SelwynDuke.com

Obama Reacts to House Prohibition of Abortion Funding

By Selwyn Duke

In a legislative clash that pitted Democrats against their fellows, the House voted Saturday to pass the Stupak Amendment. Sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), Brad Ellsworth, (D-Ind.) and Joe Pitts, (R-Pa.), the measure prohibits federal money from being used to fund abortion through the Democrats’ 1,990-page healthcare plan.

The amendment passed by the comfortable margin of 240-194, with every Republican and 64 Democrats voting yay. Alex Wayne at CQ.com provides the details, writing:

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Jihad and America: The Land that Cried Sheep

By Selwyn Duke

People were shocked when Major Nidal Malik Hasan brutally targeted fellow servicemen at Texas’ Fort Hood with pistol fire, murdering 12 and wounding 31.  Yet, there is an aspect of this story that is far more shocking — or, at least, one that would be considered so in a sane society.

We now know that Major Hasan did not hide his true loyalties, often expressing pro-Islamist sentiments.  For example, the Telegraph quotes former Hasan colleague Col. Terry Lee as saying, “[Hasan] was making outlandish comments condemning our foreign policy and claimed Muslims had the right to rise up and attack Americans,” that Hasan admitted to being “happy” upon learning of the Muslim who killed a soldier at an Arkansas military recruitment center and that he once said “maybe people should strap bombs on themselves and go to Time Square.”  Chron.com reports that Hasan had created “Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats” and that “One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.”

Read the rest here.

The Fort Hood Massacre: Is it Really True that All Mainstream Religions are Peaceful?

An apparent Muslim jihadist strikes again — this time at Texas’ Fort Hood.

By Selwyn Duke

We’ve all heard about yesterday’s tragedy at Fort Hood military base in Texas. At 1:30 p.m., army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan went on a rampage, targeting fellow soldiers and others for destruction at the base’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center and the adjacent Howze Theater. Using two semi-automatic handguns, Hasan claimed 12 lives and wounded 31 people before being shot multiple times by local police (it appears the other soldiers weren’t armed). The gunman was then taken into custody and brought to a local hospital. It’s said his life is not in danger. 

While there’s no “official” word on Hasan’s motives, it’s not hard to connect the dots. A man of Jordanian descent and a pious Muslim, the major’s loyalties didn’t seem to lie with the nation he’d sworn to protect. Instead, he had often expressed support for Islamic jihadists, once saying that Muslims needed to “rise up” against the aggressors (presumably the U.S. and the West in general). Expanding on this, Philip Sherwell at the Telegraph reports on the testimonials of retired officer and former colleague of Hasan’s Col. Terry Lee, writing:

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Catholic Bishops: The Faithful Should Not Support Current Healthcare Reform Bills

By Selwyn Duke

Upset about the inclusion of abortion funding and mandates in the healthcare reform bills currently before Congress, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is blanketing 19,000 parishes across the nation with a bulletin insert instructing the faithful to oppose the bills in their present form.

The USCCB relates the substance of the insert in a news release, writing:

"Health care reform should be about saving lives, not destroying them," the insert states. It urges readers to contact Senate leaders so they support efforts to "incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights" in health reform legislation.

 "If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed," it adds.

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Guest Commentary: The Importance of Values and Principles

               Hope comes from the Great State of Tennessee

By Marilyn Barnewall                                        

A copy of Susan Lynn’s email came last Thursday. She is a member of the Tennessee General Assembly and serves on the Commerce Committee. She is Chairman of the Government Operations Committee and also chairs the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Commerce Task Force.

Obama Pushing Secular UN Anti-Free Speech Resolution

By Selwyn Duke

Those who would accuse Barack Obama of pandering to — if not sympathy for — Islamists have been handed some powerful new ammunition. In a disturbing move, the Obama administration is joining Muslim nations in supporting a UN resolution restricting criticism of religion, a measure reflective of those nations’ blasphemy laws.

Treating the matter in USA Today, Professor Jonathan Turley writes:

While attracting surprisingly little attention, the Obama administration supported the effort of largely Muslim nations in the U.N. Human Rights Council to recognize exceptions to free speech for any "negative racial and religious stereotyping." The exception was made as part of a resolution supporting free speech that passed this month, but it is the exception, not the rule that worries civil libertarians.... It is viewed as a transparent bid to appeal to the "Muslim street" and our Arab allies, with the administration seeking greater coexistence through the curtailment of objectionable speech. Though it has no direct enforcement (and is weaker than earlier versions), it is still viewed as a victory for those who sought to juxtapose and balance the rights of speech and religion.

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Big Government or Small Government?

Our love affair with big government becomes more intense as our nation ages. But are we looking for love in all the wrong places?

By Selwyn Duke

After giving a speech in Toronto, Canada, several years ago, I spoke to some of the high school students in attendance. While talking about the role of the state with one of them, he said: “Government is there to make people happy.” He was a nice, intelligent young man, and he made the statement in a non-confrontational, matter-of-fact manner.

While such an attitude reminds one of what a certain road is paved with, unfortunately, his perspective is shared by millions of Americans. Of course, some of these people are well-meaning, but they nevertheless are lacking in a very traditional American quality: distrust of government. How American is it? Columnist Dr. Walter Williams treats this in his piece, “American Idea,” writing:

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Oh, Woe is Me, I'm in the Crosshairs of the SPLC

By Selwyn Duke

If you're an avid reader of news and commentary, you've no doubt heard of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).  It masquerades as a "civil rights" organization — along with so many other pretenders — and it is perhaps the richest civil-rights con-job organization in the country.  I know, you probably thought the ACLU was the crème de la phlegm, but the SPLC is its eviler twin.  It was founded by Morris Dees, the mercenary lawyer who never saw a poor, downtrodden person he didn't want to help (except for the vast majority, off whose cases he can't make money) and whose claim to fame is that he broke some Klan groups about 15 or 20 years ago by suing them into oblivion.

Boy Set on Fire in Brutal Revenge Attack

By Selwyn Duke

In one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, a 15-year-old Florida boy was set ablaze by five other teens in a revenge attack stemming from a dispute over a video game.

The victim, Michael Brewer of Deerfield Beach, suffered mainly second-degree burns on 65 percent of his body and is currently hospitalized at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s burn center in critical condition.

The youths charged in the attack are Jesus Mendez, 15; Steven Shelton, who will be 16 on Thursday; Matthew Bent, 15; and two brothers, Denver and Jeremy Jarvis, 15 and 13 respectively. The boys are accused of dousing Brewer with rubbing alcohol and then igniting it with a lighter. All five are charged with aggravated assault, and Mendez, who is said to have set the victim ablaze, is also charged with attempted second-degree murder. Writing about the events leading up to the vicious act, CBSNews.com tells us:

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Guest Piece: The Long, Grey Line

By Marilyn Barnewall

We’ve all heard of the “Thin Blue Line.”  It suggests a thin line of policemen in blue uniforms is all that stands between civilized society and the chaos of predators descending upon us.  It is also a term used to express a sense of “brotherhood” that exists between police officers.

There are other lines… thin lines that stand between society and other forms of chaos.  I remember a movie about West Point cadets that referred to the military as The Long Grey Line.