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Right Analysis | Right Hooks | Right Opinion
Patriot Headlines | Grassroots Commentary
Daily Digest
September 16, 2015 
THE FOUNDATION
"If we move in mass, be it ever so circuitously, we shall attain our object; but if we break into squads, everyone pursuing the path he thinks most direct, we become an easy conquest to those who can now barely hold us in check." —Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Duane, 1811
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
The second GOP presidential debate is tonight, and there will be 11 candidates on stage. Carly Fiorina was the only candidate from the first "Happy Hour" debate to graduate to the prime-time stage, so many eyes will be on her for the first time. Scott Walker sought to recalibrate his campaign and set up his debate performance with a bold new proposal to abolish federal unions. Some candidates, like Rand Paul, intend to make attacking Donald Trump a centerpiece of their approach in hopes of jumpstarting low poll numbers.
Speaking of poll numbers, Ben Carson has enjoyed a recent surge and is now in a statistical dead heat with Trump, so look for Trump to start attacking Carson. In fact, it's possible all other candidates will fade into the background of the Trump-Carson showdown.
The two already exchanged blows recently over biblical knowledge and qualities. Carson offered a very articulate condemnation of Trump's arrogance and faux faith. Asked about the main characteristics that differentiate him from Trump, Carson said, "I've realized where my success has come from, and I don't in any way deny my faith in God. And I think that is the big difference." Carson continued, "One of my favorite Bible verses, Proverbs 22:4, says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord, are riches and honor and life.' That's a very big part of who I am — humility and the fear of the Lord. I don't get that impression with [Trump]."
Naturally, Trump fired back, questioning Carson's faith and calling the renowned former neurosurgeon— who performed the world's first surgery separating Siamese twins conjoined at the head — just an "okay doctor." Yet it was Carson who eventually apologized for questioning Trump's faith, showing that he has a degree of humility completely foreign to Trump. Remember, Trump is the man who recently said he might "apologize sometime in the hopefully distant future if I'm ever wrong."
Finally, co-moderator Hugh Hewitt intends to grill candidates about foreign policy — not exactly a strong suit for either Trump or Carson, as evidenced in both candidates' previous interviews with Hewitt. To be fair, Trump does talk about "winning" an awful lot, and promises to be "so good at the military your head will spin." So there's that.
The Center for Medical Progress' "Human Capital" series continues, with the 10th video overall in the undercover work exposing Planned Parenthood's heinous baby-parts trafficking efforts, and this one has big picture implications. According to CMP, "The video highlights conversations with Dr. Carolyn Westhoff, Senior Medical Advisor for PPFA; Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Vice President for External Medical Affairs for PPFA; and Deborah VanDerhei, National Director for the Consortium of Abortion Providers (CAPS) at PPFA."
VanDerhei talks about "donation for remuneration" as a reference to purchasing baby tissue, which CMP notes "carries the connotation of financial reward or benefit without regard for actual expenses." VanDerhei explains, "I have been talking to the executive director of the National Abortion Federation, [and] we're trying to figure this out as an industry — about how we're going to manage remuneration — because the headlines would be a disaster." She's not worried about a moral or ethical disaster, she just doesn't want a public relations headache.
VanDerhei also says, "[W]e have independent colleagues who generate a fair amount of income doing this," which is why they don't want a paper trail via email. "It's an issue that you might imagine we're not really that comfortable talking about on email."
Indeed, that's also why Dr. Deborah Nucatola, in footage that appears to come from the first CMP video, says, "There are no guidelines" on tissue procurement. "And there will never be guidelines." She goes on to say, "Folks will ask the national office questions, and we certainly have answers to those questions, but we don't have a policy per se, and that is by choice." The choice is to create distance between the national office and any affiliates who traffic baby parts. Plausible deniability in the event of a "PR disaster."
CMP reports, "Vanessa Cullins, the Vice President of External Medical Affairs, seems fully aware of the criminal exposure that fetal body parts sales present to Planned Parenthood: 'This is important. This could destroy your organization and us, if we don't time those conversations correctly,' she tells a prospective buyer."
