One day when he’s done wrangling with the Iranians and congressional Republicans, President Barack Obama plans to get back to where he once belonged.
The most powerful man in the world wants to return to community organizing after he hands over the keys to the White House in 2017, he told middle-school students at a public library in Washington’s Anacostia neighborhood today.
“I’ll be done being president in a couple of years and I’ll still be a pretty young man,” he said. “And so I’ll go back to doing the kinds of work I was doing before, just trying to find ways to help people.”
Obama, who will be 55 years old when he leaves office in 2017, said his post-presidential agenda includes helping children get educations and better access to the job market, and luring businesses into low-income neighborhoods. Just out of college, he worked on Chicago’s South Side as a community organizer, a career choice that earned him much derision from conservative quarters . . .
The president’s comments came against the backdrop of unrest in Baltimore, where protests and riots have followed the April 19 death of Freddie Gray, 25, who suffered spinal-cord injuries while in policy custody. Earlier this week, Obama said the violence in Baltimore was indicative of a “slow-rolling crisis” in the nation’s inner cities that would require “some soul-searching.” (Read more from “Here’s What Obama Says He’s Going to Do When His Presidential Term Is up” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-05-02 02:37:502015-05-02 02:37:50Here’s What Obama Says He’s Going to Do When His Presidential Term Is up
The state of Alabama just became the latest state to authorize a convention of the states to propose new amendments under Article V of the Constitution.
The vote, which came after several hours of debate, made the Alabama House the latest state body to vote for an Article V convention.
Under Article V, a convention of the states can be called if two-thirds of the states — in this case 34 — vote to hold one to propose new amendments to the Constitution.
The new amendments would then need to be approved by three-quarters of the states — 38 at the present moment — at which point they would take effect. The benefit of this process is that it bypasses the federal government entirely, leaving the amendments up to the individual states.
The resolution passed by the Alabama state House of Representatives specifically limits the amendments to be proposed in such a convention to three specific categories:
1) imposing fiscal restraints on the federal government through a balanced budget amendment;
2) limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government; and
3) implementing term limits on federal elected officials.
(Read more from “Alabama Just Made a Major Move That Could Terrify Obama and the Rest of the Federal Gov’t” HERE)
[Editor’s note: there is significant disagreement among conservatives about whether there is any need to change the Constitution. Those who oppose the Convention of the States and other proposed methods of revising the Constitution say that the Constitution as written is more than adequate to address the largess of government – if only justices would follow their oaths and interpret the Constitution as the drafters intended it. Many also believe the Convention of the States will open the convention to co-option by the elites and then the Constitution will be changed in ways to destroy fundamental rights]
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-05-02 02:36:242015-05-02 02:36:24Alabama Just Made a Major Move That Could Terrify Obama and the Rest of the Federal Gov’t
With seven words—“It is going to be an issue”—the U.S. government signaled to orthodox Christian colleges and universities that if they don’t drop their opposition to same-sex marriage they will lose their tax exempt status.
Those words came earlier this week when the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, a case concerning whether the Fourteenth Amendment’s must guarantee the right for same-sex couples to marry. While the primary issue is whether gay marriage will be required in every state in the union, one exchange highlighted how the upcoming ruling could affect religious liberty. Justice Samuel Alito asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli how it would affect educational institution that opposed same-sex marriage:
JUSTICE ALITO: Well, in the Bob Jones case, the Court held that a college was not entitled to tax exempt status if it opposed interracial marriage or interracial dating. So would the same apply to a university or a college if it opposed same-sex marriage?
GENERAL VERRILLI: You know, I – I don’t think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it’s certainly going to be an issue. I – I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is – it is going to be an issue.
In the case of Bob Jones University (Bob Jones University v. United States (1983)), the Supreme Court ruled that the religion clauses of the First Amendment did not prohibit the IRS from revoking the tax exempt status of a religious university whose practices are contrary to a compelling government public policy.
The policy at Bob Jones was indeed loathsome and contrary to Scripture, which the school later admitted when it apologized for it’s racist past. But opposition to same-sex marriage is not the same as racial animus. Yet the government, through it’s representative, has now signaled that Christians schools may soon be treated like racists and pariahs for refusing to give up the view of marriage shared by almost all people throughout history prior to the 1990s.
This threat is more radical than many people realize. It’s not merely that Christian schools will have to choose between accepting federal funds and keeping their religious views about sexuality. If the choice were to follow the example of schools like Hillsdale College or New Saint Andrews College and forego taking any federal money, the decisions about what to do would be painful, but obvious.
But what it being proposed is to revoke non-profit status, a move that would destroy many schools. According to the IRS, if an organization’s tax-exempt status is revoked it is no longer exempt from federal income tax and is not eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions. As Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Seminary, notes, “The loss of tax-exempt status would put countless churches and religious institutions out of business, simply because the burden of property taxes and loss of charitable support would cripple their ability to sustain their mission.”
