Religious Bigotry Growing
Attacks against religious liberty are increasing dramatically. One study finds that religious discrimination has increased 133% since 2011.
That is a shocking statistic -- especially in a country founded on the belief that our liberty comes from God. Our founding fathers believed so strongly in religious freedom that they wrote it into the First Amendment to the Constitution.
There is no denying the attack on our values. The culture war is real The Obama Administration persecuted the Little Sisters of the Poor. Christian bakers, florists, fire chiefs, college administrators, high tech executives have been fined, fired and driven into bankruptcy.
This is why your support for our work is so important. We are fighting back every day, making the case for faith, family and freedom in the media, in the halls of Congress and, yes, even in the White House.
Churches Lead The Way
As Texans and Floridians struggle in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, one thing is becoming abundantly clear: Churches are leading the way in the recovery efforts. While attention often focuses on the government's response, the efforts of men and women of faith are indispensable in times of crisis.
In fact, USA Today noted that FEMA Administrator Brock Long routinely referred people to NVOAD.org -- the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. The vast majority of the organizations involved in NVOAD are faith-based groups.
Here's something most people probably don't know because the left-wing media are loath to mention it: Southern Baptist Disaster Relief "is the nation's third-largest disaster relief organization," behind the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
For all the vitriol that the left directs at Christians and their values, I shudder to imagine the world without them!
Trump Wins Again
Last week, the robed radicals on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals again tried to limit the commander-in-chief's power to secure our borders. The court declared that the administration had to admit 24,000 refugees who had been initially approved by resettlement agencies before President Trump issued his executive orders on immigration and extreme vetting.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court sided with President Trump and once again overturned the 9th Circuit's decision.
The justices are scheduled to hear arguments on the constitutionality of President Trump's executive orders next month. But yesterday's decision suggests that a majority of the justices are at least somewhat sympathetic to the White House's view of the law.
In other immigration news, the Trump Administration announced that it is taking steps to punish four countries -- Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea and Sierra Leone -- that refuse to take back deported illegal immigrants from those nations. This is something that previous administrations could have and should have done, but refused to do because they were not interested in enforcing our laws and defending our borders.
Healthcare Overhauls
It's a big day for healthcare reform headlines. Here's a brief review:
Senate Republicans are considering a last-minute, long-shot attempt to revamp Obamacare. The plan is based on an idea by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to essentially turnover the management of Obamacare to the states.
It is not at all clear whether the Graham/Cassidy bill has enough GOP support to pass the Senate. But time is running out. The reconciliation authority that would permit an Obamacare reform bill to pass with a simple majority vote expires at the end of the month.
Something has to be done. In testimony before the Senate yesterday, healthcare expert Avik Roy warned that Obamacare is currently experiencing "a partial actuarial death spiral."
If Republicans can't get their act together, bigger and more expensive government may be in our future. Senate progressives, led by Vermont socialist Bernie Sanders, offered their vision of healthcare reform today -- "Medicare for All." It's a full-blown, single-payer government-run nightmare.
In 2013, not a single Senate Democrat co-sponsored Bernie's bill. Today, at least 16 Democrats are publicly expressing their support.
Let me remind you, friends, that the left-wing Washington Post editorial board recently conceded that "the government's price tag [for single-payer healthcare] would be astonishing."
Several states, including California and Vermont, abandoned single-payer efforts due to the "astonishing" costs and tax hikes involved.
Nevertheless, this appears to be the direction the progressive left is headed.
Attacks On Our History
Here's another indication of the anti-American direction of the progressive left. Last night at the University of Virginia, Black Lives Matter activists and some faculty members covered a statue of Thomas Jefferson with a black tarp. Three protestors climbed the statue and placed posters that condemned Jefferson as a "slave owner" and a "rapist."
In Baltimore, Maryland, a 106 year-old statue of Francis Scott Key, author of the Star-Spangled Banner, was spray painted with the words "Racial Anthem." The Star-Spangled Banner, written in 1814, has been our national anthem since 1931. It was our anthem throughout the entire Civil Rights movement. No one objected then. But the left has become unhinged.
The attacks on Jefferson and Key are very telling because of their unique connection to our history. Yes, they had their faults. No one denies that. But the left denies all that was good about them and all that is good about America.
President Trump warned that attacks on historical monuments would not stop at Robert E. Lee. "Washington and Jefferson are next," he said. And he was right. The left never stops attacking America.
The Face Of The Future?
A new poll looking ahead to 2020 finds that Senator Bernie Sanders is the leading Democrat contender with 28%. "Not Sure" finished second with 23%.
Sanders' closest competitor is former Vice President Joe Biden at 17%. Senator Elizabeth Warren received 12%. No other candidate earned double-digit support.
Here's an interesting observation: The left continually complains about the problems of patriarchy -- "old, white men." Yet the top two 2020 contenders according to this poll are white men in their mid-70s.