{"id":366311,"date":"2010-02-26T13:02:03","date_gmt":"2010-02-26T18:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/?p=31774"},"modified":"2010-02-26T13:02:03","modified_gmt":"2010-02-26T18:02:03","slug":"obamacare-summit-sham-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/366311","title":{"rendered":"ObamaCare Summit Sham + More"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-31775\" title=\"ObamaCare_10-02-26-digest\" src=\"http:\/\/papundits.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/02\/obamacare_10-02-26-digest.jpg?w=200&#038;h=236\" alt=\"ObamaCare Death Bill\" width=\"200\" height=\"236\" \/><strong><a rel=\"tag\" href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/\" >The Patriot Post<\/a> Digest<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The Foundation<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;[T]he Constitution ought to be the standard of construction for the  laws, and that wherever there is an evident opposition, the laws ought  to give place to the Constitution.&#8221; &#8211;Alexander Hamilton<\/p>\n<h2>Government &amp; Politics<\/h2>\n<h3>ObamaCare in the Emergency Room<\/h3>\n<p>There are no two ways about it &#8212; the health care summit that took  place Thursday in Washington was a sham and a farce. But it&#8217;s a fitting  chapter for the bill being debated.<\/p>\n<p>Barack Obama invited various congressmen to join him for a  &#8220;discussion&#8221; about his latest health care takeover plot, which looks an  awful lot like last year&#8217;s Senate proposal, only more expensive. Obama  released his &#8220;new&#8221; plan Monday to great fanfare, though there was  precious little new about it.<\/p>\n<p>About one new feature, the <a href=\"http:\/\/apnews.myway.com\/article\/20100222\/D9E19OD80.html\" >Associated  Press<\/a> editorialized, the proposal &#8220;would allow the government to  deny or roll back egregious insurance premium increases that infuriated  consumers&#8221; via a seven-member panel of all-knowing insurance premium  gurus. Funny thing is that all 50 states already require insurance  companies to justify premium increases. Obama&#8217;s proposal amounts to  little more than federal price controls.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8230;\u00a0\u00a0 <span id=\"more-31774\"><\/span>Yet with his best Wizard of Oz  impression (pay no attention to the stuff behind the curtain), Obama  asserted, &#8220;Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, I am an ardent  believer in the free market.&#8221; Sure &#8212; if you say so.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2010\/POLITICS\/02\/22\/obama.health.care\/\" >CNN<\/a> actually came closer to the mark: &#8220;If enacted, the president&#8217;s sweeping  compromise plan would constitute the biggest expansion of federal  health care guarantees since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid more  than four decades ago.&#8221; The key words are &#8220;biggest expansion.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Another part of Obama&#8217;s proposal is the supposed elimination of the  &#8220;Cornhusker Kickback,&#8221; the $100 million in Medicaid relief for Nebraska  that bought Sen. Ben Nelson&#8217;s vote. When reading the fine print,  however, we see that the kickback has simply been extended to <em>every<\/em> state by transferring all new Medicaid spending through 2017 directly  to the federal ledger.<\/p>\n<p>Obama is trying mightily to win over &#8220;obstructionist&#8221; Republicans &#8212;  or so his media minions tell us. More likely, however, it&#8217;s the 38 House  Democrats who voted against ObamaCare in November that are his target.  Since the House passed its trillion-dollar version by a  not-so-comfortable majority of five votes (220-215), Speaker Nancy  Pelosi (D-CA) has lost three votes with the retirements of Reps. Robert  Wexler (D-FL) and Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), and the death of Rep. Jack  Murtha (D-PA). Also, Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA), the lone Republican in  either chamber to vote for the bill, says he will not support it again,  and pro-life Democrats &#8212; whose leader, Michigan&#8217;s Bart Stupak, wasn&#8217;t  invited to Thursday&#8217;s photo-op &#8212; continue to vow opposition if abortion  funding is included. Pelosi conceded Wednesday that she doesn&#8217;t yet  have the votes for passage. That&#8217;s, of course, if you believe anything  she says.<\/p>\n<p>The administration pushed the idea of using the reconciliation  process to ram the bill through the Senate if Republicans don&#8217;t heel.  