The debate over same-sex marriage represents a coalescing of rights of free exercise, free speech, and expressive association. With the exception of abortion, same-sex marriage is almost unique in blurring neat divisions between these rights. Many organizations attract members with their commitment to certain fundamental matters of faith or morals, including a rejection of same-sex marriage or homosexuality. It is rather artificial to tell such groups that they can condemn homosexuality as long as they are willing to hire homosexuals as a part of that mission. It is equally disingenuous to suggest that denial of such things as tax exemption does not constitute a content-based punishment for religious views. . . . The denial of tax-exempt status presents a particularly serious threat to these organizations and puts them at a comparative advantage to groups with contrary views.
When Turley originally made this claim ten years ago, many people assumed he was overstating the case and that same-sex marriage would not require people and organizations to give up their deeply held religious beliefs. But now, as we’ve seen time and time again over the past few years, the threat to religious freedom is all too real.
Are supporters of same-sex marriage—including the many misguided Christians—willing to let Christian high schools, colleges, and seminaries be put out of business simply for holding a Biblical view of marriage? Sadly, I suspect they will follow what Rod Dreher calls the “law of merited impossibility”: “It’s a complete absurdity to believe that Christians will suffer a single thing from the expansion of gay rights, and boy, do they deserve what they’re going to get.” (“Radical Threat”: Federal Government to Force Christian Schools Across Nation to Close Doors, first appeared HERE, reposted with permission)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-05-01 03:55:102015-05-01 03:55:10“Radical Threat”: Federal Government to Force Christian Schools Across Nation to Close Doors
A Maryland sheriff who traveled to Baltimore to help law enforcement stop Monday’s riots told 105.7 The Fan that he was stunned when officers alerted him of the orders to stand down.
Michael Lewis is the Sheriff in Wicomico County, and was also a Sergeant with the Maryland State Police. He joined Ed Norris and Steve Davis on Thursday to talk about the alleged controversial orders the police were given during the riots.
Lewis said it wasn’t his intention to come to Baltimore, a drive of about two hours, but he felt it was his duty to help.
“I hadn’t planned to go to Baltimore at all. I watched the events unfold Saturday night like we all did, and was very concerned about what I saw, and the the lack of response Saturday night,” he said. “I immediately rallied up the troops. We made sure our MRAP was prepared and ready. We were assigned to assigned to protect Baltimore City Police headquarters, all of E. Fayette Street up to City Hall, to include City Hall. There wasn’t a whole lot of activity taking place at all. We could smell that putrid smell of burning tires and a city on fire when as we came into the city. Had lots of concerns like everyone else. We maintained our post all night long until we were relieved” . . .
“I was sick to my stomach like everybody else. This was urban warfare, no question about it. They were coming in absolutely beaten down. The [city officers] got out of their vehicles, thanked us profusely for being there, apologized to us for having to be there. They said we could have handled this, we were very capable of handling this, but we were told to stand down, repeatedly told to stand down,” he said. “I had never heard that order come from anyone — we went right out to our posts as soon as we got there, so I never heard the mayor say that. But repeatedly these guys, and there were many high-ranking officials from the Baltimore City Police Department and these guys told me they were essentially neutered from the start. They were spayed from the start. They were told to stand down, you will not take any action, let them destroy property. I couldn’t believe it, I’m a 31-year veteran of law enforcement. I had never heard anything like this before in my life and these guys obviously aren’t gonna speak out and the more I thought about this, I had to say a few things. I apologize if I’ve upset people, but I believe in saying it like it is.” (Read more from “Maryland Sheriff: ‘I Was Sick to My Stomach’ After Being Told to Stand Down in Helping With the Baltimore Riots” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-05-01 03:52:392015-05-01 03:52:39Maryland Sheriff: ‘I Was Sick to My Stomach’ After Being Told to Stand Down in Helping With the Baltimore Riots
In the continuing dialogue surrounding the placement of the motto “In God We Trust” on governmental buildings, the city of Venice, Florida, decided not to place the national motto on a wall in the council chambers at City Hall.
Supporters of the motto included Venice City Councilmember Emilio Carlesimo and Jim Walker, a North Port resident, who asked the council to consider the measure during a meeting on April 28. He said the measure was more an act of patriotism than one of religion.
At least 20 people who came to the meeting supported the measure, but those who opposed it also showed up.
David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community and Marie Glidewell of the Gulf Coast Humanists Association both asked the council to leave religion out of politics.
“This is not a chamber of the majority, it is a chamber of all,” Williamson said. (Read more from “‘In God We Trust’ Sign Shot Down by Florida City Council” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-05-01 03:50:292015-05-01 03:50:29‘In God We Trust’ Sign Shot Down by Florida City Council
The highly pathogenic H5 avian flu turned up in initial tests at five more farms in Iowa, including a commercial egg operation housing up to 5.5 million birds, Iowa’s agriculture department said on Thursday.
