Why This Virginia Tech Student Went on a Hunger Strike for Gun Rights

A Virginia Tech student, currently on a hunger strike advocating for the allowance of concealed weapons on campus, wants the right of self-defense abided by on his college campus.

“I am advocating for Virginia concealed gun permit holders to be able to carry concealed on campus and in buildings and in the classrooms,” Ryan James Martin, a fifth-year senior studying English and biological sciences at the Virginia university, told The Daily Signal in a phone conversation. “The hunger strike aspect of it was really designed to call attention to the issue.”

Martin, 22, started his hunger strike Sept. 25 at 11:59 p.m. and plans to carry the strike through Friday, Sept. 30, at the conclusion of University President Timothy Sands’ first State of the University Address set to start at 3 p.m. Eastern time.

The Virginia Tech campus is a gun-free zone.

Martin, a concealed carry permit holder in the state of Virginia, said that on his campus no one is allowed to carry Nerf guns or even pepper spray.

“The only legal weapon we’re really allowed to have is a less than four-inch pocket knife and our fists,” he said.

Martin said he has graduated from Virginia Tech’s student police academy, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office’s citizen’s police academy, and is currently in the Blacksburg Police Department’s citizens police academy program.

“Just because I have a gun on me does not make me an evil assailant,” Martin said.

“Just because I have a gun on me does not make me an evil assailant.” —Ryan James Martin, a Virginia Tech student

Martin said he has had his concealed carry permit for a little over a year and said he has passed state and federal background checks multiple times and is also a firearms instructor.

“I take [students] to our local firearm range free of charge and teach them how to shoot safely and effectively,” Martin said.

Martin said that in January he requested a meeting with Sands, the university president, and the university’s Board of Visitors to discuss concealed carry on campus. The meeting was never granted, he said.

Martin sent an email on Sept. 23 to Sands, college deans, community leaders, and local media explaining the hunger strike.

“Our campus is not immune to the ever-increasing acts of violence and terror that happen every day,” Martin wrote in the email to The Daily Signal. “We should know best—it has been 3,447 days since we inherited the title of deadliest college campus in the nation, yet students are still forbidden from even carrying pepper spray as per university regulation.” His email added:

Further, I will be on the steps of Burruss Hall every morning, and every other chance I am able next week, to read aloud the Constitution and Bill of Rights which seem to be ignored on my campus.

“Virginia Tech respects any student’s right to civil protest, provided that person abides by our Principles of Community and incurs no harm to self or others,” Mark Owczarski, assistant vice president for university relations at Virginia Tech, wrote in an email to The Daily Signal.

The university did not comment as to why Sands and the Board of Visitors did not meet with Martin.

In April 2007, 32 students and staff were killed by a gunman in the Virginia Tech massacre in Blacksburg, Virginia.

“What we saw on April 16, 2007, almost 10 years ago, is that 32 students and faculty members were killed, many others shot while they waited for a little over 10 minutes for law enforcement to arrive and the threat was neutralized,” Martin said.

“I truly believe that if one of those individuals had legally possessed a concealed firearm, we’d have less than 32 memorial stones on the Drillfield today,” he said, adding:

I’ve been called many names for claiming that, but in all honestly we’ll never know because they weren’t allowed self-defense that day and we saw what happened. It’s a tough issue. It is sensitive, but we need to talk about it. We need to find some solutions to the problems we face as a campus of 30,000 students.

In Virginia, along with 22 other states, a college or university makes the decision whether to ban or allow concealed carry on campus, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Eight states—Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin—have provisions allowing concealed weapons to be carried by students on public higher education campuses.

To obtain a concealed carry handgun permit in Virginia, a person must be 21 years of age or older or a member of the military.

Employees, students, volunteers, and visitors at Virginia Tech “reported or discovered to possess a firearm or weapon on university property will be asked to remove it immediately,” the university’s policy on weapons states. “Failure to comply may result in a student conduct referral and/or arrest, or an employee disciplinary action and/or arrest.”

Exemptions from the policy include certified and sworn police officers or when participating in programs sponsored by the on-campus police department such as the police academy.

This week, Martin said he has limited his hunger strike diet to consist of liquid intake and regular medicine and multivitamins.

Over 34 hours into his strike, “at this point, I’m surprisingly not even hungry,” Martin told The Daily Signal Tuesday morning.

