Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-WI – the nation’s first openly lesbian elected to the U.S. Senate – addressed the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision on June 27 on MSNBC’s Up with Steve Kornacki.
“Should the bakery have to bake the cake for the gay couple getting married?” the host asked. “Where do you come down on that?”
Baldwin responded that the First Amendment gave Americans no right to exercise religion outside the sanctuary of their church, synagogue, or mosque.
“Certainly the First Amendment says that in institutions of faith that there is absolute power to, you know, to observe deeply held religious beliefs. But I don’t think it extends far beyond that,” she said.
Sen. Baldwin then likened the issue to the Obama administration’s contentious HHS mandate, requiring employers to furnish contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs to female employees with no co-pay. (Read more from “US Senator Says First Amendment Protects Free Exercise ONLY Inside of Churches, Synagogues and Mosques” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-09 03:56:482016-04-11 10:59:07Lesbian US Senator Says First Amendment Protects Free Exercise ONLY INSIDE of Churches, Synagogues and Mosques
By Jeff Zeleny and Tom LoBianco. Hillary Clinton drew Republican fire Wednesday after falsely claiming she had never been subpoenaed for emails from her time as secretary of state.
When CNN’s Brianna Keilar asked Clinton in an exclusive interview on Tuesday about the decision to delete 33,000 emails while under investigation by a House panel, Clinton said other secretaries of state had done the “same thing.”
Keilar asked if her predecessors had also been subpoenaed, to which Clinton responded, “You’re starting with so many assumptions … I’ve never had a subpoena. Again, let’s take a deep breath here.”
But House Select Committee on Benghazi Chairman Trey Gowdy said Wednesday, “It couldn’t be more plain.”
“To state that you never received a subpoena, you did get one, in March. Your lawyer was on notice months before that, that this committee of Congress wanted your work-related emails,” the South Carolina Republican told CNN Wednesday. (Read more from “Hillary Clinton Lies, Her Subpoena Claim Undercut by Lawyer’s Reply” HERE)
Gowdy: Hillary Had Three Subpoenas, Two Before Server Was Wiped
By Ian Hanchett. Representative Rep. Trey Gowdy said Hillary Clinton actually had three subpoenas, two of which were sent before her server was wiped on Wednesday’s “Hugh Hewitt Show.”
Gowdy was asked, “‘I’ve never had a subpoena,’ her words. Congressman Rep. Trey Gowdy, did Hillary Clinton lie yesterday?” He answered, “It is a fact that there was a subpoena issued to her in March of 2015. But Congressman, it’s also a fact that there was a subpoena in existence from another Congressional committee far before that one. So there are two subpoenas. There are letters from Congress. And there’s a statutory obligation to her to preserve public records.” And “There was a, — think back right after Benghazi, Rep. Jason Chaffetz wrote a letter to Secretary Clinton, in fact, saying Congress has the right and the authority to investigate these attacks. That is tantamount to a ‘do not destroy’ request. (Read more from this story HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-09 03:56:052016-04-11 10:59:07Hillary Clinton Lies Again, Claims She Never Had Been Subpoenaed for Emails While Secr. of State [+video]
By Alex Swoyer. GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is the leading choice among North Carolina Republican primary voters in a recent Public Policy Poll. Trump received 16 percent, while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush received 12 percent.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker came in tied for second with Bush at 12 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was third with 11 percent. Dr. Ben Carson got 9 percent with Sen. Marco Rubio. Sen. Rand Paul got 7 percent while Se. Sen. Ted Cruz got six percent. Gov. Chris Christie received five percent. Carly Fiorina followed with four percent and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry had two percent.
Sen. Lindsey Graham had one percent, as did Gov. Bobby Jindal, and former Sen. Rick Santorum. Gov. John Kasich and George Pataki were under one percent.
President Obama carried North Carolina in 2008, but Republican nominee Mitt Romney took it back in 2012.
“Trump’s favorability rating in North Carolina is 55/32, much higher than we were finding in national polls prior to his entry into the race. Trump’s really caught fire with voters on the far right- 66% of ‘very conservative’ voters see him favorably to only 24% with a negative view of him. Trump is polling particularly well with younger voters (29%) and men (20%),” Public Policy Poll (PPP) reported. (Read more from “Donald Trump Leads GOP Field in This State” HERE)
Despite Controversy, Trump Believes He’ll Win Latino Vote: ‘They Love Me, I Love Them’
By Fox News Latino. Despite the backlash over Donald Trump’s Mexico comments – and the multimillion dollars deals he’s lost because of companies cutting ties with him – the Republican presidential candidate and former “Apprentice” star still believes he will win the Latino vote.
“They love me,” Trump said. “I love them.”
