Commentary

Many conservatives across the nation are angry that the GOP leadership seems to have no plan for responding to Obama’s immigration reform stunt. Some have been hoping that the House would use its budgetary authority to block the president’s unconstitutional amendment of federal statute. Information released by the Washington Post yesterday suggests that we will be frustrated.

However, the same analysis found some encouragement for pro-Life advocates.

Buried in the leadership’s spending bill are various pro-Life provisions. Republicans will once again block the use of federal funds to pay for most abortions, including the District of Columbia. This restriction will now apply to federal prison inmates.

This last is very important because of trends in various county jails where apparently taxpayers are being billed for abortions on a regular basis. This is a potential scandal which requires our future attention.

In addition, the GOP spending plan puts now requirements on the Department of Health & Human Services to make it clear to citizens shopping for health care insurance on various ObamaCare websites whether the plans they are considering cover elective abortion services.

And, lastly, the proposed spending bill cuts enforcement funding for the IRS, and includes a ban on the agency using its police powers to target tax-exempt groups for harassment based upon the group’s political beliefs.

Our annual Christmas Dinner & Auction was held on Friday night in Eagle. Once again, we are encouraged by the tremendous support of Idahoans as we prepare for the upcoming legislative session. We were blessed with much generosity, the practical kind of love which allows Idaho Chooses Life to continue our battle for preborn children.

This night was special for another reason. Arizona Congressman Trent Franks came to town as our guest speaker. He has forged a reputation in Congress as a tireless advocate for preborn children. His passion and humanity were on full display Friday evening. He gave one of most moving and powerful pro-Life talks we have heard.

But more than his talk, we were moved by his character and humility. He is simply a very fine man and the nation is blessed to have him in a position of leadership in Washington. Trent Franks went to an awful lot of trouble to get out here while the Congress is fooling around with the Lame Duck Session. Major problems face the nation and he is directly engaged in many of them.

Yet he would not be hindered in responding to an invitation to help strengthen and nurture the pro-Life movement – even in Idaho.

We are honored and energized by his commitment. May the Lord continue to watch over him and his family as he fights to breathe life into the Constitution. Without men like him, the guiding document of the United States is merely dried ink on parchment.

As we gather in our homes with friends and family on this day of remembrance – we ask the Lord’s blessing on your family, our state and nation.

This is a day to bring to mind all the blessings God has bestowed upon us as individuals and as a nation. While the present political leadership offers near constant reason for anxiety – we do well this day to look over America’s long history, to days when our leaders humbly recognized the necessity of God’s intervention on our behalf. On this day, we ask you join with us in asking Almighty God to raise up such leaders once more.

Here are a few excerpts from Thanksgiving Proclamations issued by statesmen in nobler times:

“[It is] our duty as people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience.”

–          President George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1795
“I have thought fit, according to the ancient and laudable practice of our renowned ancestors, to appoint a day of Public Thanksgiving to God, for the great benefits which He has been pleased to bestow upon us, in the year past.”

–          Governor Samuel Adams, 1795

“No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy….I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States … to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer to our beneficent Father, who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that … [they] fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union.”

–          President Abraham Lincoln, 1863

“May we on that [Day of Thanksgiving] in our churches and in our homes give humble thanks for the blessings bestowed upon us during the year past by Almighty God.”

–          President Franklin Roosevelt, 1933

One of the most important races on the Tuesday ballot is the state Treasurer’s office.

Almost no attention has been paid to the background of the Democrat candidate, Deborah Silver. While she is being packaged as a quiet housewife/accountant from Twin Falls, the truth is she is a dedicated champion of abortion.

Ms. Silver serves on the Board of Planned Parenthood of the Greater Northwest. This regional board runs the abortion industry in Idaho, Alaska and eastern Washington. It has a massive budget to effect legislative and legal agendas in the three states – an annual operating budget in excess of $40 million.  Over the past ten years, some 286,000 preborn children have lost their lives in the three states managed by Ms. Silver. Those destroyed lives can be laid directly at the feet of the Democrat nominee.

As if that wasn’t enough evil for an organization to foist upon the world – Silver’s outfit spends a considerable amount of money exporting abortion into Africa and Central America.

The state’s media has failed to report on any of this. They have focused their attention on the dispute incumbent Ron Crane has had with several RINO legislators over how he has responded to the last cycle of economic decline, never giving him credit for the assets he has protected in the storm.

