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Writer “fact checks” Obama’s reaction to San Bernardino shooting

21 Dec

kevin rice

Kevin Rice: Regular contributor to Free State Patriot

12.21.15

 

Speaking to CBS News moments after news of the shooting, President Obama said in the interview. “We should never think that this is just something that just happens in the ordinary course of events because it doesn’t happen with the same frequency in other countries.”

The tragedies of gun related violence are horrific. There is no justification for the cold blooded termination of people’s lives. But instead of consolation or offering a measure to assist the average citizen protect and defend themselves and others from such events. Such as the training and liberty to own and defend oneself. The training and arming of the average American citizen would greatly reduce the number of casualties associated with these events. The reduction of the occurrence of these events may be completely outside of the control of the average American citizen but the reduction of mass shooting related casualties is a viable option with appropriate training and liberty to exercise our right “to keep and bear arms.”

2nd amendment

Let us take a moment to fact check Mr. Obama’s claim that these events do not happen at the same frequency in other countries. According to the archived data based on OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) statistics the United States ranks seventh in rampage shooting fatalities per million people.

“Rampage Shooting Index, covering the five year period beginning on January 1, 2009 and ending on December 31, 2013”

Rampage Shooting Fatalities (2009-2013) Per 1,000,000 Total Rampage Shooting Fatalities (2009-2013) Fatal Rampage Shooting Incidents (2009-2013) Per 1,000,000 Total Fatal Rampage Shooting Incidents (2009-2013) Population Level of Firearm Regulation
Norway 15.3 77 0.19 1 5033675 Restrictive
Finland 1.85 8 0.37 2 5421827 Restrictive
Slovakia 1.47 8 0.19 1 5445324 Restrictive
Israel 1.38 11 0.25 2 7941900 Restrictive
Switzerland 0.75 6 0.25 2 8000000 Restrictive
United States 0.72 227 0.12 38 314941000 Permissive
Belgium 0.63 7 0.09 1 11041266 Permissive
Netherlands 0.42 7 0.06 1 16751323 Restrictive
Germany 0.31 25 0.04 3 81799600 Restrictive
United Kingdom 0.19 13 0.02 1 62262000 Restrictive
Canada 0.17 6 0.06 2 35010000 Restrictive
France 0.06 4 0.02 1 65350000 Restrictive

 

Could the frequency of rampage shooting not be a factor of guns but of population tendencies towards violence? To examine this hypothesis let us look at the fact that the USA has a population of over 315 million people. When you compare this to the number of people living in countries like France (65 million) or Israel (79 million) it is obvious that the USA is a massive country. The probability of a mentally disturbed individual going on a shooting spree could be uniform (let’s say and average of 1 per million) and the USA would still have more shooting in 5 years than most other countries.

This being said the rational of a mass shooter is an irrational unpredictable variable. Obama would lead the people to believe that the common variable in all these shooting is the access to firearms. When you evaluate this data you can see that of the top 10 countries with mass shootings only 2 have permissive firearms regulations. Within the top 5 all have restrictive firearms regulations. In light of this increasing restrictions of guns possess a greater risk of the US moving into the top 5 as opposed to away from the top 5.

So what of firearm related deaths? Does the US lead the pack in the number of gun related homicides per capita?

Firearm-related death rate per 100,000 population per year

Country Method of Calculation Homicides
 Honduras (incomplete) 64.8 (2010)
 El Salvador (incomplete) 39.90 (2008)
 Jamaica (mixed years, incomplete) 39.40 (2009)
 Venezuela (mixed years) 39.00 (2000)
 Swaziland (incomplete) 37.16 (2004)
 Guatemala (incomplete) 34.8 (2010)
 Colombia (mixed years) 27.1 (2010)
 Brazil (mixed years) 18.1 (2008)
 South Africa (mixed years) 17.00 (2007)
 Panama (mixed years) 16.10 (2010)
 Mexico (mixed years) 10.00 (2010)
 Paraguay (mixed years) 7.30 (2009)
 Nicaragua (mixed years) 5.90 (2008)
 Costa Rica (mixed years) 4.6 (2006)
 United States -2013 3.55 (2013)

 

This incomplete data set listed on Wikipedia appears to indicate that the US is not even in the top 10 of the homicides per capita. As this table shows the US ranks 15 of the countries who have data listed on this webpage.

