August 2, 2011

In this edition of the Washington Beat, Rep. Paul Ryan shows us how Washington D.C. saves money.


WE HAVE A DEAL

After a long weekend of negotiations, non-negotiations, waiting and waiting some more, Democrats, Republicans and President Obama have come to an agreement in order to avoid default. However, America has a long road ahead of her in order to get the federal budget under control. The deal passed by the House, Senate and signed by President Obama Tuesday, increases the debt ceiling by $2 trillion, putting it up to over $17 trillion while cutting $2 trillion over the next decade and doesn’t touch entitlement reform. Some lawmakers have described the deal as a spit in the ocean, and it is. The next step in the process will come when the Senate forms a “super-committee,” where members will determine further spending cuts and tax hikes will be on the table. In a statement given by Obama before he signed the deal, he once again called for compromise and shared sacrifice moving forward.



GABRIELLE GIFFORDS RETURNS TO HOUSE FLOOR

Representative Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House Floor Monday night to cast her first vote since surviving a shooting spree in January. She was welcomed by standing applause from politicians on both sides of the aisle. Her House colleagues also took to Twitter to welcome her back.


TSA TO FINALLY MONITOR BEHAVIOR

In a small improvement for TSA, the agency will be implementing new behavioral screening techniques in addition to naked body scans and uncomfortable full body pat downs. The agency has adopted some techniques similar to those used in Israel, including monitoring of responses given to agents and determining if passengers pose a threat based on answers given. Now if we could just move away from the scanners and pat downs to targeting terrorists, we’ll be making some progress.


OBAMA DOJ SUES ALABAMA

Another day, another Obama Justice Department lawsuit against a state trying to control their illegal immigration problem. The latest victim of the Eric Holder assault? Alabama. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit this week against the state for its new illegal immigration law. The new law allows police to inquire about legal status after an individual has committed a previous crime. The legislation also requires employers in the state to use the federal E-Verify system to determine if new employees are in the country legally.



JOE BIDEN SAYS TEA PARTIERS ACTED LIKE TERRORISTS

In the latest installment of the “new tone,” the Vice President of the United States said the tea party “acted like terrorists,” during the course of the debt ceiling debate. The comments came during a Democratic Caucus meeting where Rep. Moyer referred to tea party influence as “we have negotiated with terrorists,” adding, “this small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money.” Biden denied making the comment when questioned by reporters, however, White House Press Secretary defended the terrorist comments from Moyer and Biden Tuesday, saying the slur was simply a result of emotional and passionate debate.



QUOTE OF THE WEEK

John McCain speaking on the Senate Floor about finding an end to the debt debate and comparing the tea party to Lord of the Rings:

"The tea party hobbits could return to Middle Earth having Mordor.”



-Katie Pavlich is the News Editor for Townhall.com



Be sure to check Townhall.com and our blog frequently for other updates

"Budget Control Act" Will Gut Defense, Hike Taxes




Londa,

It was a busy weekend, full of spin and closed door meetings. Regrettably, the final debt deal – the Budget Control Act – is insufficient to the task at hand, which is why Heritage Action remains adamantly opposed.

The deal would increase the debt ceiling by $900 billion now, in exchange for Washington-style cuts. It would also give tremendous power to a 12-member committee that will pave the way for tax hikes. Not only that, but if conservatives don’t agree to the tax hikes, then a so-called trigger would automatically cut our nation's security by $600 billion.

>> Read our Key Vote alert, which we sent to Capitol Hill this morning, here.

This is not the kind of deal that our country needs right now. That being said, conservatives should take heart that the Washington establishment is increasingly adopting our rhetoric. Those promoting this deal promise that it won't raise taxes. They promise that it cuts spending. And they promise that it can lead to a balanced budget for our country.

Despite the fact that the policy of the deal does not support these promises, this is a sign that our message is winning. Now is the time for us to redouble our efforts and to force Washington to do more than just adopt our message. It is time for Washington to come to grips with our national plight and enact conservative policies that actually put our nation back on a sound fiscal path.

And we will have our chance in very short order. There will be a fight over appropriations in September and a fight over the super-committee’s recommendation’s throughout the fall. As we move closer to November of 2012, the plight of Obamacare and the need to repeal it will come back into focus.

With your continued help I am confident we will succeed in this task.

Sincerely,







Michael A. Needham

Chief Executive Officer

Heritage Action for America

Is Homeland Security Monitoring Christian Websites?




http://www.wnd.com/





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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has begun watching a blog posted by a Christian who was forced to flee Brazil because of the conflict between that nation's pro-homosexual "hate crimes" agenda and his advocacy for traditional marriage.



