In a rare speech for Mrs Trump, the first lady addressed US military personnel at a naval base in Italy on Saturday ahead of the trip back to Washington with Donald Trump.
Source: Melania Trump signs off after winning hearts on first trip | Daily Mail Online
Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor
5.26.17
Liberals are scared to death of Donald J. Trump and his commitment to “fundamentally” returning America to greatness.
It’s not surprising the mainstream media are reduced to taking advantage of marginally informed Americans by propagating illegitimate news such as “potential” Russian collusion with the Trump campaign in defeating Hillary Clinton, despite not having a shred of evidence. Frankly, it’s all they’ve got.
Political bias from our nation’s major news outlets has never been more pronounced. Anyone suggesting differently is trying to sell you something.
Allow this humble conservative writer to remind readers exactly why Donald Trump is the president of the United States and why Democrats have lost 900 plus state legislature seats, 12 governorships, 69 House Seats and 13 Senate seats in the last eight years, per the Washington Post.
The Obama presidency represented a leftist Xanadu for progressives unlike anything they’d ever enjoyed. Electing arguably the most liberal president in history made “fundamentally changing America” much easier. Life was good for liberals.
But life wasn’t good for Americans. Millions had fallen out of the U.S. labor workforce which was at its lowest since the 1970s. Over 94 million workers were either not working or unable to find work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As a result, the number of food stamp recipients went up by 10.7 million people, a 32 percent jump, during the liberal reign, according to the Department of Agriculture.
One doesn’t have to be an economist to understand the fewer people working, the weaker the economy. How can a nation possibly prosper with so many people unemployed?
The American dream had become a nightmare. Hope for a prosperous future was fading.
An intangible that liberals never discuss, but possibly the most relevant to our times, is that economic stagnation helps foster an environment of hopelessness, so debilitating for some they partake in behaviors consistent with individuals lacking a sense of self-worth and purpose.
I believe this has been a huge contributing factor in the increased level of drugs and criminal activity across the country.
But where should voters turn? Hillary’s leftist solution involved more government programs and handouts. And these benefits were seemingly being generously offered (at the taxpayer’s expense) not only to residents, but anyone willing to make the trip to the United States.
Democrats were proposing a scenario suggesting we could sustain more people with government assistance, using fewer tax dollars, from a dwindling workforce. It was senseless.
This could only be possible by raising taxes on working Americans and U.S. business charged with creating jobs. Anyone with any business acumen understands this would stifle the growth of industry and reduce the growth of jobs.
But given all this, liberals are choosing to focus on delegitamizing the Trump presidency rather than partner in returning our country to prosperity and jobs to our communities.
In other words, compromise your quality of life for their political gain.
My advice to Donald Trump: Keep your eye on the prize, Mr. President.
Continued success in reviving the economy and jobs will quiet the resistance.
Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.
The former President is in Italy, staying at a $15K-per-night villa.
Source: Barack Obama Speaks on Global Warming, Then Takes Private Flight and 13-Car Motorcade
What a difference an election can make for the respect American leaders have for our country. There were two very different outcomes when two American presidents greeted the king of Saudi Arabia. All eyes were on President Trump today as he arrived in the country for his first foreign trip. Video shows the president stepping […]
Source: GREAT AGAIN: Unlike Obama, Trump doesn’t bow to Saudi king – The American MirrorThe American Mirror
Doug Smith: Free State Patriot history and society editor
May 19, 2017
There is an interesting concept used by many, if not most on the Left: Legal. Now the famous statue of Justice portrays a lady, blindfolded, bearing both a sword, and a set of scales. In the Leftist world, the law is all about the sword, and little to do with the scales. In short, if it is legal, we can do it, whether we should or not. (Al Gore’s “no controlling legal authority”) Of course, if you are a leading Leftist, even if it is illegal, you are likely to get away with it, e.g. Hillary and crew.
I wish I could take credit for this example, but alas! I read it somewhere. Democracy is 2 wolves and a sheep voting to have mutton for lunch. Liberty is an armed sheep protesting the vote. In the Leftist world, it is not what the law says, but rather what some lawyer, instilled for life on a bench with a black robe, says the law says. By such twisted, opportunistic thinking we get Justices hearing from the spirit of James Madison that although he forgot to write it down, of Course he meant to put in a right to privacy. And building on that, we get such flawed and consequential rulings as Roe v Wade. For if the law says not what it says, but what a judge’s political leaning says it says, why then we have no law and no protection at all.
Case in point: The Kelo decision.
