10/25/15

Trevor Speaks with Presidential Candidates in Iowa

By: Renee Nal
New Zeal

Ted Cruz onstage with Trevor Loudon via Breitbart [screenshot]

Ted Cruz onstage with Trevor Loudon via Breitbart [screenshot]

Trevor Loudon was honored to speak with presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) at the Iowa Grassroots Coalition Candidate Honest Assessment Summit, which was live streamed at Breitbart News on Saturday!

The event was held at the National Cattle Congress Pavilion in Waterloo, IA, and sponsored by the Iowa Grass Roots Coalition and the Cedar Valley Patriots for Christ.

During a speech before the interview, Trevor discussed what it would take for the grassroots to decide the presidential candidate like they did when they chose Ronald Reagan. Trevor also discussed Amnesty, declaring “any candidate who supports amnesty supports the demise of the United States!”

Trevor Loudon via Breitbart [screenshot]

Trevor Loudon via Breitbart [screenshot]

Trevor had the opportunity to moderate a discussion with presidential candidates, beginning with Ted Cruz, who discussed ISIS (stating simply that he would “kill ’em all” and further elaborating that he would arm the Kurds and provide “overwhelming air power” that would diffuse the jihadists), state sovereignty, the refugee crisis, birthright citizenship (he is against it and believes in doing what it would take to end it), Obama’s “illegal executive amnesty,” Obamacare and religious liberty among others.

Cruz noted that millennials are being pounded by “the great stagnation,” i.e., the economic result of Obama’s policies. Cruz believes that tax reform, regulatory reform and adhering to free market principles would help all Americans, particularly young people.

Judd Saul of the Cedar Valley Patriots for Christ via Breitbart [screenshot]

Judd Saul of the Cedar Valley Patriots for Christ via Breitbart [screenshot]

Next, Trevor spoke with former Gov. Mike Huckabee, who spoke about the value of experience, his strong belief in the Fair Tax and the IRS (which Huckabee believes is a “rogue agency” that is unconstitutional), Americans’ moral and financial obligations to Veterans (here, Huckabee blasted the Veterans Administration), his dedication to the pro-life movement and his interest in helping women have options other than abortion, among other topics.

One interesting topic was Common Core (which has become a “cancer,” according to Huckabee). Huckabee said that the federal government should not have anything to do with education (echoing a statement made by Ted Cruz earlier).

Trevor questioned Huckabee’s previous support of Common Core. Huckabee said in part:

“Like Frankenstein, when a monster gets out of control it is time to kill the monster.”

As an aside, this author previously questioned Huckabee’s view on Common Core.

Mike Huckabee onstage with Trevor Loudon via Breitbart [screenshot]

Mike Huckabee onstage with Trevor Loudon via Breitbart [screenshot]

Mike Huckabee onstage with Trevor Loudon via Breitbart [screenshot]

Mike Huckabee onstage with Trevor Loudon via Breitbart [screenshot]

Trevor 1024-24

Trevor Loudon introducing former Governor Mike Huckabee via Breitbart [screenshot]

Finally, Trevor spoke with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who stressed the need for a “spiritual revival” and touted his conservative record in Louisiana. Jindal declared that we must “save the idea of America before it is too late.”

Bobby Jindal via Breitbart [screenshot]

Bobby Jindal via Breitbart [screenshot]

In a world where CNN and even Fox News asks presidential candidates ridiculous “gotcha” questions intended to boost ratings, it is refreshing that Trevor Loudon moderated a substantive discussion that focused on the Constitution, as well as real issues impacting Americans every day.

Watch some of the program here:

09/8/15

Anti-Christian Bigotry on the Bench and in the Media

By: Cliff Kincaid
Accuracy in Media

The federal judge who threw Christian clerk Kim Davis in jail previously “oversaw a legal settlement that included anti-harassment sessions” for students in Boyd County, Kentucky, The New York Times reports. In fact, the judge, David Bunning, had denied free speech rights to those students.

