Thursday, January 22, 2015

Healing the Racial Divide 

Harry R. Jackson, Jr / Townhall Columnist


The recent national crisis and racial tension have underscored that America seems more divided than ever. On the one hand, President Obama believes that our differences are just being exposed. On the other hand a few of us feel that the President and Attorney General Holder exacerbated the race problem. In some ways, both views are right. How could that be? America has come a long way since the lynchings of the 50s and days of Selma. However, we have a ways to go in terms of race, poverty, and class.

We could not have expected the President, alone, to work miracles with an issue that has plagued our nation from its beginning. Our political leaders can only do so much. All the institutions in society must work together to move forward, but the Church has always had a special role to play. While segments of the American Church have historically been blind to the sin of racism—and even justified slavery by distorting Scripture—other parts of the Church have led the way in ending racial injustice.

So how can the Church take the lead as we look for ways to draw Americans closer together and build greater understanding among the growing variety of ethnic groups that make up our great “melting pot”? Last week Thursday January 15th, I helped convene a meeting of over 150 ministers who met at the Potter’s House in Dallas, for a powerful closed door conclave called: The Reconciled Church: Healing The Racial Divide. Collectively, we represented a diverse group of significant leaders from across denominations and ideological backgrounds. These leaders represented over 40 million American Christians.

The purpose of that meeting was to reach consensus on how we can promote peaceful reconciliation and to collaborate on how bridges can be established for a brighter economic future in our communities. As social entrepreneurs and influencers that are building tremendous ministries that address underlying cures for race, class, and poverty problems. Our nation deserves better models of spiritual leadership. We have the opportunity to change the course of history within the American church and affect the globe. Our time is now.

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey issued a stunningly frank and brutal assessment of the Obama administration's Iran policy in open hearings this morning, stating that the White House's talking points sound as if they'd been formulated and disseminated by the Iranian regime itself: 

See video here:
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2015/01/21/oh-my-senate-dem-says-whs-iran-talking-points-sound-straight-from-tehran-n1946172?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&newsletterad=
"You know, I have to be honest with you. The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Tehran. And it feeds to the Iranian narrative of victimization when they are the ones with original sin: An illicit nuclear weapons program going back 20 years that they're unwilling to come clean on."
In his State of the Union Address last night, Obama vowed to veto additional sanctions against Iran, which have broad bipartisan support:
"New sanctions passed by this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that diplomacy fails?—?alienating America from its allies; and ensuring that Iran starts up its nuclear program again. It doesn’t make sense. That is why I will veto any new sanctions bill that threatens to undo this progress. The American people expect us to only go to war as a last resort, and I intend to stay true to that wisdom."
This posture implies that Iran is a good-faith negotiating partner (they absolutely are not), that real progress is being made that benefits American interests (dubious at best), and that tougher sanctions are somehow akin to outright war (sanctions are a "stick" in the array of non-shooting-war options).

National Journal reports that Menendez has "clashed" with the administration in private over this issue, warning that Iran continues to cheat as they string Western negotiators along.  The Senate may have the votes to override an Obama veto, as Menendez isn't alone among alarmed Democrats.  The Kirk-Menendez sanctions would only apply if Iran walked away from the negotiating table without agreeing to a deal.  Obama argues that this pressure would anger the Iranians and scuttle talks; as the Wall Street Journal  put it, he's insisting that Congress not strengthen America's hand.  He prefers to continue to afford Tehran as much time as the regime likes, without ratcheting up the sense of urgency over talks that have dragged on since 2013.  The Journal's editors remind us that Team Obama assured skeptical Americans when the interim deal was announced that they would never countenance precisely what's playing out today:

Islamic State (ISIS) executing 'educated women'

 Pamela Geller / Atlas Shrugs

Islamic StateThe savages want to stay savage. If you would prefer to be civilized, they will kill you.

Please remember to quote this article when the Democrats, the party of treason algined with the jihad force, talk about the GOP's 'War on Women". You can ask them why they named a devout Muslim who believes that US schools should be modeled on madrassas to the House intelligence committee.

You can ask them why the feminists stand silent in the face of honor murder and Islamic misogyny.

