Friday, March 4, 2014

Friday, April 4, 2014

Keep Terrorists Out! 

Accommodating the Islamic Republic of Iran has been a top priority for Barack Obama from the day he first stepped foot in the Oval Office. Obama's outreach began just weeks after his first inauguration. The Iranians didn't take him seriously then, and they don't take him seriously now. 

Just look at the man they are trying to send to America as Iran's new ambassador to the United Nations -- Hamid Abutalebi. 

Abutalebi was a member of the terrorist group that attacked the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and kidnapped 52 Americans. The Iranian hostage crisis lasted 444 days -- until Ronald Reagan took office. 

The Iranians mocked Jimmy Carter for his weak leadership. And even as Barack Obama tries to negotiate with the mullahs over Iran's "Islamic bomb," they are mocking Obama now with this incredibly insulting appointment.

Barry Rosen, a former hostage, said that letting Abutalebi into America would "be a travesty of justice. It would be like spitting on us.” He added, "Denying a visa to him would be a great statement to Iran."

Fortunately, members of Congress are trying to do just that. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry demanding that the State Department deny a visa to Abutalebi. Schumer told the New York Post, "This man has no place in the diplomatic process… Iran's attempt to appoint Mr. Aboutalebi … reveals a disdain for the diplomatic process and we should push back in kind."

In addition, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have introduced legislation that would prevent the State Department from issuing a visa to any U.N. representative who "has engaged in a terrorist activity against the United States." 

Tyrants Of Tolerance Strike Again 

Unless you're a computer programmer I suspect you have never heard the name Brendan Eich. Eich invented the programing language JavaScript. On March 24, he was named CEO of Mozilla, best known for its web browser, Firefox. Immediately there were online protests and boycotts. 

In what may be the shortest CEO tenure in history, Eich was gone 10 days later. He reportedly resigned yesterday. What scandal forced him out? Was he guilty of insider trading? Did he steal JavaScript from someone else? Did he harass his secretary?

No. Eich made a $1,000 donation to the 2008 California campaign to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. For doing something perfectly legal in support of his First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty, Brendan Eich lost his job. 

The homosexual rights movement, which has cloaked itself in the rhetoric of "tolerance," is once again proving just how intolerant it can be.

Since when did political correctness trump the First Amendment? There is no right not to be offended in life. But we do have constitutionally protected rights to free speech and religious liberty. Or do we? 

Men and women of faith cannot be idle spectators in the culture war. It might not seem obvious now, but same-sex marriage will impact you and your values. Just ask Elaine Huguenin, Angela McCaskill, Aaron and Melissa Klein, Dan Cathy, Barronelle Stutzman, Phil Robertson, David Parker or Brendan Eich. 

Voter Fraud In The Tar Heel State 

Liberals like to say that voter ID laws are a solution in search of a problem. In other words, they claim voter fraud isn't real. 

If that's true, then why do they fight so hard against overwhelmingly popular ideas, like requiring individuals to prove their citizenship when they register to vote or present a photo ID when they cast a ballot? 

The sad fact is that voter fraud is real. The ACORN scandal proved it. And we got more evidence this week from North Carolina, where election officials have just completed an audit of the state's voter rolls. 

They found that more than 35,000 registered North Carolina voters may have voted in other states in the 2012 election. Worse, at least 80 dead people cast ballots in 2012 too. 

Legislators in other states should demand a similar audit of their voter rolls. More importantly, they should demand vigorous enforcement of laws against voter fraud so that every citizen has confidence in our electoral process.