Tuesday, February 24, 2015
From: Gary L. Bauer
Defending Faith, Family & Freedom
Today American Values, along with a coalition of other pro-family organizations, released results from a national poll we commissioned on marriage and religious liberty. Contrary to the media’s left-wing narrative, the American people still believe in normal marriage. Here are the key findings:
- 53% of registered voters surveyed agreed with the statement: “I believe marriage should be defined ONLY as a union between one man and one woman.” Forty-three percent disagreed.
- 61% agreed that “States and citizens should remain free to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman and the Supreme Court shouldn’t force all 50 states to redefine marriage.” Thirty-two percent disagreed. In other words, voters believe the definition of marriage should be left to the people; they do not want it redefined by unelected robed radicals.
- 81% agreed with the statement “Government should leave people free to follow their beliefs about marriage as they live their daily lives at work and in the way they run their businesses.” Twelve percent disagreed.An overwhelming majority of Americans — 81% — believe that true tolerance demands respect for our deeply held religious beliefs and our First Amendment rights. They are clearly concerned about the dangers to freedom of belief as more individuals — photographers, florists, bakers, college administrators, high tech executives — discover that liberal intolerance threatens their livelihoods.Soon the Supreme Court will take up cases regarding the people’s right to define marriage. As our poll indicates, the justices would be wise to respect the limits of their power and the judgment of voters in more than 30 states who voted to preserve the meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Americans do not want another Roe v. Wade-like ruling from unelected judges that assaults their values and forces the left’s morality on every state in the union. Such a ruling will only enflame America’s culture war.
My friends, your generous support is the only thing that enables us to do this kind of work. Please stand with us as we defend faith, family and freedom!
Obama’s “Cold Shoulder”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming to Washington, D.C., next week. Normally the leader of a strategically allied nation could expect a warm reception from the White House, but not if that leader is from Israel, the only Jewish state in the world.
In fact, the Associated Press reports, “. . .the White House is mulling ways to undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming trip to Washington. . .” The report adds that the “White House is now doubling down on a cold-shoulder strategy,” including “a pointed snub” of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference.
There is no doubt that Barack Obama has tried his best to fundamentally transform America’s foreign policy. Obama began his presidency by extending an open hand to the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has written secret letters to Ayatollah Khamenei. And his appeasement of Iran’s nuclear program is making even the liberal Washington Post nervous.
Iran is directly responsible for the deaths of U.S. troops in Iraq. Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Its leader calls for the destruction of Israel and calls America “the great Satan.”
Yet an “unrestrained” Obama administration is working hard to embarrass and disrespect the most pro-American leader in the Middle East.
Camp Jihad
ISIS has released a chilling new video. It shows scores of children, some appear to be as young as five, training for jihad.
Americans would not rush to sign-up their five, six or seven year-olds for summer camps where they are taught to hate and kill “infidels.” What is significant about this video, in my view, is that militant Islamists — whether it’s Hamas, the PLO or ISIS — do it at such a young age. They are willing to rob whatever innocence Muslim children in the Middle East might still have and immerse them in a culture of death and jihad.
A few days ago, a young girl blew herself up at a bus stop in Nigeria, killing 16 people. Earlier this month, the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child warned that ISIS was forcing mentally disabled children to be suicide bombers.
The bloodlust of radical Islam knows no limits. It will take much more than a jobs program and politically correct cliches to crush this evil.
Forget The Filibuster
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried again yesterday to bring up a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security. Senate liberals blocked it for a fourth time because it defunds Obama’s executive amnesty programs.
Think about that. Militant Islamists are threatening the Mall of America and liberal senators are defending amnesty over our homeland security.
We know that if the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t get funded, it is because liberals blocked the bill in the Senate. But the media narrative is the opposite. The public is being told that intransigent conservative demands are holding it up.
Alabama Senator Richard Shelby thinks it time to end the filibuster entirely. Harry Reid “broke eggs” when he eliminated the filibuster for presidential appointments, Shelby said. “My own view is we should go ahead and break some more eggs,” he added. “It’s just a rule . . . And the rule is that each Congress makes its own rules.”
Shelby has a point, and columnist Charles Krauthammer agrees. Democrats changed the filibuster rules when it suited their purposes — to pack the courts with left-wing Obama nominees. Now it suits the Republican majority’s purpose on public policy to change the rules so we it fund the Department of Homeland Security.
This shouldn’t be necessary. Seven Senate Democrats who said they opposed Obama’s executive amnesty are now running interference for him. But, of course, the media are not reporting these facts.
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