The so-called “anti-harassment sessions” in the Boyd County case were actually designed to instruct students “to withhold Christian viewpoints about homosexual behavior,” the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the legal group representing the students, reported.

Bunning’s ruling against the students, a direct ban on free speech, was overturned on appeal.

The Times admitted this fact only later in the story, noting that Bunning’s ruling forcing students into the “anti-harassment sessions” was “overruled by an appellate court.”

The fact that he “was overruled by an appellate case” demonstrates how wrong his ruling was.

It is this out-of-control judge who is at the center of the Kim Davis case. Ironically, the media are reporting that Bunning is a Christian. If so, he has no fundamental understanding of how Christians helped create this nation, and are entitled to the rights and liberties guaranteed to them under the Constitution.

The Times’ handling of this case reflects how the actions of Davis have also been distorted by most of the media. The Times said Bunning sent Davis to jail for “refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses.” In fact, she had simply exercised her religious rights and liberties in refusing to sign the gay marriage licenses.

Her attorneys at Liberty Counsel noted, “Davis only asked that the Kentucky marriage license forms be changed so her name would not appear on them.” This simple request was deemed to be “contempt” and she was thrown in jail.

What we see in the case of Judge Bunning, under pressure from the gay lobby, is a pattern of discrimination against Christians, a pattern we also see in the coverage of the cases in which he has ruled. The media have refused to respect the rights of free speech and freedom of religion that Americans are supposed to have under the Constitution.

A rally in support of county clerk Kim Davis has been announced for Tuesday, September 8, at the Carter County Detention Center in Grayson, Kentucky at 3:00 p.m. The address is 13 Crossbar Road, Grayson, Kentucky.

Heather Clark of the Christian News Network first noted that Bunning, appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush, had, in the Boyd County case, “ordered Kentucky students to be re-educated about homosexuality despite their objections.”

In the case, she noted, a number of students objected to being forced to watch a video that asserted that it is wrong to oppose homosexuality and that a person’s sexuality cannot be changed. Clark reported, “They discovered that they could not opt-out of the training without being penalized, and contacted the legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) for assistance.”

That began the process of filing suit, and eventually the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Bunning’s ruling in October 2007.

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has sided with Davis, saying she not only has the right to object on religious grounds to signing gay marriage licenses, but that the Supreme Court did not in any sense make gay marriage the “law of the land.”

Numerous experts have pointed out that, under the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court cannot make law. The Supreme Court’s “power to offer opinion does not equal the power to make law,” notes the Tenth Amendment Center. Generally speaking, experts say, the Supreme Court can overturn laws and executive actions but it cannot enforce its rulings. The power to make law is given to the representatives of the people in the national and state legislatures.

Huckabee says Davis, a county official elected as a Democrat, should be immediately released from federal custody. “Exercising religious liberty should never be a crime in America,” he says. “This is a direct attack on our God-given, constitutional rights.”

Huckabee said, “Kim is asking the perfect question: ‘Under what law am I authorized to issue homosexual couples a marriage license?’ The Supreme Court cannot and did not make a law. They only made a ruling on a law. Congress makes the laws. Because Congress has made no law allowing for same sex marriage, Kim does not have the Constitutional authority to issue a marriage license to homosexual couples.”

Kentucky passed Amendment 1 in 2004, prohibiting recognition of same-sex marriages. It passed by a 75-25 percent margin.

Another Republican presidential candidate, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, called the order issued by Bunning to use federal marshals to arrest and jail Davis “judicial lawlessness [which] crossed into judicial tyranny.” He explained that “the government arrested a Christian woman for living according to her faith. This is wrong. This is not America.”

He added, “I stand with Kim Davis. Unequivocally. I stand with every American that the Obama administration is trying to force to choose between honoring his or her faith or complying with a lawless court opinion.”

Cruz went on, “In dissent, Chief Justice Roberts rightly observed that the Court’s marriage opinion has nothing to do with the Constitution. Justice Scalia observed that the Court’s opinion was so contrary to law that state and local officials would choose to defy it.”

