THE PATRIOT POST 08/17/2015

Right Analysis | Right Hooks | Right Opinion Patriot Headlines | Grassroots Commentary Daily Digest August 17, 2015    THE FOUNDATION "[T]he longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?" —Benjamin Franklin, to Colleagues at the Constitutional Convention, 1787 TOP RIGHT HOOKS StemExpress Severs Business Ties With Planned Parenthood Even if the political momentum against Planned Parenthood's fetal tissue trafficking doesn't reach a tipping point where the organization is stripped of its federal funding, the videos produced by the Center for Medical Progress will have done some good. The abortion lobby is scrambling as its practices were hit with the sunlight of public scrutiny. After Congress turned its investigative power toward the tissue procurement company that worked with Planned Parenthood, StemExpress said in a statement Friday that it was severing business ties with PP. "While we value our business relationship with Planned Parenthood, that work represents a small percentage of our overall business activity and we must focus our limited resources on resolving these inquiries," StemExpress said. Policy reform advances slowly. And while the Obama administration is using its bully pulpit to fight for the abortion lobby, it can't fully halt incremental reform such as this. But the Center for Medical Progress is still suspicious of the relationship between the abortion provider and the tissue procurement company. "[I]s StemExpress following orders from Planned Parenthood National to save face?" CMP asked. "Does Planned Parenthood abortion doctor Ronald Berman continue to serve as Medical Director of StemExpress? Planned Parenthood and StemExpress should both answer questions about this shady move, and the full details of their 'business relationship,' under oath before Congress and the American people." Comment | Share GOP Endorses National Religious Liberty Bill In response to the Supreme Court's decision legalizing same-sex marriage, the Republican National Committee supported a piece of legislation that would affirm the Liberty enumerated in the First Amendment, despite the discrimination witch hunts run by the Rainbow Mafia. "Resolved, The Republican National Committee urges Congress to pass and the President to sign The First Amendment Defense Act to protect the rights of believers to equal treatment by the government of The United States of America," the RNC resolution concluded. This strong stance for the right to conscience comes after the RNC rejected two resolutions, one that dealt with how same-sex unions should be taught in schools, and another that encouraged states to pass resolutions undermining the SCOTUS ruling. It's a politically wise move. While upholding the sanctity of marriage is more difficult than ever in the current culture, the GOP is trying to ensure every American can live at peace in a pluralistic society. Comment | Share Hillary Clinton Takes Working Vacation in the Hamptons Progressive populists like Bernie Sanders are going to have a field day with Hillary Clinton's vacation. America's royal family paid $100,000 to rent a mansion in the Hamptons for a two-week vacation at the end of August. This comes at a time when the Clinton presidential campaign is trying to peddle a form of faux-populism. If Clinton really wanted to connect with everyday Americans, she would spend closer to the $1,145 per person the average American spends on their meager breaks from the grindstone. But to be fair, this is a working vacation for Clinton. And what better place to have a working vacation for Clinton than the Hamptons? Her beachside vacation rental is next door to Democrat donor Harvey Weinstein, and the fundraising events begin just as Clinton kicks off her campaign shoes for something a bit more comfortable. After all, she needs more money to convince middle class America she cares about their welfare. Either way, she's come a long way from being "dead broke." Comment | Share FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS Trump's Immigration Plan Is Exactly Why He's So Appealing By Nate Jackson As news broke over the weekend of yet another illegal alien accused of a triple homicide in Florida, the overwhelming sense for conservatives is that something has to be done about illegal immigration. While most Republican presidential candidates appear equivocal on the issue, as do Republican congressional “leaders,” Donald Trump is clear on his objections, and that resonates with a lot of Americans. Trump has been the go-to candidate on the issue since his June 16 announcement speech, when he opined, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best; they’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with [them]. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Trump has now released the details of his plan, and it's a master stroke to answer voter frustration. He begins with three solid principles, the first of which is a direct quote from Ronald Reagan. A nation without borders is not a nation. There must be a wall across the southern border. A nation without laws is not a nation. Laws passed in accordance with our Constitutional system of government must be enforced. A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation. Any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans. That such principles are so controversial is a mark of how dire our predicament really is, and the weakness of other GOP candidates in espousing them has left an opening for Trump. Those principles are followed by several planks. "Make Mexico pay for the wall" is the first. How would he accomplish that? Increase the fees for legal immigration, which seems counterintuitive. "Mexico must pay for the wall and, until they do, the United States will, among other things: impound all