Commentary

President Prepares to Restore Religious Liberty

Posted on by David Ripley

Various media outlets have obtained a draft of a proposed Executive Order being prepared for President Trump’s signature. Liberals in the media, Abortion Industry and homosexual agitators are, predictably, “outraged”.  They claim he is on some dangerous, radical mission to persecute them.  But the simple truth, as with so much of the Trump agenda, is to restore a respect for fundamental American principles, law and culture.

Reportedly, the draft EO insists that the federal government and its agencies adhere to Supreme Court decisions and statutes which safeguard the religious liberties of American citizens. The only thing radical about this action is the focus it puts on the Obama government, which waged all-out war on the First Amendment and the religious beliefs of many millions.

For example, it was the Obama Administration which repeatedly forced Little Sisters of the Poor to mortgage its very existence by waging expensive lawsuits to defend its right not to pay for, or otherwise subsidize, abortion through bizarre ObamaCare regulations. And, in fact, Trump’s Executive Order specifically instructs the Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health & Human Services to provide proper relief to this order of Christian nuns.

The Order would further order all federal agencies to protect the religious liberties of federal employees, and would stop the government from discriminating against private Christian charities because they uphold traditional beliefs in the sanctity of Life and Marriage.

News reports suggest that Trump’s action will provide comprehensive protections to religious practice and restore much of what Obama tried to destroy. It is a moment to be celebrated, not only because of it marks a recovery of religious freedom, but a recovery of Constitutional government.

But be prepared for more protests, car burnings and frivolous lawsuits.

Time to be Concerned

Posted on by David Ripley

After an amazing start on the pro-Life agenda, there are reports indicating that the new Republican government may be having trouble finding the will to defund Planned Parenthood. The problem lies not with the White House, but with the Congress.

There were hopes that the Congress would defund Planned Parenthood last week, after staging an historic vote to do so last year. That previous attempt was vetoed by Barack Obama, who went down swinging for his comrades in the Abortion Industry.  With a new pro-Life president in charge of the government, hopes remain high among pro-Lifers that the evil partnership between American taxpayers and the nation’s largest abortion chain will finally end.

The plan was to use the Reconciliation procedure to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal ObamaCare in one fell swoop. This mechanism means that Congress can move legislation with simple majorities in both the House and Senate.

Unfortunately, a number of Republicans have become anxious about repealing ObamaCare as there is not yet consensus about how the Republicans will reconstruct the health care insurance market place. In fact, one report indicated that Speaker Ryan may hold the reconciliation vote until the spring and summer.

That means the money pump is still running, transferring the nation’s treasure to Planned Parenthood’s bank account.

Utah Senator Mike Lee issued a statement yesterday, urging Congress to take action on defunding Planned Parenthood.   He rightly called the continued tax subsidies of Planned Parenthood a “stain” on our nation’s great history.

We ask for your prayers on behalf of the Congress. May our nation’s leaders find the courage and resolve to end this gross injustice.

President Trump Off to a Terrific Beginning

Posted on by David Ripley

President Trump issued an Executive Order yesterday which puts America back where it should be: A light to the world. He has restored the Mexico City Policy, first articulated by President Ronald Reagan.

This policy forbids the use of American tax dollars to export abortion to other nations. Specifically, it forbids giving foreign aid dollars to organizations (e.g., Planned Parenthood International) which use that money to perform and promote abortions in other nations.  It is a policy which has proven to be a central dispute between Democrat and Republican administrations ever since.

One of Obama’s first actions as the new president was to restore funding for PPI, and its evil support of abortion and oppressive practices like the one-child policy still destroying families and women in China.

President Trump’s action – and the clear priority he placed on getting America’s moral compass re-calibrated – is a tremendous encouragement to the conservative citizens. It serves as a down-payment against our hopes for a new regime in America – one in which the vulnerable are protected and valued.

Thank you, Mr. President!

America’s Long Winter Comes to an End

Posted on by David Ripley

America has endured a long, cold winter. Some eight years long.  But, by the grace of God, we have survived and there is promise of a vibrant spring.