Indeed, as AIM reported, Scalia had called the Supreme Court decision in the same-sex marriage case a judicial “Putsch,” an attempt to overthrow our form of government. Scalia said the court was a “threat to American democracy.”

In the face of this emerging judicial dictatorship, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis exercised her religious rights and liberties, only to be sent to prison.

Her attorney, Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel, reports, “Despite being held as a prisoner for her religious beliefs, her conscience remains unshackled. Liberty Counsel will challenge Judge Bunning’s contempt order and her unlawful confinement. Kim is resolute in her decision to challenge the issuance of any marriage certificate bearing her name without her authority.”

As the coverage by The New York Times indicates, however, Judge Bunning is being greeted with fawning attention in the Davis case because he had muzzled Christians previously for standing up for their faith. The coverage demonstrates that there is a pattern of anti-Christian activity on the federal bench and in the media.

09/4/15

Sen. Ted Cruz Says He Unequivocally Stands Behind Defiant KY Court Clerk


Civil Disobedience – Defying The Powers-That-Be For Your Christian Beliefs

Cruz rips federal judge’s ‘tyranny’ in clerk’s case

Another KY clerk vows to not issue same sex marriage licenses

Kim Davis Broke an Illegitimate, Evil Law, and God Bless Her for It

‘Stunned’ Attorney Reacts to Kentucky Clerk’s Arrest: The Judge Is Treating Her Like ‘A Criminal’

Huckabee Blasts Arrest of Defiant Kentucky Clerk: ‘Removes All Doubt of the Criminalization of Christianity in Our Country’

10 Public Officials Who Defied the Law Over Gay Marriage Mostly Silent on Kim Davis Case

‘Welcome to Sodom and Gomorrah’: Husband of Jailed Kentucky Clerk Reveals Family’s Plan to Keep Fighting

Kim Davis: 21st century Civil Disobedience and the federal overthrow of the First Amendment

Franklin Graham: Ky. Clerk ‘Fighting for Religious Freedom for All of Us’

07/22/15

Watch the Astonishment on Gay Pride Event Attendees’ Faces When They Learn Which ‘Bigot’ Uttered These Anti-Gay Marriage Quotes

By: Mike Opelka
Hat Tip: Miles Himmel
TheBlaze

Blaze Radio and San Diego talk show host Mike Slater attended last weekend’s Gay Pride event in his home town. And he stunned event-goers with some simple facts they couldn’t believe.

Image source: YouTube

Slater took the opportunity to survey the attendees, asking them questions such as, “What percentage of the male population do you think is gay?” He received a wide variety of answers, the lowest being 28% and the highest, 70%

Using statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Slater surprised virtually every person he encountered telling them the CDC says 1.8% of males are gay.

The radio talker also played a little game with the attendees called, “Which Bigot Said It?”

On a white board, Slater had photos of Donald Trump, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin.

He also posted the following four quotes about gay marriage.

  • “Marriage has got historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time.”
  • “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage.”
  • “I think marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and a woman.”
  • “For me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix.”

Slater read the quotes and asked the gay pride parade supporters, “Which bigot said it?”

After they made their guesses, it was revealed the quotes came from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Watch the astonishment:

04/19/15

BOOM: Rating the GOP field on Amnesty

Doug Ross @ Journal

Over at American Thinker, Pedro Gonzales offers an excellent overview of the GOP field’s positions on Amnesty. Here’s the executive summary: only one candidate has never changed his position on the topic.

Jeb Bush

“…Jeb, as we all know, supports amnesty for illegal aliens, and he’s proud of it. If he were running in Honduras, I would vote for him in a minute…”

Marco Rubio

“…Rubio co-authored a bill that would have given amnesty to illegal aliens. He has since tried to walk back from that…”

Chris Christie

“…Chris has been cagey on the subject, but one thing is clear: he ordered his appointee to Frank Lautenberg’s Senate seat to vote for Marco Rubio’s amnesty bill…”

