The Front Page Cover
"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened"
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Featuring:
Hilly Clinton’s dodginess
is overpowering her message
George Will
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"Rise up together as one voice"
"Be careful where you stand"
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Some Liberties Are More Equal Than Others 
One day before the Supreme Court ruled on same-sex marriage, ACLU deputy legal director Louise Melling wrote of the organization's newly announced hostility to Christians and religious liberty, specifically regarding its withdrawal of support for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. "The ACLU supported the RFRA's passage at the time because it didn't believe the Constitution, as newly interpreted by the Supreme Court, would protect people ... whose religious expression does not harm anyone else. But we can no longer support the law in its current form. For more than 15 years, we have been concerned about how the RFRA could be used to discriminate against others. As the events of the past couple of years amply illustrate, our fears were well-founded. While the RFRA may serve as a shield to protect [some], it is now often used as a sword to discriminate against women, gay and transgender people and others. ... Yes, religious freedom needs protection. But religious liberty doesn't mean the right to discriminate or to impose one's views on others." It's not exactly surprising that the ACLU would find a way to oppose such laws once Christians found refuge in them. But this is an organization that has gone to bat for the KKK and the American Nazi Party. And the irony is too much: Melling decries the imposition of views while having no problem with homosexuals forcing bakers, photographers and florists to provide their services against their consciences. Now that the Supreme Court has found a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, more imposition and discrimination will occur. And the ACLU will be leading the charge. Because "love wins," right? -The Patriot Post
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Puerto Rico Wants a Pass on $72 Billion Debt
"Death spiral" — that's how Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro García Padilla describes the commonwealth's debt. Over the last few years, the island racked up a debt of $72 billion, or 3.5 times the amount that bankrupted Detroit. Padilla, who once vowed to repay the loans accrued by his and past administrations, now says it's impossible and creditors should "share the sacrifices." Problem is, Puerto Rico has been a popular place for retirees to invest because the commonwealth’s bonds are tax-free. The problem becomes stickier, as Puerto Rico cannot file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. The island used to be an economic powerhouse, filled with manufacturing and a vibrant port. But Deepak Lamba-Nieves, research director for the think tank Center for a New Economy, said in 2013, "You cannot pay daily expenses with your credit card, and that's what Puerto Rico has been doing for years. We borrowed just to keep the lights on." Padilla doesn't appear ready to make the difficult cuts, firing government workers, tightening its belt and getting serious about the debt. Like Detroit, Puerto Rico was destroyed by liberal politicians and their failed economic theories. Now, some will say the only way to save the commonwealth is with a bailout. Barack nObama says he won't do so, but don't be surprised if he proposes to "fix" the problem by floating Puerto Rico statehood again — in order to firm up some Latino support. While the offer is hollow, a narcissist like nObama would certainly be pleased with a legacy of altering the American flag.
-The Patriot Post
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Brady Center's Frivolous Suit Against Ammo Company Backfires
After the massacre at the Aurora movie theater, The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence went after the company from which the murderer bought his ammunition. The center filed suit against Lucky Gunner because it sold its ammunition online, arguing that's "unreasonably dangerous and create[s] a public nuisance." But not only did the judge disagree, he reprimanded the Brady Center because he said it was filing suit simply to make a high-profile political point. Judge Richard Matsch wrote in his ruling, "It is apparent that this case was filed to pursue the political purposes of the Brady Center and, given the failure to present any cognizable legal claim, bringing these defendants into the Colorado court where the prosecution of James Holmes was proceeding appears to be more of an opportunity to propagandize the public and stigmatize the defendants than to obtain a court order." Furthermore, Matsch said the Brady Center had to pay Lucky Gunner's legal fees. Lucky Gunner said those funds would be donated to pro-Second Amendment groups. For groups with deep pockets and a bitterness toward Liberty, an effective strategy is to silence the lovers of Liberty through suits, frivolous or no. Judge Matsch put a damper on that strategy. -The Patriot Post
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All Isn't Lost, as SCOTUS Rebukes EPA The Supreme Court proved it still has a little bit of respect left for Rule of Law in its decision yesterday in Michigan v. EPA. In a 5-4 ruling that predictably followed partisan lines with Justice Anthony Kennedy swinging to the right, the High Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency did not properly consider the high costs of regulation of emissions from coal-fired power plants.
That this Court — the one content to rewrite nObamaCare in order to save it, twice — found the EPA went too far in rewriting the law is saying something.
The EPA, which has been pursuing the ecofascist dream of completely wiping the coal industry off the face of the earth, released a series of regulations in 2012 that would force energy producers to comply with limits on mercury and air toxins released in coal energy production. The National Federation of Independent Business said the regulations, known as Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), are among the costliest ever issued.