Barack Obama has been relentless in his assault on America’s core values and conventions. He has rigidly pushed abortion, sexual perversion and illegal immigration.  Obama has seriously damaged a once-premier health care system.  He has freed drug lords, terrorists and traitors from prison – while fostering wide-spread hostility toward law enforcement.  He has expanded the capricious power of the presidency while undermining the public’s appreciation for the rule of law.  He has attacked free enterprise while greatly expanding dependency upon government.  He has imported Muslim terrorists while turning his back on Christians around the world who are fighting for their very lives.

Like a very bad winter, the snow storms and cold snaps have continued to come. Americans have been shoveling, sanding and huddling around wood stoves praying for spring.  Scraping the ice and snow off roofs, hoping we won’t see water spots in the ceiling.  Eight very long years.

Obama has assaulted our Jewish friends in Israel while making nefarious deals with our Iranian enemies. He has refused to address the mounting violence and hopelessness of America’s greatest cities, while insisting that those Americans still pulling the cart accept greater responsibility. He has encouraged ignorance of, and contempt for, the Constitution.

Freezing rain, followed by subzero temperatures. Slick roads for the morning commute.  Long nights of fatigue, afternoons of seething incredulity that another snowstorm has arrived.

Yet, today, America marks a time of renewal. The Republic has somehow survived the worst that Obama and his anarchist streetwalkers have thrown at Her.  Winter has come to an end as Obama flies off to play more golf in Palm Springs.

President Trump and Vice-President Pence have a daunting job before them. Rebuilding the Constitution’s institutions and restoring America’s core values to government will take time.  Surely they will make mistakes and good-hearted Americans must be willing to forgive and lend them a hand.  But spring has finally arrived.  Hope has returned to the land.

That proud, tattered flag still stands.

Thank you Lord.

Everyone Welcome … Except Pro-Lifers

Posted on by David Ripley

We are about to witness another temper tantrum of Planned Parenthood & Co. as they gather to protest the election of Donald Trump. Their hope is to convince Americans that he is anti-woman, a campaign they failed to win over the past year or so.

The “Women’s March on Washington” is designed to offer succor to the Left as Mr. Trump takes the Oath of Office. Similar events are planned in several cities – including Boise.

Organizers of the March have been working since the election to build a big turnout by describing it as “inclusive” of all women, representing a broad spectrum of women’s concern. But yesterday, those same organizers announced that pro-Life women would not be welcome at the event.

They want everyone to know that they are marching for Planned Parenthood and abortion rights.

Of course, pro-Life women are not the only ones being shunned. Those daughters in the womb who won’t survive 2017 are not welcome either.

The Battle to Defund PP Begins

Posted on by David Ripley

The new Republican Congress has begun work to make good on a critical pro-Life agenda item: Ending the coerced partnership between taxpayers and Planned Parenthood. It is our understanding that language is included in the current “reconciliation” bill which will end Planned Parenthood’s outrageous access to the U.S. Treasury.  This is the same bill which will obliterate ObamaCare.

The defunding language cannot get to President Trump’s desk too quickly.

Approximately 40% of the abortion giant’s funding comes from taxpayers – now something like $550 million each year. It is that massive subsidy which has allowed Planned Parenthood to have such a devastating effect on the nation’s culture and the lives of millions of vulnerable women and girls.

Already the organization is brandishing sabers in the media, trying to persuade Americans that Republicans are waging a “war on women”. PP President Cecile Richards, still recovering from the loss of her White House desk next to Hillary Clinton, recently appeared on the Comedy Central channel.  She argued that the end of public funding for Planned Parenthood is really “an end of access to care for a lot of folks in this country”.  Pure balderdash.

The truth is, Republicans are likely to increase funding for women’s health care – but they are going to insist that public dollars are spent with legitimate health care providers. You know, the kind of professionals who put the patient – not their abortion ideology – first.

Short of overturning Roe v. Wade itself – the current defunding effort in Congress is the greatest single blow we can strike for Life. It will result in the saving of hundreds of thousands of preborn children.  You can be sure that the enemy is well aware of the stakes, and will wage both political and spiritual warfare, at levels rarely seen, to protect the revenue stream of Planned Parenthood’s death machine.

Pro-Lifers must be in earnest prayer for the success of this effort.

The Wonder of the Christmas Story

Posted on by David Ripley

The magic of Christmas is all around us. And the core of that wonder is not great, sentimental Christmas movies, presents or even lights.  The center of that enduring magic is the baby Jesus.  And that makes Christmas the ultimate pro-Life celebration.