Reconciliation, which is a procedure contrived in 1974 to circumvent  filibustering on budget bills, would allow Senate Democrats to pass  ObamaCare with only 51 votes. Doing so would greatly enhance  Republicans&#8217; election prospects in November, though enough Democrats may  calculate the price is worth paying.<\/p>\n<p>The White House isn&#8217;t without Plan B. If the complete takeover fails,  Democrats will just grab smaller pieces of the pie. The alternative  would be to extend insurance coverage to about 15 million Americans by  requiring insurance providers to allow people to remain on their  parents&#8217; plans until age 26, and by expanding Medicaid and the  Children&#8217;s Health Insurance Program. (Most Democrats do behave like  children, so these proposals certainly make sense to them.)<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the tone and purpose of the summit can be encapsulated by an  exchange between Obama and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), the number-two House  Republican: The president chastised Cantor for using &#8220;props&#8221; that  &#8220;prevent us from having a conversation.&#8221; The prop? Cantor was sitting  behind a copy of the current 2,400-page Senate bill. Heaven forbid  Republicans bring the actual bill to a summit about the bill. Next time,  though, Eric, bring the Constitution.<\/p>\n<h3>This Week&#8217;s &#8216;Braying Jackass&#8217; Award<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;[Republicans] should stop crying about reconciliation as if it&#8217;s  never been done before.&#8221; &#8211;Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)<\/p>\n<h3>Video of the Week<\/h3>\n<p>In 2005, when Republicans were considering the &#8220;nuclear option&#8221; to  stop Democrats&#8217; filibuster of dozens of President George W. Bush&#8217;s  judicial nominees, Democrats lined up at every microphone in sight to  denounce the idea, claiming it was a &#8220;naked power grab,&#8221; a  &#8220;constitutional crisis&#8221; and &#8220;how democracy ends.&#8221; Times sure have  changed. Watch the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.breitbart.tv\/obama-dems-in-2005-51-vote-nuclear-option-is-arrogant-power-grab-against-the-founders-intent\/\" >video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The BIG Lie<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s about jobs. In its life, [the health bill] will create four  million jobs &#8212; 400,000 jobs almost immediately.&#8221; &#8211;House Speaker <a href=\"http:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/video\/2010\/02\/25\/pelosi_health_reform_will_create_400000_jobs_almost_immediately.html\" >Nancy  Pelosi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re still waiting for all those jobs promised by the stimulus bill.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/papundits.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/02\/fatalattraction_10-02-26-digest-cartoon.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-31777\" title=\"FatalAttraction_10-02-26-digest-cartoon\" src=\"http:\/\/papundits.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/02\/fatalattraction_10-02-26-digest-cartoon.jpg?w=475&#038;h=331\" alt=\"Fatal Attraction\" width=\"475\" height=\"331\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>New &amp; Notable Legislation<\/h3>\n<p>The Senate passed a $15 billion &#8220;jobs&#8221; bill Wednesday by a 70-28  vote. Thirteen Republicans, including newly minted Massachusetts Sen.  Scott Brown, joined Democrats in voting for passage. The centerpiece is a  payroll tax cut for businesses that hire new employees, but it&#8217;s  unlikely that short-term tax relief will have a real effect on  unemployment. The bill now goes to the House for consideration, though  leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus have announced their  opposition to the bill, which they called inadequate and just a &#8220;tax  bill,&#8221; not a jobs bill. No word yet from the Congressional White Caucus.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) introduced the Dietary Supplement Safety Act  (DSSA), S. 3002, which would empower the Food and Drug Administration to  regulate dietary supplements such as vitamins. The FDA could  arbitrarily reclassify supplements as drugs or pull them off the shelves  altogether. Find <em>that<\/em> one in the Constitution. With  Republicans like this, who needs Democrats?<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) plans to introduce legislation to repeal  the &#8220;Don&#8217;t Ask, Don&#8217;t Tell&#8221; policy that prohibits homosexuals from  disclosing their pathology while serving in the military. The White  House supports his bill, but no timeline for its implementation has been  established. