Commentary

Labrador Stands His Ground at Town Hall

Posted on by David Ripley

The Left was on grand display in the auditorium of Meridian Middle School last night in a town hall meeting sponsored by Idaho’s Congressman, Raul Labrador. IEA teachers, environmentalists, Planned Parenthood activists, Medicaid recipients and miscellaneous other dependents of government largesse descended to confront the conservative lawmaker and set him straight about why socialism was the cure for what ails us.

For over three hours, Labrador took questions. Well, not really questions.  The event was more like a speech-a-thon in which everyone from college students to old hippies offered soliloquies about the state of the world, hoping to make an appearance on television and embarrass Labrador.

They did not succeed – at least in diminishing Raul Labrador.

Despite the fact that socialists outnumbered conservatives in the auditorium by at least 4-to-1, Labrador patiently waited for some kind of question. He easily handled over a hundred people at the microphone.  Liberal blogger Betsy Russell characterized the meeting as “feisty” – but the crowd was more often rude, arrogant and belligerent.  They supported one another with cat calls, boos and construction paper, likely the inspiration of IEA teachers:  Green ones for agreement, red ones for strong disagreement.  Like some kind of gathering in Pyongyang, hundreds of green squares went up.  At another comment, hundreds of red papers went up.  Red signs.  Green signs.  Red signs.  Very Creepy.

Over and again, Labrador masterfully waited them out, holding breath for the next bombastic speech – something like being held prisoner at a Democrat National Platform Committee meeting.

But the most remarkable thing about Wednesday night was the scientifically-verifiable evidence that “Trump Deranged Syndrome” is very real – even way out here in the West.

Many of those taking microphones hostage demanded that Labrador “do something” about Donald Trump. They clamored for an investigation of Russia, his weekends at Mar-a-Lago, his marriage to Melania, his daughter working in the White House for free.  The crowd clamored for an investigation into the President’s tax returns, his megalomania, his actions in Syria, his budget proposals and his racist plans to overthrow the Constitutional right to immigrate into the United States.

It was clear that this crowd drinks daily from Rachel Maddow’s punch bowl.

There were times when one wished Congressman Labrador offered a more vigorous defense of President Trump or free market principles. But that is probably too much to ask in such a forum.  Reason and facts were not generally well received.

Congressman Labrador acquitted himself well with humor, patience and just plain guts.

But we left the room with real anxiety over the future of our Republic. Those crazy conservative prophets of an earlier generation who warned about the long-term consequences of allowing the NEA free reign in our classrooms are, sadly, vindicated by the display we witnessed last night.Labrador at Town Hall; Ap 19 2017 Town Hall 3

So Long Dirty Harry

Posted on by David Ripley

The blessings of this Christmas Season continue to mount.

It was encouraging to see Nevada’s Harry Reid finally depart the U.S. Senate this week. He has built a long, chilling record of blind support for the Abortion Industry during his decades in the world’s most powerful chamber.

No doubt Reid will return to Nevada to enjoy the millions of dollars he has amassed during his years of “public service”. That phenomenon is disturbing, and all too common these days.  Yet, if it incentives Reid to leave the public square, fine.  It is a small price to pay for the babies that just might live now that he is gone.

Democrat Assault on the Constitution

Posted on by David Ripley

The U.S. House voted on Friday night to disapprove a new law adopted by the D.C. city council that would require pro-Life groups operating within the city to hire persons who support abortion rights.

It will probably take a moment for our readers to get their mind around the basic problem, because it is so bizarre. 

Under the rubric of “non-discrimination”, the DC City Council has approved an ordinance called the “Reproductive Health Nondiscrimination Act”. It prevents employers from discriminating on the basis of a potential employee’s “reproductive health decision-making”.

Since our founding, the powers of the local government in the nation’s capitol are proscribed in order to protect the national government from being hampered by the decisions of ward bosses. Thus, Congress has the ability to review and veto any ordinance adopted by the DC city government. This particular law provides a tremendous lesson in why the Founder’s were profoundly correct in limiting the powers of the DC government.

While Obama and his Democrat comrades point to language in the DC law which would exempt “religious entities” from its provisions – there are many organizations operating in the DC area who fight for preborn children on a daily basis but who will not qualify for the exemption. Among those groups: American Life League, Right to Life, Family Research Council.  While religiously-motivated, these organizations are not strictly “religious” in nature.  You may be sure that Obama and his Planned Parenthood advisors are quite aware of the problem the DC ordinance presents for organizations like ALL.