If the virus is confirmed at the farms in additional tests under way at a U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratory, the total number of American cases could surpass 20 million birds and result in the biggest death toll in a bird flu outbreak in U.S. history.
Avian flu at the egg farm in Buena Vista County, where workers saw an unexpected jump in bird deaths before the flock was tested, could be the largest single farm operation to be hit in the current outbreak.
The egg farm’s owner, Rembrandt Foods, one of the top U.S. egg producers, confirmed the outbreak but disputed the number of birds affected. The state did not identify the affected farm by name.
Avian flu was “probable” at four other commercial farms in Buena Vista, Sioux and Clay counties, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said. If the virus is confirmed at all five farms in the coming days, the number of sites where H5 has been found in Iowa would rise to 17. (Read more from “Iowa Reports More ‘Probable’ Bird Flu Cases” HERE)
Freddie Gray, who died a week after suffering injuries while in Baltimore police custody, had a lengthy criminal record, mainly for drug-related offenses, according to state court records. Police claim he was “involved in criminal activity,” prior to his arrest.
Gray, 25, died after spending seven days in a coma as a result of injuries he suffered while in the custody of city police, the Baltimore Sun reports.
He was arrested April 12 by four officers outside a public housing complex. Police said four bicycle officers tried to stop Gray for an unspecified reason and he ran from them. They caught him and detained him while waiting for backup . . .
Gray had a lengthy arrest record with convictions dating back until at least 2007, according to the Maryland Department of Justice. Not all of the arrests led to convictions, in many of the cases he pleaded guilty to one charge while the others were dropped. Exact details of when he spent time in prison were not immediately available. His arrest record includes at least 18 arrests:
March 20, 2015: Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance
March 13, 2015: Malicious destruction of property, second-degree assault
January 20, 2015: Fourth-degree burglary, trespassing
January 14, 2015: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous
substance with intent to distribute
December 31, 2014: Possession of narcotics with intent to distribute
December 14, 2014: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance
August 31, 2014: Illegal gambling, trespassing
January 25, 2014: Possession of marijuana
September 28, 2013: Distribution of narcotics, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, second-degree assault, second-degree escape
April 13, 2012: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, violation of probation
July 16, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute
March 28, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance
March 14, 2008: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to manufacture and distribute
February 11, 2008: Unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance
August 29, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, violation of probation
August 28, 2007: Possession of marijuana
August 23, 2007: False statement to a peace officer, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous
substance
July 16, 2007: Possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance (2 counts)
(Read more from “Here Are the 18 Crimes Freddie Gray Was Charged With Before His Tragic Death That Started the Baltimore Riots” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-04-30 03:59:342015-04-30 03:59:34Here Are the 18 Crimes Freddie Gray Was Charged With Before His Tragic Death That Started the Baltimore Riots
That’s the blunt warning a group of prominent religious leaders is sending to the Supreme Court of the United States as they consider same-sex marriage.
“We respectfully warn the Supreme Court not to cross that line,” read a document titled, Pledge in Solidarity to Defend Marriage. “We stand united together in defense of marriage. Make no mistake about our resolve.”
“While there are many things we can endure, redefining marriage is so fundamental to the natural order and the common good that this is the line we must draw and one we cannot and will not cross,” the pledge states.
The signees are a who’s who of religious leaders including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, National Religious Broadcasters president Jerry Johnson, Pastor John Hagee, and Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse. (Read more from “‘We Will Not Obey’: Christian Leaders Threaten Civil Disobedience If Supreme Court Legalizes Gay Marriage” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-04-30 03:59:232015-04-30 03:59:23‘We Will Not Obey’: Christian Leaders Threaten, Warn Supreme Court Over Homosexual Marriage
The U.S. economy ground nearly to a halt in the first three months of the year, according to government data released Wednesday morning, as exports plunged and severe winter weather helped keep consumers indoors.
The gross domestic product grew between January and March at an annualized rate of 0.2 percent, the U.S. Commerce Department said, adding to the picture of an economy braking sharply after accelerating for much of last year. The pace fell well shy of the 1 percent mark anticipated by analysts and marked the weakest quarter in a year.
The economy had expanded at a rate of 2.2 percent in the final three months of 2014 and at a rate of 2.4 percent for the year.
Economists, employers and policymakers now face the challenge of determining whether the slowdown is temporary — stemming mostly from an unusually snowy winter in the Northeast — or a sign of broader problems.