In a Wednesday interview with NBC News, the real estate mogul and television personality continued to denounce illegal immigration.
“Don’t try and convince me that there’s no crime, that [immigration] is wonderful,” he said.
In fact, the immigration policy favored by the Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, he said, would be to “let everybody come in … killers, criminals, drug dealers.” (Read more from this story HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-09 03:55:582016-04-11 10:59:07Donald Trump Leads GOP Field in This State
By The Blade. A Toledo Municipal Court judge who declined to marry a same-sex couple said today his decision was based upon his “personal and Christian beliefs.”
Judge C. Allen McConnell said in a written statement his refusal Monday followed his beliefs developed over many years.
“I apologize to the couple for the delay they experienced and wish them the best,” Judge McConnell said. “The court has implemented a process whereby same sex marriages will be accommodated.”
The judge said he will continue to perform “traditional marriages” during his assignment and is seeking an opinion from the Ohio Supreme Court as to whether he can leave the judicial rotation for marriages. He said he will follow the court’s decision. (Read more from “Judge Declined to Marry Couple Over Christian Beliefs” HERE)
Cardinal Wuerl: Same-Sex Marriage “Is the Law of the Land; We Follow the Law”
By P.W. Adams. The Christian community has split on the morality of homosexuality since the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriages. While one denomination recently held a service in Washington’s National Cathedral celebrating the decision, others have felt the need to request some protection of their religious freedom and have refused to perform same-sex ceremonies. But what side the Catholic Church falls on the issue is still not exactly clear. Especially after a recent comment by one of its eminent Cardinals.
Washington Top News reports that Cardinal Wuerl recently stated that same-sex is the law of the land and that the church follows the law:
“WASHINGTON — The District’s top Catholic leader has weighed in on the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage.
“The law of the land is the law of the land,” says Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl. “We certainly follow what the law says. That doesn’t mean we change the word of God. That doesn’t mean we change the scriptures, or the church’s millennia-long tradition of what marriage is.”
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-09 03:55:452016-04-11 10:59:07Judge Declined to Marry Couple Over Christian Beliefs
By Fox News. The South Carolina House approved taking down the Confederate flag from Capitol grounds early Thursday, a stunning reversal in a state that was the first to leave the Union in 1860 and raised the flag again at its Statehouse more than 50 years ago to protest the civil rights movement.
The move came after more than 13 hours of contentious debate, weeks after the deadly shootings of nine black church members, including a state senator, at a Bible study in Charleston. The House approved the Senate bill 93-27, and still has one more vote than appeared to be perfunctory since they had met two-thirds approval.
It is possible the flag could come down Thursday or Friday, but the exact timing is unknown.
The bill is set to go to Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, who supports it.
“Today, as the Senate did before them, the House of Representatives has served the state of South Carolina and her people with great dignity,” Haley said in a statement early Thursday. “I’m grateful for their service and their compassion. It is a new day in South Carolina, a day were can all be proud of, a day that truly brings us all together as we continue to heal, as one people and one state.” (Read more from “South Carolina House Approves Removal of Confederate Flag” HERE)
Disney World Removes Confederate Flag From Epcot Display
By Sandra Pedicini. Walt Disney World has joined the list of businesses and governments distancing themselves from the Confederate flag.
The resort has removed a version of the Confederate banner from a flag display in Epcot’s American Adventure. Disney acknowledged it took down the flag recently but would not comment further.
The banner, which was among more than 40 displayed from throughout America’s history, was the third flag of the Confederacy. The familiar “Southern Cross” symbol does not take up the entire banner as it does in the Confederate battle flag. Instead the blue cross with white stars on a red background is displayed in the upper-left-hand corner, bordered by a field of white with a thick, red stripe at the other end.
Sheri Labowski, a Connecticut tourist relaxing outside the American Adventure on Wednesday, said she agreed with the flag’s removal.
“I think in this day and age we shouldn’t be promoting a part of our history we’re not proud of,” she said. (Read more from this story HERE)
By Jesse Byrnes. Most Americans continue to think of the Confederate flag as emblematic of Southern pride and not inherently racist, according to a new Gallup poll, though views are divided along party lines.
Some 54 percent of Americans say the flag represents not racism but Southern heritage, but Democratic support for the Confederate battle banner has dropped precipitously, according to the survey.
About a third of Democrats, 32 percent, view the flag as symbolic of Southern pride, almost half of the 61 percent who held that view when surveyed in 1992.
Meanwhile, views among Republicans have remained relatively consistent, ticking upward 3 points to 78 percent since 1992, when a full three-quarters of Republicans viewed the flag as a Southern symbol. (Read more from this story HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-09 03:55:322016-04-11 10:59:07South Carolina House Approves Removal of Confederate Flag
Jade Helm 15, the controversial Special Operations exercise that spawned a wave of conspiracy theories about a government takeover, will open next week without any media allowed to observe it, a military spokesman said.