remittance payments derived from illegal wages; increase fees on all temporary visas issued to Mexican CEOs and diplomats (and if necessary cancel them); increase fees on all border crossing cards — of which we issue about 1 million to Mexican nationals each year (a major source of visa overstays); increase fees on all NAFTA worker visas from Mexico (another major source of overstays); and increase fees at ports of entry to the United States from Mexico [Tariffs and foreign aid cuts are also options]." If that idea (and the generally unhelpful antagonism toward Mexico) isn't quite satisfactory, his other points are appealing — tripling the number of ICE officers, nationwide e-verify, mandatory deportation of criminal aliens, detention instead of catch-and-release, cut off federal funds for sanctuary cities, penalizing visa overstays, and, perhaps most important, end birthright citizenship. As we have noted before, any debate about immigration is useless unless it begins with a commitment to securing our borders first. Trump appears to be seriously, if imperfectly, addressing this need. We have also argued that birthright citizenship is a gross misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment, and Trump is right to target it. Such a move will, of course, be litigated all the way to the Supreme Court, but it's a worthy fight. In June, Trump said, "Give [illegal immigrants] a path [to citizenship]. You have to make it possible for them to succeed." His plan now calls for allowing "the good ones" to come back once they've been deported. While Trump's plan is solid on Rule of Law and heavy on enforcement, where he comes up short is emphasizing that Liberty is colorblind. It’s not a “white thing.” Minorities could be forgiven for thinking Trump's plan translates more closely to, "We don't want any Mexicans here." That may resonate with some in the GOP base, but it's not going to expand that base. Because Liberty transcends all racial, ethnic, gender and class distinctions, it will appeal to all freedom-loving people when properly presented. That said, it's going to be awfully hard for any other GOP candidate to trump The Donald's plan in the eyes of primary voters. The question of why it's taken the rest of them so long to even try to address the issue is a baffling one. Comment | Share Share TODAY AT PATRIOTPOST.US ANALYSIS: Bleeding Republican States Dry Tangled Legal Web Prevents Immigration Law Enforcement Gowdy Says Clinton Testimony Could Take 'A While' Why an Al Gore Presidential Run Isn't Far-Fetched Ben Carson's Fetal Tissue Research Confounds Leftists BEST OF RIGHT OPINION Peggy Noonan: The Three Presidential Primaries John Goodman: Why College Tuition Is Out of Sight: The Federal Government George Will: Encrusted With Subsidies For more, visit Right Opinion. TOP HEADLINES Another Illegal Immigrant Charged in Triple Homicide Obama Can Still Implement Iran Deal if Congress Disapproves Off-Script: Biden Calls Chattanooga Shooter a 'Perverted Jihadist' OPINION IN BRIEF Peggy Noonan: "The harder people come down on Trump, the more his supporters believe he’s the only honest one. 'Entwined, entrenched interests hate him: Then I’m for him!' Republican leaders will be patient because there’s no other choice. They can’t take him down, and even if they could they’d be damned by his embittered supporters, and Trump would run third-party. He will rise or fall depending on how he acts and speaks, what oppo comes his way, and how he responds. He has a history of falling off the edge of the knife. He will change tack or get out depending on whether he comes to believe he is hurting his brand. Republicans should argue with him on policy, take on his positions, hit him hard, often and above the belt. I don’t know what happens with Mr. Trump, but Trumpism? That’s here now — outlandish candidates backed by indignant, enraptured people who’ve lost their judgment. Congratulations to the leaders of both parties: The past 20 years you’ve taken us far. We’re entering Weimar, baby. The swamp figure is up from the depths." Comment | Share SHORT CUTS The Gipper: "The government's view of the economy can be summed up in a few short phrases. It if moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." Food for thought: "Conservatives have a real and legitimate reason to be pissed off at the GOP. Polling suggests conservatives hate the Republicans in Washington more than Democrats hate the Republicans in Washington. That anger has galvanized conservatives and pushed them toward Donald Trump. To his credit, he has capitalized on that anger. But folks, this is anger at an unhealthy level. It is anger that has gone beyond the righteous anger of repeated betrayals from Washington. It is an anger that has become unhinged and is potentially uncontrollable. Anger at that level is more often destructive than constructive." —Eric Erickson Scandals are totally hilarious: "You may have seen that I recently launched a Snapchat account. I love it. I love it. Those messages disappear all by themselves." —Hillary Clinton making light of her email scandal Auditioning for the Democrat nomination? "When this perverted jihadist struck, everyone responded. We have a message for those perverted cowards around the world. America never yields, never bends, never cowers and never stands down.” —Joe Biden at the memorial service for the five service members killed in Chattanooga And last... "President Obama said that Iran's Supreme Leader 'is a politician just like everybody else.' Uh huh. And Germany's concentration camps were just a housing program." —Fred Thompson Comment | Share Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis! Managing Editor Nate Jackson Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm's way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.