Obama issued a veto threat of HJR 43 earlier on Friday, which the House brushed aside on a largely partisan basis. 225 Republicans supported the defense of the First Amendment, while 179 Democrats voted to impose draconian restrictions on pro-Life groups operating the nation’s capitol.

In supporting the measure, House Speaker John Boehner issued a statement Friday night:

                “America was founded on the principle of religious freedom, and faith-based employers deserve the ability to hire people who share their beliefs. The measure passed by the DC Council, however, discriminates against religious and pro-Life Americans, violates their conscience rights, and runs completely counter to the ‘free exercise’ clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. As a proud pro-Life Catholic, I condemn this form of discrimination and urge the president to reconsider his veto threat of our joint resolution.”

We are in a dark period of American history, where the core principles which gave rise to the nation are being discarded, ignored and even attacked by one of the major political parties in an organized attempt to impose their political/social agenda on a resistant population. The despicable actions by the political hacks in D.C. are part of a much larger pattern, and the Silent Majority must roust itself soon to defend America and our Constitution.

Hillary Assumes Pontifical Powers

Posted on by David Ripley

Candidate Hillary Clinton, terminally corrupted by privilege and ambition, delivered a speech to the “Women in the World” summit recently. It was her first official campaign speech since declaring the continuation of her interrupted campaign for the presidency, and it was no accident that her central message was “Death to preborn Children!”

We have known for some time that abortion would be Hillary’s primary campaign message.

What made this particular speech unique was Hillary’s bold declaration that God needed to get His act together on this whole abortion thing. It was past time to update the Ten Commandments.

Clinton proclaimed that “deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed” if women were to come into full possession of their right to kill preborn children.

Now, of course, most of those “religious beliefs” are based upon clear teachings within Scripture that teach us to hold children precious, to sacrifice ourselves for others – and, above all, not to kill the innocent. What Clinton and her comrades on the Left do not seem to understand is that our religious beliefs are not a matter of personal opinion, but, rather, one of submission to our Creator.

Clinton is not the first self-proclaimed leader to shake a fist at the Almighty. One can presume that He is not particularly impressed; though His heart is undoubtedly grieved.

And we can all be grieved that a person of such arrogance stands a chance of becoming president over this great nation.

Pro-Lifers need to be in earnest prayer that the Lord will not allow that to happen. We can ask Him to soften her heart and illuminate her understanding. We can ask Him to protect His little ones from her ambition and wrath.

Much to be Grateful For

Posted on by David Ripley

The national election results present us with real hope. A functioning Republican Congress should serve as a wall against further erosion of American values under this president. There is even reason to hope that we can begin pushing back President Obama’s deadly agenda, particularly as it relates to his obsessive assault on religious liberty.

One would hope to see the Congress present legislation to the White House which codifies the Hobby Lobby rulings. And there is real hope that we might see the beginning of the end to ObamaCare. The president’s nominees to the federal bench ought to receive rather rough treatment as well; perhaps we can avoid some of his more radical nominations.

At the state level, we are pleased to report that our endorsed statewide candidates won election, turning back one of the most radical pro-abortion Democrat tickets in memory. Particularly gratifying is the victory of Lawerence Denney and Ron Crane. As we noted earlier – Mr. Crane’s opponent is a Board Member of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest. It was horrible to contemplate that such a person could gain a constitutional office in the great State of Idaho.

Most of our endorsed candidates for the Legislature won as well – though there were some losses which are hard to accept. Reps. Cindy Agidius (Moscow) lost. It was a blessing to have her in the Legislature, particularly because her district has normally sent us some of the most rabid abortion advocates in Idaho.

Our good friend Rep. Thyra Stevenson (Lewiston) is behind by just 26 votes – and we are hoping to hear that a recount will be conducted quickly. It would be a real shame to lose her. Perhaps the Lord will yet give us a miracle here.

Speaking of the Legislature, we spent much of the night worrying about Rep. Lynn Luker in Boise’s District 15. He was behind most of the night, but the Lord was merciful as he eventually prevailed by some 416 votes.

Results from Ada County were quite anomalous. As the nation and Idaho overwhelmingly chose a more conservative path, voters in Ada County were voting Democratic. Most of the statewide Republican ticket lost in Ada, some by considerable margins. This dynamic no doubt explains why the Luker election was so dramatic.

