The World’s Most Ancient Christian Communities are Being Destroyed — and No One Cares

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Like many Coptic Christians in Egypt, Ayman Nabil Labib had a tattoo of the cross on his wrist. And like 17-year-old men everywhere, he could be assertive about his identity. But in 2011, after Egypt’s revolution, that kind of assertiveness could mean trouble.

Ayman’s Arabic-language teacher told him to cover his tattoo in class. Instead of complying, the young man defiantly pulled out the cross that hung around his neck, making it visible. His teacher flew into a rage and began choking him, goading the young man’s Muslim classmates by saying, “What are you going to do with him?”

Ayman’s classmates then beat him to death. False statements were given to police, and two boys were taken into custody only after Ayman’s terror-stricken family spoke out.

Ayman’s suffering is not an isolated case in Egypt or the region.

The Arab Spring, and to a lesser extent the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, were touted as the catalysts for a major historic shift in the region. From Egypt to Syria to Iraq, the Middle East’s dictatorships would be succeeded by liberal, democratic regimes. Years later, however, there is very little liberality or democracy to show. Indeed, what these upheavals have bequeathed to history is a baleful, and barely noticed legacy: The near-annihilation of the world’s most ancient communities of Christians.

Read more from this story HERE.

Sowell: Ignoring Facts and Attacking Character

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: National Review

Photo Credit: National Review

One of the things that attracted me to the political Left as a young man was a belief that leftists were for “the people.” Fortunately, I was also very interested in the history of ideas — and years of research in that field repeatedly brought out the inescapable fact that many leading thinkers on the left had only contempt for “the people.”

That has been true from the 18th century to the present moment. Even more surprising, I discovered over the years that leading thinkers on the opposite side of the ideological spectrum had more respect for ordinary people than people on the left who spoke in their name.

Leftists like Rousseau, Condorcet, or William Godwin in the 18th century, Karl Marx in the 19th century, or Fabian socialists like George Bernard Shaw in England and American Progressives in the 20th century saw the people in a role much like that of sheep and saw themselves as their shepherds.

Another disturbing pattern turned up that is also with us to the present moment. From the 18th century to today, many leading thinkers on the left have regarded those who disagree with them as being not merely factually wrong but morally repugnant. And again, this pattern is far less often found among those on the opposite side of the ideological spectrum.

The visceral hostility toward Sarah Palin by present-day liberals, and the gutter level to which some descend in expressing it, is just one sign of a mindset on the left that goes back more than two centuries.

Read more from this story HERE.

US Stocks Slammed; Dow Falls 300-Plus Points in Worst Week Since 2011 (+video)

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: CNBC

Photo Credit: CNBC

U.S. stocks fell sharply and Treasuries rallied on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling triple-digits for a second session and posting its worst week since November 2011, as investors pulled money from emerging markets and other assets viewed as risky.

As Wall Street’s faith in some of the world’s largest developed countries unraveled, currencies of those nations were hit, with Turkey’s lira falling to a record low against the dollar, and Argentina’s peso down sharply against the U.S. currency.

“We’ve touched off by what’s going on around the world, so to speak, and are reallocating assets from some of the emerging markets into what is thought of as more reliable,” said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade. “It’s a safe parking spot,” Kinahan added of fixed income.

“It appears this is a wait-and-see equity market that lacks near-term conviction, which is understandable after the strong returns of 2013. The market priced in a lot of positive economic news in 2013, and we recently have seen readings that point to some uncertainty,” said Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

Read more from this story HERE.

Judge: Remove Life Support From Pregnant Woman

/1 Comment/in , /by

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Tim Sharp

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Tim Sharp

A judge on Friday ordered a Texas hospital to remove life support for a pregnant, brain-dead woman whose family had argued that she would not want to be kept in that condition.

Judge R. H. Wallace Jr. issued the ruling in the case of Marlise Munoz. John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth has been keeping Munoz on life support against her family’s wishes. The judge gave the hospital until 5 p.m. CST Monday to remove life support. The hospital did not say Friday whether it would appeal.

Munoz was 14 weeks pregnant when her husband, Erick Munoz, found her unconscious Nov. 26, possibly due to a blood clot. Both the hospital and the family agree that she meets the criteria to be considered brain-dead – which means she is dead both medically and under Texas law – and that the fetus could not be born alive this early in a pregnancy.

But the hospital had not pronounced her dead and continues to treat her over the objections of both Erick Munoz and her parents, who sat together in court Friday.

“Mrs. Munoz is dead,” Wallace said in issuing his ruling, adding that meant the hospital was misapplying a state law that prohibits the removal of life-sustaining treatment from a pregnant patient.

Read more from this story HERE.

Homeland Security Secretary: Illegals Have ‘Earned Right to be Citizens’

/10 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)

Photo Credit: CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)

Speaking at the United States Conference of Mayors on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the approximately 11 million people who are in the country illegally have “earned the right to be citizens.”