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) introduced a more aggressive  bill in the House that calls for repeal in 2010. Admiral Mike Mullen,  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Robert  Gates have indicated support for repealing the law but stated that the  Pentagon would need at least a year to study implementation. General  James Conway, head of the U.S. Marine Corps, dissented. &#8220;My best  military advice &#8230; would be to keep the law such as it is.&#8221; Conway  added that the only question that mattered is this: &#8220;Do we somehow  enhance the war fighting capabilities of the United States Marine Corps  by allowing homosexuals to openly serve?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>House Democrats expressed their displeasure with the slow pace of  their Senate counterparts by producing a list of 290 House-passed bills  that are stalled in the upper chamber. The various pieces of that  legislation range from routine naming of buildings to more significant  legislation like health care, Wall Street reform and climate change.  Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were both quick to blame  Republicans, but Reid&#8217;s Democrats had held a filibuster-proof majority  in the Senate until earlier this month. The Democrats have few if any  friends across the aisle, but their worst enemies seem to be located  within their own caucus. All in all, these 290 stalled bills are the  best news to come out of the Swamp all week.<\/p>\n<h3>Hope &#8216;n&#8217; Change: That Demo Culture of Corruption<\/h3>\n<p>The White House is being accused of offering juicy government jobs to  two Democrats in exchange for their withdrawal from potential primary  battles in this year&#8217;s election cycle. The charges, which come from the  Democrats themselves, are quite serious and carry punishments including  jail time, assuming anyone would prosecute.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/perspective\/2010\/02\/26\/hope-n-change-that-demo-culture-of-corruption\/\" >here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Village Academic Curriculum: Federal Standards Are No Prize, Either<\/h3>\n<p>Even with the establishment of additional federal standards for  education in the No Child Left Behind legislation signed by President  George W. Bush back in 2002, states were granted flexibility in how they  enacted these mandates, as the Bush administration left at least that  modicum of local control intact. But the Obama Department of Education  wants to wipe that pretense away and require states to adopt &#8220;college-  and career-ready standards&#8221; in order to qualify for part of $14 billion  in Title I funding.<\/p>\n<p>One fig leaf covering this power grab is that all but two states  (Texas and Alaska) are collaborating &#8212; with the encouragement of the  White House &#8212; on setting up standards which would be acceptable to the  federal government. It&#8217;s clear, however, that local control of education  is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Barack Obama offered himself as a prize to the student who  best describes &#8220;why your school is special and why it should be a model  for other schools around the country, working to boost attendance and  increase the number of graduates prepared for college or a career.&#8221; The  winning school would be the lucky recipient of a presidential visit,  with the narcissist-in-chief stopping by to read a commencement address  off his teleprompter.<\/p>\n<h2>National Security<\/h2>\n<h3>Warfront With Jihadistan: Justice and Jihad<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;Last November, Sen. Charles Grassley [R-IA], a member of the Senate  Judiciary Committee, asked the Justice Department how many of its  lawyers had defended terrorist detainees over whom the department holds  sway,&#8221; reports <a href=\"http:\/\/www.investors.com\/NewsAndAnalysis\/Article.aspx?id=522117\" >Investor&#8217;s  Business Daily<\/a>. &#8220;Grassley knew from earlier press reports of two  such lawyers who worked on behalf of detainees at the liberal  organization Human Rights Watch. He wanted to know how many more there  were.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to Attorney General Eric Holder, there are nine. &#8220;To the  best of our knowledge, during their employment prior to joining the  government, only five of the lawyers who serve as political appointees  in those components represented detainees,&#8221; Holder said. &#8220;Four others  contributed to amicus briefs in detainee-related cases involved in  advocacy on behalf of detainees.&#8221; Holder himself was a partner at  Covington &amp; Burling, a firm that gave 3,000 hours to detainee  litigation &#8212; in 2007 alone.