The big picture from this video is that even these doctors and officials know that many people are going to have major problems with what they're doing, and that they're at best skirting the law. But rather than make the case publicly that carving up aborted babies for research material is good practice, they hide their deeds, refuse to make official policy and speak in euphemisms, and then they blame CMP for "heavily editing" the videos. Those are all good indications something is very wrong.
Much of the recent nuclear arms race talk has focused on Iran. As a result, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, who like Iran's leaders indulges in anti-American bravado and perennial threats of nuclear annihilation, has become either increasingly jealous or dangerously emboldened — or both — particularly after Iran came out the winner in a "deal" negotiated by Secretary of State John Kerry.
This week, the Korean Central News Agency reported that the country's Yongbyon nuclear reactor is back online after having been shuttered since 2007 under a Bush-era disarmament agreement. Regardless of whether the claim is purely rhetoric or something more substantive, the Korea deal clearly hasn't worked out as envisioned for America — and neither will Iran's. One of the reasons Korea's latest revelation is concerning has to do with its recent ballistic missiles testing and U.S. military satellite analysis.
As The Washington Post reported, "While Kim's regime is known for its bellicose rhetoric, Tuesday's claims are consistent with American analysts' interpretation of recent satellite imagery." How's that diplomacy working out?
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
By Dan Gilmore
It was a unique moment. In an era in which politicians don't interact with people who disagree with them, Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders visited Liberty University Monday to speak to an audience that is highly unlikely to give him votes.
The open socialist took the podium before a crowd of, in the words of Liberty, "North America's largest weekly gathering of Christian students," at an institution that is a bastion of the evangelical Right.
In March, Ted Cruz stood up before this same crowd — convocation at Liberty is mandatory — and announced his bid for presidency. It's not exactly Bernie's target audience.
Sanders tried to bridge the chasm by appealing to the values and morals held by Christian conservatives. "There is no justice," Sanders told the students. But when it comes to family values and social justice, Sanders points to the lack of federally mandated paid maternity leave as "appalling." A typical student at Liberty might say abortion or the defense of traditional marriage are more pressing issues.
"I understand that issues such as abortion and gay marriage are very important to you, and that we disagree on those issues," Sanders' prepared remarks said. "I get that. But let me respectfully suggest that there are other issues out there that are of enormous consequence to our country and the world and that maybe, just maybe, we don't disagree on them. And maybe, just maybe, we can work together in trying to resolve them."
For the Socialist Democrat (but we repeat ourselves), the question of justice boiled down to economic disparity. There are billions upon billions of dollars in the U.S. possessed by the richest of the rich, he told the students. Meanwhile, children go to bed hungry. To the Left, it's up to the government to "rectify" this.
And in support for his populist ideas, Sanders cited the Golden Rule found in Matthew 7:12 as evidence for massive redistribution of wealth. Of course, Jesus wasn't preaching to the Romans, but rather to his own disciples — individuals, not government.
"Bernie is right about a lot," first-year Liberty law student Eli McGowan wrote on Facebook. "He addresses a lot of the fatal flaws in the GOP and in our corporatistic nation. Unfortunately, his answers aren't the ones we need. But beware GOP, because he's touching a nerve you can't, because you've lost your heart."
In laying out his vision for a just, moral and good society, Sanders showed why he is dangerous for the country. While the Leftmedia have danced around the issue, Red State's Dan Spencer notes, "Sanders is, you know, an unabashed and self-admitted Socialist." His redistributionist policy proposals will cost the nation a staggering $18 trillion over the next 10 years, The Wall Street Journal estimates.
Sanders called the estimate "significantly exaggerated," primarily because the Journal used another politicians' single-payer health care bill as a substitute. But the price tag has to be in the ballpark of what it would take to institute his policies.