Embedded reporters won’t be permitted at any point during the exercise, in which military officials say that secretive Special Operations troops will maneuver through private and publicly owned land in several southern states. Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, a spokesman for Army Special Operations Command, said his organization is considering allowing a small number of journalists to view selected portions of the exercise later this summer, but nothing is finalized.
“All requests from the media for interviews and coverage of U.S. Army Special Operations Command personnel, organizations and events are assessed for feasibility and granted when and where possible,” Lastoria said in a statement released Wednesday to The Washington Post. “We are dedicated to communicating with the public, while balancing that against the application of operations security and other factors.”
The exercise is scheduled for July 15 through September 15 and is expected to include more than 1,200 troops. Army Special Operations Command announced the exercise in March, saying its size and scope would set it apart from most training exercises. For months, some protesters have said Jade Helm is setting the stage for future martial law. Those fears have been mocked by comedians such as Jon Stewart and others, and the U.S. military has tried to reassure people about the exercise.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, called in April for the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercise, drawing a new wave of attention to Jade Helm and criticism from people who said he was fanning the hysteria. He defended the decision, saying it would improve communication between Special Operations forces and civilians in Texas. (Read more from “Jade Helm 15, Heavily Scrutinized Military Exercise, to Open Without Media Access” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-09 03:54:492016-04-11 10:59:08Jade Helm 15, Heavily Scrutinized Military Exercise, to Open Without Media Access
The United States Air Force (USAF) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have completed the first development flight test of a controversial update to a nuclear bomb that has been use since the 1960s.
A ‘safe’ version of the the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb with no warhead was tested at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.
The tests are designed to extend the lifespan of the nuclear weapon by upgrading some of its parts.
‘This test marks a major milestone for the B61-12 Life Extension Program, demonstrating end-to-end system performance under representative delivery conditions,’ said NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs Dr. Don Cook.
‘Achieving the first complete B61-12 flight test provides clear evidence of the nation’s continued commitment to maintain the B61 and provides assurance to our allies.’ (Read more from “Air Force Drops Dummy Nuclear Bomb in Nevada in First Controversial Test to Update Cold War Arsenal” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-09 03:54:122016-04-11 10:59:09Air Force Drops Dummy Nuclear Bomb in Nevada in First Controversial Test to Update Cold War Arsenal
Gov. Mary Fallin on Tuesday said the Ten Commandments monument will stay at the Capitol despite a court ruling that said it violated the state Constitution and must be removed.
Fallin said Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to reconsider its 7-2 decision, which was handed down last week after a challenge by the ACLU of Oklahoma on behalf of three plaintiffs.
In addition, lawmakers have filed legislation to let people vote on whether to remove a portion of the state Constitution cited in the ruling. Article II, Section 5 of the constitution reads:
“No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such,” according to the Oklahoma Constitution.
The court said the monument was obviously religious in nature and an integral part of the Jewish and Christian faiths. The constitution bans the state from using public money or property for the benefit of any religious purpose, according to the opinion. (Read more from “Gov. Mary Fallin, Monument Unmoved by Supreme Court’s Ten Commandments Ruling” HERE)
Judicial Watch today released new Department of Justice (DOJ) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) documents that include an official “DOJ Recap” report detailing an October 2010 meeting between Lois Lerner, DOJ officials and the FBI to plan for the possible criminal prosecution of targeted nonprofit organizations for alleged illegal political activity.
The newly obtained records also reveal that the Obama DOJ wanted IRS employees who were going to testify to Congress to turn over documents to the DOJ before giving them to Congress. Records also detail how the Obama IRS gave the FBI 21 computer disks, containing 1.25 million pages of confidential IRS returns from 113,000 nonprofit social 501(c)(4) welfare groups – or nearly every 501(c)(4) in the United States – as part of its prosecution effort. According to a letter from then-House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, “This revelation likely means that the IRS – including possibly Lois Lerner – violated federal tax law by transmitting this information to the Justice Department.”
The documents were produced subsequent to court orders in two Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits: Judicial Watch v. Internal Revenue Service (No. 1:14-cv-1956) and Judicial Watch v. Department of Justice (No. 1:14-cv-1239).
The new IRS documents include a October 11, 2010 “DOJ Recap” memo sent by IRS Exempt Organizations Tax Law Specialist Siri Buller to Lerner and other top IRS officials explaining an October 8 meeting with representatives from the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and “one representative from the FBI” to discuss the possible criminal prosecution of nonprofit organizations for alleged political activity:
On October 8, 2010, Lois Lerner, Joe Urban [IRS Technical Advisor, TEGE], Judy Kindell [top aide to Lerner], Justin Lowe [Technical Advisor to the Commissioner of Tax-Exempt and Government Entities], and Siri Buller met with the section chief and other attorneys from the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and one representative from the FBI, to discuss recent attention to the political activity of exempt organizations.