<\/p>\n<p>Now we know why Justice chose to Mirandize the undi-bomber and hasn&#8217;t  announced an official plan should Osama bin Laden one day be captured.  How many amicus briefs will be submitted by Justice on <em>his<\/em> behalf? Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of the plane  terrorists flew into the Pentagon on 9\/11, said, &#8220;It&#8217;s like they&#8217;re  bringing al-Qa&#8217;ida lawyers inside the Department of Justice.&#8221; Precisely.<\/p>\n<h3>IAEA Annual Report on Iran<\/h3>\n<p>Iran kept its streak going last week when the International Atomic  Energy Agency (IAEA) released its annual report &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.iaea.org\/OurWork\/SV\/Safeguards\/index.html\" >Implementation  of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and relevant provisions of UNSCR 1737,  1747, 1803, and 1835 in Iran<\/a>.&#8221; Make that eight years in a row that  the IAEA has come to the conclusion that &#8220;Iran has not provided the  necessary cooperation to permit the Agency to confirm that all nuclear  material in Iran is in peaceful activities.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Among the highlights from the report&#8217;s Summary section:<\/p>\n<p>47. Iran is not implementing the requirements contained in the  relevant resolutions of the Board of Governors and the Security  Council&#8230; In particular, Iran needs to cooperate in clarifying  outstanding issues &#8230; about possible military dimensions to Iran&#8217;s  nuclear programme&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>48. &#8230; Iran has continued with the operation of Pilot Fuel  Enrichment Plant and Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz, and the  construction of a new enrichment plant at [Qom].<\/p>\n<p>49. &#8230; Iran has also continued with the construction of the IR-40  reactor and related heavy water activities. The Agency has not been  permitted to take samples of the heavy water &#8230; stored at [Esfahan].<\/p>\n<p>We have been reporting on this issue since 2003, when the IAEA first  declared, &#8220;As indicated in the Director General&#8217;s report of 10 November  2003 &#8230; Iran had been in breach of its obligations to comply with the  provisions of its safeguard agreement.&#8221; Eight years gone by, and still  the IAEA cannot verify the true nature of Iran&#8217;s nuclear program; eight  years with nothing to show but former IAEA Director General Mohammed  el-Baradei&#8217;s Nobel Peace Prize; eight years in which Iran has all but  mastered enrichment, launched missiles with ever-longer ranges, openly  called for the destruction of Israel and threatened to &#8220;cut the hands  off of anyone who attacks us.&#8221; How much longer must we wait before  deciding that diplomacy will not work? What administration will be  willing to take the necessary action to stop Iran from going nuclear?<\/p>\n<h3>Profiles of Valor: U.S. Army Col. Robert Howard<\/h3>\n<p>Ret. <a href=\"http:\/\/rlhtribute.com\/\" >Col. Robert Howard<\/a> was laid  to rest Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery. He died Dec. 23 at  age 70. Howard served five tours in Vietnam, was wounded 14 times, and  was the most decorated soldier from that war, including eight Purple  Hearts, four Bronze Stars, four Legion of Merit awards, the Silver Star,  the Distinguished Service Cross (twice) and the Medal of Honor &#8212; a  medal for which he was nominated three times for three separate actions  in a 13-month period.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-31781\" style=\"margin-left:5px;margin-right:5px;\" title=\"Col.RobertHoward_10-02-26-digest-valor\" src=\"http:\/\/papundits.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/02\/col-roberthoward_10-02-26-digest-valor.jpg?w=100&#038;h=120\" alt=\"Col. Robert Howard\" width=\"100\" height=\"120\" \/>Howard&#8217;s Medal of Honor citation reads, &#8220;1st Lt. Howard (then SFC.),  distinguished himself while serving as platoon sergeant of an  American-Vietnamese platoon which was on a mission to rescue a missing  American soldier in enemy controlled territory in the Republic of  Vietnam. The platoon &#8230; was attacked by an estimated 2-company force.  During the initial engagement, 1st Lt. Howard was wounded and his weapon  destroyed by a grenade explosion. 1st Lt. Howard saw his platoon leader  had been wounded seriously and was exposed to fire. Although unable to  walk, and weaponless, 1st Lt. Howard unhesitatingly crawled through a  hail of fire to retrieve his wounded leader. &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Through his outstanding example of indomitable courage and bravery,  1st Lt. Howard was able to rally the platoon into an organized defense  force. With complete disregard for his safety, 1st Lt. Howard crawled  from position to position, administering first aid to the wounded,  giving encouragement to the defenders and directing their fire on the  encircling enemy. For 3 1\/2 hours 1st Lt. Howard&#8217;s small force and  supporting aircraft successfully repulsed enemy attacks and finally were  in sufficient control to permit the landing of rescue helicopters. 