The superior Democrat turn-out machine in Ada County did cost us an important race: Republican Mike Chilton was defeated by a Democrat in the Coroner’s race. We have come to see the coroner office as an important one for the pro-Life movement – particularly in the era of ObamaCare. It is a real shame that Chilton lost this contest as he is one of the most solid candidates we’ve supported over the years.

Thank you Monty & Lenore

Posted on by David Ripley

Idaho’s recent primary election brought mixed results for the pro-Life community and our hopes of restoring legal protections to preborn babies.

Without going into the details of all the races, we want to take a moment to honor two legislators who lost their seats last week. They have been precious leaders in the fight to safeguard babies and women and we will certainly miss them.

Sen. Monty Pearce has led efforts to pass pro-Life legislation during his stellar career, which goes back to his two terms in the Idaho House in 1999-2002. He is one of those few who has earned our Friend for Life Award.

Rep. Lenore Barrett is a fearless champion of conservative causes, including the sanctity of human life. There is no one who has been more faithful during her 22 years in the Idaho Legislature.

Both legislators have never compromised in the battle for Life.

What makes their defeat so difficult to stomach is the way in which it was achieved. Late last week, the Idaho Conservation League issued a press release crowing about their role in misleading the voters in Districts 9 and 8 about the records of Lenore and Monty. Disguising their role as “sportsmen”, the Environmental Movement, in conjunction with House Democrats, waged a nasty last minute campaign which neither legislator was able to answer.

There is time to prepare for dealing with this kind of politics going forward. But for now, we want to pause and honor these two fine people who have served Idaho so well. They will be missed by many, including those of us who seek to save the lives of babies and their mothers.

Denney for Secretary of State

Posted on by David Ripley

The Board of Idaho Chooses Life has voted to endorse the candidacy of Rep. Lawerence Denney for the position of Secretary of State.

Denney has long served Idaho through his various roles in the Idaho House of Representatives.  Throughout his long public service, Denney has been an unapologetic advocate for Idaho’s preborn children.  He was one of the first officials to receive our “Friend for Life” Award back when he served as Majority Leader in the House. 

Denney’s opponents in this race, Evan Frasure and Mitch Toryanski, are both fine gentlemen who have previously been endorsed by this organization for other offices.  But in this race, Denney’s record of public service earns him our support.

During the time that Denney served as Speaker of the Idaho House, the pro-Life movement saw unprecedented gains in establishing protections for preborn children in Idaho law.  That was no accident.  Lawerence made it his business to create a welcome environment; every reasonable proposal to save lives was given his personal attention.

Much has been made by the liberal press and his political enemies over his very narrow defeat to a fourth term as Speaker in December of 2012.  Some have even tried to suggest that Denney had lost the confidence of his colleagues, or had somehow failed to properly fulfill his duties as Speaker.

Balderdash.

Lawerence Denney is a public leader of unusual integrity and humility.  He carries the mantel of public power with a down-to-earth graciousness that is truly remarkable.  He will bring that character to the office of Secretary of State.

Denney lost the Speakership for one and only one reason: An unprecedented campaign by special  interest groups in the 2012 elections to elect legislators willing to support their plans to impose ObamaCare upon the People of Idaho.  These interests, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, succeeded in bringing a gaggle of freshmen into the House.  By combining their votes with House Democrats, they were able to create the ObamaCare Exchange.  It is that simple.

Idaho deserves to have a statewide leader of Denney’s caliber overseeing our election process and serving us on the Land Board.

 

Star Parker on Chris Christie

Posted on by David Ripley

If the last two presidential elections tell us anything, it’s that Republicans don’t succeed with candidates who lack clear vision and conviction consistent with the party’s conservative platform.
Given this, I understand why Democrats think that New Jersey governor Chris Christie should be a leading contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. But why would any Republican see a typical political operative like Christie as presidential material?

Star Parker Portrait 4
With the information we have in front of us today, there is every reason to believe that 2016 will be a year of opportunity for Republicans to run a serious and exciting reform-minded candidate — a candidate who is ready and able to provide the kind of leadership it will take to breathe life back into our faltering nation.

The Obama presidency is exuding incompetence and unraveling on all fronts.

Each day we are greeted with new news about the crashing of the ill-conceived and misguided Affordable Care Act — Obamacare.

