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
GREAT AGAIN: Unlike Obama, Trump doesn’t bow to Saudi king – The American MirrorThe American Mirror
20 MayWhat 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: Legal Injustice, the sword, but not the scales.
19 May
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: Liberals attack the core principles of America
19 May
Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor
- May 19, 2017
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.
Dozens of countries hit by huge cyberextortion attack
12 MayNEW 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: Democrats continue to stand on Obamacare lies
12 May
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: Politicians should refrain from using profanity in public
5 May
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.
Mark Caserta: Trump busy negotiating on behalf of Americans
28 Apr
Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor
April 28, 2017
As President Trump rights the ship of U.S. foreign policy steered dangerously into troubled waters by the Obama administration, both friends and enemies alike are rapidly re-assessing their relationship with the United States.
Trump’s execution of his “America first” policy is something the world hasn’t seen in over eight years. And while it’s the antithesis of his predecessor’s “apology and appeasement” ideology, it may also be the most resolute approach we’ve seen from any U.S. president since Ronald Reagan.
Throughout his entire campaign, Donald Trump was harshly critical of China, accusing its leaders of manipulating their currency, making it difficult for America to compete economically. As president, he’s maintained his tough stance on trade relations, but is working to build a relationship with Chinese leadership that will be conducive to fair trade negotiations.
You see, what liberals portray as failure, Donald Trump sees as simply the first step in negotiation. Successful negotiations often begin with incredulous offers and distant terms. That’s simply a natural part of the process. Afterward, if there is enough at stake, accomplished negotiators will work toward “win-win” solutions for both parties.
Trump’s recent meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was reportedly a huge success and helped foster an unexpected relationship between the two men. A recent Fox News column by Andrew O’Reilly shared an expert’s perspective.
“This meeting will set the tone in looking at the strategic framework between the U.S. and China for the next few years,” Robert Daly, the director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, told Fox News. “China wants to know what President Trump’s framework toward Beijing will be and if he is a man they can work with.”
Following Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s recent Moscow meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Russian government surely came away with a clear understanding that despite liberal and mainstream media attempts to brand President Trump as a Russian “apologist,” they’re no longer dealing with an ill-prepared community organizer, but rather with a man determined to successfully negotiate on behalf of the American people.
A recent U.S. News column reported, “President Donald Trump says the U.S. is ‘not getting along with Russia at all’ and relations between the two global powers are at an ‘all time low,'” following U.S. response to the Syrian chemical weapons attack. The piece went on to say Trump is “hopeful he can improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin but ‘we’re going to see what happens.'”
And following eight long years of declining U.S. – Israeli relations, a column in The Times of Israel by Gavin Rabinowitz reports officials are enthused about the prospect of making the alliance between the two nations “greater than ever.”
As a skilled negotiator, Donald Trump understands negotiating from a position of strength. He’s currently establishing a principled foundation from which to advance his agenda.
Right now, world leaders are simply taking it all in, trying to figure out how best to deal with this new U.S. president. But rest assured, he’s negotiating on behalf of Americans.
Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger and Cabell County resident.
DNC Chair to Pro-Life Democrats: Get Out of Our Party | The Sean Hannity Show
24 AprTom Perez tells pro-life democrats that everyone in the party must support abortion.
Source: DNC Chair to Pro-Life Democrats: Get Out of Our Party | The Sean Hannity Show
Mark Caserta: Trump fulfilling promise to protect borders
22 AprMark Caserta: Free State Patriot editor
Like him or not, Donald J. Trump says what he means and means what he says regarding illegal immigration and making America great again on the world stage.
Trump’s recent job approval ratings are soaring! A Rasmussen poll shows 50 percent of likely voters approve of his performance since taking office.
A Washington Post column, by Maria Sacchetti, reported illegal immigration arrests rose 32.5 percent in the first weeks of Trump’s presidency. According to the report, this included illegals with criminal records, as well as those who are simply undocumented.
According to statistics requested and reported by The Post, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 21,362 illegals, mostly convicted criminals, from January through mid-March, compared to 16,104 during the same period last year.
Liberal Democrats like to use the word “compassionate” when weighing the dilemma of removing illegal immigrants from our country. As with nearly every other progressive position that places the weight of “pivotal political posturing” on the shoulders of law-abiding citizens, liberals constantly kowtow to any demographic that can envision pulling a voting lever.
Simply put, when weighing compassion against national security, one must make the tough call, for a compassionate decision for one group of individuals can result in devastation for another innocent sector. It’s called unintended consequences.
Here are some dreadful examples of serious crimes from the Federation for American Immigration Reform website, committed by illegals, not far from our readers.
In December 2015, a 40-year-old illegal, Michael Garcia, was sentenced to four life terms for the rape and sodomy of two children in Alabama. In August 2016, a Salvadoran illegal gang member was convicted of murder in Virginia for the brutal stabbing of an individual suspected of being an informer for law enforcement. Jose Torres was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 20 years.
In February 2017, 29-year old Ricardo Garcia was sentenced to 20-29 years in prison after being convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl in North Carolina in 2015. Garcia lured the girl into his car on the pretense of giving her a ride.
Four decades of mass, illegal immigration have devastated our nation, largely due to the passage of Ted Kennedy’s Immigration Reform Act of 1965, changing immigration laws and widening the gate of entry into the United States.
Additionally, in 2012, Barack Obama signed an executive order providing deportation amnesty to illegal immigrants already in our country. His order expanded the concept of “prosecutorial discretion” allowing millions of illegals safe harbor.
Liberals have been working for years to increase illegal immigration in the U.S.
According to the Pew Research Center, there were over 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States in 2014. Who knows how many there are now?
Thank goodness, President Trump expeditiously wiped out nearly all of Obama’s immigration policies in January with executive orders unleashing ICE agents to enforce immigration laws and punishing sanctuary cities by withholding government funding.
A nation must protect its borders. And we must know who is here illegally.
President Trump is working to fulfill that promise, and Americans are pleased.
Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.
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