And when they tell you that this sharia is not Islamic, ask them why all of these military Islamic groups are waging jihad against educating girls - Taliban, Boko Haram, ISIS ...?

"IS executing 'educated women' in new wave of horror says UN," AFP, January 22, 2015:
...

     

A note from Pamela Geller

A note from Pamela Geller

  ATLAS SHRUGS IS STILL DOWN
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A week ago today my website Atlas Shrugs was hit with a massive DDoS. I wanted to update you on what's been happening. The affects of the attack suffered last Thursday were crippling. The fall-out is still ongoing.

We tried to go back online yesterday but it failed. My web developer was out of his depth and I have brought in two new companies that specialize in this kind of situation.
In the meantime, I have set up a temporary blog at Typepad, AtlasShrugs.com and will write and publish from there. It's temporary but stable. As you can see from this morning's newsletter the links work.
This attack demonstrates the war on truth, the war on freedom. The site is critical in covering what is really happening in the world. There are well-funded forces working to silence the voices of truth and freedom.
The site was targeted because of its message and its unprecedented growth.
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In the wake of the roiling jihad across the world, people are looking for answers. Now. Which is why what Atlas does is so very critical in the  information battle-space. And the relentless forces of evil mean to see that good folks don't have access to it. We will not let that happen.
Please consider a contribution to help get Atlas back online, here. Or you can mail your donation to:
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Op-ed: 
The State of Dis-Union Address
By: Diane Sori

“It’s now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next fifteen years, and for decades to come.”
- Barack HUSSEIN Obama's recurring theme in his 2015 State of the Union Address alluding to the fact that America seems destined to be forever in debt

Disappointing at best...just more 'doubling down' on the same old tired rhetoric at the very lest, Barack HUSSEIN Obama's sixth State of the Union Address was NOTHING but another reworked campaign speech touting the 'supposed' benefits of big government with NO mention whatsoever of muslim islamic terrorists...the biggest threat facing the entirety of the West today.

Bottom line...Obama simply did NOTHING but deliver a 'see how wonderful I am' speech, while misleading...while lying...to 'We the People' about how concerned he is about the middle class. And true to his being a man who likes to hear the sound of his own voice, Obama bloviated over and over how successful his actually failed policies are while only those on his side of the aisle stood to applaud. And if truth be told, what Obama did was NOTHING but run down a 'bucket list' of 'to dos' with a smattering of 'having dones' thrown in for good measure, and doing so all while knowing that the new Republican controlled Congress will rightfully kick his 'bucket list' to the curb...and knowing that he will veto any and everything that they do pass. In fact, he told them six times that he would.

Here are but a few of what I consider the economic highlights of an arrogant speech delivered by an arrogant man...after all it still is all about the economy along with Obama's tax and spend agenda.

So while Obama did focus almost entirely on the economy in this address, his focus was anything but truthful. While touting what he called “middle-class economics,” saying, “the shadow of crisis has passed and the state of the Union is strong,” Obama proves once again that he just does NOT get the true reality of a struggling American economy where wages are flat and where 'real' wages have actually been falling for years; where taxes are already high yet he still wants to again raise taxes on the rich (the very ones who are America's main job creators) including raising their capital gains taxes which will actually hurt middle class and low-income families because it will slow economic growth; and where phony jobs numbers are posted as fact. Remember, the numbers spewed out by the left deliberately omit those so disgusted with looking for work that they NO longer do; where those demoted to part time work with NO benefits are left out of the calculations as well; and where there is NO recovery in full-time job employment numbers with the entire net employment gains since 2007 coming in part-time positions.

Claiming that 2014 was “a breakthrough year for America,” Obama relished in the fact that the unemployment rate dropped to 5.6%, but the reality is that under this miserable excuse of a president and his equally miserable administration, the percentage of people in the actual work force has dropped to 62.7% (like it was in February 1978) with 92.6 million people who could be in the workforce NOT being able to find work. Now add in that roughly 76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and that 49% of all Americans receive some form of government assistance, and the picture Obama painted of a "crisis passing" is just NOT reality in the real tangible world.