Mr. Obama needs to check his facts. The truth of the matter is “Guns do not kill people. People kill people.” No amount of gun restrictions will alter the gun related fatalities or mass shooting related fatalities within the US population. The most critical steps in curbing the number of these events and associated fatalities is

  • To be vigilant with regards to spotting behaviors that may predict such violence.
  • Improve access to affordable mental health for people who are struggling
  • Provide freedom for the American Citizens to arm and protect themselves and others especially in soft target areas.

progressives

There is no quick fix to PRVIWCISE “people related violence in which a gun is employed” Taking the guns does not help. The data present here indicates this fact. There are violent people in the world. They will find a way to act out this violence. We need to have an open discussion regarding gun freedom and mental health, not a slander campaign against the innocent gun, which if left alone would harm no one.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families of San Bernardino as well as all of those effected by human violence in the form of mass shooting.

 

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Mark Caserta: Americans just don’t feel safe any more

19 Dec

mark

Mark Caserta:  Free State Patriot Editor

 Dec 18, 2015

The irony of the liberal push for gun control is that the longer Barack Obama is president, the more Americans buy guns.

 

A recent column in the New York Times by Katie Rogers reported that gun bargains on Black Friday were a “big draw.” According to the column, the FBI was busy processing about two firearm background checks per second! It went on to say there have been a record number of background checks of people wanting to buy a firearm thus far in 2015, with more than 1.9 million background checks processed in the month of October alone.

Americans simply don’t feel safe anymore. On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I observed that the area was inundated with billboards and signs saying, “If you see something, say something!” I can’t recall our nation ever being so afraid of the threat of Islamic terrorism – even after 911. And they just don’t trust this administration to keep them safe.

 

Frankly, it’s the result of failed leadership. Barack Obama’s acumen as commander-in-chief truly pales in comparison to his predecessor.

Following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush had our nation on the offense within hours. He successfully rallied all Americans, regardless of political persuasion, in the war on terror. On the evening following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush wasted no time quickly identifying the attacks as acts of terror.

 

“Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America” Bush said. “Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government’s emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it’s prepared.”

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The president’s words were filled with hope and resolve. There was clarity in his determination to protect Americans and our way of life.

 

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest building, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”

 

And he didn’t flinch when taking action to identify the enemy and execute a military plan.

 

“The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts. I’ve directed the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”

Many refuse to remember that President Bush had even garnered the support of Democrats such as Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Harry Reid in voting to authorize the use of military force in the war in Afghanistan, and all shared the same intelligence information.

 

But the only resolve and determination Barack Obama seems to have involve protecting his legacy. Every move is tainted by liberal ideology and no serious crisis is ever allowed to go to waste in propagating the progressive plan.

 

So just keep looking over your shoulder and indeed “say something” if you “see something.” And then hope there’s a good guy available with a gun.

 

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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Mark Caserta: Americans must be prepared for ISIS attack

11 Dec

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

  • 20 hrs ago

Not only have the feigned strategies of Barack Obama been ineffectual in deteriorating the might of the Islamic State, they have emboldened radical jihadists in bringing their savagery to the United States.

The recent attack in California where 14 people were heinously murdered at an office Christmas party was just a preview of what I believe is to come as a result of the failed policies of this administration. And it’s simply a slap in the face to all Americans that this president wallows in intellectual dishonesty by not even being able to admit we are at war with radical Islam.

San Bern

Americans must now begin preparing for threats against our citizens that we heretofore had primarily associated with Middle Eastern nations. FBI Director James Comey has already revealed he has ISIS-related investigations in all 50 states. I share the belief of many that this formidable presence is busy readying sleeper cells for a coordinated attack on the United States, perhaps at an even greater magnitude than we witnessed in Paris.