Martin said he possibly will strike longer than Friday if Sands does not contact him, but already considers the hunger strike a success because he’s “got the conversation on campus going.” (For more from the author of “Why This Virginia Tech Student Went on a Hunger Strike for Gun Rights” please click HERE)

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Satanism Rise Fresh Sign of U.S. Fall From God

Elementary schools forced by the government to allow “Satan Clubs” on school grounds. Statues of Baphomet are erected in major American cities. And a national headquarters for the “Satanic Temple” in Salem, Massachusetts, famous for its “witch trials” during colonial times.

Has America gone to the devil? Christian leaders are speaking out – and they are reluctantly saying it has.

Karl Payne, pastor of leadership development at Antioch Bible Church and the former chaplain of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, said the rise of devil worship is an ominous development.

“Historian Arnold Toynbee famously declared countries crumble from within,” he said. “I believe we are nearing the end of that same course in our country that once represented a light of hope and freedom to the world.”

Payne, the author of “Spiritual Warfare: Christians, Demonization and Deliverance,” said America is no longer a Christian nation. And Christians need to wake up. (Read more from “Satanism Rise Fresh Sign of U.S. Fall From God” HERE)

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Pro-Lifers Protest, Pray as D.C. Planned Parenthood Headquarters Opens

After months of legal wrangling and pro-life prayer and protests, Planned Parenthood’s new D.C. headquarters and abortion center opened on Monday.

But pro-lifers aren’t giving up. A Sunday evening prayer vigil (disclosure: the vigil was attended by this reporter) drew approximately 30 people, and two events on Monday drew many more. And Lauren Handy, the full-time, self-described “Barefoot Activist,” will remain at the center after others have gone home, praying for women to choose life.

“It’s time to move from outrage to action. I refuse to celebrate the scourge of abortion and I hope our community reflects that as well,” Handy told The Stream. Larry Cirignano, Virginia Director for American Catholics for Religious Freedom and the D.C. representative at Choose Life license plates, noted that the center was built with taxpayer money, and declared it “government waste, fraud and abuse at its worst.”

The center has drawn controversy not just for its abortions and Planned Parenthood’s proven and alleged law-breaking across the country. Its location next to a popular charter school just down the street from homes has led to controversy within the community. Late last year, the school filed a lawsuit against several pro-life advocates it claims intimidated parents and children, and trespassed on school property.

One of those advocates, a felon with mental issues who had planned to bomb an abortion center in Maryland a decade ago, has agreed to stay away from the clinic. However, Handy, who is also named in the lawsuit, hasn’t let it stop her from peacefully attempting to save lives.

She criticized the Monday evening gala held by Planned Parenthood to celebrate the center’s opening, saying,“While Planned Parenthood wines and dines tonight, women and children living on the streets go hungry.”

Planned Parenthood received over $500 million from taxpayers in 2015, despite allegedly using illegal abortions to illegally sell fetal body parts. Many of its affiliates have been accused of breaking myriad state and federal laws, such as an Alabama law requiring health organizations to report possible abuse of minors.

In that case, an abortion center in Mobile, Alabama gave a 14-year old girl two abortions in four months. A state official told LifeSiteNews that he and other officials believe the abortion center did not intend to violate state law.

The new headquarters in the Nation’s Capital replaced one across town that closed last year. Pro-life activism delayed the opening of the new center, which was supposed to open this past spring, by several months. (For more from the author of “Pro-Lifers Protest, Pray as D.C. Planned Parenthood Headquarters Opens” please click HERE)

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Eight Months After Abortion Flap, Lands’ End CEO Out

Almost eight months after angering activists on both sides of the abortion fight and losing at least two religious schools as customers, Lands’ End CEO Federica Marchionni is stepping down.

In a press release, the clothing retailer’s Board Chairman Josephine Linden said that Marchionni’s “creative vision has helped Lands’ End begin its transformation as a global lifestyle brand with a broader merchandise offering that is more relevant in today’s marketplace. Federica is stepping down at this time, leaving Lands’ End well positioned to continue its evolution and capture the growth opportunities that exist for our iconic brand in this dynamic retail environment.”

According to Marchionni, “I am honored to have led this extraordinary company and proud to have succeeded in providing a vision to expand its positioning in the industry with a multi-dimensional strategy.”