The EPA estimated the new rules would cost close to $10 billion annually, while bringing direct annual benefits of no more than $6 million. Bureaucrats also made the un-provable assertion that the rules would prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths and 130,000 asthma cases each year. In developing its regulations, the EPA was expected to adhere to the Clean Air Act’s “appropriate and necessary” standard. But the agency arbitrarily determined that cost had no bearing in the development of the regulations, essentially flouting the decades-old law and choosing to make up its own rules. The EPA determined that its work protecting the environment justified whatever actions it saw fit. -The Patriot Post
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Yes, Clinton lied about her emails
(washingtonexaminer.com) ~ It is rare for news events, even as momentous as the past week's, to drown out absolute proof that a candidate for president has lied willfully to the public and Congress... Yet precisely such proof has emerged, and it has appeared not only in this newspaper but also in The New York Times (albeit with a headline designed not to draw attention). But not to worry — the former secretary of state swore that she had diligently preserved and passed to the State Department every email she had written in the course of her job. Even though she destroyed all the evidence by wiping the server afterward, she assured the public that everything related to her conduct of official business had been kept and turned over, as the law requires. It turns out that this is not true. Not only did Clinton fail to turn over work-related emails, but she or her staff also edited some of those emails before submitting them, as the Examiner's Sarah Westwood reported Saturday. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/yes-clinton-lied-about-her-emails/article/2567368
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IDF Creates Special Unit To Prepare For Attack On Iran
(Jeff Dunetz) ~ There is report that Israel is creating a special team to examine and evaluate military options against Iran. Israel has been evaluating military options against Iran for years, so the question raised is this a new effort, or is it a warning to the United States and Iran?... Certainly the deal as it is being formed will not stop Iran from building nukes so Israel may feel in the end they will have to take care of the situation by themselves. Interestedly the leak of this info comes the same day the U.S. announced they have given up on trying to inspect Iran's nuclear sites and the P5+1 negotiators are extending the deadline to reach a deal with Iran to July 7th. http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2015/06/report-idf-creates-special-unit-to.html?utm_source=The+Lid+List&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=b0c59b2fe0-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_597b72c01c-b0c59b2fe0-291705165&goal=0_597b72c01c-b0c59b2fe0-291705165
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ACLU No Longer Supports Religious Freedom for Christians
(Trey Sanchez) ~ In an op-ed for The Washington Post, American Civil Liberties Union's deputy legal director Louise Melling announced that the historic civil rights organization no longer supports the Religious Freedom Restoration Act because Christians can use it as a "sword to discriminate."... This reversal flies in the face of the ACLU's stated mission of being the "nation's guardian of liberty," ensuring every American citizen's individual rights are protected as outlined in the Constitution. If they were being fully transparent, their mission statement would now read: "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone [except for Christians] in this country." http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/aclu-no-longer-supports-religious-freedom-christians
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Iranian-backed Hizballah and Hamas Bolster Worldwide Terrorist
(investigativeproject.org) ~ While the West extends nuclear negotiations with Iran, the Islamic Republic continues to enhance its international terrorism infrastructure through its proxies... Hizballah has 950 active operatives in the Western European state while Hamas maintains 300 operatives, according to a German intelligence report summarized by the Jerusalem Post. The number of Islamists in Germany rose from 43,190 in 2013 to 43,890 in 2014, the report said. Radical Islamists are "the greatest danger to Germany...Germany is on the spectrum of goals for Islamic terrorists," said Hans-Georg Maassen, president of German's domestic intelligence agency – the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). http://www.investigativeproject.org/4896/iranian-backed-hizballah-and-hamas-bolster
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Turkey helping millions of Muslims to cross illegally into Europe
(themuslimissue.wordpress.com) ~ The Turkish Islamist dominated parliament has signed visa free travel treaties with most Muslim countries, allowing Millions of Muslims to travel to Turkey and cross the border into Greece and Europe illegally in a further bid to Islamize Europe... The Ottoman Empire nearly invaded all of continental Europe on several occasions, having finally been stopped in Vienna in 1683, but not before invading all of Asia minor, destroying and replacing the Byzantine Empire, invading Greece, Cyprus and most of South East Europe. Today the tactics are not swords, but Western apathy and left wing complicity. https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/turkey-helping-millions-of-muslims-to-cross-illegally-into-europe/
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Why Mitch McCon-nell Is So Utterly Useless – In His Own Words
(rickwells.us) ~ It’s to be expected that the Democrat posing as a Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McCon-nell (R-KY), would adopt a position in support of Hussein nObama... What would be surprising would be the farcical notion of him at any time genuinely working inopposition to anything put forth by the Democrats or their dictator. Unfortunately, Mitch McCon-nell surprised nobody with his responses in his Tuesday interview at local Kentucky station WDRB. Traitor Mitch is no fighter unless he’s been told to attack the American people. He’s talking about the heightened threats to religious liberty in the wake of the court acting in the role of Congress, legislating what is and what is not marriage. He acts as if he would actually take a stand on the issue, but of course that won’t happen. As to the point of challenging the usurpation of states rights in violation of the Tenth Amendment or legislatively affirming the traditional and correct definition of marriage through legislative action, that’s not in his nObama-approved talking points which means it’s not part of his job description. He’s safely diverting the issue to one of religious freedom, which is not yet officially made its way to the short list of nObama targets. http://rickwells.us/why-mitch-mcconnell-is-so-utterly-useless-in-his-own-words/
