about  our campus’s physical environment — our building and street names, public art, and landmarks.  We want our campus to reflect who we are in 2015: a vibrant, welcoming, and diverse community that honestly examines our history as we move forward together.  To that end, we are committed to placing landmarks in historical context and to telling more of our story as we add to our campus landscape.   We are thankful for the engagement of faculty, staff and students that guided this process and provided good direction for our community.”
Statement by: Danny N. Blanton Director of Public Relations for The University of Mississippi

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MEME REPORT:
AMERICANS WHO JOIN ISIS SHOULD HAVE CITIZENSHIP REVOKED

Paul Pressler endorses Ted Cruz for President

Sen. Ted Cruz Questions Sierra Club President Aaron Mair on Climate Change

Kim Davis, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Ben Carson to speak at Values Voter Summit

Eight Republican presidential candidates, including front-runner Donald Trump, as well as Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis will address thousands of grassroots activists at the Family Research Council’s 10th annual Values Voter Summit this weekend in Washington.

Other candidates who have confirmed their participation in the event include Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

 The Values Voter Summit will be held Friday through Sunday at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington. Featured speakers include Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

SOURCE: Washington Times

Random Observations 09.22.15

During an interview on Face the Nation on Sunday, John Dickerson asked Hillary Clinton to describe herself in three words

She responded:
“I mean, look, I am a real person, with all the pluses and minuses that go along with being that and have been in the public eye for so long that I think — you know, it’s like the feature that you see in some magazines sometimes: Real people actually go shopping, you know?”

 Susan Rice will be on Face The Nation next Sunday to blame the other 50 words on a video.

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 Socialists see the glass as being half theirs.


 "I think Brian Williams easily won both GOP debates." -Brian Williams [now at MSNBC]


 Obama, a transvestite, and the Pope walk into the White House.....and we'll find out how that turns outs after tomorrow.  DC is taking a lot of safety precautions for the Pope's visit. But, the Vatican couldn't protect the Pope from the Obama agenda. Though the Vatican asked them not to, Obama has invited several LGBT and transgender activists to the White House to "meet" Pope Francis.


As Frankenstein read his news feed this morning, a headline reminded him of his childhood.

From the More Proof Evolution is False File:
If evolution was true, people who live in Chicago would be bullet proof by now.


 “I don’t need to be lectured by Ted Cruz or anybody else about conservatism." --Trent Lott [why the establishment Republicans will never get it)


 By applying MSNBC;s standards they set for themselves over the last 7 years, by going after Ben Carson they must be racist

 Left wing media didn't want Donald Trump to respond to Muslim question issue. They wanted Trump to say the media was right & he is wrong. CNN anchors seem a bit deflated that he didn't respond the way they wanted. MSNBC is running documentaries from 8 years ago so I guess their rage will have to wait til Monday.

 I have to agree 100% with Donald Trump on the Muslim question issue. He has no obligation to defend Obama. McCain used to apologize for things people said about Obama all the time in 2008 and look where it got him.

 News just reported that Obama and Raul Castro talked on the phone today. They supposedly discussed their differences, which means it was probably a very short phone call.

 Last week the liberals wanted Donald Trump to shut up; Now they're complaining because he is not saying anything.

 The first Democrat debate will also be held at a library. Presuming, of course, that Leavenworth Federal Prison has a library.

 80% of MSNBC viewers think Trump should correct anyone who says Obama is a Muslim. I'm just curious how they got 80% out 4 people.

 All these media outlets claiming who won the debate don't get it. The VOTERS decide who won the debate on election day.