Marchionni was hired in early 2015 to revamp Lands’ End’s struggling brand; the company’s valuation dropped from $1.9 billion in 2002 to $780 million last year. Market Watch shows that the company’s stock has dropped precipitously in the last two years, from over $55 per share in late 2014 to less than $16 per share today, and as low as $14.03 in the last year.

This spring Lands’ End ignited an uproar in the pro-life community when it promoted abortion feminist icon Gloria Steinem in its Easter catalog. The decision cost the company business from at least two schools, and pro-life outrage convinced its executives to apologize and pull Marchionni’s interview with Steinem off of its website.

The reversal made things worse, from the company’s perspective — abortion supporters slammed Lands’ End on social media and traditional news outlets, leading several branding and public relations experts to call the controversy an unforced error.

The stock price dropped in late April, and hasn’t recovered. Over the summer, Marchionni told the abortion-backing fashion magazine Marie Claire that she didn’t regret bringing “women’s equality” into the public eye, though she did say abortion promotion was not intended with the Easter catalog. (For more from the author of “Eight Months After Abortion Flap, Lands’ End CEO Out” please click HERE)

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House Debates Protections for Babies Born Alive After Attempted Abortions

An abortion survivor urged Americans to “wake up” to the reality that some babies born alive after an attempted abortion are left to die, the survivor testified at a hearing on Capitol Hill last week.

“Many Americans have no idea that babies can even live through abortions and are often left to die, but this does happen,” Gianna Jessen, 39, said at the hearing. “I know this, because I was born alive in an abortion clinic after being burned in my mother’s womb for 18 hours.”

Jessen, who has cerebral palsy due to her attempted abortion, added at a House Judiciary Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee hearing on Sept. 23:

My medical records clearly state the following: Born during saline abortion … Apart from Jesus himself, the only reason I am alive is the fact that the abortionist had not yet arrived at work that morning. Had he been there, he would have ended my life by strangulation, suffocation, or simply leaving me there to die.

“Often when I’m in the midst of abortion advocates, they never can answer this one question and it is this: If abortion is merely about women’s rights, then what were mine?” Jessen said.

In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, making it illegal to kill any babies born alive.

“Unfortunately, incidents involving born-alive children being killed after an attempted abortion have continued after this law [was passed] and into the present,” Arina Grossu, director for the Center of Human Dignity at the Family Research Council, testified at the hearing. Grossu’s written testimony says:

Abortionist Kermit Gosnell operated his dirty and dangerous Philadelphia abortion business and committed horrendous crimes in Philadelphia for over three decades. … His heinous and murderous practices of snipping the spines of born-alive children were only discovered by accident when federal and state authorities raided his facility in 2010, not because he was illegally killing born-alive infants, but because of his illegal prescription drug activity.

Grossu says Gosnell is “not an outlier.”

“Not one person to date has been charged or convicted under the current federal [Born-Alive Infants Protection Act] law,” Grossu testified.

The House passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., in September 2015. An identical bill in the Senate, introduced by Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

“The abortion industry has labored for all of these decades to convince the world that unborn children and born children should be completely separated in our minds, that while born children are persons worthy of protection, unborn children are not persons and are not worthy of protection,” Franks, chairman of the subcommittee, said at the hearing.

Franks’ legislation would protect the rights of infants born alive after an abortion and leave criminal consequences for health care professionals who violate the law. The legislation would also require proper medical care be given by the health care practitioner present when an infant is born alive.

The legislation “explicitly requires health care practitioners to treat born-alive abortion survivors with the same care they would treat any other born-alive baby and admit such babies immediately to a hospital.” The law would also hold abortionists accountable for killing born-alive infants, Grossu testified.

President Barack Obama’s administration “strongly opposes” the passage of this bill, according to a statement from September 2015.

“The White House has promised that it would veto the born-alive legislation, citing it would have a ‘chilling’ effect,” Grossu testified. “I cannot think of a more chilling effect than continuing to let U.S. abortionists commit infanticide.”

Grossu urged support for the legislation to stop infanticide, or intentionally killing an infant child, in the United States.

The Hyde Amendment, also under examination at the hearing, prohibits the use of certain taxpayer dollars in abortion cases, except in rape, incest, or to save the mother’s life.