1st  Lt. Howard personally supervised the loading of his men and did not  leave the bullet-swept landing zone until all were aboard safely. 1st  Lt. Howard&#8217;s gallantry in action, his complete devotion to the welfare  of his men at the risk of his life were in keeping with the highest  traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself,  his unit, and the U.S. Army.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Rest in peace, Colonel.<\/p>\n<h2>Business &amp; Economy<\/h2>\n<h3>Confidence Crunch<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;Americans&#8217; confidence in the economy has suffered a sudden relapse,  dimming hopes that they will start spending &#8212; and spurring job growth  &#8212; any time soon,&#8221; the <a href=\"http:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/Flagging-confidence-apf-3776797118.html?x=0\" >Associated  Press<\/a> reports. Indeed, Tuesday&#8217;s release of the latest Consumer  Confidence Index figures revealed attitudes that are still rather  negative about job growth and the economy in general. The index fell  almost 11 points to 46 in February, the lowest level since April 2009.  Since consumer spending accounts for roughly 70 percent of the economy,  analysts watch this number closely.<\/p>\n<p>The AP further notes, &#8220;The overall economy expanded at an annual rate  of 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter, but only about one-fourth of that  growth came from consumers. Most of the growth came from companies  replenishing low inventories.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As we explained at the outset, this economic recession is largely the  result of a <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/alexander\/2008\/09\/26\/economics-101-crisis-of-confidence\/\" >crisis  of confidence<\/a>. A year after the so-called stimulus, headline  unemployment remains at nearly 10 percent and total unemployment remains  over 17 percent. Despite Congress&#8217; recent crowing about helping  &#8220;create&#8221; jobs, businesses aren&#8217;t hiring because of uncertainty about the  future. A few billion dollars in temporary tax breaks won&#8217;t change  that. Neither consumers nor businesses have confidence that government  will leave the economy alone to grow on its own. Until that changes,  real recovery will take a mighty long time.<\/p>\n<h3>Great Moments in Socialized Medicine<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;This was my heart, my choice and my health,&#8221; said Danny Williams  this week. Williams isn&#8217;t just any heart patient, however. He&#8217;s the  Premier of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and he  had heart surgery, not at the local hospital under CanadaCare, but in  Miami.<\/p>\n<p>If Canada&#8217;s health care is so great, why did Williams travel 2,500  miles for surgery? Because &#8220;I did not sign away my right to get the best  possible health care for myself when I entered politics.&#8221; In other  words, socialized medicine leaves something to be desired. Namely, &#8220;the  best possible care.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Doctors in Canada advised him that the only way to repair a heart  valve problem was through a full or partial sternotomy, which would  require breaking bones. However, when he was referred to Miami&#8217;s Mount  Sinai Medical Center by a fellow Canadian practicing cardiology in New  Jersey, he found that he could be treated with only an incision under  his arm. This procedure &#8220;was not offered to me in Canada,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Notwithstanding the superior care he received under a system that is  at least somewhat based on the free market, Williams still declared his  support of Canadian medicine, saying, &#8220;I have the utmost confidence in  our own health care system.&#8221; Actions speak louder than words, Mr.  Williams. Furthermore, if ObamaCare passes, where will other wealthy  Canadians go for health care?