(Read more from “New Documents Reveal DOJ, IRS, and FBI Plan to Seek Criminal Charges of Obama Opponents” HERE)
Once upon a time, common sense reigned supreme, even in our political system. Sure, politicians would argue over subsidies and entitlements and other fiscal issues. But before our body politic was hijacked by a cartel of special interests who worship the pagan gods of political correctness and selfish parochial desires, both progressives and conservatives had a sense of justice and fairness as it relates to illegal immigration.
On January 25, 1993, two CIA agents were shot and killed outside of the Langley headquarters by a Pakistani illegal alien. A month later, a group of Islamic terrorists, that included several illegal aliens, executed the first bombing attack on the World Trade Center. Even though these events were not prototypical of the predominant illegal immigration problems we experienced from the southern border, none other than Harry Reid wasted no time in demanding comprehensive enforcement against all illegal immigration.
Reid introduced a bill on Aug. 4, 1993, the Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993 (S.1351), which would have ended birthright citizenship (an idea he called “insane”), clamped down on asylum seekers (very pertinent to World Trade Center bombing), expanded deportation of criminal aliens, increased penalties on re-entries and visa fraud, and excluded all legal immigrants from admission who “cannot demonstrably support themselves without public or private assistance.”
In a press release unveiling the bill, Reid noted the following:
“Our borders have overflowed with illegal immigrants placing tremendous burdens on our criminal justice system, schools and social programs. The Immigration and Naturalization Service needs the ability to step up enforcement. “Our federal wallet is stretched to the limit by illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits often without paying any taxes. “Safeguards like welfare and free medical care are in place to boost Americans in need of short-term assistance. These programs were not meant to entice freeloaders and scam artists from around the world.”
He added this Trumpesque line:
“Even worse, Americans have seen heinous crimes committed by individuals who are here illegally.”
Remember, this is at a time when the illegal alien population was just 3-4 million, and the fiscal and criminal cost incurred by this country was a fraction of what it is today.
On September 20, Reid delivered a riveting speech on the Senate floor covering every talking point Jeff Sessions, Steve King, and Donald Trump have ever mentioned – and then some. [Congressional Record, page s11999] His speech was prophetic and ahead of its time, warning of the ill effects of both illegal immigration and unbridled legal immigration on our criminal justice system, education, hospitals, welfare, and culture. Reid cited an observation from Bob Dole that “wherever he travels around the country, he is confronted with concern about the direction of the policy of immigration as it relates to the United States.” And Reid added, “these are not racist people who are raising this issue.”
Later in the year, Reid added an amendment to the 1993-94 crime bill, co-sponsored by such liberal luminaries as Sens. Bob Graham (D-FL) and Alan Simpson, (R-WY), that closed all sorts of loopholes dealing with criminal aliens and mandated more cooperation between local and federal law enforcement.
Fast-forward 22 years later, and the cost and danger to our society from illegal immigration are incalculable – far beyond Reid’s worst nightmares in 1993. We have experienced an endless slew of murders, rapes, and drunk driving incidents from an infinite flow of illegal immigrants, culminating with the two murders over the weekend. These murders are the direct result of not only the political disregard for immigration enforcement, but the official and relentless dismantling of interior enforcement and cooperation between state and local law enforcement.
Instead of Democrats and Republicans coming together to immediately address this national emergency, not a single GOP leader will fight against sanctuary cities and Obama’s abolishing of Secure Communities and the 287g program. In fact, John Boehner spent Independence Day overseas promoting more amnesty and the very policies that have encouraged this calamity in the first place. Harry Reid himself was forced to have an ideological sex change operation because of the special interests that have taken over his party.
Stand back and behold just how corrosive and destructive the cult of political correctness and special interests politics can be to the very existence of a nation and its sovereignty. It would probably take a PHD in math to calculate the cost of illegal immigration to this nation – both tangibly and intangibly – since Reid sounded a frenetic alarm 22 years ago. Yet, modern-day Republicans cannot even hold the ground held by the Democrat leader on immigration just one generation ago.
Instead of wetting their pants over Donald Trump, the short-sighted and capricious political class would be wise to study Harry Reid’s speech from 1993. A full transcript of his speech can be found here. (“Harry Reid Was Donald Trump Before Trump Was Uncool”, originally posted HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-08 02:51:092016-04-11 10:59:10Harry Reid Was Donald Trump Before Trump Was Uncool [+video]