Exactly why the U.S. government, which several times has linked Christians and conservatives with terrorism, is watching Julio Severo's unabashedly Christian Last Days Watchman blog isn't clear.



A WND request to the DHS for comment did not generate a response.



The website's records reveal the DHS visited the site yesterday. A different computer, also at the DHS, was on the site again today.



WND reported in 2009, shortly after Obama took office, that a Department of Homeland Security report warned of the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" – people concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty. The report pointed to returning war veterans as particular threats.



Severo was profiled earlier on WND when as a prominent pro-family activist in Brazil, he was forced into exile because of the "hate crimes" laws in his land.



Several prominent Christian leaders in America at the time warned that similar crackdowns could be coming in the U.S. because of the federal "hate crimes" bill signed by Obama shortly after he took office.



That law enhances penalties based on the thoughts of the person suspected of committing a crime.



Pastor Rick Scarborough of Vision America Action and Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel voiced their opposition to the law at the time. While there has not yet been a large-scale crackdown on pastors who preach against homosexuality, there are indicators that such developments could be in the offing.



Obama's lifting of the ban on homosexuals in the military, for example, has raised questions about the status of military chaplains who teach a biblical perspective of homosexuality.



At the time of his exile, Severo told WND that while Brazil does not criminalize Christianity, it regulates what biblical principles can and cannot be preached, and it bans biblical citations that disapprove of the homosexual lifestyle.



"Brazil grants freedom to preach Christianity, provided that the sermons avoid negative mentions of state-protected behaviors and cultural trends," Severo said at the time. "The Brazilian government is establishing more and more categories of protected behaviors, banning negative mentions. So Brazilian preachers need to get updated on the latest political changes and preach a Gospel according to the state interests."



He cited an example of Brazil's restrictions.



"In Rio, a Pentecostal minister led a criminal to Jesus and convinced him to deliver himself to police. Rev. Isaías da Silva Andrade accompanied the former criminal to police and when they asked how his life had been changed, the minister answered that the former criminal lived under the influence of demons from Afro-Brazilian religions which inspired him to criminal conduct, but now he found salvation in Jesus. Because of this innocent account, Rev. Andrade is now being prosecuted for discrimination against the Afro-Brazilian 'culture'! If condemned, he will serve between two and five years in jail," Severo said.



Severo said his friends warned him that authorities were trying to find him, and so he took matters into his own hands.



"I was forced to leave the country with my family: a wife in the advanced stages of pregnancy and two little children," he reported on his blog. "We are now in a place that is completely foreign to us. What choice did we have?"



Severo today told WND through a relatively secure communications method that he remains in an undisclosed location because "even though I am away from Brazil, the largest gay group is Brazil, ABGLT, is after me, even asking their other gay groups to help them to find me where I am."



He explained ABGLT, which had filed complaints of "homophobia" against him with the Brazilian government, recently was helped by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be accredited in the United Nations, extending its global influence.



He said he previously has found visits on his website from the federal police in Brazil.



"It is like the FBI in the U.S..," he told WND.



He said he monitors his websites periodically and then occasionally does a visitor-by-visitor review of who is reading his writings.



"A few times that I have examined them one by one, I was able to find federal law enforcement agencies as my visitors," he said.



He said it appears DHS was searching for some combination of "Christian," "U.S." and "Brazil" terms.



"I think all Christian leaders should be worried at a U.S. agency created in response to Islamic terror is after a Christian leader," he told WND. "Why not Islamic leaders?"



He said on his blog after he found the DHS visits, "Obviously, LDW has no terrorist or Islamic connection. It is conservative Christian – which is reason enough to be labeled 'terrorist' by leftist and anti-Christian activists."



"I do not know how much time they spent in my blog, because this specific data was missing in the official record. Nevertheless, perhaps because of some security failure, relevant information was exposed, especially on where and who was 'visiting' my blog," he wrote. "It seems that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is searching for a Christian leader (from the United States? from Brazil?), who fled. But, searching for him in my blog?"



He said the purpose of his site is to make English-speaking readers aware of what is happening in Brazil, "particularly on the persecution on Christians."



"If they are keeping surveillance on Christian leaders, it’s time for us to watch and pray!" he said.



The U.S. administration has made clear in a number of cases that it is concerned about conservatives as a potential danger and even has argued in court that it wants the authority to track American citizens in order to develop "probable cause" needed for search warrants.



