Family-Run Business Files With Supreme Court: Stop ‘Unjust’ ObamaCare HHS Mandate

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Photo Credit: LifeNews

Photo Credit: LifeNews

A family-run business filed papers with the Supreme Court today telling the high court that it must stop the “unjust” Obamcare mandate that requires companies to pay for birth control and abortion-causing drugs for their employees.

This is the companion case to the legal challenge the Supreme Court accepted from Hobby Lobby.

Alliance Defending Freedom and allied attorneys representing a Pennsylvania Mennonite family and its woodworking business filed their opening brief with the U.S. Supreme Court Friday in one of two major legal challenges to the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate that the high court agreed in November to hear.

“Unjust laws are not valid laws. The government shouldn’t be allowed to punish Americans for exercising their constitutionally protected freedoms,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel David Cortman. “The administration has no business whatsoever forcing citizens to choose between making a living and living free.”

“Job creators don’t give up their fundamental freedoms when they get a business license,” added Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman. “Every American has a right to fully and freely participate in every area of public life.”

Read more from this story HERE.

DoJ IRS Investigation in the Very Best of Hands

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Suppose you’re President Obama. Who would be your ideal candidate to head up the Justice Department’s investigation into IRS targeting of conservative groups?

How about someone who gave thousands of dollars to your senate campaign as well as your presidential races?

The confidence that the president and AG Holder have in the press ignoring this IRS “investigation” must be so great that they simply don’t care who knows that it’s set up to be a whitewash.
Washington Post:

Two Republican lawmakers and a conservative legal group are questioning the Justice Department’s selection of a Democratic donor to lead the agency’s probe into the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of certain advocacy groups during the 2010 and 2012 election cycles.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) issued a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. on Wednesday demanding the department remove DOJ trial attorney Barbara Bosserman from the case, saying her involvement is “highly inappropriate and has compromised the administration’s investigation of the IRS.”

Read more from this story HERE.

The Islamization of America in 2013

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Photo Credit: breitbart

Photo Credit: breitbart

Since I wrote my book Stop the Islamization of America and established the Stop Islamization of America initiative of my organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), we have seen increasing accommodation and submission to Islam in the United States. This past year was a particularly good year for Islamic supremacists, who are working furiously in this country to impose Sharia (Islamic law) — and in particular, the blasphemy laws under the Sharia.

The Islamic supremacist approach is stealthier here in the States than it is in Europe, where we see no-go zones, mass car burnings, etc., because Europe currently has a much bigger Muslim population than the U.S. does. More on Muslim immigration here.

That kind of aggression is in our future, for nothing is being done to prevent its coming here. The few of us who dare to speak against Sharia and jihad are blacklisted from the mainstream media’s major newspaper and broadcast outlets. Trimmers (those who soften the message about Islam or speak of “Islamism,” an artificial word making a distinction without a difference) and Islamic apologists are dusted off and trotted out to make some inane comment whenever the mainstream media cannot avoid covering a jihad news story (such as the Boston Marathon jihad bombing). But the effective true voices against Islamization, such as myself, Robert Spencer, Wafa Sultan, and Ibn Warraq are rarely seen these days.

It’s never been as bad as it is now, and we have never been proven so right as we were in 2013. In the U.S., in a survey released at the end of 2012, almost half of the Muslims in America said that they thought parodies of Muhammad should be subject to criminal prosecution. One in eight thought that insulting Islam should be a death penalty offense. Forty percent said that they shouldn’t have to obey U.S. laws, but should be subject only to Islamic law.

Read more from this story HERE.

Abortion Data: 40% of Girls Who Have Sex by 14 Have Abortions

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Photo Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay

New demographic analysis of abortion data finds that the bulk of the procedures are on women who had sex in their teens, some as early as 12, drawing new attention to how sex impacts America’s youth.

The Family Research Council on Friday revealed some of the details in a release to Secrets to promote an upcoming family policy lecture that will include longtime abortion foe Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J.

Among the details:

– Rather than the one-third of women commonly cited by abortion supporters as having obtained an abortion, the number is one-sixth.

Read more from this story HERE.

Children Who Watch Too Much TV May Have ‘Damaged Brain Structures’

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Photo Credit: A. Chedorros Onoky/Corbis

Photo Credit: A. Chedorros Onoky/Corbis

Watching too much television can change the structure of a child’s brain in a damaging way, according to a new study.