Hours after the fresh data was released the Federal Reserve said that winter slowdown was “in part” reflective of “transitory factors” and that “economic activity will expand at a moderate pace” going forward. Economists expect that the central bank will hold off until the second half of the year, gauging the direction of the economy, before raising interest rates for the first time in 6½ years. In its statement Wednesday, the Fed did not offer any new hints about the timing of its rate hike. (Read more from “U.S. Economic Growth Slows to 0.2 Percent, Grinding Nearly to a Halt” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-04-30 03:57:462015-04-30 03:57:46U.S. Economic Growth Slows to 0.2 Percent, Grinding Nearly to a Halt
The American people deserve an answer to one common sense question: how many more stories of homegrown terror do we need to see before politicians get serious about the threat of homegrown terror and the irresponsible immigration policies that have engendered it?
As Mark Levin noted last week on his show, not a single presidential candidate has seriously addressed this issue. To be fair, Bobby Jindal, a likely but undeclared candidate, has touched on this issue and Ted Cruz has introduced legislation to strip the passports from those who fight for the Islamic State. But this issue has not received the attention it deserves given the existential threat of our suicidal immigration system and the fact that this self-immolation is so avoidable.
Much like any other community, Muslim immigrant communities can be law abiding and peaceful residents of this country. But unlike nearly any other group, they have a greater probability of being saturated with radical elements that can cultivate a climate leading to over 150 known cases of individuals attempting to join the Islamic State.
Following 9/11, where the hijackers were let into this country’s front door, one would have thought the U.S. would be judicious about vetting immigrants from volatile and violent parts of the world.
The front line in the war against terror is not nation building across the globe, it is our immigration system. Yet, as we’ve noted before, the level of student visas from Saudi Arabia has increased ten-fold, refugees from volatile countries have grown exponentially, and immigration from predominantly Muslim countries has doubled overall.
Hence, instead of following the common sense recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 commission, politicians doubled down on risky immigration policies. Outside of the D.C. beltway it is simple logic that there will be a higher percentage of immigrants with Jihadist proclivities if they came from parts of the world where those views are prevalent. Once these immigrants are admitted and become citizens, they have the right to harbor those views like everyone else, but why should we irresponsibly admit those who are likely to represent a security risk? The more people with radical Islamic views who are allowed into the country, the more it will cultivate an environment that we are seeing today in Minneapolis.
After six more Somali immigrants from Minnesota were arrested for attempting to join up with ISIS, the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota sounded the alarm many of us have been ringing for quite some time. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lugar admitted this should not be dismissed as a few random instances of radicalism. “To be clear, we have a terror recruitment problem in Minnesota,” he declared.
While there are undoubtedly many peaceful individuals in this community, clearly there are more friends, neighbors, and religious leaders who are encouraging these un-American beliefs. Many of these religious leaders preach in mosques funded by terror-supporting governments. Just recently, Obama attended the opening ceremony of a $100 million mosque together with Turkey’s President Recip Erdogen, one of the most dangerous Sunni terror supporters in the Middle East. His government is funding this mosque on our own soil, and due to his radical ties one must question his motives.
For how much longer are we going to allow extreme political correctness stifle sound public policy?
In 2010, the co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission published a report showing how the homegrown terror threat had grown substantially since 2001. “The U.S. is arguably now little different from Europe in terms of having a domestic terrorist problem involving immigrant and indigenous Muslims as well as converts to Islam,” wrote Lee Hamilton and Tom Kean.
Obviously, the threat of homegrown terror mixed with cyber jihad and recruitment has only gotten worse in the ensuing five years. With control of both houses of Congress, one would think Republicans would address this area of “immigration reform” that should concern everyone. Republicans can pursue the following policies:
Fix our broken refugee policies and limit the UN’s power of resettlement to ensure we are not letting in security threats.
Implement a program similar to NSEERS (National Security Exit-Entry Registration System) in which non-immigrant visas from risky parts of the world must be monitored by a local ICE office. If someone is here on a student visa and drops out of college to work on creating bombs, we should know about it.
The Visa Waiver Program Suspension Act (H.R. 5434), sponsored by Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), which would suspend the Visa Waiver Program until we establish control over the number of terror threats we let into the country.
[Editor’s note: Listen to this recent interview with the author:]
The Expatriate Terrorist Act, sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA), which would revoke the citizenship of those who fight for foreign terrorist organizations, such as ISIS.
It would be extremely politically perilous for Democrats to oppose these measures. Sadly, don’t expect Republicans to get serious about one of the biggest threats of our time until they hear from the people or until, God forbid, there is another terror attack on American soil. (See “Radical Islamic Immigration: A Clear and Present Threat”, originally posted HERE)
One day when he’s done wrangling with the Iranians and congressional Republicans, President Barack Obama plans to get back to where he once belonged.
With seven words—“It is going to be an issue”—the U.S. government signaled to orthodox Christian colleges and universities that if they don’t drop their opposition to same-sex marriage they will lose their tax exempt status.