More important to us, however, is Ron Crane’s pro-family/ pro-Life character. When he was in the Legislature, he helped push passage of a ban on partial birth abortions.

Help us spread the word: Ms. Silver is a dangerous operative for Planned Parenthood – America’s largest abortion chain. She simply cannot gain a statewide platform for Planned Parenthood’s agenda.

In an Idaho Falls debate this week, Gov. Butch Otter explained his decision to vigorously defend the Idaho Constitution from the concerted attack by homosexual activists and their allies on the federal bench. At stake is the definition of marriage and the entire social order.

His Democrat opponent, A.J. Balukoff, has been quite vocal in attacking the governor and AG Lawrence Wasden for defending Idaho’s constitutional amendment on traditional marriage in federal court. He has called the defense of marriage “discriminatory”.

The libertarian in the race, John Bujak, has essentially mimicked Balukoff’s criticism. 

This issue and how the candidates are handling it allows us a terrific opportunity to see the true philosophies of these gentlemen and how they approach the overarching questions of leadership and accountability.

All three men seek to become the most powerful elected official in Idaho. All three ask the support of Idaho voters … and, at least by implication, have pledged themselves to defend the Idaho Constitution. This is the specific oath of office one of them will take in January. Yet we must wonder from the onset whether Mr. Balukoff or Mr. Bujak are actually prepared to submit to the sovereignty of the People.

The Idaho Constitution is not simply a dusty document. It is the embodiment of the People’s sovereignty, and a precise delegation of some of that authority to those who would love to wield public power in our lives.

But we must ask: To whom will these men be accountable if granted such temporary power?

Mr. Balukoff and Mr. Bujak are demonstrating a certain contempt for the People; a disdain for the fundamental precept of a government built upon the consent of the governed. They presume they know better than the People – the most destructive liberal impulse. They both are more than ready to lecture us about how we should think and how we ought organize society – just like the radical college professors they probably studied under. They both tell us we should simply submit to the superior judgment of a handful of federal judges.

Some have criticized Governor Otter this year for “being out of touch”. Yet, it should not be lost on conservatives – and other champions of a republican form of government – that it is Butch Otter who is standing in the gap, actually fulfilling his oath of office to defend not just the Constitution but the fundamental principle of the People-as-Sovereign. It is Otter who is demonstrating a humility by fighting for the will of the People as expressed by their Constitution. It is Butch Otter who is battling the arrogance of a federal judiciary which seeks to impose their vision of a reordered society at complete odds with the moral foundation upon which this nation was laid.  And it is Butch Otter who is battling two opponents who apparently have no genuine interest in representing the views of those they seek to manage.

Regardless of your attitude on the vital question of homosexual marriage in Idaho, it should trouble you that Bujak and Balukoff hold the public in such disdain. If they are prepared to defy the People in this matter, it will be nothing to impose taxes or regulations or any other liberal agenda item against our will.

Kudos to Governor Otter for the fight he is waging on our behalf. May the Lord bless his efforts.

Pro-Lifers in the Treasure Valley will join friends across the nation this Sunday afternoon to take a stand for preborn babies and their mothers.

The annual Life Chain will be held on Milwaukee Avenue across from the Boise Mall on Sunday, October 5th.  2-4 pm.  Signs will be provided.  Prayers are welcome.

This event is designed to bring the message of God’s love from the pews to the streets. 

God tells us that we are the Light of the World.  Join us on Sunday in lifting the Light of God’s word to our neighbors.  See you there!

NEWS RELEASE                                                                    

IDAHO CHOOSES LIFE ENDORSES GOV. OTTER FOR 3^RD TERM

Otter Builds Historic Pro-Life Legacy

 The Board of Idaho Chooses Life, representing grassroots activists from across the state, voted unanimously to endorse Governor Butch Otter for another term as Idaho’s senior public official.

“The simple fact is, Governor Otter has signed more pro-Life legislation into law than any previous governor in Idaho history,” said David Ripley, ICL Executive Director, in making the endorsement decision public. “Seven major pieces of legislation have become law with his help, and that is a legacy of which all Idahoans can be proud.”

Otter has signed the following legislation into Idaho Code: 

• Idaho’s Parental Consent law, requiring parental permission before a girl can get an abortion;
• A law giving mothers the right to view an ultrasound before an abortion;
• A law making it a felony to coerce a woman into getting an abortion – the first such law in the nation;
• Idaho Code protects the Conscience Rights of Idaho health care professionals;
• Idaho prohibits the coverage of elective abortion as part of ObamaCare;
• Idaho prohibits the abortion of a baby after 20 weeks’ gestation;
• The state now makes it a crime to assist with a suicide.