“Today we will hear testimony on existing statutory language prohibiting taxpayer funding from paying for the taking of the lives of preborn children through abortion,” Franks said. “There is concern that the Obama administration or a potential Clinton administration may intend to reinterpret the plain and longstanding meaning of the Hyde Amendment.”

The Hyde Amendment, an appropriations policy rider that has been passed each year since 1976, has its 40th anniversary this week.

“As a black woman, I am outraged that the morally bankrupt Hyde Amendment has been permitted to persist for so long,” Kierra Johnson, executive director of Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, testified. “It is a source of pain for many women and should be a source of shame for those who support it.”

“The Hyde Amendment prevents women from even being able to make a decision about their health care,” Johnson said.

While Genevieve Plaster, a senior policy analyst at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, a pro-life nonprofit organization, testified that the Hyde Amendment has saved over 2 million lives since 1976, or approximately 60,000 lives per year.

“America was founded on the concept that our rights come from God,” Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said at the hearing. “When our rights come from God, how would it be possible that those rights would confer a right to kill a baby?” (For more from the author of “House Debates Protections for Babies Born Alive After Attempted Abortions” please click HERE)

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Hey, Hollywood, Want Better Emmy Ratings? Start by Cutting the Liberal Crap

The 2016 Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, brought in the lowest ratings of all time. People thought the disaster last year — hosted by Andy Samberg — was bad, but this year was far worse. The Emmys drew in 11.9 million viewers. Last year, it was 15.6 million. This year was lower than 1990, when the Emmys made its first appearance on Fox and attracted 12.3 million viewers.

Award shows, for the most part, have become a cesspool of left-wing propaganda that it’s no wonder so many people are tuning out. Would you want to watch a show where your political ideology was routinely ridiculed and mocked for the sake of stroking the political feelings of other performers in the audience?

The producers of the Emmys may want to take a look at the possibility of letting presenters and recipients know that politics should be left at home. There is a strong likelihood some of the celebrities would object to the point of threatening not to attend, but so what? Would the producers rather have seven to eight million more people watching the telecast or spend time assuaging the feelings of a handful of celebrities who think awards shows are their own personal political platforms?

It starts with the host, and while Jimmy Kimmel was happy to poke fun at Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton went unscathed. Jokes made at the expense of politicians are nothing new but when all the jokes focus on only one side, people will notice.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus in accepting her Emmy award brought everybody tears with a touching tribute to her father who had died only days before. However, she couldn’t resist taking a shot at Trump when she said, “Our show started out as a political satire, but it now feels more like a sobering documentary. So I certainly do promise to rebuild that wall and make Mexico pay for it.”

Jill Soloway, creator of “Transparent,” won the award for Best Directing in a Comedy Series. She finished off her speech by shouting, “Down with the patriarchy!” and then launched into anti-Trump tirade backstage where she said,

He needs to be called out at every chance he gets for being one of the most dangerous monsters to ever approach our lifetimes. He’s a complete dangerous monster, and any moment that I have to call Trump out for being an inheritor to Hitler, I will.

That’s a tad melodramatic. People certainly have differing opinions on Trump, but the idea he is anywhere akin to a man who set in motion events that resulted in the extermination of six million people is asinine.

If the commentary from performers wasn’t anti-Trump, they were certainly happy to express their fondness for Hillary Clinton. Courtney B. Vance, who won for his portrayal of Johnny Cochrane in “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” ended his acceptance speech saying, “Obama out! Hillary in!”

Kate McKinnon, who has done a masterful job portraying Hillary Clinton on “Saturday Night Live,” won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She accepted her award and thanked Hillary Clinton personally. Despite her spot-on portrayal, she is a Clinton supporter. Hillary Clinton congratulated McKinnon on Twitter.

A lot of viewers simply aren’t going to tolerate this kind of blatant politicking on an awards show when it is so one-sided. The producers need to be aware of that. They need to stop operating under the assumption that conservatives don’t watch any of these shows and therefore aren’t going to tune in, regardless. It’s not true.

People, including conservatives, like to see their favorite television shows, movies, and musical performers win awards for their work. It’s the blatant left-wing politics they can do without. If producers put an end to that, they’d likely see their ratings increase substantially. (For more from the author of “Hey, Hollywood, Want Better Emmy Ratings? Start by Cutting the Liberal Crap” please click HERE)

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Concerns Over Hillary’s Health Increasing as Parkinson’s Rumors Surface

The American presidency may be the world’s most demanding job, aging presidents twice as fast as the general population, and there are increasing concerns that Hillary Clinton may not be up to it. Clinton, 68, has had several medical issues in recent years.