Looking at current economic realities at home and national security realities abroad, little good news appears evident and there isn’t much reason to expect any big positive surprises.
The American public is waking up to the fact that they elected, now twice, a president who is long on rhetoric and way short on delivery, and they are getting tired of it.

As things continue in this vein, by 2016, the American people will be ready for some real hope and change. The door will be open for a Republican candidate who is ready to take on the real challenges facing us, and offer solutions like across-the-board reform of entitlements, real tax reform, real cuts in superfluous government spending and reassertion of a strong and clear America in the international arena.  How can a governor like Christie, who has been at the helm of one of the worst-performing state economies in the nation — unemployment and poverty rates well above the national average, among the nation’s worst in job creation, with one of the highest tax burdens in the country — be the exciting candidate Republicans will be looking for?

Why, when the American people will be thirsty for a real reform-minded leader, would Republicans turn to yet another visionless business-as-usual politico?

And what evidence is there that Christie is anything but this?

We do have plenty of evidence that Christie behaves like we would expect any business-as-usual politician to behave.

He has demonstrated that his own political calculations are more important to him than his party or his nation.

Why else would he not have made a Republican appointment to the Senate when New Jersey Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg passed away? Instead, he decided to allow a special election to entice popular black Newark, N.J., Mayor Corey Booker to run for the open Senate seat, taking him out of the game to challenge Christie in his re-election campaign.

At a time when every Republican vote in the Senate is crucial, Christie opted to forego the opportunity of adding another Republican vote there because of his lack of courage to take on a strong Democrat opponent in his own re-election bid.

So running against a weak and underfunded Democrat opponent, incumbent Christie was re-elected.

The nation abounds in courageous, innovative Republican governors.

Unlike Christie, who took federal money available under Obamacare and to expand Medicaid in New Jersey, 21 states are refusing to take this bribe.  And this includes states with reform-minded Republican governors like Bobby Jindal in Louisiana, Rick Perry in Texas, Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Nikki Haley in South Carolina.  And then, of course, we have Christie’s flip-flop on same-sex marriage, announcing that he would not challenge a New Jersey court decision to allow same- sex marriage — after Christie led everyone to believe he would oppose this.

So, again I ask. Why would any Republican think about Christie as a presidential contender?
—
Star Parker is president of CURE.

Why Language Matters

Posted on by icl_20134566

Sen. Marco Rubio has come under gentle pressure from some conservative quarters over his adoption of the term “undocumented ” in his bid to persuade Americans that the Rubio/McCain/Schumer plan to deal with illegal immigrants is good for the country.

The left has been using the power of language to manipulate Americans for many years, and this debate gives us an opportunity to examine how it is done, why it is done and the impact on public policy.

Breitbart traces the fight by the left wing to cleanse the media of the term “illegal immigrant” because it is “offensive”: As far back as 2004, academics have been pressuring the Associated Press to drop the terminology. For years, the AP resisted, saying that the term was accurate because it described a “person who resides in a country unlawfully”. But politics is everything.

Just this month, the AP announced that it would no longer use the term.

The same cleansing has occurred in the abortion debate, though over a much longer period of time. The media refuses to call groups like Idaho Chooses Life as “pro-life” – while having no trouble describing Planned Parenthood as “pro-choice”. Of course that is frustrating because it drains so much of the debate of its importance.

But the manipulation of language by the Left often has real-world consequences. During this past legislative session, abortion advocate John Rusche – Democrat leader in the Idaho House – “officially objected” to the use of the term ‘abortifacient’ during floor debate because “Emergency Contraception doesn’t cause abortions”.

Of course, what Rusche would not admit is that the Left – including members of the medical profession – have conspired to change definitions so that pregnancy no longer means what we all understand it to mean. By their cynical cleansing of the abortion debate, a new life simply doesn’t exist until the fertilized ovum manages to attach itself to the uterine wall. Since Emergency Contraception is specifically designed to interfere with that process, pregnancy doesn’t happen. And you can’t have an abortion if you don’t have a pregnancy to begin with.

Pretty slick, right? So slick in fact, that it is very difficult to even address Emergency Contraception in legislation because of the intentional abuse of language by operatives like John Rusche and the liberal media.

Even more important: Manipulation of language, words, has profound consequences because it is the medium of rational thought. An idea generally requires words to exist, and we certainly needs words to communicate our ideas to another. Win the battle for the dictionary and you can sometimes deprive your fellow citizens of truth altogether.