“Beyond his signature on pieces of legislation adopted by the Legislature, Governor Otter has helped foster a climate in the Idaho Legislature which welcomes our effort to protect preborn babies and their mothers from the scourge of abortion,” Ripley said. “There is no doubt Otter has earned the support of pro-Life voters in November.”

By contrast, Ripley expressed grave concern about the views of Otter’s Democratic opponent, A.J. Balukoff.

“A review of Mr. Balukoff’s statements on abortion make it clear that he supports both Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton,” Ripley asserted. “Tens of thousands of Idaho babies have died as a result of these Supreme Court edicts on abortion. We are convinced that a Balukoff Administration would be hostile to the interests of preborn Idahoans and their mothers.”

 “We are asking pro-Life voters across Idaho to join us in supporting Butch Otter for another term as governor,” Ripley concluded.

 -end-

It is the duty of every good socialist to know when it is time to die for the good of the whole. Or to procreate.

That is the underlying philosophy expressed by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, architect of ObamaCare, in an article he wrote entitled, “Why I Hope to Die at 75”. The story of his views was picked up by Alex Jones on his InfoWars website.

Dr. Emanuel writes,

                “I think this manic desperation to endlessly extend life is misguided and potentially destructive. For many reasons, 75 is a good age to aim to stop.”

Emanuel goes on to argue that after 75, the only reasonable medical treatment which ought to be given to the elderly is palliative – that is, treatments to manage pain. He claims that he will refuse any surgery or treatments designed to extend his life, and urges society to adopt his enlightened view of the matter.

Still think ObamaCare does not pose a threat to the disabled and elderly?

But Emanuel is not the only creepy dude hanging around the Oval Office. The president’s senior science advisor, John P. Holdren has similarly radical views about the question of procreation. According to the Alex Jones article, Holdren believes that society should begin implanting “sterilizing capsules” into all young women at puberty to ensure that they don’t reproduce. Governmental permission could be granted to remove the capsule should some bureaucrat decide that it is in the social interest to have more children.

Can forced abortions be very behind?

It is truly astonishing that such people have acquired so much power and influence in our national affairs.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.infowars.com/obamacare-architect-says-society-would-be-better-off-if-people-only-lived-to-age-75/

Fervent prayer for the future is this nation is urgently needed.

During the debate on Obama’s scheme to revolutionize and undermine America’s health care system, we warned that ObamaCare would lead to a major expansion of abortion in the nation. Democrats who claimed to be “pro-Life” shooed us away with a theatrical scheme to amend Obama’s bill. They would not support Obama unless they got language prohibiting the expenditure of tax dollars to pay for elective abortions.

After receiving some kind of paper from the White House, Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak declared that he had won assurances from President Obama that ObamaCare would not pay for abortions. Whamo. The nation has been reeling ever since.

Yesterday a report from the Government Accountability Office laid bare the deception: Despite language in the law requiring that companies selling subsidized ObamaCare policies do not use tax monies to pay for elective abortion – the law is being widely ignored by insurance companies.

According to an article on Politico, the GAO report that every insurance plan sold Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Vermont and Rhode Island included coverage for elective abortions. (Does anyone still consider Gov. Chris Christie a “pro-Life” governor?).

The list of states singled out should not be understood to be the limit of the taxpayer abuse.

The article further advised the public that 1038 Obama plans sold across the nation include elective abortion coverage.

In response to the GAO report, the Department of Health & Human Services said it would be sending out more instructions to various “stake holders” that abortion coverage must be paid for through separate funds. No sense of urgency here, no concern that numerous studies have proven that taxpayer subsidies increase the abortion rate. We’ll send those guys a memo.

How about an FBI investigation into the illegal use of taxpayer funds? Would fines or a prosecution be too much to hope for?

Of course it is. This is Obama’s America. And no honest American can feign surprise that the Abortion Industry is one of the chief beneficiaries of ObamaCare.

And by the way – some eager reporter found Bart Stupak to ask if he regretted his vote to impose ObamaCare on the nation given the fact that it is clearly subsidizing the destruction of innocent babies. No, he said. He is proud of his vote. 

May God take mercy upon him. More mercy than he and Obama have shown to those babies being ripped from their mothers’ wombs on our credit card.