As an illustration of government out of control and vastly incompetent, the case of Kelo vs New London, Ct takes the cake (a subtle aside to other progressive legal swordsmanship: searching out bakers who don’t want to make a cake for a gay wedding.) The city, it seems, wanted to exercise eminent domain under the Takings Clause to take a group of homes. The Takings Clause, in case you don’t know, is part of the 5th Amendment to the Constitution which says, in brief, that government may take private property for public use, and must pay just compensation, defined as fair market value, for the property thus taken. For example, if you own a home in Huntington, WV, with a fair market value of $ 15, 000, government may exercise eminent domain and show up with a court order and a check, and tell the 17th St Exit is going to go right through your kitchen. Time to move. But for public use, such as interstates, court houses, schools, etc., and you must be justly compensated. Got it?
So, in 2004, the city fathers of New London, Ct, came up with a brilliant idea. They would scoop up 90 acres of property in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood, using eminent domain, demolish the well-kept, occupied homes, and give the land to a real estate developer for $ 1 a year, in return for which he would bring businesses, industries, and housing developments to the area which would pay the city more than did the residents. In short, New London decided to by-pass the market, in which case the developer would have to “pay” for the properties whatever the market would bear to persuade the owners to move, and give the owners a say in the transaction. Instead, the city, i.e. the other residents who paid the taxes, would pay the owners the current “fair market value” (not the increased amount that includes overcoming the desire to stay where they were, or the desire to make money from the development) and give it to a developer because they approved of what he proposed to do with the land.
Now, the residents, quite reasonably, argued that taking their homes for a developer was hardly the same as taking them for a court house or school, but instead New London picking one citizen over another. They sued. The Ct Supreme Court, and ultimately, the Roberts Supreme Court agreed with the city in the Kelo decision. 45 states have since passed legislation making it more difficult for municipalities to take private property under Kelo. And, oh here the irony gets rich.
The original developer was not able to put together the financing he said he could (maybe it would have been worthwhile to be sure of that before buying the property), Pfizer backed out and moved their facility, taking 1000 jobs with them, New London moved the Kelo house to a new location in town, and 12 years later the 90 acres are an overgrown, weed infested, empty lot.
Was the Kelo taking legal? Evidently, because a flawed SCOTUS decision remains law until Congress or states take action to change it, or a subsequent decision overturns it.
Was it just? Hardly. The empty lot in New London now sits on the corner of irony and nemesis.
Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor
Unlike progressives who hate Donald Trump, I do not hate liberals. I do, however, loathe liberalism. I truly believe it’s been attacking the core fundamentals of our society for years.
I’m on a mission to expose the progressive movement and educate readers about the liberal desire to “unchain” America from the anchors of morality. You see, progressives don’t advocate the freedom to be Americans, they pursue freedom from our historically steadfast principles.
As a contributor for The Blaze, Dr. Benjamin Wiker wrote a column in 2013, effectively explaining the liberal movement and the progressive mindset.
“Conservative darkness” to “liberal light.” What a masterful interpretation of progressive ideology! It’s designed to be the antithesis of the evangelical movement, and its roots have been premeditatively nurtured in our classrooms for decades.
Abe Lincoln said, “The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation is the philosophy of government in the next.” Truer words were never spoken. The seed of progressivism was planted years in advance of the current harvest of turbulent tolerance.
One example is The Pro-Choice Public Education Project (PEP). As defined on their website, PEP is a project “dedicated to engaging young women on their terms around the critical issue of reproductive justice, and is under the direction of a Young Women’s Leadership Council along with a team of dedicated staff.”
PEP’s mission statement proclaims they “work to engage and inform organizations, young women, transgender and gender non-conforming young people, ages 16-25.”
What is “reproductive justice” anyway? In this writer’s opinion, it’s an ambiguous term for “abortion on demand.”
Targeting our youth has been integral in the liberal strategic attempt to redefine every preconceived societal attribute of America.
Consider this hypothetical. Suppose a society of beings was placed on a planet and developed void of steadfast, guiding principles or boundaries. What would their societal evolution resemble? Any intellectually honest person would surmise they would exist in total chaos.
Our Christian conservative roots and the Biblical principles established by God’s Word, have anchored our country and allowed us to prosper within the parameters of man’s and God’s Law. We’re a nation, blessed of God, and called upon to be a light unto the world.
But in recent years, we’ve done well to help ourselves. And the further we get from the shores of substratum, the deeper the waters of iniquity become.
I’m reminded of the refrain in the praise hymn “The Anchor Holds,” sung by Ray Boltz:
“And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
My anchor holds”.
America’s anchor has been God, not man. Liberals disagree.
But if we forsake that anchor, we will perish, as a nation and a people.
Cling to the anchor.
Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.
NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack Friday that locked up computers and held users’ files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, compan
Source: Dozens of countries hit by huge cyberextortion attack
Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor
May, 12, 2017
In March 2010, President Barack Hussein Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. Following its passage, Obama boldly declared to all Americans, “We did not fear our future, we shaped it.”