I recently received a social media “terror alert” with this warning about the Islamic State. “They will use your laws to get inside your country and then use your freedoms against you.” The nature of this alert, and the fact that it was urgently sent by an individual who has studied the intricacies of Islam for decades, was quite disturbing. Even more disturbing is that our own government appears lackadaisical in providing timely, truthful information to its citizens.

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Barack Obama seemingly places being an apologist for the Muslim faith above the safety of Americans. And he appears to value protecting the narrative that he has “ISIS on the run” beyond being truthful with the American people. His words lead one to believe he is either grossly negligent or dangerously incompetent in understanding the true nature of the threat we all now face.

 

Just one day before the brutal coordinated attacks in Paris, where at least 120 people were killed, President Obama said in an interview that ISIS was not growing stronger and was, in his words, “contained.”

 

“I don’t think they’re gaining strength,” Obama told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “What is true, from the start our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them.”

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But just last week, the nation’s top military officer, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave lawmakers at a House Armed Services Committee hearing a very conflicting report to that of President Obama.

“We have not contained ISIS,” reported General Dunford. In a column in “The Hill,” written by Kristina Wong, Dunford went on to say that ISIS has been “tactically” contained in areas but “strategically they have spread since 2010.”

 

And spread they have. The conversation about the tactics for fighting terrorism is no longer solely about “boots on the ground” or “the number of air attacks.”

 

It’s now about how do we prepare ourselves and local law enforcement for being able to proactively deal with an ISIS attack here at home.

 

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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Kevin Rice: Liberal hypocrisy rampant on gun control

5 Dec

kevin rice

“Liberals insist we disarm ourselves and rely upon government to keep us safe; while simultaneously advocating for and enacting policies which make the world a more dangerous place to live.” David Risselada

2nd amendment

There have been a number of instances where the federal government have failed to secure their own firearms. This summer a stolen federal agent’s gun was used by an illegal alien Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez to murder and American citizen, Kathryn Steinle on a California pier in front of her father. On September 29, 2015, 27 year old Antonio Ramos from Oakland was shot and killed by 20 year old Marquise Holloway using a stolen gun from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. This gun had been stolen from the sanctuary city of San Francisco by Sean Gibson during a car burglary.

An article from Crime/ Law and Order states that “Federal agents and police lose track of their gun all the time.” The article goes on to indicate that UC Berkeley Police Chief, Secret Service agents, FBI agents, and DEA agents have all left their guns in cars and had them stolen. 250 guns a year are lost by federal agents every year, according to a GAO report. Not to mention the dozen guns a year lost by the ATF who is task with preventing illegal gun trafficking. The Blog page does not contain enough space to even begin to talk about the “Fast and Furious” ATF gunwalking scandal .

With all the training and regulation that the federal and local law enforcement receive you would think they would be able to keep better track of their guns. But they want to keep track of our guns for us. What an absurd idea?

We hand over to them our tax money and they cannot keep track of it. That has to be the explanation for the trillions of dollars of federal debt. A bunch of governmental accountants cannot do the math required to balance a check book. “We will bring in about $3.25 trillion so lest spend @3.5 trillion.” Do the math it doesn’t work.

So let them take our guns put them in a database. I know the US government has the best cybersecurity in the world. No one will ever hack the national gun database to find out where the US government is keeping all the confiscated firearms or which citizen are legally allowed to own a gun. No one have every hacked a federal computer system and stolen social security numbers or stolen someone’s identity and used it to receive someone else’s federal tax refund.

So let us turn our guns over to the liberals. Let them create a federal database for all firearms owned or resident within the borders of USA. Let them place our firearms under Federal protective custody where we must check them out to use them for governmental approved recreational activities.

I can just imagine where this could end up. I can read the breaking news article now.

“Legal gun owner killed by his own firearm: John Doe murder used Mr. Legal Gunn owner’s stolen identity to check the gun out of the federal gun storage bank. John Doe then robbed the Piggly Wiggle on his way to Mr. Gun’s home where he broke into the house to steal Mr. Gunn’s single box of federally registered ammunition.”