<\/p>\n<h2>Culture &amp; Policy<\/h2>\n<h3>Climate Change This Week: More Retractions<\/h3>\n<p>Whoops! Scientists have had to retract yet another a study on global  warming &#8212; this time, one purporting to show that sea levels will rise  by 7 to 82 cm (3 to 33 inches) by 2100. The study, published last year  in Nature Geoscience, echoed warnings issued in 2007 by the global  warming indoctrination arm of the United Nations: the Intergovernmental  Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Apparently, there were a couple of  not-so-minor mistakes that mean the study&#8217;s earth-shattering (or  earth-flooding) conclusions aren&#8217;t so accurate after all. Citing two  mistakes &#8212; a &#8220;miscalculation&#8221; and &#8220;not &#8230; allow[ing] fully for  temperature change over the past 2,000 years&#8221; &#8212; the authors retracted  the paper, stating they would &#8220;invest in the further work needed to  correct these mistakes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to author Mark Siddall, though, it&#8217;s just &#8220;one of those  things that happens. People make mistakes and mistakes happen in  science.&#8221; The problem is, global warmists want to redistribute our  nation&#8217;s wealth and hamstring the world&#8217;s economy based on theories full  of such mistakes.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the expanding evidentiary void, the UN is set to restart  negotiations on a global climate change treaty. UN Climate Head Yvo de  Boer (who recently announced his resignation, effective July 1) said the  negotiating schedule would be intensified in hopes of reaching an  agreement by year&#8217;s end &#8212; an agreement based, of course, on an  ever-growing pile of mistakes.<\/p>\n<h3>Sen. Inhofe Calls for Climate Investigation<\/h3>\n<p>Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), long a leading skeptic of man-made global  warming, has asked the Justice Department to investigate what he called  &#8220;the greatest scientific scandal of our generation.&#8221; Inhofe believes  climate scientists and honorary weatherman Al Gore have deliberately  misled Congress and the public regarding the case for anthropogenic  climate change. Now, he wants them held accountable.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/perspective\/2010\/02\/24\/sen-inhofe-calls-for-climate-investigation\/\" >here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>This Week&#8217;s &#8216;Alpha Jackass&#8217; Award<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;[The climate change debate] reminds me in some ways of the debate  taking place in this country and around the world in the late 1930s. And  during that period with Nazism and fascism growing &#8212; a real danger to  the United States and democratic countries all over the world &#8212; there  were people in this Congress, in the British parliament saying, &#8216;Don&#8217;t  worry! Hitler is not real! It&#8217;ll disappear! We don&#8217;t have to be prepared  to take it on.&#8217;&#8221; &#8211;Socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/p>\n<p>Wall Street Journal columnist <a href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/article\/SB10001424052748704240004575085583598094438.html\" >James  Taranto<\/a> responded, &#8220;Wow, that&#8217;s a great analogy! The only  difference between the two situations is that the Nazis <em>were<\/em> real.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Around the Nation: ACORN Cracks Up<\/h3>\n<p>The friendly neighborhood nuts at ACORN are back in the news, but  reports recounting the demise of the community organization may be a  little premature. Offices across the land are turning out the lights and  turning off the phones. One ACORN official wrote in an e-mail, &#8220;Last  one to leave turn out the lights and wipe the server.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, many of ACORN&#8217;s administrators, employees and structure have  been simply re-branded: The New York Communities for Change, New  England United for Justice in Boston, and so on. Each group will  continue to be intertwined and work in concert, just under new  identities.<\/p>\n<p>Former ACORN officials are still bitter about the apparent demise of  the organization, blaming &#8220;a pro-corporate agenda&#8221; and &#8220;a 24-hour  propaganda channel&#8221; for exposing <a href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/edition\/2009\/09\/18\/digest\/\" >ACORN&#8217;s zeal to  assist bootstrapping criminals<\/a>. Nor are leftists spared ACORN&#8217;s  wrath, as one observer noted that the movement &#8220;stood by while ACORN got  gutted.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In either case, the agenda will be the same once the successor  organizations get on their feet, just in time for the 2010 elections.  The fundraising is already under way and former ACORN leaders hope a new  set of names will allow them to escape public scrutiny.