One Nation Under Godlessness

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Photo Credit: AllianceDefendingFreedom.org

Photo Credit: AllianceDefendingFreedom.org

Cheating. Bullying. Cybersexting. Hazing. Molestation. Suicide. Drug abuse. Murder. From scanning the headlines of the latest scandals in America’s schools, it’s quite clear that the problem is not that there’s too much God in students’ lives.

The problem is that there isn’t nearly enough of Him.

With the malfunction of moral seatbelts and the erosion of moral guardrails, too many kids have turned to a pantheon of false gods, crutches, and palliatives. They’re obsessed with Slender Man and Vampire Diaries. Alex from Target’s hair and Rihanna’s tattoos. Overpriced basketball sneakers and underdressed reality stars. Choking games and YouTube games. Gossip and hookups. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat.

It’s all about selfies over self-control, blurred lines over bright lines.

In a metastatic youth culture of soullessness and rootlessness, the idea of high-school teens voluntarily using their free time to pray and sing hymns is not just a breath of fresh air. It’s salvation.

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IG: $2 Billion in Benefits for 25,000 People Wrongly Awarded

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Photo Credit: iStock Photo

Photo Credit: iStock Photo

Lax Social Security judges improperly awarded nearly 25,000 people $2 billion over a seven-year period, the Social Security inspector general reported Friday.

In a report that was requested by the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in January, Inspector General Patrick O’Carroll Jr., found 44 Social Security administrative law judges who approved the vast majority of their claimants, over 85 percent of cases.

Taking a sample of the cases approved by those judges and referring questionable awards to Social Security’s own quality monitor, the inspector general extrapolated that those judges accounted for nearly 25,000 beneficiaries whose awards may have been granted improperly.

Over the past seven years, the inspector general estimated, Social Security has spent $2 billion on those disability recipients and will “continue paying approximately $273 million to these same beneficiaries over the next 12 months.”

Darrell Issa, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, criticized the Social Security Administration in a statement accompanying the release, saying that its “failure to conduct timely medical eligibility reviews has resulted in rubber-stamped decisions that have and will continue to cost taxpayers billions in improper awards. In failing to take meaningful disciplinary action at the Social Security Administration, even after the most egregious cases of mismanagement, taxpayers are left to wonder — who is looking after their tax dollars.”

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Trey Gowdy Says No to Impeachment: ‘Have You Met Joe Biden?’

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Republican bulldog Rep. Trey Gowdy put the kibosh on the idea of impeaching President Obama during a nationally television Fox News interview, telling his broadcast audience that booting the commander-in-chief from his office would open the doors to something even worse —the ascension of Vice President Joseph R. Biden.

First, host Bill O’Reilly asked Mr. Gowdy what he thought of the argument made by Judge Andrew Napolitano — that Mr. Obama’s proposed executive orders to grant amnesty to millions of illegals would rise to the level of an impeachable offense, The Daily Caller reported.

“What about [that?] … That this is an impeachable situation because it does go against Congress making the laws, because the president is making a new law ,” Mr. O’Reilly said…

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West Virginia to Remove Words ‘Husband’ and ‘Wife’ From All State Tax Forms

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Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

In the wake of two federal court rulings striking down West Virginia’s marriage protection amendment, which had previously defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman, the state tax department has announced starting next year, it will remove the words “husband” and “wife” from all tax forms and informational materials, replacing them with the more gender-neutral “spouse.”

Until then, the agency says same-sex couples can use the current tax forms with the understanding that a married household may have two “husbands” or two “wives” under the new definition of marriage in the state.

According to a notice issued October 14, the tax department has revised its definitions of “spouse,” “husband,” and “wife” to include individuals who are “married” to a person of the same sex.

“The term ‘marriage’ includes marriage between individuals of the same sex, lawfully married under the law of any domestic or foreign jurisdiction having legal authority to sanction marriages,” the notice read. “Beginning with Tax Year 2014, West Virginia Personal Income Tax returns reflecting a married status that are filed by lawfully married individuals will be processed without regard to the gender or sexual orientation of the married partners.”

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House Approves Keystone XL Pipeline

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

The House passed legislation Friday that would green-light the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline, as attention now shifts to an upcoming Senate vote next week.

The bill from Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., passed 252-161, with all Republicans supporting — except one who voted present — and 31 Democrats joining them. Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and John Hoeven, R-N.D., have floated the same bill in the upper chamber, which is scheduled for a Tuesday vote.