In retrospect, that may have been the only true statement Obama would ever make about his failing signature health care bill. He certainly didn’t fear what it would do to our country, and he and his liberal accomplices certainly controlled its shape.
It’s obvious Democrats didn’t have a clue what was in the bill or what impact it would have on nearly 20 percent of our nation’s economy. It was, after all, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who said, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,” when she spoke to the National Association of Counties in March 2010.
But controlling a nation’s health care system would be the ultimate mechanism of oversight over its people. And Obama and the Democrats were willing to say anything to make it happen.
To date, I’ve never fielded a serious rebuttal from any liberal regarding the bald-faced lies the Obama administration leveraged in throwing this political curve ball right past the American people. Yet, as old health care wounds are being reopened, it’s time to revisit the true “genesis” of this disastrous initiative.
“If you like your health care plan, you can keep it,” became the battle cry for the Obama administration as they traversed the nation selling their snake oil and liniment. It was such an egregious lie that PolitiFact dubbed it the “Lie of the Year” in 2013.
When one ponders the exorbitant number of lies politicians bestow upon Americans in a single year, this recognition illuminates the magnitude of the falsehood.
“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,” was another liberal lie designed to mislead trusting Americans into believing the Democrats were planning on providing Americans viable health care options.
Imagine misleading a senior citizen into believing they couldn’t possibly lose a doctor with whom they had established a longtime relationship. But that’s exactly what Obama and his minions did to pass Obamacare – without a single Republican vote.
And the empty promise that premiums, on average, would decline by $2,500 per year under Obamacare was laughable. The exact opposite has happened.
And the most incredible part of this tragedy is that liberal Democrats act as if none of this chicanery ever transpired! Do they really believe Americans are that stupid?
Thank goodness, the House of Representatives voted last week to dismantle the pillars of Obamacare and begin the process of replacing this broken health care system. The bill is on its way to the Senate, where its conservative components will be debated and strengthened.
Rest assured, Republicans will compromise on a finished product and the edicts of Obamacare will be reduced to a Democrat eulogy depicting the death of Obamacare.
So, when liberal Democrats attempt to “frighten” you about GOP health care, remember how they lied to you before.
And how they continue to stand by those lies.
Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.
Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor
Does the First Amendment to the Constitution restrict free speech when it comes to profanity?
According to most constitutional experts, including the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and the Newseum, the Constitution does indeed protect a “great deal of offensive, obnoxious and repugnant speech.”
“As Justice John Marshall Harlan wrote 40 years ago in Cohen v. California, ‘one man’s vulgarity is another’s lyric.'” The column on the First Amendment Center’s website references the court’s ruling that an individual had a right to wear a jacket invoking the “F-Bomb” in sentiment expressed over the draft.
But in this writer’s humble opinion, just because a person has the “right” to say something, doesn’t exempt them from looking like a complete fool when they use profanity in a public venue.
Sadly, using profanity in public seems to be the rage today, especially in politics.
Now, I’m certainly not nave enough to believe profanity could ever be controlled or eliminated. But using profanity in public represents an utter disrespect for another individual’s rights to listen or attend an event without being concerned about being subjected to vulgar language or actions.
I doubt a single reader would disagree that our elected politicians are employed by “We the People.” So, as “employees,” their constituents should hold them to a standard of behavior commensurate with their position.
I will be the first to say I loathe President Trump spouting four-letter words in some of his public speeches. It’s unnecessary. Just speak the truth, and people will get the message. I don’t want to worry about exposing my child to offensive vernacular when I’m attempting to educate them on government.
But lately, Democrat politicians have taken the use of public profanity to a level that should be embarrassing to their party.
For example, a T-shirt available for purchase on the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) website reads, “Democrats give a “sh_t” about people.”
In a New York Magazine profile featured in Politico this month, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, included several expletives, including three f-bomb’s in the magazine interview.
Also from Politico, DNC Chairman Tom Perez has been recklessly including profanity in his stump speeches, telling a New Jersey Working Families Alliance event in March that Republicans “don’t give a sh_t about people.”
Besides the obvious reasons, let me tell you why we must insist this stop, now.
Once again, the progressive modus operandi is to constantly challenge the status quo, moving the “range of acceptability” further to the left. What sort of language will we be accustomed to hearing in another 10-15 years?
Let me be clear. Anyone using profanity in public is openly displaying his or her ignorance and a total disregard for others’ rights.
So, here’s a message to elected officials from your employer, the voters.
If you can’t restrain from ignorance, serve your notice and begin clearing out your desk.
We’ve had enough.
Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.
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