Common Core’ Nationalizes And Dumbs Down Public School Curriculum

May 27, 2013
alt-market.com
By Ron Paul

This article was written by Ron Paul and originally published at Lew Rockwell

In addition to shredding civil liberties, launching a utopian global war for democracy, and going on a spending spree that would make LBJ blush, the so-called “conservative” Bush administration dramatically increased federal control over education via the “No Child Left Behind” act. During my time in Congress I heard nothing but complaints about this law from teachers, administrators, and, most importantly, students and parents. Most of the complaints concerned No Child Left Behind’s testing requirements, which encouraged educators to “teach to the test.”

Sadly, but not surprisingly, instead of improving education by repealing No Child Left Behind’s testing and other mandates, the Obama administration is increasing national control over schools via the “Common Core” initiative. Common Core is a new curriculum developed by a panel of so-called education experts. The administration is trying to turn Common Core into a national curriculum by offering states increased federal education funding if they impose Common Core’s curriculum on their public schools. This is yet another example of the government using money stolen from the people to bribe states into obeying federal dictates. Read More

Obama’s Dangerous Contempt for the Rule of Law

May 27, 2013
bloomberg.com
By Ramesh Ponnuru

Whatever the investigation into misconduct at the Internal Revenue Service reveals, we already have all the evidence we need to understand President Barack Obama’s fundamental attitude toward the rule of law. That evidence is right there in the public record, and what it shows is indifference and contempt.

The Constitution gives the president the power to appoint officials to fill vacancies when the Senate isn’t in session. In 2012, Obama made such “recess appointments” to the National Labor Relations Board and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- even though the Senate had stayed in session precisely to keep him from doing so.

Obama’s lawyers argued that the Senate wasn’t really in session even though it claimed to be: It was going through the motions to block Obama, but it wasn’t taking up bills or nominations. No previous president had ever tried this maneuver, and an appeals court has just ruled that it was unconstitutional.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the sweeping health-care law that Obama signed in 2010, asks state governments to set up health exchanges, and authorizes the federal government to provide tax credits to people who use those exchanges to get insurance. But most states have refused to establish the online marketplaces, and both the tax credits and many of the law’s penalties can’t go into effect until the states act. Read More

President Obama’s arrogance is undoing his presidency

May 25, 2013
kansascity.com
By Steve Rose
The Kansas City Star

Barack Obama just had his worst week in a deeply flawed presidency.

It’s not as bad as Jimmy Carter’s presidency, but it’s still one that can make even the most right-wing conservative long for Democrat Bill Clinton.

What Barack Obama has lacked from the beginning is humility, and what he has displayed consistently is arrogance.

He could have nipped the Benghazi fiasco in the bud, but Obama apparently decided that since only Fox News was beating the drums for the truth, he could finesse the ugly matter. Instead of coming clean from the get-go, that this was an act of terrorism, Obama stone-walled. Now, he has a bonafide scandal on his hands.

It still is not clear how far up the chain of command it went, possibly to Obama himself, but there was an order for our troops to “stand down” when the Benghazi consulate was under attack. Who gave that order? How much did the president know, when did he know it, and what did he do about it?   Read More

The Age Of Authoritarianism: Government Of The Politicians, By The Military, For The Corporations

May 25, 2013
alt-market.com
By John Whitehead

This article was written by John Whitehead and originally published at LewRockwell.com

“[F]orce alone cannot make us safe. We cannot use force everywhere that a radical ideology takes root; and in the absence of a strategy that reduces the well-spring of extremism, a perpetual war – through drones or Special Forces or troop deployments – will prove self-defeating, and alter our country in troubling ways.” ~ Barack Obama, May 23, 2013

President Obama’s declaration that “America is at a crossroads” in the fight against terror, a fight that is increasingly turning inwards, setting its sights on homegrown extremists, should give every American pause.

We have indeed reached a crossroads. History may show that from this point forward, we will have left behind any semblance of constitutional government and entered into a militaristic state where all citizens are suspects and security trumps freedom. Certainly, this is a time when government officials operate off their own inscrutable, self-serving playbook with little in the way of checks and balances, while American citizens are subjected to all manner of indignities and violations with little hope of defending themselves. We have moved beyond the era of representative government and entered a new age, let’s call it the age of authoritarianism.