Researchers found that the more time a child spent viewing TV, the more profound the brain alterations appeared to be.

The Japanese study looked at 276 children aged between five and 18, who watched between zero and four hours TV per day, with the average being about two hours.

MRI brain scans showed children who spent the most hours in front of the box had greater amounts of grey matter in regions around the frontopolar cortex – the area at the front of the frontal lobe.

But this increased volume was a negative thing as it was linked with lower verbal intelligence, said the authors, from Tohoku University in the city of Sendai.

Read more from this story HERE.

Americans, 8-1, Oppose Immunity For Foreign Diplomats

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Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mohammed Jaffer

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mohammed Jaffer

Americans have had it with foreign diplomats breaking U.S. laws and then receiving a “get out of jail free” pass, according to a new poll that shows overwhelming opposition to the practice of giving lawbreakers stationed at the United Nations and Washington embassies diplomatic immunity.

The new YouGov poll bolsters the State Department’s Dec. 12 arrest and strip search of a top Indian diplomat charged with falsifying visa information for her Indian maid and paying her pauper’s wages of $600 a month despite promises of $4,500 a month.

The prosecution of Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York City, has roiled U.S.-India relations. Images of President Obama have been burned in New Delhi. Khobragade has denied the charges, even claiming that her maid had tried to blackmail her.

India claims she has diplomatic immunity, but federal officials said that the rights to foreign officials only extends to their governmental duties.

On Friday, Khobragade flew back to New Delhi after she was indicted then granted diplomatic immunity from visa fraud charges.

Read more from this story HERE.

America Cannot Heed This Sirens’ Song And Hope to Remain Free

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800px-Declaration_independenceIncome inequality is once again the rallying cry for Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Mark Begich and the Democrats for this election cycle.

None of us should be surprised. Candidate Barack Obama in 2008 revealed the central tenet of his governing philosophy to a famous plumber with a good first name, “I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”
 
Though Barack Obama lied to the American people about keeping their healthcare and their doctors, in this instance he told truth. He and the Democrats have spread the wealth around and when there was not enough in the Treasury to meet our current obligations, they borrowed and printed trillions more and spread it too.
 
Here in Alaska Mark Begich runs ads about being “as independent as Alaska.” What he must mean is his actions in Washington are independent of his rhetoric at home.
 
Big Government Begich holsters a rubber stamp with a big fat “YES” on it: ObamaCare, Yes; trillion dollar stimulus bill, Yes; for the nuclear option to end the filibuster and push radical nominees through the senate, Yes; for nearly $8 trillion in new debt since taking office a mere 5 years ago, Yes; Voting 91 percent of the time with Harry Reid and the Democrats, YES! So much for being an independent voice for Alaska.
 
Margaret Thatcher wisely observed, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” And Ronald Reagan said that it always leads to “shared scarcity.”
 
You and I both know a diminishing future is not the calling or destiny of America. We didn’t declare our independence from Great Britain only to become dependent on the federal government to run our lives. We declared independence from Great Britain precisely because it was trying to undermine our economic and political freedom. We believed, and still must believe, that all are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 
 
Any success or prosperity we are experiencing as a nation now is because of the foundation laid at the beginning. We are still riding on the momentum of what our Founding Fathers set in motion. The promise of America is equality of opportunity for the people to exercise their God-given talents, not equality of outcome.
 
We cannot allow our nation to be lured by the sirens’ song that you can have liberty and big government socialism too. The two are mutually exclusive. 
 
If you use the force of government to guarantee a certain outcome for everyone, you discourage the people from whom you take the money from working harder and taking risks and you encourage the people to whom you give the money to work less. The lesson of history is unmistakable. You end up with a far poorer society, and one in which power shifts primarily from the people to make choices to the government.
 
That is why I decided to run for the U.S. Senate. I cannot stand by and watch the American experiment in liberty die.

As Ronald Reagan once exhorted, it is time to begin the hard work of getting government back within its means and exercising less control over our daily lives. On these two principles, let there be no compromise.
 
Thank you for your friendship and support, 

Joe Miller, Candidate
United States Senate

Does the Constitution Force Bakers to Bake?