During one such incident, while being interviewed by reporters, her head started shaking violently for several seconds. At other times, she has lapsed into blank stares and lost her focus. She admits she has fallen or passed out more than once. Even this week, questions were raised by The Hill about abnormal eye movements during a speech last week in Philadelphia.

Clinton’s Health

Clinton’s health is negatively affecting her campaigning. She recently canceled trips to California, sending her husband Bill Clinton in her place to headline Hollywood fundraisers. She went 257 days without holding a single press conference over the past year, only resuming them a few weeks ago. She has missed events that presidential candidates would normally participate in, such as visiting the flood-ravaged areas of Louisiana in August.

Some suspect Clinton and her staff are covering up the seriousness of her health problems. After she collapsed near Ground Zero after leaving a ceremony for the 15th anniversary of 9-11, her doctor, Lisa Bardack, released a letter assuring the public that Clinton was in good health and had merely suffered the effects of pneumonia. Bardack, chair of internal medicine at CareMount Medical in Mount Kisco, New York, asserted that Clinton was fit to serve as president. She said a CAT scan of Clinton’s brain in March revealed no abnormalities.

However, not all doctors agree with the clean bill of health. The pro-Clinton New York Times reported that “doctors not connected with the candidate’s care say that the letters omit basic information like height and weight, and that a more detailed history of her blood clots and a 2012 concussion should be disclosed.”

In the article, a clinical professor of medicine at New York University, Lawrence K. Altman, explained that Clinton has “had serious medical problems in recent years.” His review of her health issues covered her recent pneumonia, her history of blood clots, the medications she’s taking, recovery from the 2012 concussion and her cardiac health. It revealed areas for concern, including her not having public neuropsychological exams, but no serious medical problems.

But the problems Altman highlighted are not the only concerns about Clinton’s health.

A Neurological Disorder?

An increasing number of doctors are suggesting that Clinton’s symptoms appear to indicate a neurological disorder, most likely Parkinson’s Disease. Dr. Lee Hieb, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in spinal surgery, explained to WND that people who faint from the usual causes, like low blood pressure and heat stress, “slump limply,” but Clinton “is rigid and in spinal extension.”

Further, “Any doctor who has treated pneumonia can affirm that if you are sick enough to pass out, you are not going to recover in an hour to become a smiling, waving Hillary exiting her daughter’s condo.” The bobbing of her head and the exaggerated eye and facial movement are both seen in late Parkinson’s patients, he continued.

Parkinson’s patients are notorious for falling during “freeze” episodes because they cannot initiate movement to catch their balance. … People with Parkinson’s very frequently have dementia, cognitive deficits (reasoning problems), mood alterations and can have anger issues.

Dr. Erika Schwartz, who treats women’s health, similarly noted on KABC’s Midday Live how strange it was that Clinton was seen a few hours after her September 11 fall waving and talking to people outside her daughter Chelsea’s apartment. “You don’t tend to see the kind of recovery [after a fall due to pneumonia] that Mrs. Clinton seemed to exhibit that day,” Schwartz remarked.

Dr. Ted Noel, former director of the NovaMed Surgery Center in Orlando, writes on his website, “Hillary Clinton has had Parkinson’s Disease for at least ten years. She has known it for all of that time. Her campaign shows a complete disregard for America in the pursuit of personal graft.” He says during a short news video he created, “Everything … fits the theory,” he said. “Video evidence is solid. [There’s] strong evidence of having advanced Parkinson’s disease.”

Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet, who treats women’s health, also echoed this concern. Orient told Breitbart that Clinton’s neurocognitive functioning is the biggest concern when it comes to Clinton’s health. In the same article, Vliet noted that Altman’s summary of Clinton’s medical issues in the Times didn’t even go far enough. He “doesn’t address the abnormal movements we have seen on multiple public videos of events where she is speaking.”

What else do we know about the Democratic nominee’s health? Something, if we accept everything in her doctor’s letter, but there’s also a lot we don’t know.