Rick Perry

“…Perry is tough on illegal immigrants! He sent a handful of national guard troops to the border! (With orders not to arrest any illegals.) But as for those illegals who manage to slip through this imposing gauntlet, Perry rewards them with taxpayer-subsidized college educations. If he’s paying for illegals to go to college, I think it’s safe to say he supports amnesty…”

Mike Huckabee

“…in February 2007, Huckabee … stated, ‘We shouldn’t have amnesty where we just say, “Fine, everybody’s good, we’re going to let it go.’ We should have a process where people can pay the penalties, step up and accept responsibility for not being here legally…”

Scott Walker

“…Walker backed the McCain-Kennedy amnesty bill in 2006… [and] went as far as to tell POLITICO in 2013 that he supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants…”

Rand Paul

“…Paul claims he’s against amnesty, but he voted for an amendment to give 2 million ‘temporary’ visas to illegal aliens annually…who could then apply for citizenship. It looks like amnesty to me…”

Ted Cruz

Cruz is the only major candidate who has never supported or endorsed amnesty.”

As they say on the real blogs, read the whole thing.

02/16/15

The Good Guys

Arlene from Israel

The good guys give hope and promise for the possibility of better days coming.

Many spirits were buoyed on Friday, when the news broke that Elie Wiesel had announced that he would be attending Netanyahu’s March 3rd address in Congress “on the catastrophic danger of a nuclear Iran.”

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a close associate of Wiesel’s, announced that he would be placing full page ads in the NY Times and the Washington Post that would declare Wiesel’s intention of coming to Congress to hear Netanyahu, and would broadcast his invitation to Obama and others: “Will you join me in hearing the case for keeping weapons from those who preach death to Israel and America?”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/191326#.VOC4opv9nIU

credit: failedmessiah

~~~~~~~~~~

All I am aware of at this point is that the NY Times ad did appear yesterday.  You can see it here (with my thanks to Cheryl L.):

http://thisworld.us/2015/02/13/nobelist-elie-wiesel-to-attend-netanyahu-speech/

~~~~~~~~~~

In a situation that has become shamefully politicized and partisan, Wiesel brings attention back to the real issue – the dangers of Iran.  Speaking as he has for decades on the horrors of the Holocaust, he is able to draw a direct line to what we face today.  And, very importantly, he does it with a stature that is non-partisan.

Do I imagine that Obama is going to rush to join Wiesel in Congress to hear Bibi?  Of course not.  But I do have hope that this public action will take some of the wind out of the the president’s political sails.  It is clear that Obama has been going on about “protocol” and “elections campaigns” in order to distract from his major concern: Netanyahu’s challenge to the deal with Iran that is currently in the works.  When it is pointed out by someone such as Wiesel that we are confronting a situation that is terrifying, hopefully it becomes just a tad more difficult for Obama to continue with the same obfuscation.

~~~~~~~~~~

Governor Mike Huckabee and his wife are in town now; they will be leading a mission of some 250 people – many coming for the first time – who will be touring the country to learn about Israel’s heritage.

This morning, Governor Huckabee held a press conference.  He has not yet announced that he will be running for president, but there is considerable reason to believe that this will be the case.  And I see this to the good.  As he addressed subjects of major concern for journalists today, he was very much on the mark:

We are, said the governor, in the midst of a crucial historical time, as we face the threat of radical Islam. This is a threat not just to Israel.  Israel is the canary in the coal mine, but is not Iran’s ultimate target – a nuclear Iran would be a huge threat to the US and other nations.

We are not looking at a personal conflict between Obama and Netanyahu, but rather at the question of whether we trust Iran.  The strategy of loosening sanctions is counterintuitive – there should be pressure put upon Iran now to bring it to the breaking point.

It is stupid to declare in advance what we are not going to do. Everything must be on the table. The government of Iran has no credibility – it’s like negotiating with a snake. America’s leading from behind has had disastrous consequences.

~~~~~~~~~~

Governor Huckabee absolutely believes Netanyahu should speak in Congress. Speeches of power can have a great impact.  And Netanyahu may be uniquely qualified to deliver that speech.

We should remain assured that there is strong Democratic support for Israel in Congress.  Much of the partisan tension we are seeing now is anti-Boehner not anti-Israel.