Even with its constantly shifting terrain, this topsy-turvy travesty of law and government has become America’s new normal. Don’t believe me? Let me take you on a brief guided tour, but prepare yourself: the landscape is particularly disheartening to anyone who remembers what America used to be. Read More

Lahaina Market Place Cuts Down Its Trees

Just a bit of local news...5/25/13

My hand-painted t-shirt business was located in this beautiful Market Place on Front St. from 1984-2001. The Lahaina Market Place was enchanting, inviting, and oh so refreshing. Not anymore!



May 22, 2013 | 09:06 AM

LAHAINA MARKET PLACE CUTS DOWN ITS TREES

And now we're going to talk a bit about trees–or rather, the act of going up to very old, very beautiful trees and chain-sawing them into sawdust and toothpicks. This is happening, or by this point has happened, at the Lahaina Market Place on Front Street. That little courtyard of shops has been an oasis of shade for decades in Lahaina Town, but no more of that. All of the trees are coming down.
Did I mention at least one of the shop owners in the place is pissed? Did I mention he is supremely pissed?
"It looks like a SCUD missile hit the courtyard," said Scott Picard of Sure Thing Burger. "Lahaina Market Place is a respite for everyone in town. You know how warm it gets. This is where they stopped. They'd smell the food, see the jewelry, see the glass blower. Now that's gone."
No one from Lahaina Market Place management responded to my request for comment (the property owner is the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation). And one employee of one of the Lahaina Market Place did tell me that one reason for the tree removal was apparently that the roots from the old trees were pushing up the courtyard's bricks (a common enough reason for tree removal). But Picard told me that he received no warning whatsoever that the trees were coming down.
"There were no signs, letters or phone calls," he said. "We had to do a temporary closure. You can't give food away during construction like that. It's like a sawmill when you're cutting these trees down. It was like it was snowing–there was total whiteout."
So, yeah. Those of who liked to duck into Lahaina Market Place and rest under the shade of gentle, ancient trees while window shopping or getting brain freeze from one of Ululani's Shave Ice are now out of luck.
"They could have done a ceremony," Picard told me. "They could have done a million things. Instead, this is an epic event with a disastrous ending."

http://www.mauitime.com/Site.Home.html

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The New Barbarians

May 25, 2013
americanthinker.com
By Gary Horne

Recent abuses of power are a reminder that the barbarians are still with us, using the power of progressive government to punish anyone who dares oppose them. Barbarians have no regard for others and depend on plunder for their existence, as they have throughout history, taking from the productive by force.

J. Bronowski described the barbarian Genghis Khan in The Ascent of Man:

From AD 1200 to 1300 they made almost the last attempt to establish the supremacy of the robber who produces nothing and who, in his feckless way, comes to take from the peasant (who has nowhere to flee) the surplus that agriculture accumulates.

Modern plunderers realize they don't need Genghis Khan's horsemen, and can use the power of the state in place of the sword. Known by various names, the left, liberals, socialists, communists, progressives, et al., these new plunderers are able to corrupt the civilized rule of law, enlisting government as plunderer-in-chief. The most aggressive American plunderer is the radicalized Democratic Party, whose hold on power depends on distributing the loot. This, of course, requires the use of force. There is no box to check on the tax return, "I agree to contribute to the Plunderer's Fund."

The victim of plunder is not free, as Mark Levin remarks in Liberty and Tyranny:

In the civil society, private property and liberty and inseparable. The individual's right to live freely and safely and pursue happiness includes the right to acquire and possess property, which represents the fruits of his own intellectual and/or physical labor. As the individual's time on earth is finite, so, too, is his labor. The illegitimate denial or diminution of his private property enslaves him to another and denies him his liberty. Read More

Hillary's - and now Obama's - Vast Left-Wing Cover-Up

May 25, 2013
americanthinker.com
By Jim Guirard

Almost 20 years ago, early in the Clinton-Rodham-Gore era, the late New York Times columnist William Safire charged that First Lady Hillary Clinton was so routinely dishonest in her reaction to the many scandal-"gates" of which she and Husband Bill were being accused as to merit the label of "congenital liar."

According to that highly acclaimed political affairs commentator and author of the Times "On Language" column, Hillary's tendency to spin, scam, deceive, and lie in her response to charges of impropriety and corruption (e.g., in Whitewater-gate, S&L-gate, Travel Office-gate, Cattle Futures-gate, Missing Files-gate, Hubble-gate, Vince Foster-gate, Lippo/China-gate, and many more) was so deeply rooted as to be in her genes.