<\/p>\n<h3>Faith and Family: DC Diocese Ceases Adoption Services<\/h3>\n<p>The Archdiocese of Washington, DC, has been forced to suspend  indefinitely its foster care program after the City Council passed a law  that not only legalizes same-sex marriage, but demands that contractors  dealing with the city recognize the unions. In other words, Catholics  would be forced to put foster and adopted children in same-sex homes.  Archdiocese staff members and cases have been transferred to the  National Center for Children and Families in nearby Bethesda, Maryland.  Adoption services also have been discontinued. The Archdioceses of San  Francisco and Boston likewise ended these services when similar laws  were passed.<\/p>\n<p>This law, as it pertains to faith-based organizations, is a blatant  and grievous violation of the First Amendment&#8217;s guarantee of &#8220;the free  exercise&#8221; of religion. The Religious Clause was not enacted to provide  rhetoric for secularists; it guarantees, among other things, a religious  freedom from the state. Yet in this case, groups such as the ACLU and  Americans United for the Separation of Church and State &#8212; those who  typically bang on their highchairs the loudest about alleged violations  of the First Amendment &#8212; are either remaining silent or applauding the  move.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Americans United Executive Director Barry Lynn is only  too happy to see the Archdiocese relinquish the $2 million it receives  from the government each year for its foster program, saying that the  church should not be given public funds if it cannot or will not abide  by civil rights laws.<\/p>\n<p>The president of the Catholic League, Bill Donohue, after stating  that the government had given the church no choice but to withdraw or  violate its long-held view against same-sex unions, put it this way: &#8220;If  Planned Parenthood were told that as a condition of public funding it  had to refer Catholic women having second thoughts about abortion to a  crisis pregnancy center, it would scream violation of church and state,  refuse the money and end this program.&#8221; We would add that therein lies  the problem of government &#8220;charity.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>From the &#8216;Non Compos Mentis&#8217; File<\/h3>\n<p>Arizona prosecutors have decided not to pursue the death penalty in  the case of Faleh Al-Maleki, the Iraqi immigrant who struck his  20-year-old daughter Noor &#8212; and the woman who was protecting her &#8212;  with his vehicle. Noor, whom Al-Maleki had accused of being too  &#8220;Westernized,&#8221; died of her injuries, and her father has been charged  with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and two counts of leaving  the scene of a serious accident.<\/p>\n<p>Public defender Billy Little asked the judge to take &#8220;special  precautions&#8221; that the D.A. wouldn&#8217;t seek death because Al-Maleki is a  Muslim. The irony is that Al-Maleki committed his crimes because by his  own reckoning, his daughter was not true to her Muslim faith.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, Little&#8217;s bias is apparently acceptable. Little, in  reference to the religious beliefs of County Attorney Andrew Thomas,  asked for &#8220;An open process [that] provides some level of assurance that  there is no appearance that a Christian is seeking to execute a Muslim  for racial, political, religious or cultural beliefs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This murder was based on the centuries-old tradition &#8212; still adhered  to in some parts of the world &#8212; of murdering female relatives who  don&#8217;t obey Islamic rules. It is, arguably, even more disturbing when the  crime happens in the United States and political correctness affords  special protection for her murderer.<\/p>\n<h3>To Keep and Bear Arms<\/h3>\n<p>A woman and her mother were tied up in their Indiana home after a man  broke into the house. The intruder then sexually assaulted the  daughter. According to Police Sgt. William Snead, the mother was able to  send her neighbor a text message alerting her of the situation. Sonny  Osborn, the neighbor&#8217;s boyfriend, heard the disturbance, grabbed his gun  and headed for the victim&#8217;s home.<\/p>\n<p>Osborn warned the suspect and told him to leave, but to no avail, so  he shot him three times in the leg. After being treated at a local  hospital, the perpetrator is now locked up in the Sullivan County Jail.<\/p>\n<p>In other Second Amendment news, Fox News host Bill O&#8217;Reilly showed  his opposition to select portions of the Bill of Rights when he  interviewed Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes and the subject of gun  confiscation during Hurricane Katrina came up. When Rhodes explained to  O&#8217;Reilly that, even during a state of emergency, it&#8217;s unconstitutional  to confiscate lawfully owned guns, the Fox News Pinhead responded,  &#8220;That&#8217;s a pretty extreme position.