Thursday, August 14, 2014
From: Gary L. Bauer
Rhetoric vs. Reality
Late yesterday the Pentagon announced that observers on the ground determined that the crisis on Mt. Sinjar had eased, making a planned rescue operation “far less likely.”
A more accurate description would be that the crisis has simply moved. As the increasing ranks of homeless Iraqis and crucified Christians attest, the crisis posed by Islamic State jihadists is far from over.
President Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are increasing their rhetoric regarding the nature of ISIS. For example, Kerry recently said that actions by ISIS “pose a severe threat to the United States” and “bear all the warning signs and hallmarks of genocide.”
Speaking at Camp Pendleton Tuesday, Hagel said that the Islamic State terrorists were “some of the most brutal, barbaric forces we’ve ever seen.” And they are recruiting all over the world.
This picture of a former British rapper posing with a severed head is making headlines in England. As many as 900 people from France are reportedly waging jihad with ISIS. They have western passports and could easily return to wage jihad in their home countries, including the United States.
But even the Washington Post was forced to admit that administration policies in no way reflect the reality of this severe, brutal, barbaric, genocidal threat. Consider this excerpt:
“Senior U.S. officials describe the threat posed by the Islamic State in chilling terms, but they have mounted a decidedly modest military campaign to check its advance through northern Iraq. … So far, though, the Obama administration’s response to the group’s blitzkrieg … has been defined primarily by the limits it has placed on the U.S. military’s intervention.”
The article goes on to describe a “disconnect between the unnerving assessments of the Islamic State and the apparent lack of urgency in confronting it,” noting that the Obama Administration has “no clear military strategy for reversing the group’s recent territorial gains.”
The Left’s Assault On Christianity Continues
While Washington contemplates how to respond to the Islamic radicals rampaging across Iraq, Bibles were recently purged from Navy hotels and lodges.
This action comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of atheists who objected to Bibles donated by the Gideons appearing in Navy lodges. Donated Bibles in military hotels supposedly violates the separation of church and state.
Now keep in mind, friends, that this purge of Bibles is being conducted by the very same U.S. government that — with no concerns about the separation of church and state — provides Korans to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. In fact, our soldiers put on gloves when they are passing out Korans because the jihadists believe it would defile their holy books if we infidels touched them.
Politically correct bureaucrats have leaned on the Pentagon and the brass saluted. Bibles are now seen as such a threat to guests at Navy hotels that they must take all steps necessary to make sure guests do not accidentally stumble upon the donated books.
The left’s assault on Judeo-Christian values in the military has been relentless. Military chaplains and commanders have been under incredible pressure to accommodate open homosexuality in the military. The academies are increasingly hostile to expressions of faith. Last week, we reported that the National Guard was prohibited from sending representatives to summer Bible camp. Next I suppose the Navy Hymn will have to be banned too.
Frustration And Immigration Top Voter Concerns
Yesterday Gallup released a poll finding that “dissatisfaction with government/Congress/politicians” topped the list of voters’ most pressing concerns. Number two on that list was “immigration/illegal aliens.” Those two issues can be reasonably combined.
The government is supposed to protect our borders. But when thousands of men, women and children are streaming across our borders every day, the government is clearly failing in its primary obligation to protect its borders and our fellow citizens.
And what is the response from Washington? We have a president who has repeatedly disregarded the law. He has encouraged the problem of illegal immigration by granting amnesty to some illegal immigrants.
The Washington Times reports that the administration broke the law by releasing hundreds of criminal illegal immigrants into communities all over the country. No wonder people are frustrated with government.
By the way, the government is warning more than 300,000 Obamacare enrollees that they may lose coverage if they can’t provide proof of citizenship. Remind me again why it is illegal and bigoted to ask people to provide proof of citizenship when they vote?
Any day now President Obama is expected to order another massive amnesty by executive decree. But that is not what the American people want. Last week, CBS News reported that just 31% of Americans approve of Obama’s handling of immigration.
There is a lot of chatter about how the issue of illegal immigration may impact the upcoming elections. But far more important than just this election is the damage such a move would do to our constitutional republic. Even some liberals are acknowledging that it would be a terrible precedent.
In a column entitled, “Obama’s Immigration Plan Should Scare Liberals, Too,” Jonathan Chait writes:
“What if a Republican president announced that he would stop enforcing the payment of estate taxes? Or suspend enforcement of regulations on industrial pollution? …
“To think that the cycle [of unilateralism] will end here, and that a future president won’t claim more expansive and disturbing powers to selectively enforce the law, requires an optimism not borne out by history. In the short run, we will rejoice… In the long run, we may look back on it with regret.”
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