Now that President Barack Obama is being accused of similar spins, scams, and cover-ups, the reaction of the White House, the left-wing Democrats, the establishment media, and most of academia is -- like then -- one of indignant outrage. But are not Barack and Hillary joined at the hip in their Saul Alinsky ideologies, their Rules for Radicals tactics, and their current tar baby of the Benghazi cover-up?   Read More

Obama's Faustian bargain

May 25, 2013
americanthinker.com
By Richard Butrick

President Obama recently gave a speech at the National Defense University, titled "The Future of Our Fight against Terrorism."

Moreover, we must recognize that these threats don't arise in a vacuum. Most, though not all, of the terrorism we face is fueled by a common ideology - a belief by some extremists that Islam is in conflict with the United States and the West, and that violence against Western targets, including civilians, is justified in pursuit of a larger cause. Of course, this ideology is based on a lie, for the United States is not at war with Islam; and this ideology is rejected by the vast majority of Muslims, who are the most frequent victims of terrorist acts.

Translation: The theofacist ideology (er, religion), Islam, is not fundamentally at odds with Western Enlightenment values (Human Rights). It is just some extremist misfits who don't understand their own religion of peace.

According to Barry Rubin, Mideast analyst for PJMedia, the subtext of the speech just confirms the unspoken strategy of Obama's war on terrorists to the effect that the Muslim Brotherhood can be enlisted in the war against extremist groups like al Qaeda if we just ally ourselves with their takeover of the Arab Spring nations.

Mr. Rubin characterizes the strategy as being based on the belief that:

If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Egypt, that is not a strategic threat but a positive advantage because it is the best organization able to curb al-Qaeda. And that policy proves that the United States is not at war with Islam.

If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Tunisia, that is not a strategic threat but a positive advantage because it is the best organization able to curb al-Qaeda. And that policy proves that the United States is not at war with Islam.

If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Syria, that is not a strategic threat but a positive advantage because it is the best organization able to curb al-Qaeda. And that policy proves that the United States is not at war with Islam.

Cut to the bone, to follow the meat packing metaphor, here is the Obama pitch:

Follow me little lambs. We are not at war with Islam. It is just those deranged Al Qaeda meatpackers in Afghanistan and their ilk that would put you on a skewer. In fact the Muslim Brotherhood Meatpackers Inc. are keeping us safe from Al Qaeda.

Unfortunately, in this Faustian deal with the devil, it is not Obama but the citizens of the US that will suffer.

Levin Offers Proof: 'It's A Flat Out Lie' That Obama Didn't Know About IRS

May 23, 2013

The Three Stooges of Big Government

May 24, 2013
americanthinker.com
By C. Edmund Wright

While many conservative voters obsess over the unholy trinity of elected big liberalism -- Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid -- but the real threat to our liberties and way of life is unelected 'big bureaucracy.' Unelected bureaucrats are who have persecuted Tea Parties, conservative donors, adoptive parents, True the Vote, Boeing's non-union plant, the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, select GM dealerships, and God knows who else over the past few years. And this week, we've met the three stooges of the big bureau; Steven Miller, Loris Lerner, and Sarah Hall Ingram. Collectively, they paint an accurate picture of what we face.

As such, the real problem with these despicable minions is not merely the havoc they have managed to personally wreak, it is the quintessential nature of what they represent. When America met Miller, Lerner, and Hall-Ingram, we effectively met big government face to face. There are enough bureaucrats like these three to guarantee that abuse and incompetence are the rule and not the exception. They, and millions like them, were here before Obama was and most of them will be here long after Obama is gone from office. They infest cubicles at every level of government, and their job is to extract money from the very people who pay their salaries and fund their retirements and health benefits, not to mention paying for the cubicles as well.

Consider: Read More

Rep. Gowdy Grills IRS Hack

May 23, 2013

BOOM!!!! Other Benghazi Shoe To Drop…GUNRUNNING – “Devastating to Obama and Hillary”

May 21, 2013
theulstermanreport.com

As the nation prays for the people decimated by the Midwest tornadoes, some in Congress continue to do the work of uncovering what really happened before, during, and after the Benghazi Massacre. Reports are now emerging regarding at least two more whistleblowers who have information that could prove “devastating” to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton…

More whistleblowers will emerge shortly in the escalating Benghazi scandal, according to two former U.S. diplomats who spoke with PJ Media Monday afternoon.

These whistleblowers, colleagues of the former diplomats, are currently securing legal counsel because they work in areas not fully protected by the Whistleblower law.