Concussion

Clinton suffered a concussion in 2012. She apparently contracted a stomach virus after foreign travel which dehydrated her, causing her to faint. She fell down in her bathroom and hit her head on the toilet. After she was treated, a blood clot (her third, see below for the history of the first two) was discovered in one of the main veins connected to her brain.

Bill Clinton said her concussion “required six months of very serious work to get over,” but — as Altman points out — Clinton’s doctor said she recovered in only two months. Bardack also said the concussion and clots were completely resolved by 2013.

Similarly, Dr. Jamie Wells, MD, FAAP, a Board-Certified physician and Director of Medicine at the American Council on Science and Health, notes, “As we have seen with football players and other people with head injuries, traumatic brain injury does not always just ‘go away.’” Orient noted how Clinton telling the FBI she forgot several things may be evidence of lingering damage.

Altman noted that head injuries may hasten dementia. They are also considered a possible risk factor for Parkinson’s.

Blood Clots and Phlebitis

Clinton suffered her first blood clot in 1998 while First Lady. It developed in her calf, which is known as phlebitis. Her second blood clot, in 2009, also afflicted her calf, causing it to swell. She refused to be hospitalized as doctors recommended, citing the rigors of campaigning.

In 2012, a third blood clot, known as a transverse sinus venous thrombosis since it developed in her brain, forced her to spend a few days in the hospital and take a month off work. She takes Coumadin, a powerful blood thinner, for the clots. Also known as warfarin or Jantoven, it comes with its own additional set of risks. If a patient gets a cut or takes the medication improperly, it can cause heavy bleeding. Some of the possible side effects are so serious they require immediate medical attention. In addition to heavy bleeding, they include dizziness or weakness, bruising without a cut, and red or brown urine, among others.

Pneumonia

An anonymous board certified internist writing at Powerline thinks it’s more likely that Clinton has aspiration pneumonia, where food or liquid gets into the lungs, than a neurological condition. He says this “raises profoundly troubling implications for her possible election as president.” Unlike regular pneumonia, “This is especially worrisome because it is likely to recur given the underlying, usually incurable disease process and because it can be a life-threatening event.”

Sinus and Ear Infection

Clinton developed a sinus and ear infection last winter. As a result of progressive pain in her left ear, a myringotomy tube was placed in her left ear. Myringotomy is considered minor surgery, but it requires general anesthesia.

Lingering Cough

Last year, Clinton started coughing frequently during debates and interviews. Her doctor asserts it is allergy related, but it could also be a symptom of Parkinson’s Disease, since those afflicted sometimes have difficulty clearing their throat due to lack of motor control.

Lingering Concerns

Clinton has a sluggish thyroid, known as hypothroidism, for which she takes medication. In 2009, she slipped inside a government garage and fractured her elbow — another fall.

She still has not released her medical records from her White House years, which could reveal even more serious issues.

While she has released more medical records than Donald Trump, he hasn’t shown any signs of serious health problems. Trump’s doctor, Harold Bornstein, issued a letter stating that the presidential candidate is in “excellent physical health.”

Clinton’s defenders are trying to discredit questions about her health as “conspiracy theories.” She can continue denying she has serious health problems, but if she really does have them, she will not be able to hide them forever. Dr. Wells observes, “Dr. Bardack is ethically bound not to violate the expressed privacy wishes of her patient but she is also responsible for not making false claims.”

Since early ballots are already being mailed in parts of the country, it is unlikely the Democrats will replace Clinton with another presidential candidate. If she does have Parkinson’s, the disease will progress. At stage three of Parkinson’s, falling becomes more frequent, and the disease “significantly affects daily tasks at this stage.”

Stage four may require a walker. According to Healthline, “Many people are unable to live alone at this stage of Parkinson’s because of significant decreases in movement and reaction times. Living alone at stage 4 or later may make many daily tasks impossible, and can be extremely dangerous.” If Clinton does have this debilitating disease, there is a very good chance if elected president she will not be able to complete her term, requiring her vice-presidential pick Tim Kaine to relieve her as president.

On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton was asked by reporter Sarin Fazan of ABC News’ Tampa affiliate WFTS whether she would, as some doctors have suggested, take neurocognitive tests. She laughed off the suggestion.