That argument is being made before the U.S. Supreme Court in a dispute over whether police investigators and other authorities should be allowed to track American citizens who have not done anything that would ordinarily prompted a judge to issue a search warrant.



"The court of appeals' decision, which will require law enforcement officers to obtain a warrant before placing a GPS device on a vehicle if the device will be used for a 'prolonged' time period, has created uncertainty surrounding the use of an important law enforcement tool," said the government's brief in the case, U.S.A. v. Antoine Jones.



"Although in some investigations the government could establish probable cause and obtain a warrant before using a GPS device, federal law enforcement agencies frequently use tracking devices early in investigations, before suspicions have ripened into probable cause. The court of appeals' decision prevents law enforcement officers from using GPS devices in an effort to gather information to establish probable cause."



In the case, agents put a tracking device on Jones' vehicle, and he later was charged and convicted of drug offenses based on information obtained from the tracking device. His conviction was overturned, however, when an appeals court panel argued the information was obtained without a warrant.



The government asked the high court to review whether the warrantless use of a tracking device to monitor the vehicle's movements on public streets violated the Fourth Amendment.



But civil rights experts at the law firm of William J. Olson of Vienna, Va., and Gary Kreep of the United States Justice Foundation of Ramona, Calif., are arguing in a friend-of-the-court brief that while the Supreme Court needs to review the case, the goal should be to protect Americans' Bill of Rights-assured protections against unreasonable search and seizure, not expand government's ability to monitor its citizens.



While the Obama administration is asking for a determination about the warrantless use of tracking units, the Supreme Court wants briefs that also address the issue of whether the government violates the Fourth Amendment even by installing such a unit.



A poll released earlier showed the WND Freedom Index, an assessment of Americans' perspectives about their freedoms, took a plunge in the latest quarter, to 45.9 – its lowest mark in the two years the survey has been conducted.



Among the questions used to assemble the ranking – where 50 is a reflection of a neutral perspective about freedoms – was, "Do you believe that government today is using technology, such as cameras, scanners, electronic health records, to become too intrusive into the private matters of Americans."



Some 75 percent of the respondents said there is a problem. Nearly 38 percent of Americans said they perceive "great intrusion" and another 14.5 percent said there is "substantial intrusion." Another 22.8 percent said there is "some intrusion."



The federal government's determination that people innocent of crimes are worthy of being watched already is documented.



The 2009 DHS report, "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," said "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts."



But it said worsening economic woes, potential new legislative restrictions on firearms and "the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."



The report from the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis defined right-wing extremism in the U.S. as "divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups) and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."



It followed by only weeks a report from the Missouri Information Analysis Center that linked conservative groups to domestic terrorism.



The Missouri report warned law enforcement agencies to watch for suspicious individuals who may have bumper stickers for third-party political candidates such as Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin. It further warned law enforcement to watch out for individuals with "radical" ideologies based on Christian views, such as opposing illegal immigration, abortion and federal taxes.

Iran's missiles could soon reach U.S. shores

http://www.wnd.com/





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While America focuses on its internal problems and its involvement in three wars and the world focuses on the global economy, Iran is progressing on three dangerous fronts: nuclear weapons, armed missiles and naval capability.



Despite four sets of U.N. sanctions and pressure by the U.S. and Europe, Iran has chosen not only to not halt its nuclear program but to expand it. Iran's leaders, dominated by fanatical mullahs, have announced that the installment of faster centrifuges has begun and that they will soon triple the production of enriched uranium to 20 percent at the Fardo nuclear facility deep in the mountain near the city of Qom. It is estimated that Iran will have enough highly enriched uranium for one nuclear bomb within two months and currently has enough low enriched uranium for three nuclear bombs.



Iran is also perfecting its missile delivery systems. Recently, the Revolutionary Guards held war games in which they launched several long-range ballistic missiles from missile silos. They also successfully tested two long-range ballistic missiles, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, into the Indian Ocean. While the Guards' ballistic missiles have a range of 1,200 miles covering all U.S. bases in the Middle East and all of Israel, they now possess missiles from North Korea with a range of 2,000 miles, which covers most of Western Europe.



The Iranian Navy has also been busy expanding its operation on the orders of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who has emphasized the navy's strategic importance in protecting the Islamic republic's interests and to confront its enemies.



Last February, for the first time in three decades, two Iranian naval vessels passed through the Suez Canal en route to Syria. Iran's navy then successfully expanded its mission in the Indian Ocean and its submarines completed a two-month-long mission in the Red Sea.



