Monday, August 25, 2014
From: Gary L. Bauer
Hillary The Hawk?
There were a lot of reminders last week about the brutal reality of the world we live in. Beheadings. Crucifixions. Threats against major U.S. cities. Unfortunately, it is not at all clear that the images and drama had any impact on the neo-isolationism of the Paul family.
Even after a month of seeing ISIS murdering Christians and other religious minorities, and their supporters posting doctored pictures of the ISIS flag flying over the White House, the best advice that former Congressman Ron Paul had to offer was: “We should mind our own business… the sooner we get out of there, the better.”
Senator Rand Paul is politically smarter than his father. When asked recently about airstrikes against ISIS, he didn’t immediately reject bombing them. But he expressed the same ambivalence we normally hear from President Obama. Sen. Paul responded, “I have mixed feelings about it.”
He then went on to argue that fighting ISIS could put us on the same side as the Assad regime, which is also battling ISIS in Syria. But surely, as Senator Paul must know, the fact that ISIS is fighting Assad doesn’t undermine the need for America to do what is necessary for our own security.
On Meet the Press yesterday, Senator Paul accused Hillary Clinton of being “a war hawk.” He added that if he were to run for president, a campaign between him and Hillary would be “transformative,” and that millions of voters who are “tired of war” will vote for him.
I cannot predict who the 2016 presidential nominees will be. But I do know that foreign policy will be a critical issue in the next presidential campaign. I believe most Americans will reject isolationism, whether on the right or the left, and will look for a candidate who reflects America’s values and its unique role in the world.
Richard Dawkins: A Disciple of Death
There was so much death in the headlines last week that I didn’t have time to comment on the rantings of another death advocate. He’s not one of the boys from Hamas, ISIS or Islamic Jihad, but the noted biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins. He’s become popular among the cultural and political left for mocking those who believe in God.
Having decided long ago that there is no God, Dawkins decided to apply for the position himself, creating his own morality in the process. But since there is no right or wrong, how he goes about creating his own version of morality is a mystery.
Here is his latest decree: According to Dawkins it would be “immoral” if a mother knowingly gave birth to a child with Down syndrome.
In taking this position, Dawkins puts himself on the same moral level as the barbarians of ISIS, who also claim the right to decide who lives and who dies. Unfortunately, because he lives in the heart of the West and has all the appropriate degrees from prestigious universities, his barbarism comes dressed up and might even seem compassionate to some warped minds.
The pagan Romans were known for their barbaric cruelty to the disabled. Babies born with physical defects were often abandoned and left to die from exposure to the elements. For all his education, Dawkins has arrived at the same place.
But make no mistake about it. Dawkins represents an evil philosophy that has shown itself throughout history. From the ovens of Auschwitz to the deserts of the Middle East, the world has been plagued by men who believed that some people had no rights they were bound to respect. ISIS says, “Kill the infidel.” Dawkins says, “Kill those who don’t measure up to my standard of a life worth living.”
As the thinking of men like Dawkins continues to take root in Judeo-Christian civilization, it will be more difficult to muster the moral courage necessary to defeat the other death worshippers who are marauding across the Middle East and parts of Africa. The cheapening of life makes it easier to look away, while saying, “We should mind our own business.”
Britain’s Fifth Column
Here’s more evidence of the moral rot that is taking place within the West: There are more British Muslims fighting with ISIS than serving in the British military.
The British government estimates that there are approximately 600 Muslims serving “Queen and Country” in uniform while it estimates that 800 British Muslims have left the country to wage jihad in Iraq and Syria. Khalid Mahmood, a member of the British Parliament, believes the latter figure is closer to 1,500.
If Mahmood is correct, that means nearly three times as many British Muslims are fighting against England and its values than for England and its values.
Immigration Takes Center Stage
The Associated Press writes today that illegal immigration has become a “pivotal issue” this year, noting how the Texas border crisis has “scrambled the politics of immigration.”
Texas Governor Rick Perry made headlines last week for suggesting that ISIS terrorists may have already exploited our porous borders. A spokesman clarified Perry’s remarks by stating the obvious: While the governor had no specific evidence of ISIS infiltration, Perry’s spokesman said, “If unaccompanied children from Central America can cross our border so easily, it raises serious questions about the ease with which those bent on harming America could do the same.”
Polls have repeatedly shown the American people want the border secured and our immigration laws enforced. But MSNBC reports that Obama will announce a massive new amnesty for five million illegal immigrants next week, a move likely to scramble our politics even more.
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