Religious Freedom Report 09.21.15

 Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion held a large meeting in New York this last week:

The United States had a role in organizing the gathering and was represented by State Department Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein and USCIRF Chair Robert George. Their close colleagues in the parallel Canadian Office of Religious Freedom also pulled together the event.In an energetic speech, Saperstein urged the international lawmakers not to separate religious freedom from other issues, but to see it as foundational in every kind of policy. He encouraged them to hold hearings, to issue statements, and to attend trials for the persecuted. He mentioned that he and other officials attended the trial of two South Sudanese pastors recently, and that the pastors were acquitted of the most serious charges and released."Even a country as powerful as the United States cannot fight this battle alone," George said during a coffee break. George said European leaders, especially Germany, have "shown themselves serious about religious freedom." Now, he said, it's a matter of seeing if the group can maintain this broad base of support for religious freedom, a coalition that has disappeared domestically. 

 I'm not aware that the US is doing much at all for Christians in other countries. By  that I mean the government and not the many charitable and Christian organizations that are always active. John Kerry and Barack Obama  are so disengaged that they pushed through a horrible nuclear deal with Iran and didn't even bother to get US prisoners released that are being held there, which includes two pastors.

 Kristen Grant [The Federalist] wrote:

When Pope Francis comes to America, he will stand in Independence Hall and speak about religious freedom. No doubt he will echo the themes of his first apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium,” which declared that “no one can demand that religion should be relegated to the inner sanctum of personal life, without influence on societal and national life… without a right to offer an opinion on events affecting society.”

When he does so, he will not be asking for a special megaphone for white men in clericals, but rather reminding Americans of a fundamental right of all people—including a lot of poor, female, black, Latino, and gay people—to bring their full humanity to the public square and contend there for the future of their country.

We'll see. 

 Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo {D-Ca]and  Co-Chair of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus:
 
I've introduced a bipartisan bill in Congress to deliver relief and protection for religious minorities. The Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act would allow non-state actors to be designated as violators of religious freedom, granting the administration better tools to address extremism and violence in groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State. And Congressman Juan Vargas, D-Calif., is leading on bipartisan legislation to grant persecuted individuals in ISIS-held territory access to priority refugee status processing at the State Department.
Progress was made last week when the administration appointed Knox Thames as Special Envoy at the State Department charged with focusing exclusively on the plight of religious minorities in the Middle East. Former Congressman Frank Wolf, R-Va., and I championed the law to create this position in the last Congress, and this long-awaited appointment is welcomed.
The papal visit presents a unique opportunity to send a message to the world in condemning the act of genocide as the most barbaric and criminal act of humankind, and propel a global response. It's an existential crisis for religious minorities in the Middle East, and it is a defining moment for America.

Democrats aren't generally very good at protecting religious freedom. There generally has to be some other goal in mind. Or it has to be so fantastic that it creates warm feelings when its announced, but in practicality, it's meaningless. 

 The Christian Post reported:

Hundreds of Christian conservatives gathered in the blistering heat in Nashville on Constitution Day Thursday, to rally for religious freedom in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling and called on the state to uphold its definition of marriage as being a union between one man and one woman.
As a crowd of over 400 gathered for the "Stand in the Gap for Truth" rally hosted by the Tennessee Pastors Network outside the state's Legislative Plaza, a number of issues, from the Iran deal to same-sex marriage, were discussed by prominent Evangelicals and state lawmakers.
Among the speakers who participated in the event was the husband of jailed Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, Joe Davis, the father of presidential candidate Ted Cruz, Rafael, Bishop E.W. Jackson and former Southern Baptists Convention Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission president Dr. Richard Land.

A few Tennessee state representatives, including Republican Rep. Mark Pody who spoke at the rally, also introduced legislation Thursday called the "Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act" into the state legislature. The legislation, if passed, would "void" the Supreme Court's ruling in June that struck down states' ban against same-sex marriage.