In an alarming July 18 statement, Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayari said the Iranian navy plans on deploying warships in the Atlantic Ocean as part of a program to ply international waters, although he did not say where in the Atlantic the ships would be sent. Two days later, Rear Adm. Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi revealed, for the first time, that the Iranian navy has equipped a number of its logistic vessels and units with long-range surface-to-surface missiles. He stated, "Missile frigates and destroyers have been equipped with these missiles since a long time ago and the surface-to-surface missiles of the logistic vessels were successfully tested and assessed during the recent naval war games, dubbed as Joushan."



More ominous is the warning by the chief commander of the Guards, Mohammad Ali Jafari: "Currently, we are seeking to utilize our defensive capabilities in open seas. And it means that if the enemy plans to pose a threat to the Islamic Republic, Iran is capable of taking reciprocal action, and this strategy is currently on our agenda."



The Revolutionary Guards have successfully test-launched long-range ballistic missiles from a ship before, so the statement that they are arming some of the vessels with such missiles should worry the United States. An Iranian navy ship or any commercial vessel operated by the Iranians could easily launch a missile from outside the Gulf of Mexico and pretty much cover most of the U.S. Much more alarming is the fact that once in possession of a nuclear bomb, Iran could successfully carry out its promise to bring America to its knees by a successful electromagnetic pulse attack on America.



"One nightmare scenario posed by the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse was a ship-launched EMP attack against the United States by Iran, as this would eliminate the need for Iran to develop an ICBM to deliver a nuclear warhead against the U.S., and could be executed clandestinely, taking the U.S. by surprise. Since an EMP attack entails detonating a nuclear weapon at high-altitude, in space, it leaves no bomb debris for forensic analysis, no fingerprints identifying the attacker. We might never figure out who hit us, assuming the nation survives and recovers from an EMP attack," warns Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, president of EMPact America, who served on the congressional EMP commission.



The West has tried for years to negotiate with the radicals ruling Iran with the hope that they would halt their nuclear weapons program. However, the Islamic regime has turned down every incentive offered and its officials have openly stated that there is nothing the West can do to stop their nuclear program.



With the world's economy on the line and terrorism a major concern, global stability and security should be the top priority for world leaders. For that reason alone, the Iranian leaders who support worldwide terrorism, not to mention the many Iranian officials wanted by Interpol, should not be allowed to have nuclear weapons.



A nuclear-armed Iran will change our world with horrific consequences.

House approves debt bill; Senate rejects it

By DAVID ESPO - AP Special Correspondent
AP – 15 mins agotweet6ShareEmailPrintRelated ContentHouse Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gives a thumbs-up as he leaves the House Chamber …



Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., steps away from the microphone after speaking …

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an unforgiving display of partisanship, the House approved emergency legislation Friday night to avoid an unprecedented government default and the Senate scuttled it less than two hours later.



The final outcome — with the White House and Senate Democrats calling anew for compromise while criticizing Republicans as Tuesday's deadline drew near — was anything but certain.



"We are almost out of time" for a compromise, warned President Barack Obama as U.S. financial markets trembled at the prospect of economic chaos next week. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was down for a sixth straight session.



The House vote was 218-210, almost entirely along party lines, on a Republican-drafted bill to provide a quick $900 billion increase in U.S. borrowing authority — essential

AARP is starting to crack, while Amac grows stronger.AARP is dangerously out of step with America.

First they supported weakening the 2nd Amendment. Then they were silent on illegal immigration, on the Ground Zero Mosque, on increasing taxes, on gas prices.



Then, against all logic, the AARP drove the passage of ObamaCare - while knowing seniors would pay billions in increased Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage premiums as a direct result.



AARP’s financial gain “could exceed $1 billion from the new health care law” – House Ways and Means “Behind the Veil” investigation finding.



Now they come out in support of “changes” in Social Security?!?

“…news that the most powerful lobbying force for older Americans had softened its opposition to benefit cuts could not have come at a worse time.” – the liberal Huffington Post



“The (AARPs)timing is very destructive” - Nancy Altman, co-director of the Strengthen Social Security Campaign



“I think they’re dead wrong on this issue and I think many of the other senior organizations feel the same way” - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)



The AARP’s new advertising slogan?“Get over it!”

We're not 'Getting Over It!' says the Leading Conservative to the AARP!



Amac, The Association of Mature American Citizens Is Fighting Back.

Join Us Today, enjoy the discounts and spread the word. Click Here!