The liberals would just use this as another case for removing any gun ownership. But what of the law enforcement officers and their guns. In a society of strict gun control where citizens cannot arm themselves and must rely on law enforcement for protection. Where criminals have access to two available sources of guns, those purchased on the black market and those freely available from the federal government left in the cars of law enforcement. What is the average law abiding citizen to do?

If the liberals want to impose gun control they need to start in their own house. If they cannot keep track of their own guns take them away and give them to the law abiding American public. If the liberals want gun control they need to learn to control their own guns not ours. I am not aware of the statistics and they may or may not exist. But I am sure if you calculated the number of legally owned guns stolen from gun owners per capita compared to the number of Federal agent guns stolen per capita the difference would be astounding.

So to all you liberals out there. You can’t take my guns just because you lost yours.

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ALERT: A MUST READ

5 Dec

From Perry Stone’s FB page:

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TERROR ALERT: Since the 1980’s groups of Muslims have been provided finances from their governments (including Morocco) to come to America, getting visas and finding jobs, to eventually participate in an American “Jihad.” They are given a phone number to call. There are warehouses in all 50 states with weapons, and when “the word” is given, they will be given an address to go to pick up their weaponry, and as one Muslim said, “America will burn.” W…hen Obama opened the Mexican border numerous Muslims, some speaking Spanish, posing as Mexican immigrants came into America. Obama is demanding to allow Syrians, (98% Muslims) to enter America – with untold numbers who could be possible terror agents. There are hundreds of sleeper cells, including cells in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lexington, Kentucky and throughout the Southeast, including in the mountains of West Virginia. Recently, two Muslims with Kentucky tags was spotted locally video taping numerous buildings, including churches. I received a message -connected with the U.S. military, that when a radical leaders says publically, “Last days brothers-last days,” the United States won’t know what hit them! They are targeting places around the holidays.
It is time to get security in all malls, schools and churches, and visit “Smith and Wesson” and get your conceal and carry permit. Report suspicious activity, and yes, get a security team that WILL PROFILE individuals when needed. Israel is not afraid to profile anyone at anytime, and this is why they have stopped numerous attacks. When a knife wielding radical comes toward anyone in Israel, to stab them, they will be shot dead by police or a “packing” Israeli. Christians, get your head out of the sand and realize terror has come to America and it is only beginning. Benjamin Netanyahu told me, “They will use your laws to get inside the country then use your freedoms against you!” There is much but I will restrain from sharing it on an open page. Please PREPOST THIS to everyone – to be alert and be in prayer and ask God to expose these ungodly and dangerous individuals – and God bless our MILITARY and GOD BLESS ALL POLICE OFFICERS who are doing their job! I am counting the days when the incompetent D.C. leadership will be replaced – hopefully with someone who will defend the nation, the Constitution, and stop the non-sense we have endured for 7 years!

PS

Mark Caserta: Liberal Democrats offer false solutions

5 Dec

  • Dec 4, 2015mark 1
  • Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

A famous quote I once heard seems to define the liberal Democrat movement in our nation today. “Society’s needs come before the individual’s needs.” It seems that nearly every policy offered by Democrat leadership embodies the spirit of this quote.

I’m continually amazed at how liberals posture themselves during a campaign season as champions for the middle class, and then keep gouging them with their progressive, socialist policies.

dems turn 3

Believe me when I tell you, it’s never been about liberal Democrats being more compassionate for the lower or middle class. It’s about buying their votes! As we draw closer to the 2016 presidential election, it’s important to understand the strategy behind the empty promises offered by the left.

The next progressive step involves offering “compassionate” solutions they propose will bring fairness to the system and provide more opportunity to those being suppressed by the evils of capitalism.

Finally, progressives and the complicit liberal media combine to demonize any entity or individual who decries progressive policies as the deceitful betrothals they are. And as the voter base in the expanding government safety net increases, the liberal narrative begins to take root and no longer depends on truth or legitimacy.

Consider this. As the full weight of the Obamacare employer mandate is felt (it requires employers to provide healthcare to full time-employees), do you suppose businesses will just take the hit on their back page?