&#8221; Tell that to the Founders, Bill.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, law-abiding citizens began carrying concealed firearms in  national parks this week. To the shock and awe of anti-Second Amendment  nuts across this great nation, there were no shootouts.<\/p>\n<h3>And Last&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p>Some congressional leaders were so bent on making their case at  Thursday&#8217;s &#8220;Healthcare Summit&#8221; that they resorted to what Barack Obama  called &#8220;props&#8221; that &#8220;prevent us from having a conversation.&#8221; While  Republican Congressman Eric Cantor used the 2,400-page bill itself as a  &#8220;prop,&#8221; one of his Democrat colleagues wielded a deceased woman&#8217;s  dentures. No kidding. New York Rep. Louise Slaughter lamented, &#8220;I even  have one constituent &#8212; you will not believe this, and I know you won&#8217;t,  but it&#8217;s true &#8212; her sister died. This poor woman had no dentures. She  wore her dead sister&#8217;s teeth, which of course were uncomfortable and did  not fit. Did you ever believe that in America that that&#8217;s where we  would be?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Clearly, Slaughter and her ilk believe that the only solution to this  rampant denture problem is to redistribute $1 trillion of other  people&#8217;s money. We <em>are<\/em>, after all, guaranteed life, liberty and  the pursuit of properly fitting false teeth. But this episode of  daytime drama also prompts a serious question: Aren&#8217;t liberals supposed  to be <em>in favor<\/em> of recycling?<\/p>\n<p>Read more excellent articles at <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"http:\/\/patriotpost.us\/\" >The Patriot Post<\/a><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Filed under: <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/111th-congress\/'>111th Congress<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/democrats\/barry-soetoro-aka-barack-hussein-obama\/'>Barry Soetoro (aka Barack Hussein Obama)<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/conniving-politicians\/'>Conniving Politicians<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/democrats\/demo-gogues-democrats-politics\/'>Demo-gogues<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/democrats\/'>Democrats<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/liberals\/'>Liberals<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/marxists\/'>Marxists<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/news-and-views\/'>News and Views<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/political-prostitutes\/'>Political Prostitutes<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/category\/politics\/politicians-for-the-destruction-of-america\/'>Politicians for the Destruction of America<\/a> Tagged: <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/tag\/annie\/'>Annie<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/tag\/obamacare-catastrophe\/'>ObamaCare Catastrophe<\/a>, <a href='http:\/\/papundits.wordpress.com\/tag\/the-patriot-post\/'>The Patriot Post<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gocomments\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/comments\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godelicious\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/delicious\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gostumble\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/stumble\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godigg\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/digg\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/goreddit\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/reddit\/papundits.wordpress.com\/31774\/\" \/><\/a> <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/stats.wordpress.com\/b.gif?host=papundits.wordpress.com&#038;blog=174708&#038;post=31774&#038;subd=papundits&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Patriot Post Digest The Foundation &#8220;[T]he Constitution ought to be the standard of construction for the laws, and that wherever there is an evident opposition, the laws ought to give place to the Constitution.&#8221; &#8211;Alexander Hamilton Government &amp; Politics ObamaCare in the Emergency Room There are no two ways about it &#8212; the health [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4200,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-366311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366311\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}