Idaho Statesman Editorial:

We don’t believe any faith group should be forced to perform or sanctify a marriage they don’t agree with. Those judgments are the purview of the religious organization and belong in their lane of traffic. Government intervention in religious matters is contrary to everything American. Such actions deserve our immediate wrath.
Last year city officials in Houston subpoenaed the sermons and other materials of some pastors, purportedly to investigate some petitions filed against the city’s equal rights ordinance. Whatever the motives, demanding sermons is an affront to religious freedom and deserved the overwhelming criticism it received.
We as a society have our work cut out for us defining and defending the lanes of traffic that will preserve religious freedom and still provide the equal access our Constitution guarantees.

Of course, previous to this summary, the editorial condemned Kim Davis for not quitting. After all, religious freedom is important...but not more important than work (liberal 11th commandment,  I think]. 

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/09/19/3994017/editorial-our-religious-freedom.html#storylink=cpy

Donald J. Trump on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.


The Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right that belongs to all law-abiding Americans. The Constitution doesn’t create that right – it ensures that the government can’t take it away. Our Founding Fathers knew, and our Supreme Court has upheld, that the Second Amendment’s purpose is to guarantee our right to defend ourselves and our families. This is about self-defense, plain and simple.

It’s been said that the Second Amendment is America’s first freedom. That’s because the Right to Keep and Bear Arms protects all our other rights. We are the only country in the world that has a Second Amendment. Protecting that freedom is imperative. Here’s how we will do that:


Enforce The Laws On The Books

We need to get serious about prosecuting violent criminals. The Obama administration’s record on that is abysmal. Violent crime in cities like Baltimore, Chicago and many others is out of control. Drug dealers and gang members are given a slap on the wrist and turned loose on the street. This needs to stop.

Several years ago there was a tremendous program in Richmond, Virginia called Project Exile. It said that if a violent felon uses a gun to commit a crime, you will be prosecuted in federal court and go to prison for five years – no parole or early release. Obama’s former Attorney General, Eric Holder, called that a “cookie cutter” program. That’s ridiculous. I call that program a success. Murders committed with guns in Richmond decreased by over 60% when Project Exile was in place – in the first two years of the program alone, 350 armed felons were taken off the street.


Why does that matter to law-abiding gun owners? Because they’re the ones who anti-gun politicians and the media blame when criminals misuse guns. We need to bring back and expand programs like Project Exile and get gang members and drug dealers off the street. When we do, crime will go down and our cities and communities will be safer places to live.


Here’s another important way to fight crime – empower law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves. Law enforcement is great, they do a tremendous job, but they can’t be everywhere all of the time. Our personal protection is ultimately up to us. That’s why I’m a gun owner, that’s why I have a concealed carry permit, and that’s why tens of millions of Americans have concealed carry permits as well. It’s just common sense. To make America great again, we’re going to go after criminals and put the law back on the side of the law-abiding.


Fix Our Broken Mental Health System

Let’s be clear about this. Our mental health system is broken. It needs to be fixed. Too many politicians have ignored this problem for too long.

All of the tragic mass murders that occurred in the past several years have something in common – there were red flags that were ignored. We can’t allow that to continue. We need to expand treatment programs, because most people with mental health problems aren’t violent, they just need help. But for those who are violent, a danger to themselves or others, we need to get them off the street before they can terrorize our communities. This is just common sense.


And why does this matter to law-abiding gun owners? Once again, because they get blamed by anti-gun politicians, gun control groups and the media for the acts of deranged madmen. When one of these tragedies occurs, we can count on two things: one, that opponents of gun rights will immediately exploit it to push their political agenda; and two, that none of their so-called “solutions” would have prevented the tragedy in the first place. They’ve even admitted it.

We need real solutions to address real problems. Not grandstanding or political agendas.


Defend The Rights of Law-Abiding Gun Owners

GUN AND MAGAZINE BANS. Gun and magazine bans are a total failure. That’s been proven every time it’s been tried. Opponents of gun rights try to come up with scary sounding phrases like “assault weapons”, “military-style weapons” and “high capacity magazines” to confuse people. What they’re really talking about are popular semi-automatic rifles and standard magazines that are owned by tens of millions of Americans. Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own.