…Stevens’ mission in Benghazi, they will say, was to buy back Stinger missiles from al-Qaeda groups issued to them by the State Department, not by the CIA. Such a mission would usually be a CIA effort, but the intelligence agency had opposed the idea because of the high risk involved in arming “insurgents” with powerful weapons that endanger civilian aircraft. Read More

Make IRS Criminal Actions be about Liberalism Not Obama

May 21, 2013
godpolitics.com
By Gary DeMar

Let me be clear. I do not believe that President Obama will be impeached. He will never admit that he has done anything wrong. If there is any wrong-doing, others will take the blame (or be forced to take the blame).

The media will only go so far in attacking President Obama even though he disdains them and uses them for his own purposes. President Obama is anti-American, and that includes the freedoms found in First Amendment. The media do not care. Their religion is liberalism, and they will follow any god who proclaims it. Read More

You WILL Affirm All Things ‘Gay’

May 21, 2013
News with Attitude

In addition to the Benghazi cover-up, IRS targeting of political dissenters, and the illegal seizure of media phone records, whistleblowers within the Department of Justice (DOJ) have contacted Liberty Counsel to express grave concerns over this administration’s latest attack on freedom.

Our sources have provided Liberty Counsel an internal DOJ document titled: “LGBT Inclusion at Work: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Managers.” It was emailed to DOJ managers in advance of the Left’s so-called “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month.”

The document is chilling. It’s riddled with directives that grossly violate – prima facie – employees’ First Amendment liberties.

Following are excerpts from the “DOJ Pride” decree. When it comes to “LGBT” employees, managers are instructed: “DON’T judge or remain silent. Silence will be interpreted as disapproval.” (Italics mine)

That’s a threat. And not even a subtle one.

Got it? For Christians and other morals-minded federal employees, it’s no longer enough just to shut up and “stay in the closet” – to live your life in silent recognition of biblical principles (which, by itself, is unlawful constraint). When it comes to mandatory celebration of homosexual and cross-dressing behaviors, “silence will be interpreted as disapproval.”

This lawless administration is now bullying federal employees – against their will – to affirm sexual behaviors that every major world religion, thousands of years of history and uncompromising human biology reject. Read More

Is it time to consider a RICO case against the Administration? Administration using the apparatus of government as a tool of political repression and widespread corruption.

May 21, 2013
americanthinker.com
By Matt Holzmann

We are finding out new and interesting revelations about how our government operates every day, it seems. From an ever expanding IRS scandal to the Department of Justice's fishing expedition at AP to the President of the United States telling us that he found out about all of this in the newspapers just like the rest of us, it seems that everywhere we look there is evidence of the Administration using the apparatus of government as a tool of political repression and widespread corruption.

So say such diverse authorities as Bob Woodward, Charles Rangel, Peggy Noonan and Jon Stewart.

There is now enough evidence to begin considering a RICO (Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization) case.

Think about it. It began with Czars and Czarinas unanswerable to anyone but the president and shielded from any form of oversight. Whole segments of the economy were reorganized behind closed doors, and GM and Chrysler bondholders and retirees were disestablished. The rule of law was damaged.

Then came the regular abuse of executive orders. As recently as last week his recess appointments of members of the NRLB was declared illegal. The Wall Street Journal wrote earlier this year:

"President Obama has shown increasing contempt for the constitutional limits on his power, and the courts are finally awakening to the news."

Early in 2009, the White House, in a conference call hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts urged grant recipients "to plug Barack Obama's domestic agenda". The Administration was called out on this and swiftly withdrew, but it seems that this administration is most adept at pushing the legal envelope.

They have broken new ground in an amoral overreach. Individuals and organizations have been targeted and harmed. The FBI, once the paragon of rectitude, has become an arm of the Obama Campaign.

The president, his press secretary, and his water carriers such as Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosi have made the most fantastic claims about the Benghazi investigation. HHS Secretary Sebelius is strong arming the pharmaceutical industry to fund Obamacare.

Everywhere we look we see what is more and more looking like a pattern of corruption.

Should we be surprised? For a politician who came out of the Chicago School, it is par for the course. Valerie Jarrett told us:

"After we win this election, it's our turn. Payback time. Everyone not with us is against us and they better be ready because we don't forget. The ones who helped us will be rewarded, the ones who opposed us will get what they deserve. There is going to be hell to pay. Congress won't be a problem for us this time. No election to worry about after this is over and we have two judges ready to go."

Sounds sort of like Al Capone. But this statement goes to the core of the Administration's philosophy. This how they do business.  Read More