Regardless of what may be ailing Secretary Clinton we pray for her health, that she receives the proper treatment and that she will trust the American people enough to share with them the truth. (For more from the author of “Concerns Over Hillary’s Health Increasing as Parkinson’s Rumors Surface” please click HERE)

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A GOP Congress Should Not Give Planned Parenthood Another Dime of Taxpayer Money

Planned Parenthood has once again proven it does two things exceedingly well—ending innocent human lives in the womb for a fee, and getting American taxpayers to subsidize its operations.

How else to explain Congress making America’s No. 1 abortion provider eligible for new funding when it already gets over a half-billion dollars (yes, billion) in taxpayer money per year?

The House version of the continuing resolution, a short-term government spending measure, provided $95 million in health care funds to address the Zika emergency. But it effectively limited grant recipients to Medicaid providers in Florida and Puerto Rico.

This meant that Planned Parenthood clinics in Florida would have been guaranteed funding, but its Puerto Rico partner, Profamilia, would not because it did not qualify under Medicaid rules.

This was unacceptable to congressional Democrats who threatened a shutdown fight over this one abortion provider that runs six clinics. The subsequent Senate version of the continuing resolution dropped the Medicaid requirement and allows Profamilia access to Zika funds, but seems to leave the question of who ultimately gets funding in the hands of Florida and Puerto Rico health authorities.

Because Florida cut off Planned Parenthood funding under Medicaid this year (only to be overturned by a liberal judge), there is at least some hope that it will direct all Zika funds to life-affirming health centers instead of abortion clinics.

But Puerto Rico? The place that once boasted of the highest female sterilization rate in the world because of the coercive teamwork between Planned Parenthood and the Puerto Rican government? We already know Planned Parenthood and its allies are willing to hold emergency Zika funding hostage over a handful of clinics, so it would be the height of naïveté to think that the master of working the system would not find a way to get its typical cut of the money if given the chance.

Instead of allowing Planned Parenthood access to new federal funding streams, Congress should be closing the spigot entirely. For example, when videos of alleged corruption and illegal voter fraud surfaced around the notorious left-wing group known as ACORN, Congress promptly defunded it. The same logic applies to Planned Parenthood, especially after undercover videos raised serious questions over whether its affiliates were illegally profiting from selling organs of unborn babies.

Thankfully, we still have landmark laws like the Hyde Amendment that prevent direct taxpayer funding of abortion. But while Planned Parenthood fights for Hyde’s repeal, it has used every trick in the book to get federal money by trying to pretend that its core business is anything but industrial-scale abortion.

Congress should not make Planned Parenthood eligible for a raise. Rather, it should bar Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from health care funding up front and redirect it to more comprehensive and life-affirming health care providers. Such a move would reflect the simple fact the Planned Parenthood has long since disqualified itself from taxpayer money because of its callous disregard for innocent human life. (For more from the author of “A GOP Congress Should Not Give Planned Parenthood Another Dime of Taxpayer Money” please click HERE)

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Congressional Panel Recommends the House Hold StemExpress in Contempt

Former Planned Parenthood fetal harvesting partner StemExpress should be held in contempt of Congress, according to Republicans on a panel investigating the fetal harvesting industry.

The House Select Panel on Infant Lives’ vote was based upon a report Republicans say outlines cause to hold StemExpress and its CEO Cate Dyer in contempt for not responding to the Panel’s subpoenas and other requests and demands for information, including accounting records. The recommendation for contempt was successful, 8-0, after the Panel’s six Democrats staged a walk-out.

“Nearly one year ago our Panel was established and given the important task of investigating very disturbing allegations that some abortion clinics and middleman procurement organizations, including StemExpresss, were violating federal law by profiting from the sale of human fetal tissue,” said Panel Chair Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) in a statement after the vote. “In order to determine if these entities were in violation of federal law or if the relevant statute needs to be updated, our Panel must review all accounting and banking records.”

The Panel issued requests, then subpoenas, to StemExpress, starting in December 2015. Subpoenas were issued starting in early 2016, according to a timeline provided to the press by the Panel. A final attempt to contact StemExpress’ lawyer was made in early September.

“Nine months is enough time for an entity to produce accounting documents,” said Blackburn. “A subpoena is not a suggestion. It is a lawful order that must be complied with. If StemExpress continues to obstruct, then we will work with House leadership to determine the necessary next steps.”