Dan Weber, president of Amac says, “ it looks like AARP is a giant ship that has lost its rudder- and it is about to hit the rocky shore. The problem is they are taking their members down with them”



In stark contrast to the AARP, Amac recently issued two strong proposals to keep Social Security solvent while putting more money in the pockets of older Americans.



AMAC is courting legislators to introduce a bill to eliminate the tax on Social Security income that one in three people collecting Social Security are now paying.



“We consider it unfair to tax Social Security twice, once when you pay in and again when you start to collect,” Weber says.



Amac Fights For:

Smaller government

The 2nd Ammendment

Freedom of Religion – as America’s Founders intended

The old-fashioned values that made America the Greatest Country on earth.

Amac. Better for You. Better for America.





Which organization do you want to be a member of?

The giant Goliath that has lost its way- or the small David that knows what it needs to do?



If you are 45 or older join the fight.

Join Amac.

Join today, enjoy the discounts and spread the word. Click here!



You can save much more than your pennies-a-day membership in exclusive member benefits. Amac offers Medicare supplements, auto insurance, life insurance and discounts on the products and services seniors want and need.



Click the Join button now to learn more before you join.







There is strength in numbers!





Amac Benefit and Discount Information

"[T]he present Constitution is the standard to which we are to cling. Under its banners, bona fide must we combat our political foes -- rejecting all changes but through the channel itself provides for amendments." --Alexander Hamilton






Government & PoliticsThe Debt Ceiling and the Constitution"C'mon, man!" Joe Biden exclaimed Monday, "Let's get real!" On Wednesday, Barack Obama was so upset that he took his ball and went home, shoving his chair away from the table and saying tersely, "I'll see you tomorrow." The topic, of course, is the debt ceiling, which Obama and his pals at the Treasury Department insist must be raised by Aug. 2 to prevent default on U.S. debt. But this isn't your father's debt ceiling; it's $14.3 trillion currently, and Democrats want $2 trillion more. It's no wonder that tensions are running high. This is where ideological rubber hits the road and either builds America or tears it down.



The sticking points aren't new. Democrats want to raise taxes by as much as $2 trillion in addition to making cuts to various budget items, not least of which is defense. Republicans want cuts with no tax increases. Obama is so insistent on tax increases that, according to a GOP aide in the discussions, he declared, "This may bring my presidency down, but I will not yield on this." He didn't yield as he demagogued Social Security, either. "I cannot guarantee that [Social Security] checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue," he shamelessly warned. Who's throwing grandma off the cliff now?



After that snit, he audaciously criticized Republicans' "my way or the highway" approach.



As for the cuts under discussion, they aren't genuine cuts like those average Americans are making -- buying less milk and fewer eggs, for example. Called base-line budgeting, Washington's cuts are merely reductions in projected growth, as in, "We're still going to buy more milk and eggs than we did last year, but not quite as much as we would have under better political circumstances."



To put it in perspective, spending over the next decade is projected to reach about $46 trillion, including $13 trillion in new debt. The haggling is over $2-4 trillion in cuts to that projected increase. Spreading $2 trillion over 10 years "saves" just $200 billion a year, or less than the interest payment on the debt, and even by reducing projected growth by that much, we still end up with an increase in spending. That, in a nutshell, is Washington-speak.



As for the status of compromise, it has succeeded only in Minnesota, where the Democrat governor and Republican legislature just agreed to end a government shutdown. At the federal level, Republicans have all but given up on a comprehensive reform package. As many as 60 House Republicans might vote against any increase to the debt ceiling, and Democrats control the Senate and the White House, making a deal without their support impossible. What to do?



McConnell's Plan



Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) concluded this week, "[A]fter years of discussions and months of negotiations, I have little question that as long as this president is in the Oval Office, a real solution is unattainable. I was one of those who had hoped we could do something big for the country. But in my view the president has presented us with three choices: smoke and mirrors, tax hikes or default." McConnell is absolutely correct. However, his solution is questionable.



He outlined a complicated legislative maneuver in which Congress would permit the president to raise the debt ceiling unilaterally in three increments totaling $2.5 trillion, provided that he offer equivalent spending cuts each time. Each increase would be subject to a resolution of disapproval from Congress. The president would almost certainly veto that, but he would also then "own" the debt increase, and Congress -- particularly Republicans -- could be absolved, in theory, of responsibility for raising the debt ceiling. The plan has caused a split on both sides of the aisle. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) both praised the deal, and Reid is working to make it reality. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), not so much. Many House Republicans indicate it's a non-starter.