BACKGROUND CHECKS. There has been a national background check system in place since 1998. Every time a person buys a gun from a federally licensed gun dealer – which is the overwhelming majority of all gun purchases – they go through a federal background check. Study after study has shown that very few criminals are stupid enough to try and pass a background check – they get their guns from friends/family members or by stealing them. So the overwhelming majority of people who go through background checks are law-abiding gun owners. When the system was created, gun owners were promised that it would be instant, accurate and fair. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case today. Too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system – and it should go without saying that a system’s only going to be as effective as the records that are put into it. What we need to do is fix the system we have and make it work as intended. What we don’t need to do is expand a broken system.


NATIONAL RIGHT TO CARRY. The right of self-defense doesn’t stop at the end of your driveway. That’s why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver’s license works in every state, so it’s common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.


MILITARY BASES AND RECRUITING CENTERS. Banning our military from carrying firearms on bases and at recruiting centers is ridiculous. We train our military how to safely and responsibly use firearms, but our current policies leave them defenseless. To make America great again, we need a strong military. To have a strong military, we need to allow them to defend themselves.

 https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/second-amendment-rights

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MEME REPORT:
TED CRUZ STRIKES AGAIN

Ted Cruz Needs to Get More Aggressive

And I speak this as one who likes Ted Cruz and he is still at the top of the list of my favored candidates (as I posted earlier today). 

I can understand the number of times Trump had to respond since most of the questions Tapper asked had to do with Trump. I think Cruz needs to get more aggressive. I understand why he's playing the "nice" card in regard to Trump and other Republicans and he has been smartly insightful to do so, but a lot of his popularity has come from the fact that he has not been playing the "nice"guy and has labeled people, like McConnel or Graham, for what they are. Cruz has a lot of supporters, but money is political oxygen in modern politics. If Trump doesn't implode like the establishment Republicans think, then Cruz could end up losing some financial backing to people like Jeb Bush or now Carly Fiorina because they will have an early lead over him and many partisan donors would rather just see a party win, rather than ideology..

 This graph comes from FiveThirtyEight

Word Slinger Files Republican Presidential Picks As of Today:

My picks up to now with information I have up to now:

First off, I need to clarify that I am not a Republican, so I have no party loyalty to the Republican party and will never hesitate to throw the party under a bus. That said, I ID myself as more of a Constitutional conservative and the Republican party tends usually to have a better pick of candidates that lean that way. Also, my main focus is on religious liberty...and I have stated many times over the years that I dislike politics as a general rule....but will deal with it when it encroaches on religious freedom..  So, I look for the candidates who I think are most apt and able to address and protect that. Followed by illegal immigration, abortion, and the economy.

1) Ted Cruz  His knowledge of constitutional law and issues is impressive.And he is concerned about religious freedom. He would make a great addition to the Supreme Court some day.....or, if not elected president,   attorney general.

2) Mike Huckabee  He has moved up in my interest since the last debate, particularly because of the Kim Davis issue. I see him as a long shot, but he polls OK for a long shot candidate. Huckabee rocks on religious freedom

3) Donald Trump. He is a wild card and still an anomaly. The Republican Party needs someone to kick that shoddy foundation they have laid underneath them. He mentioned the vaccine issues in the debate last night, and issues with autism..which even Ben Carson agreed with...in spite of the fact that Megyn Kelly says vaccines are a settled issue scientifically.

4) Rick Santorum. For his stand on religious freedom, abortion, etc. I thought he did a good job of defending his positions in the earlier CNN debate.

 5) Bobby Jindal. I had high hopes he would be a good candidate, particular in the area of religious freedom. His campaign has not taken off yet...and it may not.