And Obama continued to lie to the American people about shrinking deficits, when the fact is that unless there is major policy changes, which is unlikely, the deficit will only go up over the next 10 years possibly increasing by another 1.25 trillion dollars. And let's NOT forget that this one man is directly responsible for the most rapid accrual of debt of the past five presidents combined.

And while Obama did make some very vague references to closing tax loopholes, he also made it clear that he only wanted those loopholes closed so he could raise taxes to pay for infrastructure spending. Thus, he ignored the all-important specifics of spending priorities, and to whom will fall the burden of paying for the increase spending. And he still does NOT get that if loopholes are closed tax rates must be lowered so as NOT to cause an across-the-board tax hike.

But to Barack HUSSEIN Obama what's a tax hike if it helps to increase the government coffers which allows him to spend even more on his pet projects and people...like ILLEGALS and muslim 'so-called' political refugees...that 'We the People' do NOT want our taxpayer dollars spent on.

And dare we forget his saying that a family of four cannot “get by” on a minimum wage salary. On that pretty much everyone agrees, but minimum wage jobs were NEVER intended to be a career. Also, raising the minimum wage will force employers to cut positions because they simply will NOT pay workers more than their productivity or profit margin justifies. So in his trying to force employers to pay more to those working unskilled jobs Obama will actually be destroying jobs, thus hurting the very workers he says he wants to help.

Obama also did touch upon energy issues and how he believes America is moving towards energy independence. But...and this is important...his claiming that it's his policies that have allowed this to happen is simply NOT true as the fact remains this happened in spite of his policies. With the energy boom occurring mostly on state and private lands NOT on federally owned lands proves it is NOT his policies driving the boom forward, but is the ingenuity of the private sector doing so. And Obama's saying that more public lands are being set aside for either energy or protected use than any previous administration has set aside, actually has him taking control away from state governments as well as from private individuals who have the strongest incentive to grow the economy...who have the strongest incentive to create much needed jobs.

So neither Obama nor his policies did anything to move our country a step closer towards energy independence...the private sector did...period.

And let's NOT forget that while Obama did focus on his giving all students two free years of community college, he did forget to mention that it will be the American taxpayer who picks up their tab all while struggling to save money to send their own kids to college.

And while Obama did call for a “free and open internet,” his espoused policies actually make the internet less free and less open as he intends to have regulators at the FCC impose new regulations on internet providers, basically turning them into public utilities, and this equates to a reality that reduces competition and drives up prices that will be paid for by we consumers. Oblivious to Obama is the fact that the internet marketplace must continue to function unimpeded and unhindered, and that it must be afforded the same right of competition, including being able to function under the same competition laws that apply to other industries.

So as Obama tried to paint a rosy picture for our economy it was what he left out that drew both my ire and condemnation.

Saying that it's his policies and use of diplomacy that has led to America's improving standing on the world stage is the stuff of fractured fairy tales for if truth be told America with Obama's cowardliness in leading from behind has afforded our beloved country the dubious distinction of becoming NOT only a laughing stock but a second place superpower with Vladamir Putin having the last laugh. And his mentioning NOT a word about al-Qaeda, as the world continues to be engulfed in a collective battle against an ever-growing and strengthening ISIS, has Obama looking away to the true threat posed by his blood brethren that will only rattle him if they were to dare carry out a major attack here on American soil...and it might NOT rattle him even then.

And lastly, remember, this man is neither a healer nor a uniter as witnessed by his butting into the Trayvon Martin, the Michael Brown, and the Eric Garner fiascoes, but NOTHING he said last night was more grievous than his claiming how much he cares for and has helped out veterans and returning troops. With words he could barely keep a straight face saying, the man who has constantly defamed, dishonored, and apologized for those who wear or have worn the uniform of our country, and who has tied the hands of those fighting the enemy, dared to try and say he honors those who serve all while throwing up roadblocks to their getting medical care when they return home. I can think of NO president more disliked by our military then this one...and rightly so I might add.

But even with all this bad news there is a bit of good news in Obama's State of the Union Address...and that is that we do NOT have to listen to another one for at least a year and that we can happy dance in knowing that that one will be his last one...forever.