There is the obvious point to be made: Jesus as a newborn makes the connection to the pro-Life movement clear enough. But there is a greater depth to that fact.  The God of the Universe humbled himself to become a human baby, vulnerable and dependent in every respect.  He joined himself in a miraculous way to humanity, to the human condition.  He experienced that helpless, dependent condition – trusting himself to the care of a new mother and father in a dangerous world.  Jesus, the Son of God, became every baby; he became “every man”.  That is, no doubt, why he continually referred to himself during the years of his public ministry as “the Son of Man”.

Jesus made his identification with babies, children, a core part of his teaching. He made clear that our care for the innocent, vulnerable child was essentially a testament of our respect and care for Him.

This helps explain why the Lord takes the scourge of abortion so very seriously.

But there are other elements of the Christmas Story which can inspire us and teach us.

We have a mother who bravely overcomes her fear to embrace the gift of life. Mary accepts the problems of an unplanned pregnancy in a self-sacrificing way, becoming the very model of motherhood for all women.

We see a man who struggles with the sudden responsibility of caring for a wife and child, leaving behind his own notions of how his life would unfold. Joseph humbled himself to trust God and accept the blessings that an unplanned baby would bring.

And from those decisions and events, we see the power of God’s blessing spread from a humble manger to encompass all of humanity, through all the epochs of history.

The magic of the Christmas Story calls us to reaffirm God’s great gift of Life, and to defend that blessing with vigor, conviction and courage.

We pray that the power and warmth of God’s goodness fills your home this Christmas Season.

Big End-of-Year Developments

Posted on by David Ripley

In the closing months of 2016, much is happening in the country’s abortion wars.

The President, in a bold attempt to protect his pals at Planned Parenthood, has pushed through a new rule which seeks to ensure public funding of the nefarious organization into the future. Obama’s HHS rule, which takes effect on January 18, outlaws any efforts by the states to deny taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood affiliates operating within their borders.  Adding to the moral outrage of using our tax money to fund the Abortion Industry – Obama has now reached new heights of federal coercion.  For him and most liberals, the 10th Amendment simply does no exist.  The States are simply an organizational step of the Great Central Government.

But, in a strange way, this outrage may actually help us end the abuse of taxpayers altogether in the new Congress. Obama’s strong-arm tactics may add fuel to the effort to stop Congressional funding of Planned Parenthood altogether: It would be the simplest way to make his new rule irrelevant.

On another front, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee issued a formal report on its year-long investigation of the sordid aborted-baby-parts-industry. The report, signed by Chairman Chuck Grassley, includes a formal referral to the U.S. Justice Department, recommending criminal investigation and prosecution of four different Planned Parenthood affiliates.  The referral also recommends charges against three organ procurement companies.

This is no small matter, as the committee investigation points to a potential RICO investigation of Planned Parenthood.

The actions by the Senate committee complement the work of the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, chaired by Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). That panel has just issued a separate report and also made recommendations to the U.S. Justice Department that criminal prosecutions be pursued.

“Speaking as a woman, I am deeply troubled by what we have learned about the mistreatment of patients at a particularly difficult and vulnerable time in their lives. They are being treated with a disregard for their best interests and their rights as patients,” Rep. Blackburn said in a press statement.  “Women deserve better than this. … We’ve seen instances in which profit-driven procurement businesses acting in conjunction with [abortion] clinics violate women’s privacy rights under HIPPA.”

While there is no chance that our corrupt AG Lynch will take action on the Congressional recommendations, we are hopeful that the new Justice Department under Jeff Sessions might. And, in any event, the investigations provide even greater cause for Congress to sever their partnership with the Death Industry.

Thank You Macy’s!

Posted on by David Ripley

Reports surfaced yesterday that Macy’s will no longer contribute corporate funds to Planned Parenthood.  The decision was reached quietly following revelations last year regarding Planned Parenthood’s trafficking in aborted baby parts.

As one news report put it, this is another “Miracle on 34th Street”, and another brick removed from Planned Parenthood’s wall of legitimacy.

We encourage pro-Lifers who might shop at Macy’s yet this Christmas Season to say “thank you” for the decision to store personnel.

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.