As the minimum wage increases, do you suppose restaurants, retail businesses or the service industry will simply absorb the additional costs? As the EPA continues to levy ridiculous regulations on industry, do you expect businesses to continue operating passively in the red?

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Let me be clear – they will not. Some businesses cannot and others will not accept a narrower profit margin. Many small businesses already have slim profit margins and wouldn’t survive.

 

So who do you suppose will make up the difference? You will. You will pay more for that trip to the restaurant. You will pay more at the grocery store. You will pay more for utilities and services. We’re seeing it already.

So, when the smoke clears around that shiny new entitlement liberals handed you, you’ll find the government got their share by taxing it. Businesses got their share by charging you for it. And you got the shaft from liberal Democrats who told you it was raining as the dog wet on your leg.

So the next time a liberal Democrat promises you a free lunch, take a moment and thoughtfully consider the offer. Because in these scenarios, it isn’t business or the government that loses; it’s you.

Oh, the aforementioned quote: Adolph Hitler, April 12, 1921.

 

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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Kevin Rice: Obama and the Christian Terrorist

1 Dec

kevin rice

Free State Patriot welcomes Kevin Rice as the newest contributor to Free State Patriot.

About the author:

Kevin M. Rice is a master-level medical and scientific writer and Basic Science division Director at the Center for Diagnostic Nanosystems at Marshall University, with 12 years of writing experience, 6 years of editorial experience and an extensive scientific background with 12 years of basic science experience in the fields of geriatrics, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, nano-technology, sepsis, ischemia, physiology, and animal based drug intervention. He has over 62 peer reviewed journal articles which have received over 868 citations and over 87 conference presentation. He is the husband the father of 4 children and is a former pastor with 7 years of pastoral experience and 25 years of ministerial experience.

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12.1.15

During a White House press briefing addressing the Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic shooting on November 28, 2015, Barack Obama called the shooter, 57-year-old Robert Dear, a “Christian Terrorist.”

“A gun in the hands of just one Christian terrorist has resulted in the loss of life of a police veteran, father, and volunteer pastor; two civilians, injuries to five of Colorado’s brave law enforcement officers, and four innocent civilians.”

OBAMA AND DEAR

Obama’s rhetoric is once again directed toward the undermining of the foundation on which this great nation was founded. To call the acts of one man a terrorist attack sanctioned in anyway by the Christian populous is both ludicrous and absurd. A nation founded on the Judeo -Christina ethics of morality, forgiveness, mercy and grace is what gave rise to this man’s actions. Notwithstanding, as a collective, the Christian populous is in great need of repentance. Not simply because of the action of one disturbed individual who took it upon himself to perform an act of violence and terror, but for allowing our great nation to sink to such debauchery, disdain and ignorance of Christianity.

We have elected to the office of president, a man who lacks the moral compass or fortitude required to lead this great nation back to God. He instead sows seeds of religious discord and hatred. To what end or what purpose is served by labeling the actions of a single individual as a religiously sanctioned act?

There was no terrorist cell plotting the attack on the Planned Parenthood Clinic. There is no directed recruitment taking place by any Christian organization to radicalize people to commit such acts of terrorism. This was the action of one disturbed man. The only foreseeable purpose in the terminology used by Mr. Obama is to further the agenda of religious intolerance within the American population.

We live in a time where “that which is wrong is called right” and “that which is right is called wrong”. But we cannot place the blame on the politicians, the media, or society. We must step up to the altar and take the weight of this generation upon our own knees. Mr. Obama did not elect himself. We played a role in it, by either refraining to cast a vote and remaining silent, by voting for him, or by failing to rally enough support for a God-fearing candidate to be elected to office.

COMPLACENCY

The only way this nation can be healed is if we repent and change our course. Otherwise, we are headed for a complete annihilation of religious liberties.

Our rights as Christians are a target of this administration and many other special interest groups. It is time to exercise the remaining freedom we have before it also is challenged. We have lost the radical nature that once raged within the hearts of the early church. We have lost the motivating force that drove men to give their lives for the cause of Christ. Now we cower behind the fear of political correctness – afraid to offend someone with our beliefs.