For its part, StemExpress said in a statement that it has complied with the Panel’s investigation. “StemExpress offered to testify before the Select Panel, but this offer was ignored. Several House and Senate Committees have reviewed our accounting records and closed their investigations. We have provided hundreds of documents to the Select Panel, including accounting records, both voluntarily and in response to subpoenas.”

A spokesperson for StemExpress did not answer The Stream’s follow-up question about whether the company had explicitly provided the accounting information demanded by the Panel. The harvesting company’s former bank, Five Star Bancorp, likewise did not respond to a request for comment.

Press staff for the House Panel did not answer The Stream’s follow-up question about StemExpress’ claim about testifying before the Panel.

StemExpress has been in Republicans’ sights since the Center for Medical Progress’ undercover videos showed the company possibly engaging in illegal harvesting of fetal organs and other body parts. While Planned Parenthood and StemExpress parted ways shortly after the videos were made public, the Panel’s investigations show that StemExpress was providing Planned Parenthood clinics with profit in exchange for fetal parts.

It is the profit that concerns the Panel, since it violates a 1993 federal law authored by former Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of Massachusetts. However, StemExpress said it could not cooperate with the Panel, claiming it was “gravely concerned about the safety and security risks of identifying StemExpress personnel involved in the procurement of fetal tissue.”

Blackburn and Panel staff say StemExpress’ concerns are unnecessary. “The Panel staff and the Chairman have represented publicly and to StemExpress counsel that the Panel’s policy was to keep the names of lower-level staff and researchers redacted from any public documents or reports. Indeed, the directions to such subpoena recipients provide a methodology to protect the identities of persons in functional positions.”

All of the Panel’s Democrats walked out before yesterday’s vote. In a press release, top Panel Democrat Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said, “Chair Blackburn has manufactured a controversy over information that she does not need,” accusing Blackburn of making a “McCarthyesque threat. …” (For more from the author of “Congressional Panel Recommends the House Hold StemExpress in Contempt” please click HERE)

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As Trump Offers Cleveland New Hope, Pastors Pray to Protect Him From ‘Satanic Attack’

Evangelical Christians of multiple races mixed their faith in God with their faith that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump can heal the nation on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Trump appeared at the Midwest Vision and Values Pastors Leadership Conference in Cleveland.

“I want to thank the African-American community because, I don’t know if you’ve been watching, but the poll numbers are going like a rocket ship,” Trump said. “I fully understand the African-American community has suffered from discrimination.”

Trump said America’s cities must be rebuilt.

“It breaks my heart to see any American left behind or to see a city like Cleveland that has had so many struggles, and that there are many wrongs that still must be made right,” the GOP nominee said.

After Trump spoke to the assembled crowd, Pastor Darrell Scott, a co-host of the event, spoke to Trump.

Scott said a “nationally known” pastor, whom he did not identify, had warned Trump “that if you choose to run for president, there’s going to be a concentrated Satanic attack against you.”

“He said there’s going to be a demon, principalities and powers, that are going to war against you on a level that you’ve never seen before, and I’m watching it every day,” Scott said, referring to the opposition Trump’s candidacy has spawned.

Scott’s wife, Belinda, then led the group in prayer as they gathered around Trump.

“Now God, I ask that you would touch this man, Donald J. Trump. Give him the anointing to lead this nation,” she prayed.

The meeting was open to clergy or all faiths and political ideologies.

“I think it’s good he’s open to hearing from clergy,” said Pastor Mike Wingerd of Emmanuel Assembly of God. “I’m very glad he’s concerned about religious freedom.”

Scott, who led the session, had spoken for Trump at the Republican National Convention.

“America is a melting pot, a country of diversity. We stand poised to make history, by standing together as Americans, as one. We are here as Americans regardless of race, creed or color. We are here as those who hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that we are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” he said.

“The truth is the Democratic Party has failed us,” Scott said. “At home, our debt has grown, we are spiritually empty and we are more divided now than we have ever been before. Abroad, we are neither respected, we’re not feared by our adversaries, and our friends cannot count on us either. This is their legacy, and we need to make a sharp turn. We need to put into practice the great ideas and principles that our country was founded on, and which, after God, are the source of strength that has made this nation great.” (For more from the author of “As Trump Offers Cleveland New Hope, Pastors Pray to Protect Him From ‘Satanic Attack'” please click HERE)

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