President Obama, however, hinted Friday that he would veto the bill if it reached his desk. He reiterated that he would not let legislation circumvent the review process at the State Department, which has had the application for a cross-border permit needed to build the pipeline’s northern leg for more than six years.

“My position hasn’t changed, that this is a process that is supposed to be followed,” Obama said during a press conference in Burma, dashing some speculation that he could OK the legislation as an olive branch to the incoming Republican-led Senate.

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Two More Businesses Win Against HHS Mandate

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Photo Credit: American Life League

Photo Credit: American Life League

Two Missouri businesses are claiming victory over the Obama administration’s contraception and abortion drug mandate.

In a decision that has been expected since the Supreme Court ruled against the administration in Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby, U.S. District Judge Ortrie Smith said that Reed Automotive Inc. and Sioux Chief Manufacturing Co. did not have to follow the mandate’s requirements.

In the Hobby Lobby case, the Supreme Court ruled that closely-held for-profit corporations may refuse to follow the mandate under the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act…

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McCain: GOP Senate Will ‘Absolutely’ Look into Bergdahl Swap

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Photo Credit: WND

Photo Credit: WND

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says a Senate Armed Services Committee under his leadership would try to uncover more details about President Obama’s decision to exchange Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s for five Taliban prisoners.

“Oh yeah, we’re going to find out about that,” McCain told reporters on Thursday.

“Absolutely. Absolutely. You can count on that one,” he added.

Bergdahl’s release became a flash point earlier this year, after the White House went around Congress to secure his release by swapping five Taliban detainees from Guantánamo Bay.

The trade for Bergdahl angered Capitol Hill Democrats and Republicans, as the administration kept the prisoner exchange secret until after it was completed, ignoring a law requiring 30 days advance notice to members of Congress before any detainee release from Guantánamo.

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University Installs Prescription Drug Vending Machine On Campus

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Photo Credit: AFP / Getty

Photo Credit: AFP / Getty

An InstyMeds vending machine has been installed on Arizona State University’s campus, allowing any student or university employee to pick up prescription drugs from the dispenser.

Any ASU student or university employee who receives a prescription from ASU health services will be able to simply walk to the school’s Health Services Building and use a voucher with identification to receive their meds, KPNX-TV reports. The prescription drug vending machine fills the service left unavailable after the school’s pharmacy closed in September.

“This is a great solution for students who want to access their medications right after their appointment,” said Christiana Moore, a health services spokeswoman.

“Serving the health-care needs of our students is still our highest priority. We believe the measures we have taken will help our students with their prescription needs,” said Allan Markus, director of ASU Health Services, in a statement at the time the school’s pharmacy closed.

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China and the United States Are Preparing for War

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Photo Credit: FP

Photo Credit: FP

At a Nov. 12 news conference in Beijing, General Secretary of the Communist Party Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to notify the other side before major military activities, and to develop a set of rules of behavior for sea and air encounters, in order to avoid military confrontations in Asia. “It’s incredibly important that we avoid inadvertent escalation,” Ben Rhodes, a U.S. deputy national security advisor, was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying. An “accidental circumstance,” he said, could “lead into something that could precipitate conflict.”

Should we really be worried about war between the United States and China? Yes. Over the last four decades of studying China, I have spoken with hundreds of members of China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and read countless Chinese military journals and strategy articles. Chinese military and political leaders believe that their country is at the center of American war planning. In other words, Beijing believes that the United States is readying itself for the possibility of a conflict with China — and that it must prepare for that eventuality.

Tensions are high not just because of Beijing’s rapidly expanding military budget, or because the United States continues to commit an increasingly high percentage of its military assets to the Pacific as part of its “rebalance” strategy. Rather, the biggest problem is Chinese opacity. While it’s heartening to hear Xi agree to instruct the PLA to be more open with regard to the United States, it is doubtful this will lead to any real changes.

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Son of Ebola Doctor to Be Treated in U.S. Praises His Sacrifice

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Italy EbolaThe doctor who will be treated for Ebola at a Nebraska hospital knew the risks of working in West Africa but was committed to doing his part, his son told NBC News.

Martin Salia, a general surgeon, contracted the virus in his native Sierra Leone and will be flown to Omaha on Saturday, which would make him the 10th Ebola patient on American soil. His wife and two children live in the D.C. suburb of New Carrollton, Maryland, and Salia is a legal U.S. resident.

“He’s a really good guy. Somebody who doesn’t take himself like a high person,” said Salia’s 20-year-old son, Maada. “He loves helping whoever in need … and he always sacrifice(s) just to make sure someone else feels happy.”

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