Credit: The Guardian

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please see here another very cogent argument regarding the need to counter Obama as vigorously as possible with regard to Iran. This article – “Worse Than No Strategy” – is written by Clifford May, president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (emphasis added):

“It seems like only yesterday that President Obama was being criticized for having no strategy to counter the jihadi threat…

“Since then, a different perception has been taking root: Mr. Obama does indeed have a strategy – a ‘secret strategy,’ one that is alarmingly misguided.

According to this theory, he believes that fighting terrorism requires accommodating the regime long recognized by the U.S. government as the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism: the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“He may also see the Islamic Republic not as a rival to the Islamic State but as a more moderate alternative — despite the fact that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly declared hostility toward America the foundation of the Islamic revolution. The president appears to believe that Sunni jihadis can be countered by Shia jihadis…

“Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, has not just speculated about Mr. Obama’s ‘secret strategy.’ He has painstakingly combed through the record and produced a 9,000-word report persuasively establishing that Mr. Obama, since early in his presidency, has been in pursuit of a ‘comprehensive agreement’ that would allow Iran to become what the president has called ‘a very successful regional power.’

Understand what that means: Iran would be the hegemon of the Middle East….”

http://defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/may-clifford-d-worse-than-no-strategy/

Is it any wonder that Binyamin Netanyahu has refused to be dissuaded in his determination to address the US Congress on the issue of Iran?

~~~~~~~~~~

You might also want to see “Anatomy of a Bad Iran Deal: A Preliminary Assessment,” by Dore Gold, president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (emphasis added).

A key factor of concern here, as elsewhere is the number of centrifuges that Iran would be permitted to maintain.

“The numbers are important. In a scenario of ‘breakout,’ in which the Iranians race to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for their first atomic bomb, the number of centrifuges largely determines the amount of time the Iranians will need to accomplish this goal…

“Iran currently has 19,000 centrifuges, 9,000 of which are running and 10,000 that are installed but not operating. Israel’s position is that Iran should have zero centrifuges. The reason is that if Iran truly needs enriched uranium for civilian purposes, it could import enriched uranium as do roughly 15 other countries, such as Canada, Mexico, and Spain. The Israeli position is in line with six UN Security Council resolutions that were adopted between 2006 and 2010, with the support of Russia and China.

“…at the beginning of the current round of negotiations, the United States was demanding that Iran significantly reduce its stock of centrifuges to 1,500, but in doing so dropped the longstanding U.S. policy that Iran eliminate its centrifuges completely.

“…According to multiple press reports, Western negotiators have raised the ceiling for the number of centrifuges that Iran will be allowed to have: they have gone from 1,500 to 4,500, and they now appear to be ready to let the Iranians have 6,000 centrifuges.”

When other factors – such as the amount of enriched uranium Iran would be permitted to retain – Iran’s breakout time for producing enough weapons-grade uranium for an atomic bomb would be six months and possibly considerably less.

http://jcpa.org/anatomy-of-a-bad-iran-deal/

~~~~~~~~~~

Last time it was Paris. This time Copenhagen.  Terrifying, but not unexpected.

Early yesterday, a gunman shot into a café where a Swedish cartoonist, Lars Vilks, who had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad was speaking. Vilks body guards successfully whisked him away and he hid in a freezer (shades of Paris). Someone else inside the café – Finn Norgaard, 55, a film director, took a bullet and was killed.

Today, Dan Uzan, 37, a longtime security guard. and a Jew, was shot dead.  Uzan was guarding a synagogue where a Bat Mitzvah celebration was taking place.  According to reports, he was brought in after the café shooting.

The police have pursued and killed someone whom they say they believe was the perpetrator of both attacks. There has been official reluctance to identify him, but Danish media sources are saying it was Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, a man known by authorities and possessing a record of violence.  He had been released from prison two weeks ago.