“An earned path to citizenship for those currently present in this country is a matter of, in my view, homeland security to encourage people to come out from the shadows,” said Johnson, in what he remarked was one of his first public speeches since being confirmed as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief in December.

“It is also, frankly, in my judgment, a matter of who we are as Americans,” he said, “to offer the opportunity to those who want to be citizens, who’ve earned the right to be citizens, who are present in this country–many of whom came here as children–to have the opportunity that we all have to try to become American citizens.”

Johnson, who had earlier served as general counsel for the Department of Defense under Obama from 2009 to 2012, told the more than 270 mayors in attendance that enforcing immigration law was one of the main missions of DHS.

Read more from this story HERE.

Move Over Jared: Michelle Obama Becomes Subway’s Newest Celeb Partner

/8 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: TWT Photo Illustration

Photo Credit: TWT Photo Illustration

They probably won’t promote their 6-inch big hot pastrami sandwich, but the Subway chain of restaurants is partnering with first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to persuade kids to eat healthier meals.

Subway and the first lady’s office announced a three-year commitment Thursday in support of Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign. The sandwich shops will promote efforts aimed at getting children to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Read more from this story HERE.

Top Hill Staffer Dead in Apparent Suicide

/0 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: AP Photo/WJLA TV

Photo Credit: AP Photo/WJLA TV

Ryan Loskarn, the former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander who was charged with possessing and distibuting child pornography last month, was found dead in his home in Maryland of an apparent suicide, law enforcement officials said Friday.

“At approximately 12 p.m. yesterday, Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a private residence in the 6900 block of Kenmar Lane for a report of an unconscious male, believed to be deceased,” the sheriff’s office reported Friday morning. “Family members reported finding 35-year old Jesse Ryan Loskarn unresponsive in his basement where he’d been residing with family since this past December.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that Loskarn may have taken his own life, and his body has since been transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for Autopsy.”

The Maryland state Medical Examiner said later Friday that Loskarn’s death by hanging, initially reported by Politico, had been ruled a suicide.

Loskarn’s parents, Chuck and Gay Loskarn, issued the following statement Friday: “We loved our son very much, and we’re devastated by his death. Please respect our privacy at this difficult time and let us grieve in peace. Pray for him, his family and friends.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Can ObamaCare Survive? Moody’s Slashes Outlook On Insurers

/4 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Thinkstock

Photo Credit: Thinkstock

Credit ratings firm Moody’s Investors Service on Thursday lowered its outlook for health insurers to “negative” from “stable,” citing “uncertainty” swirling around the rollout of President Obama’s health care law.

In a new report, the agency said that the outlook for insurance companies is no longer clear because the law’s insurance exchanges haven’t been attracting enough younger individuals. In addition, Moody’s analysts were concerned that the Obama administration has been changing regulations after insurers had already set prices for the year.

Read more from this story HERE.

Schumer Calls on Obama to Use IRS to Curtail Tea Party Activities

/17 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) proposed using the Internal Revenue Service to curtail Tea Party group funding during a speech on how to “exploit” and “weaken” the movement at the Center for American Progress on Thursday.

Arguing that Tea Party groups have a financial advantage after the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, Schumer said the Obama administration should bypass Congress and institute new campaign finance rules through the IRS.

“It is clear that we will not pass anything legislatively as long as the House of Representatives is in Republican control, but there are many things that can be done administratively by the IRS and other government agencies—we must redouble those efforts immediately,” Schumer said.

“One of the great advantages the Tea Party has is the huge holes in our campaign finance laws created [by] the ill advised decision [Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission],” Schumer said. “Obviously the Tea Party elites gained extraordinary influence by being able to funnel millions of dollars into campaigns with ads that distort the truth and attack government.”

The Obama administration proposed new IRS restrictions on campaign related activity by tax-exempt groups last November. The rules would crack down on “candidate-related political activity,” which includes advocacy “for a clearly identified political candidate or candidates of a political party” and communications that are “made within 60 days of a general election (or within 30 days of a primary election) and clearly identify a candidate or political party.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Ted Cruz Wants to Make Sure You Didn’t Miss Brit Hume’s Epic Anti-Abortion Rant

/17 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: Fox News

Photo Credit: Fox News

Fox News political analyst Brit Hume made a passionate moral argument against abortion on “Special Report” on Wednesday that just may go viral after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) uploaded it on his YouTube channel.

Referencing the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Hume said the Supreme Court decided that a “generalized right to privacy that they basically invented meant that a woman has a constitutional right to snuff out an unborn life — a human being with a beating heart.”

“That’s what a fetus as young as six weeks is,” he added.

Hume expressed shock that, by some estimates, as many as 55 million abortions have occurred since the landmark ruling.

Since 1973, he continued, “science has given us an ever clearer picture of just how much of a baby a fetus is.”

Read more from this story HERE.