The Wall Street Journal asks, "The debt ceiling is going to be increased one way or another, and the only question has been what if anything Republicans could get in return. If Mr. Obama insists on a tax increase, and Republicans won't vote for one, then what's the alternative to Mr. McConnell's maneuver?"



"Ugly and unpleasant as it is," writes Daniel Foster of National Review, "not all retreats are capitulations. McConnell clearly thinks of this as a tactical retreat in the service of his overarching strategic objective: to make President Obama a one-term president."



On the other hand, there are constitutional concerns with McConnell's plan. The Constitution (Article I, Section 8) puts budget responsibility directly in the hands of Congress, not the president. Technically, the deal would leave Congress with the authority to dictate the amount of the increases and to "disapprove" if they choose, but there's a real sense that one of the three co-equal branches of government is abdicating its constitutional duty for political gain.



Rory Cooper of the Heritage Foundation writes, "Depending on exactly how the legislative language is drafted, it well might violate the Bicameralism and Presentment Clauses for the making of law, the separation of powers regarding Congress's control over the budget and spending, [and] the legislative Recommendations Clause, and it might also be struck down as an attempt to grant the President the equivalent of a line-item veto. It is also unclear whether the unconstitutional portion would be struck down by the courts and severed from the rest of the statute (which would eliminate Congress's ability to veto the cuts) or if the entire scheme would be struck down. But, at a minimum, the proposal is highly dubious as a matter of constitutional law."



Call us crazy, but we think the Constitution trumps political concerns. Regardless of the worthy strategic objective of limiting Obama to one term in office, or of limiting blame in the polls, the ends don't justify the means. The debt was run up by politicians who have ignored their sacred oaths to support and defend the Constitution. Congress and the president must take their oaths seriously, and solidify the full faith and credit of the United States by cutting excessive and unconstitutional spending. The goal should be to lower the debt ceiling, not bicker about how high to raise it. Following the Constitution -- not skirting it -- is the proper path to arrive there.



(Comment here.)



Essential Liberty

"Republicans have been neatly set up to take the fall if a deal is not reached by Aug. 2. Obama is already waving the red flag, warning ominously that Social Security, disabled veterans' benefits, 'critical' medical research, food inspection -- without which agriculture shuts down -- are in jeopardy. The Republicans are being totally outmaneuvered. The House speaker appears disoriented. It's time to act. Time to call Obama's bluff. A long-term deal or nothing? The Republican House should immediately pass a short-term debt-ceiling hike of $500 billion containing $500 billion in budget cuts. That would give us about five months to work on something larger. ... Will the Democratic Senate or the Democratic president refuse this offer and allow the country to default -- with all the cataclysmic consequences that the Democrats have been warning about for months -- because Obama insists on a deal that is 10 months and seven days longer? That's indefensible and transparently self-serving. Dare the president to make that case. Dare him to veto -- or the Democratic Senate to block -- a short-term debt-limit increase." --columnist Charles Krauthammer



This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award

"I do not want and I will not accept a deal in which I am asked to do nothing. In fact, I'm able to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional income that I don't need, while a parent out there who is struggling to figure out how to send their kid to college suddenly finds that they've got a couple thousand dollars less in grants or student loans." --Barack Obama



"If you read between the lines, which doesn't take much decoding, President Obama effectively believes that any income you have which you don't 'need' belongs to the government." --author John Steele Gordon



New & Notable Legislation

With talk of the debt ceiling dominating the headlines, both houses of Congress could vote on a balanced budget amendment in the next two weeks. Of course, a constitutional amendment requires the approval of two-thirds of both houses and three-fourths of the states. In the Senate, that means Republicans would need the votes of 20 Democrats, though at least that many have voiced support in the past. Not all balanced budget amendments are equal, but the one under consideration is better than some -- a "Cut, Cap and Balance" structure that would cut spending, cap it at a certain percentage of GDP to prevent tax hikes and "require" balance.



The Better Use of Our Light Bulbs Act, or BULB, failed to pass the House this week. The BULB Act was meant to repeal a nanny-state law that outlaws 100-watt incandescent bulbs as of Jan. 1, 2012. In addition to the well-known problems with alternative CFL bulbs, the federal government has no business telling the American people what kind of light bulbs they can have in their own homes. Republicans acknowledged that by bringing the BULB Act to a vote this week, however it was inexplicably introduced under different parliamentary rules, so it could pass only by a two-thirds vote. The final vote was 233-193. Remind us, again, of who controls the House. Republicans vow to try again, but they will need a much more cooperative Senate (and House GOP leadership) than is currently in place.