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Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Several recent court cases have resulted in small business owners, who create the wares and services that they sell, being ordered by a judge to sell their custom-made products (e.g., wedding cakes and floral arrangements) or services (e.g., wedding photography) to gay couples despite the small business owners’ refusal to do so based on their religious principles.

If the business in question sold standard, mass-produced items, such as rings, then denying gay couples the right to purchase such things would be clearly discriminatory in the same way that a realtor would be discriminating if they refused to show a house that was for sale to any and all interested potential buyers. The sexual orientation of the buyers should not be an issue in that sort of transaction.

However, the sensitivities of gay couples who claim to feel slighted is not the real issue. The plaintiff in a recent wedding cake related suit, one David Mullins, is reported to have said:

Being denied service by Masterpiece Cakeshop [the defendant] was offensive and dehumanizing especially in the midst of arranging what should be a joyful family celebration.

While vigorously defending the plaintiffs’ claims that they have a right not to be offended, the judge, the ACLU, and others in the LGBT community seem to be ignoring (in this particular case) the rights of the baker who chose not to fulfill the plaintiffs’ request. Most people would immediately think of the 1st Amendment’s protection of freedom of religion, but in truth that is not the most relevant part of the Constitution here. It is the 13th Amendment, Section 1, which should be the controlling part of the legal debate in this situation.

Read more from this story HERE.

Christie Apologizes Over Lane Closures, Fires Top Aide (+video)

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Photo Credit: Fox News

Photo Credit: Fox News

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie publicly apologized Thursday for controversial lane closures last year that were arranged by his associates as an apparent act of political revenge, and fired a top aide who was at the center of the scandal.

“I come out here to apologize to the people of New Jersey,” he said. “I am embarrassed and humiliated.”

The governor added: “I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here.”

The governor is trying to get a handle on the scandal, which could threaten the potential 2016 presidential candidate’s political aspirations. He’s also facing various legal inquiries. The U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey confirmed Thursday that it is now “reviewing” the matter to “determine whether a federal law was implicated.”

Christie stressed Thursday that he was not involved and that while his political style is tough, “I am not a bully.” He said repeatedly that he was betrayed by his staff.

Read more from this story HERE.

Steyn: Global Warming’s Glorious Ship of Fools

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Photo Credit: Spectator.co.uk

Photo Credit: Spectator.co.uk

Yes, yes, just to get the obligatory ‘of courses’ out of the way up front: of course ‘weather’ is not the same as ‘climate’; and of course the thickest iciest ice on record could well be evidence of ‘global warming’, just as 40-and-sunny and a 35-below blizzard and 12 degrees and partly cloudy with occasional showers are all apparently manifestations of ‘climate change’; and of course the global warm-mongers are entirely sincere in their belief that the massive carbon footprint of their rescue operation can be offset by the planting of wall-to-wall trees the length and breadth of Australia, Britain, America and continental Europe.

But still: you’d have to have a heart as cold and unmovable as Commonwealth Bay ice not to be howling with laughter at the exquisite symbolic perfection of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition ‘stuck in our own experiment’, as they put it. I confess I was hoping it might all drag on a bit longer and the cultists of the ecopalypse would find themselves drawing straws as to which of their number would be first on the roasting spit. On Douglas Mawson’s original voyage, he and his surviving comrade wound up having to eat their dogs. I’m not sure there were any on this expedition, so they’d probably have to make do with the Guardian reporters. Forced to wait a year to be rescued, Sir Douglas later recalled, ‘Several of my toes commenced to blacken and fester near the tips.’ Now there’s a man who’s serious about reducing his footprint.

But alas, eating one’s shipmates and watching one’s extremities drop off one by one is not a part of today’s high-end eco-doom tourism. Instead, the ice-locked warmists uploaded chipper selfies to YouTube, as well as a self-composed New Year singalong of such hearty un-self-awareness that it enraged even such party-line climate alarmists as Andrew Revkin, the plonkingly earnest enviro-blogger of the New York Times. A mere six weeks ago, pumping out the usual boosterism, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that, had Captain Scott picked his team as carefully as Professor Chris Turney, he would have survived. Sadly, we’ll never know — although I’ll bet Captain Oates would have been doing his ‘I am going out. I may be some time’ line about eight bars into that New Year number.

Read more from this story HERE.