 6) Ben Carson. Very likable and smart guy. Soft spoken, but I think he gets his points across better that way. I am a bit confused on some of the issues with him like minimum wage and immigration. His inclusion, though, for immigrants to come and do jobs Americans don't want to do just wreaks so close to the Democrat philosophy of immigration support as cheap labor. Democrat party was pro slavery in 1800s, Still pro-slavery to be pro-immigration and justify it by claiming we can use Mexicans as cheap labor force. So if that's a position he will stick to, then he will being sliding to the bottom of this list very soon.

7) Rand Paul. I think he is very Libertarianesque which is not entirely bad. I am not for marijuana legalization for recreational purposes, but I do agree with him that it should be left to the states to decide. I have no problem with medical usage. Here in Mississippi we have an attempt to get a marijuana initative on the ballot--which it looks like it will fail to get enough people to sign their petition, but I really dislike the way its being promoted. They are pushing it under the guise of being used for medical purposes. and underplaying the fact that they want it for recreational use.  In debates, Paul has tried too hard to go after Trump or even Christie and it, with maybe once exception, blows up in his face.

8) Marco Rubio. He is getting better at verbalizing his positions.

9) Chris Christie. I would not have ever expected to put him higher than Jeb Bush, but his performance at the debate was actually pretty good. I still don't see him as "conservative" but more time will tell.
When he started to explain what female he would like on the $10 bill, it sounded like he was going to nominate Morticia Addams.

10). Carly Fiorina. I don't have all the "like" for her that other people see. She has flip flopped a several issues, including religious freedom, and sometimes it seems like she says what she says depending on who she is talking to. Carly Fiorina is very wrong on  her understanding of the 14th amendment and seems OK with judicial tyranny.

Jeb smoked what??

11) Jeb Bush. Much better performance in last nights debate  I still see him as playing both sides of the issue on immigration. He is, as Trump mentioned, pro-Common Core. He also does not have a great pro-life record in spite of what he tried to say last night.

12) Scott Walker  His performance can be summed up with this: Oh, was he there?

13) John Kasich. In his opening intro, Shorter Kasich: I am Ronald Reagan. Umm. no.

14) Lindsey Graham. "In my world, Hispanics are Americans" --Lindsey Graham. What can be said about Graham that hasn't been said about a bad case of influenza. I would say Lindsey Graham is dead to me, but that would be an upgrade to the status I already held about him.

15) George Pataki .  "just give them all legal status" --George Pataki on immigration. George Pataki plays the Reagan card right out of the gate. Dead to me starting with his position on religious freedom. His last name is still fun to say, though. (Try saying "President Pataki" 5 times very fast. ) 

16) Jim Gilmore. Gilmore who?? CNN excluded him from the debate.

I think the debate at CNN was much better than the charade that Fox news tried to pass off as a debate last month. This one actually had exchanges between the candidates. The few that Fox had were in spite of Fox and not because of it,. Jake Tapper was clearly gunning fro Trump and for a few moments he kind of morphed into Megyn Jelly.

A quick word on the polls, a practice which is central to modern analyses of political races. I believe that polls are far more scientifically unreliable than they are generally made out to be, and think that wild inductions are not the safest way to go. Talking to 200 people and deciding what 200 million are thinking is . . . risky. --Doug Wilson

Religious Freedom Report 09.17.15

An appeals court has ruled that Obama's health care law violates the rights of religiously affiliated employees by forcing them to provide  contraceptive coverage.

Reuters:

A U.S. appeals court has ruled that President Barack Obama's healthcare law violates the rights of religiously affiliated employers by forcing them to help provide contraceptive coverage even though they do not have to pay for it.
Parting ways with all other appeals courts that have considered the issue, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis on Thursday issued a pair of decisions upholding orders by two lower courts barring the government from enforcing the law's contraceptive provisions against a group of religiously affiliated employers. Circuit Judge Roger Wollman, who wrote Thursday's decisions on behalf of a three-judge panel, said the court must defer to the employers' "sincere religious belief that their participation in the accommodation process makes them morally and spiritually complicit in providing abortifacient coverage."
The cases are Dordt College et al v. Burwell, No. 14-2726, and Sharpe Holdings Inc et al v. U.S. Department of Human Services et al, No. 14-1507, both in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.