On the Campaign Trail

As the 2012 presidential race heats up, Republican contenders are now taking shots at each other as well as the Democrat incumbent. Minnesotans Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann ditched the famous "Minnesota nice" when discussing issues of experience for America's top executive job. Bachmann's recent rise in the polls in her birth state of Iowa have no doubt been alarming to Pawlenty, who really needs a win in Iowa to secure the nomination. So former governor Pawlenty politely pointed out that Bachmann has virtually no record as an office-holder and stuck to his "results, not rhetoric" script by noting that Rep. Bachmann needs more than just speech skills. "We're looking for people who can lead a large enterprise in a public setting and drive it to conclusion," Pawlenty said. "I've done that, and she hasn't."



Bachmann nibbled but didn't immediately take the bait, instead defending her House record on standing up to cap-n-tax and ObamaCare. She did note, however, that Pawlenty once supported a health insurance mandate. She later went further, stating that executive experience doesn't matter if it comes with "more of the same big government as usual."



It looks as if the two Mormons in the Republican contest will be going after each other as well. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman attacked frontrunner Mitt Romney's record (or lack thereof) of producing jobs in Massachusetts during Romney's term as governor. Huntsman pointed to his own record as being first in the nation in creating jobs, while Massachusetts ranked 47th. Romney's campaign responded that he created nearly 50,000 jobs as governor, one of the best economic turnarounds in the country at that time. So there you have it -- GOP candidates poking each other for soft spots.



Finally, Barack Obama reported raising more than $86 million for his re-election effort in the second quarter, a new record. The total, however, is a combination of his campaign itself and that of the Democrat National Committee; $47 million was for his campaign specifically. He has a long way to go to reach his $1 billion fundraising target.

150 Human Animal Hybrids Grown In UK Labs




http://www.dailymail.co.uk





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Scientists have created more than 150 human-animal hybrid embryos in British laboratories.



The hybrids have been produced secretively over the past three years by researchers looking into possible cures for a wide range of diseases.



The revelation comes just a day after a committee of scientists warned of a nightmare ‘Planet of the Apes’ scenario in which work on human-animal creations goes too far.



Last night a campaigner against the excesses of medical research said he was disgusted that scientists were ‘dabbling in the grotesque’.



Figures seen by the Daily Mail show that 155 ‘admixed’ embryos, containing both human and animal genetic material, have been created since the introduction of the 2008 Human Fertilisation Embryology Act.



This legalised the creation of a variety of hybrids, including an animal egg fertilised by a human sperm; ‘cybrids’, in which a human nucleus is implanted into an animal cell; and ‘chimeras’, in which human cells are mixed with animal embryos.



Scientists say the techniques can be used to develop embryonic stem cells which can be used to treat a range of incurable illnesses.



Three labs in the UK – at King’s College London, Newcastle University and Warwick University – were granted licences to carry out the research after the Act came into force.



All have now stopped creating hybrid embryos due to a lack of funding, but scientists believe that there will be more such work in the future.



The figure was revealed to crossbench peer Lord Alton following a Parliamentary question.



Last night he said: ‘I argued in Parliament against the creation of human- animal hybrids as a matter of principle. None of the scientists who appeared before us could give us any justification in terms of treatment.



‘Ethically it can never be justifiable – it discredits us as a country. It is dabbling in the grotesque.



‘At every stage the justification from scientists has been: if only you allow us to do this, we will find cures for every illness known to mankind. This is emotional blackmail.



‘Of the 80 treatments and cures which have come about from stem cells, all have come from adult stem cells – not embryonic ones.



‘On moral and ethical grounds this fails; and on scientific and medical ones too.’



Josephine Quintavalle, of pro-life group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: ‘I am aghast that this is going on and we didn’t know anything about it.



‘Why have they kept this a secret? If they are proud of what they are doing, why do we need to ask Parliamentary questions for this to come to light?



‘The problem with many scientists is that they want to do things because they want to experiment. That is not a good enough rationale.’



Earlier this week, a group of leading scientists warned about ‘Planet of the Apes’ experiments. They called for new rules to prevent lab animals being given human attributes, for example by injecting human stem cells into the brains of primates.



But the lead author of their report, Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, from the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research, said the scientists were not concerned about human-animal hybrid embryos because by law these have to be destroyed within 14 days.