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Iran Repatriates 13 Tons of Gold Under Sanctions Relief
(Adam Kredo) ~ Iranian officials said Monday that the Islamic Republic’s Central Bank has successfully repatriated 13 tons of gold as part of a package of sanctions relief provided to Iran by U.S. and Western powers... The gold was transferred to Iran by the government of South Africa, which had been holding onto the assets due to harsh sanctions meant to pressure Tehran to rein in its rogue nuclear program. The gold appears to have been released as part of a sanctions relief package that will have awarded Iran nearly $12 billion in unfrozen cash assets by the time negotiations wrap up next week. Iran received $4.2 billion in unfrozen assets under the 2013 interim agreement with the United States and was then given another $2.8 billion by the nObama administration last year in a bid to keep Tehran committed to the talks. No wonder they're smiling, they just suckered the West. http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-repatriates-13-tons-of-gold-under-sanctions-relief/
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Union, Teacher Greed Force Mass Layoffs In Chicago
(rickwells.us) ~ Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has a tough job managing a Democrat Ponzi scheme that is imploding, his city’s budget. On Wednesday the Mayor was forced to take drastic measures by an immovable Chicago Teachers Union and state-mandated pension payments... Something had to give and that something is the education of Chicago’s already underserved youth. Grand proclamations are made about how the system fails, with responsibility always being shifted away from the Democrats who are running things into the ground and towards an open palm of federal bailouts. The real bailout is the hypocrisy of the greedy, over-compensated educators and the parasitic union officials. Elections have consequences and buying electoral success is expensive for the city that inevitably coughs up the dough for the backroom deals made. With not enough money to go around and the first priority being the payment of pensions to retired teachers, Emanuel was forced to announce on Wednesday that 1,400 teachers and staff would be losing their jobs. The city’s pension debt is roughly $634 million and the layoffs will account for $200 million. The rest of the money will be borrowed, delaying the inevitable accountability. http://rickwells.us/gravy-train-derailed-union-teacher-greed-force-mass-layoffs-in-chicago-public-schools/
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(rickwells.us) ~ Hussein nObama has already shown that he considers himself to be above the reach and confines of the legislative branch when it comes to writing laws himself... The legislative branch, under the inept and highly questionable “leadership” of baclstabber John Boehner and Mitch McCon-nell, has similarly demonstrated that they are more than willing to serve as nObama’s deputies. The charade of a legitimate Supreme Court was shattered last week for any who still clung to belief in judicial independence and a lawful, restrained and thoughtful Judicial Branch. In many cases, particularly with the Supreme Court, and the 9th and the DC Circuit Courts, dispensing justice involves interpreting the law in a manner that is compliant with the wishes of the Marxist in the White House. That is not the case with the 5th Circuit Court and Judge Andrew Hanen, which has forced the regime into a decision as to whether they will take a position in outright defiance of the judiciary or acquiesce to their rulings and obey their lawful orders. http://rickwells.us/texas-showdown-july-31st-judge-vs-dictator-hanen-vs-obama-lawman-against-outlaw/
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Castro’s WH Ally Giving Away The Farm, And Guantanamo
(rickwells.us) ~ America can aspire to one day regain its former stature under Hussein nObama of a paper tiger. Presently, under this progressive, submissive Marxist who surrenders even when he isn’t being asked, America has moved “forward” beyond our previously unimaginable low point... We are now more of a paper pussy cat, or a young, naïve, paper puppy with a fearful master holding our leash. The low points just keep coming under nObama. Who would have ever imagined that Cuba would one day be dictating to America and the American “president” would be circling at the Castro feet with his tail between his legs? Some predicted when nObama first announced his intentions to normalize relations with Cuba that he was secretly planning planned to surrender the American Guantanamo Bay facility to them. Now he’s announced the opening of an “almost embassy” in Havana, one which provides him with a pretense for giving up the facility just as his predecessor in failure, Jimmy Carter, manipulated us into giving away the Panama Canal. All he has to do is present it as an obstacle that is “unnecessarily preventing us from moving “forward” in our relationship and make a few speeches. The fix is obviously already in. Maybe Boehner wants a new boat or McConnell a golf vacation home; Ryan might like a new Cuban girlfriend. http://rickwells.us/obamas-havana-homie-castros-wh-ally-giving-away-the-farm-and-guantanamo/
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Hilly Clinton’s dodginess
is overpowering her message
George Will
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Your first leadership adventure was when your husband entrusted you with health-care reform. Using a process as complex as it was secretive, you produced a proposal so implausible that a Democratic-controlled Congress would not even vote on it. Your legislation was one reason that in 1994 Democrats lost control of the House for the first time in 40 years. What did you learn from this futility and repudiation?