Could it possibly be, by any remote chance, that a politically correct aversion to fingering a Muslim is behind the police reluctance to officially reveal the terrorist’s identity?

~~~~~~~~~~

The Danish are deeply distressed that this terrorism has come to their door. They are eager to express their horror, and their readiness to protect all citizens and keep life normal.  Here you see pictures of flowers brought to the synagogue where the shooting took place.

Credit:US News
~~~~~~~~~~

Yet, the questions must be asked:  Where next?  And, what normal?

Prime Minister Netanyahu said that this attacks would continue and that the Jews should come home to Israel.  One Danish leader of the Jewish community criticized this, saying that anti-Semitism is not a reason to leave.

It’s not?  Not even when the handwriting is on the wall? Note the Israeli flag hung on the synagogue over the flowers.

~~~~~~~~~~

I close here, then, with a piece on this issue – “After Copenhagen, What Next for Europe?” – written by David Harris, president of the American Jewish Committee. Says Harris (emphasis added):
“…after 15 years of engaging with European leaders to get their attention, help them understand what stares them in the face, and press for sustained action, I’m not quite ready to bet the family farm that the day after tomorrow will be all that different than the day before yesterday.

“Even so, I desperately want to believe that Europe, with all its dazzling achievements since the end of World War II, can still strengthen its resolve, stiffen its spine, and fully understand the stakes involved, however late in the day it is.”

A bit of wishful thinking, given present realities, but what he would wish for is instructive and worth noting.  He calls for the following now:

[] …”quickly organize a high-level conference to discuss the rise in anti-Semitism…discuss and adopt a comprehensive plan of action, and then implement and monitor it.

[]  “European leaders must understand, as French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has, that anti-Semitism is not only an attack on Jews, but also an assault on Europe and its values. The two cannot be separated.

[] “call a spade a spade. For many Europeans, there is no hesitation in identifying the source of anti-Semitism when it emanates from right-wing extremists. But when anti-Semitism, including deadly violence, springs from within a segment of the Muslim population, verbal acrobatics all too often come into play. If you can’t name the adversary, how can you effectively fight it?

[] “stop tying anti-Semitism to Islamophobia, as if the two are Siamese twins. AJC’s Brussels office has been trying for months to encourage a European Parliament hearing on anti-Semitism, only to be met with insistence that any such meeting include Islamophobia. Why this demand to join the two together, when the majority of incidents occurs against Jews, when Europe has a particularly ugly history of anti-Semitism, and when the principal attackers of Jews invoke their Islamic faith?

[] “recognize that we confront both a short- and long-term menace that won’t be overcome by even the most eloquent of speeches and the most symbolic of acts. Rather, it requires a full-court, sustained effort by individual governments (and, of course, by the EU) using the resources they have the capacity to mobilize, joined by the determined efforts of civil society.

[] “connect the lessons of the Holocaust to the present-day threat to the Jews. I’ve witnessed too many Holocaust-related events where murdered Jews are mourned — Jews who, tragically, cannot be brought back to life — but that totally ignore the current dangers to living Jews. A refusal to connect the two quite frankly empties these commemorations of much of their meaning and sincerity.

[] don’t apologize for European values of democracy, human dignity, openness, and pluralism….It’s high time to stand up in defense of these noble values and do everything possible to ensure that newcomers embrace them as well.

[] “it is important to understand that the jihadist barbarism which Europe is experiencing first-hand is not much different from what Israel has been facing for decades. Why, then, does Europe continue to try drawing a distinction, when, in reality none exists? The same jihadists who hate Europe detest Israel, and the same jihadists who wish for Israel’s annihilation aspire to no less for Europe as we know it.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-harris/after-copenhagen-what-nex_b_6688370.html

Right on!  This is a reasonably comprehensive list of what’s wrong in Europe today, regarding anti-Semitism and radical Islam.  Now…if only.

01/25/15

The Iowa Freedom Summit

Hat Tip: BB

‘We LOSE when we nominate RINOS’ – Freedom Summit’s standing ovation to thinly veiled anti-Romney speech

‘Repeal every word’: Potential GOP 2016 rivals hammer ObamaCare, IRS at Iowa summit