Radio host Bryan Joyce chastises Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz for standing up for Kim Davis but not for Charee Stanley.:

It's odd that Frazier would say Cruz is "committed to defending" religious freedom, because incidentally, there's another woman in the United States who, just like Kim Davis, says her religious freedom is under attack. But Cruz is nowhere to be found. Neither is Huckabee! Not only are they not meeting with this woman, but as far as I know, neither one of them has even bothered to drop a dime and call her.
The woman I speak of is Charee Stanley, a 40 year-old flight attendant who converted to Islam two years ago. She says she came to a mutual agreement with her employer, ExpressJet, whereby other flight attendants would serve alcoholic beverages to any passengers requesting a drink on her flights. But after her fellow flight attendants complained to management, Stanley says ExpressJet reneged on their agreement, and placed her on unpaid leave.


 For three years, Charee Stanley has been a flight attendant with Atlanta-based ExpressJet Airlines. But, two years ago, she chose to be a Muslim. The Washington Post said that "Stanley’s conversion brought an outward change — she started wearing a hijab. But the 40-year-old flight attendant also felt that her new faith prevented her from fulfilling what some might consider a fundamental part of her job: serving alcohol." The missing problem, however, is why did she wait TWO years to suddenly decide her religious freedoms were being violated??



Speaking to students at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, Tuesday, September 15, 2015, Ronald A. Rasband of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said, “Our society has become so blind by its quest to redress wrongful discrimination against one class of people that it is now in danger of creating another victimized class: people of faith like you and me.”

It appears, though, that even the Mormons have their tares amongst their wheat: Hermia Lyly wrote at "Young Mormon Femninists" in an open letter to Rasband:
My wife and I listened to your devotional from our home, hoping to hear words of comfort and love. Within a few minutes, we had to turn off your devotional address–both my wife and I were sweating and nearly shaking because we were so disappointed by your message. While my response to you is regrettably incomplete because I did not finish listening to your devotional, I felt the need to protect my home from your words.

"Sweating and shaking?" Really? Sounds like a tactic used by the Freedom from Religion Foundation where atheist heads explodes every time they see a cross or a commandment in public.

I have seen some touting a poll by ABC/Washington Post:

• An ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Tuesday has found that the majority of Americans believe that Kentucky clerk Kim Davis should be required by law to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, and said that equality under the law trumps a person's religious beliefs when the two come in conflict.

But, read the fine print. This is a sampling of 1,003 people. I don't think a case could be made for it speaking for the entire USA 

•  A quick word on the polls, a practice which is central to modern analyses of political races. I believe that polls are far more scientifically unreliable than they are generally made out to be, and think that wild inductions are not the safest way to go. Talking to 200 people and deciding what 200 million are thinking is . . . risky. --Doug Wilson

In Oregon there is another government official who risks losing his job because he does not want to officiate over any same-sex marriage.:

 An Oregon judge is fighting an investigative panel’s accusation that by declining to perform same-sex weddings on religious grounds, he violated both the state’s constitution and code of conduct for judges.
This and other allegations could result in the judge’s suspension or removal from office. Vance D. Day, one of 14 judges on the Marion County Circuit Court in Salem, Ore., readily admits that he asked an assistant not to schedule him for same-sex marriages but instead to arrange for another judge to officiate.
Performing the marriage of two men or two women “conflicted with his firmly held religious beliefs,” Day told the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability.

And in Ohio:

 An Ohio church is suing a strip club and its scantily clad staff for protesting outside the house of worship during the past five years. The Columbus Dispatch reports (http://www.dispatch.com ) New Beginnings Ministries Pastor William Dunfee filed the lawsuit against Foxhole strip club owner Thomas George and his employees last Friday in Columbus federal court.
The suit claims the topless protesters violated the Warsaw church's First Amendment right to religious freedom and the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
Dunfee is asking the court to order protesters to stop blocking church entrances, intruding on church property and intimidating parishioners.
George called the claims "very false." He organized the protests after losing a suit against the church in 2009 for picketing outside his establishment.