If we are offended of Him, He will be offended of us.

If we are to be labeled “Christian Terrorists”, then let us take on the active role that we should have been fulfilling in the first place. Let’s take the battle to the front lines! We battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and wickedness enthroned in high places. Let’s plan a “terrorist attack” on the kingdom of Satan on our knees. Every hour of every day we need to have someone actively engaged in this battle for our homeland, our religious liberties, and for our spiritual existence.

Let’s speak the Word of God without fear once again! Let’s proclaim the acceptable year of our Lord to all mankind. This great nation was founded on liberty and “freedom of religion”, not “freedom from religion”.

We have allowed the enemy of our soul to rob this great nation of our religious liberty and freedom.

It is now time to take it back.

 

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Mark Caserta: Obama’s ideology risks American lives

29 Nov

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

Nov 27, 2015

Why is Barack Obama deliberately gambling with the lives of Americans?

Following the terrorist attacks on our nation on Sept. 11, 2001, our nation’s leadership had a resolve to leverage the most powerful military force in the world in defeating the threat of Islamic terrorism.

President Bush and our military commanders initiated a “shock and awe” strategy that would eventually decimate Al-Qaida in Iraq and send a clear message to radical Islamists that the United States would not tolerate their antics.

But enter stage left, Barack Hussein Obama, vowing to deliver America from “Islamophobia,” who removes our military presence from the region, creating a vacuum for the blood-thirsty, radical Islamists known as ISIS. In the infancy of the threat from the Islamic State, the president even referred to the terrorist group as the “Jayvee team,” attempting to downplay the legitimacy of the rise of Islamic terrorism on his watch. To this day, the president remarkably refuses to utter the words “Islamic terrorism.”

 

Now, as a result of President Obama’s lack of leadership, not only has the Islamic State become the most ominous terrorist threat known to mankind – they may have sleeper cells right here in the U.S.

According to FBI Director James Comey, there are over 900 ongoing investigations of ISIS activity in America. According to numerous reports, the Islamic State, which vows to destroy all who refuse to adhere to Sharia Law, has terrorist “sleeper cells” all across the United States just waiting for activation.

 

In less than two years, ISIS has expanded into what Director Comey calls a “chaotic spider web.”

 

“Those people exist in every state. I have homegrown violent extremist investigations in every single state. Until a few weeks ago there was 49 states. Alaska had none which I couldn’t quite figure out. But Alaska has now joined the group so we have investigations of people in various stages of radicalizing in all 50 states,” Comey said.

Now, one would think the rationale would be to control our borders and restrict the rampant entry of unknown individuals into our nation. But this president is far from being rational where protecting America is concerned.

 

Despite lacking an authentic vetting process, Obama plans to admit some 10,000 Syrian refugees into the United States. Now if you were a terrorist looking for a secluded entry point into the U.S., wouldn’t you consider entering under the guise of a Syrian refugee? In fact, following the recent terrorist attack in Paris, a Syrian passport was found near the body of one of the slain assailants leading investigators to believe one of the terrorists did indeed enter as a Syrian refugee.

 

Obama’s weak-kneed strategy against ISIS is failing miserably, yet he refuses to change his approach. And now, he plans to clear a path for potential Islamic terrorists to enter the U.S. and risk attacks on innocent citizens – maybe your family!

 

It’s time for Congress to step up and squelch this president’s radical ideology before we have a tragedy of devastating proportion.

 

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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Mark Caserta: Writer reflects on father’s legacy after loss

25 Nov

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Robert L. Caserta

1937-2015

The late father of Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

Nov 20, 2015

     Some moments in life are simply too difficult to describe in words – moments for which we can never be adequately prepared to handle. I recently had one of those moments. Last weekend, I received a phone call that my father had passed away. And it was truly devastating.

Ever since we lost our mother in 2009, Dad had been grieving. One could hardly have a conversation with him without him speaking of how much he missed his wife and companion of 52 years. I suppose when one builds their world around a pillar, life can begin to crumble as the pillar collapses. But the foundation on which our parents built our family will never be shaken.