And where do you think that $18 trillion will come from? Sanders' biggest campaign promise is to rob the rich to pay the poor. He's just following the template laid out by noted socialist George Bernard Shaw: "A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
While the candidate has progressive plans for the country, Sanders believes the country's foundation is rotten. He told Liberty that our economy was "designed by the wealthiest people in this country to benefit the wealthiest people in this country at the expense of everyone else." And during a Q&A session after his speech, Sanders declared America was built on "racist principles." We trust Liberty students are able to see that for the barnyard excrement that it is.
Meanwhile, when does the next conservative politician make an argument for the value of Liberty before an audience hostile to his or her policy stances? Oh, that's right — leftists who run colleges and universities often won't let conservatives address their students. And when they do, the speaker is drowned out by obnoxious protesters. That's because the Left despises the kind of free speech on display this week at Liberty.
Sanders demonstrated a kind of ethos in a politician that's rare in this season's political lineup — the willingness to approach the other side. Likewise, Liberty University deserves congratulations for offering the podium to the opposition. Conservatives should seek more opportunities to advocate for values held by people across the partisan divide, universal values of justice, peace and Liberty.
MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
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TOP HEADLINES
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OPINION IN BRIEF
Gary Bauer: "Under existing immigration law, the United States is already admitting more than 250,000 migrants a year from predominately Muslim nations. According to a review of statistics from the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, in 2013 the U.S. resettled more than 117,000 Muslim migrants and issued visas for nearly 123,000 Muslims to come to the U.S. as foreign students and workers. In addition, we admitted nearly 40,000 refugees from Muslim nations.
That is equivalent to adding a Muslim Des Moines or Dayton to the U.S. every year. This should concern policy makers because we know from recent surveys that many Muslims in America would prefer to be governed by Sharia law rather than the Constitution. We know that Muslim immigrant communities are hotbeds of jihadi recruitment. We know that the vast majority are on food stamps. My point is that we do not know who is coming in.
Remember the 9/11 hijackers? They were here on visas. We let them in. At least 20 jihadists have been allowed into the country since then — and were granted citizenship. If the United States is going to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees, they should be Christians and we should make no apologies for that. Not only are they are fleeing genocide, they are far more likely to share our values and the belief that our liberty comes from God."
SHORT CUTS
Insight: "Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America." —Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)
Observations: "I agree it's good for [Bernie] Sanders to go out and to address racial issues since he's never been identified with it and because his audiences are lily white. But you don't cure that by going to Liberty University. You want to reach out to African-Americans, you go to black churches, you go to a lot of other places. [Liberty] isn't exactly the right place to go." —Charles Krauthammer
Upright: "The sorry and tragic state of black education and its attendant problems will not be turned around until there's a change in what's acceptable behavior and what's unacceptable behavior. That change must come from within the black community." —Walter Williams
The BIG Lie: "No question [in] my mind that moving toward a Medicare-for-all, single-payer program is the most cost-effective way to provide health care to all of our people." —Bernie Sanders
Stopped clock, twice a day: "Sometimes there are folks on college campuses who are liberal and maybe even agree with me on a bunch of issues who sometimes aren't listening to the other side. And that's a problem, too. ... I've heard of some college campuses where they don't want to have a guest speaker who is too conservative. Or they don't want to read a book if it has language that is offensive to African-Americans, or somehow sends a demeaning signal towards women. And I've got to tell you, I don't agree with that either. I don't agree that you, when you become students at colleges, have to be coddled and protected from different points of views." —Barack Obama
Non Compos Mentis: "I don't think Planned Parenthood funding should be cut off. The $500 million that gets given to Planned Parenthood every single year goes to female care. It goes for scanning for cancer, it goes for mammograms." —Miss Tennessee, Hannah Robison (For the umpteenth time, Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms.)
Late-night humor: "The remaining candidates are gearing up for the second Republican debate, which will take place [tonight] on CNN. It starts at 8 p.m. and ends when Donald Trump runs out of air." —Jimmy Fallon
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.
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