He said: ‘The reason for doing these experiments is to understand more about early human development and come up with ways of curing serious diseases, and as a scientist I feel there is a moral imperative to pursue this research.



‘As long as we have sufficient controls – as we do in this country – we should be proud of the research.’



However, he called for stricter controls on another type of embryo research, in which animal embryos are implanted with a small amount of human genetic material.



Human-animal hybrids are also created in other countries, many of which have little or no regulation.

New alarms over Police scanners that create Big Brother Database and map driver's whereabouts




http://www.bostonherald.com





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Civil libertarians are raising the alarm over the state’s plans to create a Big Brother database that could map drivers’ whereabouts with police cruiser-mounted scanners that capture thousands of license plates per hour — storing that information indefinitely where local cops, staties, feds and prosecutors could access it as they choose.



“What kind of a society are we creating here?” asked civil rights lawyer Harvey Silverglate, who along with the ACLU fears police abuse. “There comes a point where the surveillance is so pervasive and total that it’s a misnomer to call a society free any longer.”



The computerized scanners, known as Automatic License Plate Recognition devices, instantly check for police alerts, warrants, traffic violations and parking tickets, which cops say could be an invaluable tool in thwarting crime. The Executive Office of Public Safety has approved 27 grants totaling $500,000 to buy scanners for state police and 26 local departments. The purchases are on hold while state lawyers develop a policy for the use of a common state database all the scanners would feed.



Some ALPR scanners already are deployed on Massachusetts roads. State police have two. Several cities use them for parking enforcement. Chelsea has four scanner-mounted cruisers.



“It’s great for canvassing an area, say after a homicide if you are looking for a particular plate,” said Chelsea police Capt. Keith Houghton. “You can plug it in, and drive up and down side streets. It sounds an alarm if you get a hit.”



He said Chelsea’s information is overwritten after 30 days and is not shared with the state.



EOPS spokesman Terrell Harris said the state wants the scanner information fed into the Public Safety Data Center, where local, state and federal authorities could access it.



“We’re currently working to develop a policy that balances the effective use of this powerful law enforcement tool with the privacy concerns we’re keenly aware of,” Harris said.



The ACLU’s Kade Crockford said the technology, which just allows a faster version of what police do now in running plates, is less of a concern than the state’s plans to store information on average, law-abiding citizens.



“People who aren’t wanted for a crime, all of their information is stored in a database that is shared with another government agency,” Crawford said. “The potential for abuse is very big. We don’t think people who haven’t committed a crime should be tracked by law enforcement.”



The two state police cruisers equipped with scanners patrol the metro Boston area, state police spokesman David Procopio said. He defended police use of the new technology.



“What about the rights of someone who is already a victim to have their assailant brought to justice?” Procopio asked. “There’s a freedom to being able to live your life not worried about being the victim of crime that’s also a freedom worth protecting.”



Silverglate countered, “If you have cameras everywhere, of course you’re going to reduce the crime rate, but you’re not going to have a society worth preserving. To the American people, freedom means something. There is a line to draw in the sand, beyond which you don’t want the government poking its nose. This crosses the line.”

Pro-'gay' worship disrupters lose in court




http://www.onenewsnow.com/





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Contempt charges and fines now await a pro-homosexual, anarchist group should its members decide again to invade and interrupt a church worship service.



A federal court issued an order last week that the homosexual-rights group Bash Back! will be held in contempt of court and fined $10,000 for any future incidents targeting churches. According to the Alliance Defense Fund, the group openly advocates the use of riots and crime to promote acceptance of homosexuality.



ADF filed suit against the group after members invaded Mount Hope Church in East Lansing, Michigan, a few years ago. ADF attorney Dale Schowengerdt explains:



"The use of violence, threats, and other criminal behavior to advance a political agenda should never be acceptable in America," he states. "ADF filed suit on behalf of Mount Hope to stop Bash Back! from invading churches, disrupting worship, and terrifying adults and children who attend religious services.



"The court's orders accomplished that and send a message to any other groups contemplating such tactics that they will not succeed."



In late 2008, members of the group staged a distraction outside Mount Hope while others entered during a service -- and at a coordinated time began shouting religious slurs, unfurling a sign, and tossing fliers around the sanctuary while two women began kissing near the podium. Members then pulled fire alarms as they ran out of the building.



In recruiting individuals to join the coordinated attack, Bash Back! sought individuals who would be willing to maintain a "more militant-looking presence" outside the church while others infiltrated what the group described on its website as a "well-known anti-queer, anti-choice radical right-wing establishment."