A Marine Corps veteran, my father built his legacy around three steadfast principles. He honored his God, his country and his family. And he wouldn’t flinch in defending any of the three with his life. He truly was a “man’s man.”

Born and raised in a coal mining community in Man, West Virginia, he grew up during The Great Depression. Times were beyond difficult. My grandfather worked long, arduous hours to put food on the table and to keep a few meager clothes on their backs. My father learned early of the value of hard work and doing your very best at whatever task was set before you. Growing up, I often recall Dad saying, “Son, any job worth doing is worth doing right.” I suppose my sons are as tired of hearing it from me now as I was from him then.

Throughout our early years, I watched my father work some very difficult jobs and some very long hours, but I never recall him complaining. I remember him working as a crane operator at ACF and recall how much he enjoyed the job. He had a keen eye which allowed him to become very proficient at operating a crane. That keen eye had served him well in the military. He earned several marksmanship awards, at one time coming close to breaking the Marine Corps point record on the firing range.

And Dad loved his country. He made darn sure each of us knew that voting was not optional. Determined to make a difference, he even took a “one-time” stab at running for political office. It didn’t take long for him to realize he wasn’t called to politics! “Political correctness” was not in my father’s repertoire! Just like on the firing range, the only way he knew to “shoot” was “straight.”

Looking back, and probably more from his actions than his words, Dad instilled in each of us a sense of duty and obligation. He made sure we realized that giving anything less than our best would be doing ourselves, our family and our God a disservice.

Now, although grieving over the loss of my hero, I rejoice in knowing he is where he has wanted to be for over six years – in the arms of his wife and our Heavenly Father.

Godspeed Dad. We sure will miss you.

 

Robert L. Caserta received full military funeral honors, which included the folding and presenting of the United States burial flag and the playing of taps. Mark was honored to receive the flag on behalf of his family.

Mark Caserta: US future depends on support of Israel

29 Oct

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

I firmly believe that a major contributing factor to the prosperity of the United States has been our relationship and support of Israel.

Genesis 12:3 clearly depicts the benefits of supporting God’s people.

“I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

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For years, Israel has been a critical ally to the U.S. in the Middle East, where hostility toward the Israeli people has been rampant. And now all indications from the Obama administration suggest that President Obama is abandoning our steadfast relationship with Israel despite their partnership in democracy in the region.

Obama’s incessant push for a nuclear deal with Iran was perhaps the tipping point for ongoing relations with the Israeli people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal with Iran “a bad mistake of historic proportions,” as reported in a July Fox News article.

“Iran is going to receive a sure path to nuclear weapons. Many of the restrictions that were supposed to prevent it from getting there will be lifted,” Netanyahu said before a meeting with the Dutch Foreign Minister in Jerusalem. “Iran will get a jackpot, a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars, which will enable it to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and in the world.”

While it’s true that some of the nuclear restrictions remain in place for the next 25 years, time does not dismay Iranian leadership in their vow to destroy Israel. Following the deal which involved the U.S. and five other countries, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, taunted Israel with a threat of colossal proportion.

Referencing the 25-year time frame in an Iranian state-run media report, the Ayatollah predicted the extinction of Israel by the end of the deal’s terms. “I’d say (to Israel) that they will not see (the end) of these 25 years,” said the Ayatollah, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. “God willing, there will be no such thing as a Zionist regime in 25 years.”

But there is no new news here. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Iranian leadership has sought its destruction and referred to the U.S. as the “Great Satan” for our support of the Jewish people.

Obama’s disdain for Israel is very troubling. Following the wave of violence where innocent Israelis were being stabbed in the streets by anti-Semitists, the Obama administration accused Israel of participating in terrorism while acting to protect their people.

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“Individuals on both sides of this divide are – have proven capable of, and in our view, are guilty of acts of terrorism.” State Department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters following the spike in violence as reported by Kellan Howell in the Washington Times.

I believe in many ways the U.S. is now experiencing the repercussions of abandoning our support of Israel. Our next president must work diligently to re-establish our bond with the Jewish state.

Our future hangs in the balance.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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