Depending on where this goes in court, a precedent could be set on whether or not it is OK for naked people to protest in front of your church during services.  

Ted Cruz Comments After the Arrest of Kim Davis

“Today, judicial lawlessness crossed into judicial tyranny. Today, for the first time ever, the government arrested a Christian woman for living according to her faith. This is wrong. This is not America.
“I stand with Kim Davis. Unequivocally. I stand with every American that the Obama Administration is trying to force to chose between honoring his or her faith or complying with a lawless court decision.
“In dissent, Chief Justice Roberts rightly observed that the Court’s marriage decision has nothing to do with the Constitution. Justice Scalia observed that the Court’s decision was so contrary to law that state and local officials would choose to defy it.
“For every politician — Democrat and Republican — who is tut-tutting that Davis must resign, they are defending a hypocritical standard. Where is the call for the mayor of San Francisco to resign for creating a sanctuary city — resulting in the murder of American citizens by criminal illegal aliens welcomed by his lawlessness?
“Where is the call for President Obama to resign for ignoring and defying our immigration laws, our welfare reform laws, and even his own Obamacare?
“When the mayor of San Francisco and President Obama resign, then we can talk about Kim Davis.
“Those who are persecuting Kim Davis believe that Christians should not serve in public office. That is the consequence of their position. Or, if Christians do serve in pubic office, they must disregard their religious faith–or be sent to jail.
“Kim Davis should not be in jail. We are a country founded on Judeo-Christian values, founded by those fleeing religious oppression and seeking a land where we could worship God and live according to our faith, without being imprisoned for doing so.
“I call upon every Believer, every Constitutionalist, every lover of liberty to stand with Kim Davis. Stop the persecution now.”

Ted Cruz Urges Pastors to Preach Against Abortion and Planned Parenthood this Sunday

In an email sent through David Barton's "Wallbuilders":

• Dear Pastor,
   
  The recent exposure of Planned Parenthood's barbaric practices of harvesting the body parts of innocent babies and selling them to the highest bidder has brought about a pressing need to end tax payer support of this institution.

   

  As the son of a pastor, I know you bear a high and holy calling on your lives. I am urging you to confront this evil in our nation by praying and preaching with an unbridled passion until funding for Planned Parenthood ends, and this barbaric practice is purged from the land.

   

  Over the next two weeks, with the support of your prayers and the impact of your preaching, I intend to lead an effort to end taxpayer support of Planned Parenthood.

  
  

  The battle we face is not political. It is spiritual. To enter this arena in a prayerless condition invites failure.  May I ask...

   

  1. Preach a message on August 30th calling on your people to enter into this spiritual battle for the soul of their nation.
  • A sermon outline is available at:  for your consideration entitled, "The Cry of the Innocent for the Soul of a Nation." Text: "There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood." Proverbs 6: 16-17 see full sermon here: http://bit.ly/1MGilwc

  2. Lead your people in a "Day of Prayer and Fasting" on September 9th as thousands of churches call on God, during their Wednesday night services, to move in the hearts of men and women in government to vote to end the slaughter of the innocents.

   

  These days are challenging. Those who have faced similar challenges did so with the courage of their convictions. When Esther was called to stand on behalf of her people, she was reminded that her life was not her own, and that God had placed her at a critical point in history do be an instrument for the protection of the innocent. May we be found as faithful as she, "For such a time as this."

   

  God bless America and God bless America's pastors as they lead the way to the healing of this nation.

   

  Senator Ted Cruz

Mike Huckabee: John Boehner Attacking Ted Cruz Is A 'Huge Mistake'