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Three times in your memoir “Hard Choices” you say that as secretary of state you visited 112 countries. Do you think “peripatetic” is a synonym for “effective”? You tell readers that at a 2009 meeting with Chinese officials you said, “We need to build a resilient relationship that allows both of us to thrive and meet our global responsibilities without unhealthy competition, rivalry or conflict.” Does it trouble your environmental conscience that trees died to produce the paper on which you recycled that thought?
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President George W. Bush said that when he looked into Vladimir Putin’s eyes he saw a “very straightforward and trustworthy” man. You looked into Putin’s regime and saw an opportunity for a cooperative policy “reset.” Were you or was Bush more mistaken?
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In March 2003, Bush launched a war of choice to accomplish regime change in Iraq, mistakenly believing that it was developing weapons of mass destruction. In March 2011, Barack nObama and you launched a war of choice against Libya for the humanitarian purposes of preventing, it was said, as many as 10,000 deaths at the hands of Moammar Gaddafi. Since March 2011, in Syria, where the regime continues to use chemical weapons that it supposedly agreed to surrender, the civil war has killed more than 320,000. Why humanitarian intervention in Libya instead of Syria?
. Bush sought, and you as a senator gave, approval for his war of choice. nObama and you, arguing that the thousands of airstrikes that killed thousands of Libyans did not constitute “hostilities,” never sought approval for the Libyan war. Who was more lawful, Bush or nObama and you? What criteria suggest that the world is safer than before you became secretary?
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In this month’s Wisconsin Democratic convention straw poll, you defeated Bernie Sanders 49 percent to 41 percent. Sanders says he is a “socialist.” Do you have fundamental differences with him? If not, are you a socialist? He does not think a 90 percent top income tax rate is too high. Do you? He says that “almost all of” the United States’ wealth “rests in the hands of a handful of billionaires.” Forbes magazine says the combined net worth of the United States’ 536 billionaires is $2.566 trillion. Is it a grave problem that the 536 have 3 percent of the nation’s $84.9 trillion wealth? Is it deplorable that the Waltons became a family of billionaires by creating Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private-sector employer? Do you regret that Apple products made Steve Jobs a billionaire? Are any of your however many phones iPhones?
In this month’s Wisconsin Democratic convention straw poll, you defeated Bernie Sanders 49 percent to 41 percent. Sanders says he is a “socialist.” Do you have fundamental differences with him? If not, are you a socialist? He does not think a 90 percent top income tax rate is too high. Do you? He says that “almost all of” the United States’ wealth “rests in the hands of a handful of billionaires.” Forbes magazine says the combined net worth of the United States’ 536 billionaires is $2.566 trillion. Is it a grave problem that the 536 have 3 percent of the nation’s $84.9 trillion wealth? Is it deplorable that the Waltons became a family of billionaires by creating Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private-sector employer? Do you regret that Apple products made Steve Jobs a billionaire? Are any of your however many phones iPhones?
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Sanders vows “to make tuition in public colleges and universities free.” Do you agree that the 68 percent of Americans without college degrees should pay the tuition for those whose degrees will bring them lifetime earnings significantly higher than the earnings of the noncollege graduates who will have paid much of the cost of the “free” tuition?
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Another progressive goal is “debt-free college.” The average amount owed by the 69 percent of graduates with college debt is $28,400, which is $11,000 more than the difference between what a college graduate and a high school graduate earn in one year of employment. So, what exactly is the student debt “crisis”?
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Sanders favors a $15 minimum wage. Do you? Why not $16? Democrats are — we know because they say so — respectful of science, including, presumably, economics. So, do you agree with nObama that ATMs and airport ticket kiosks cause unemployment?
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Finally: Having said, “It is tempting to dismiss the Charleston shooting as an isolated incident,” you resisted that temptation and detected in the incident large social symptoms. Do you believe, as nObama now says, that racism is in America’s “DNA,” meaning it is encoded in our nation’s nature?
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