Tag Archives: mark caserta

New Trump Ad Hits Hillary Hard Over Benghazi Statements

11 May

hill

Would like to give her a lie detector test.

Randy DeSoto May 10, 2016 at 5:15pm

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Donald Trump released a new ad Tuesday with family members of Benghazi victims saying Hillary Clinton misled them to believe the 2012 Benghazi attack was the result of an internet video.

The video released on Trump’s Instagram account opens with Clinton speaking about the “awful internet video” that she proclaimed sparked the Benghazi attacks in remarks made at Andrews Air Force base shortly after the strikes on the American consulate and CIA annex.

Next comes news footage of victims’ family members, including Patricia Smith, mother of State Department employee Sean Smith; Charles Woods, father of Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods; and Kate Quigley, sister of Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, speaking about how Hillary Clinton did not tell them the truth.

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Mark Caserta: Consider impact of Obamacare when voting

7 May

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

  • May 6, 2016

As many of us are busy “revving our mental motors” to pick the most qualified 2016 presidential candidate, it’s time to revisit the impact of the largest form of socialist redistribution ever to be thrust upon the American people, as well as who supports keeping it.

 

Let’s begin with broken promises of Obamacare.

 

Remember when Barack Obama repeatedly told Americans, “If you like your healthcare plan, you’ll be able to keep your healthcare plan – period”?

In what Politifact called “The Lie of the Year,” Obama began perpetrating this canard upon the American people as early as 2009 to facilitate passage of his signature healthcare law. Millions of Americans have since lost their policies and have been forced to purchase another plan at an increased cost.

 

But for liberals, the end justifies the means.

 

During the 2008 campaign and healthcare reform debate in 2009, Obama repeatedly promised that under his administration, the typical American family would see their health insurance premiums decrease by up to $2,500 per year.

 

The reality is most Americans will see their premiums increase. According to multiple sources, including CNN Money, Obamacare premiums will increase an average of 7.5 percent for the benchmark silver insurance plan next year in the 37 states using the federal exchange, based on Department of Health and Human Services estimations.

 

Also during his 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama told Americans of his proposed healthcare plan, “I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.”

 

Isn’t it amazing Obama’s lies don’t matter to liberals?

 

As the Supreme Court ultimately ruled, the Obamacare Individual mandate is in itself a “tax” requiring individual workers to purchase health insurance even if they don’t want it! This mandate is critical for Obamacare’s viability as it must “take” from younger, healthier enrollees and “give” to clients with higher rates of claims.

 

But Obamacare’s impact is far-reaching.

 

The 40-hour work week is rapidly disappearing as businesses re-tool, re-staff and reschedule to stay under the Obamacare radar.

 

As part of the employer mandate, beginning in 2015, employers with 50 or more “full-time equivalent” employees were required to provide health insurance coverage for employees averaging 30 hours per week over the course of a month.

 

This job-killing mandate has discouraged employers from hiring above the 50-employee level and from scheduling employees 30 hours. As a result, employers are forced to demand more production from existing staff while many retail and service employees are having to work a second or third job simply to survive.

Remarkably, the government touts these as “jobs created” in their progressive world of Obamanomics.

 

But the thousands of families trying to make ends meet know the difference.

 

Now, Hillary Clinton wants to expand Obamacare if she’s elected president.

 

How will furthering this health debacle impact our nation long term?

 

I suggest you consider that question when you go to the polls.

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: Rights not exclusive to LGBT community

29 Apr

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

4.29.16

Liberals seem to only focus on protecting the rights of individuals engaged in behaviors that align with their progressive ideology.

 

One timely example would be the promotion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lifestyle in America.

 

What seemingly began as a “simple pursuit” of acceptance has now expanded into a large segment of society boldly embracing their choice of an alternative lifestyle.

And I believe it is indeed their right to pursue their constitutional rights.

 

But not if it infringes upon mine.

 

In fact, no segment of society should have to sacrifice their rights so others can exercise theirs. One could easily call that “reverse discrimination.”

 

For many of us, gender identity wasn’t something we ever envisioned questioning. We simply accepted our physical characteristics as God’s will in our lives. However, through the years, progressives have encouraged parents to promote “healthy gender development” and allow their child’s gender identity to “evolve” as they grow older.

 

This gender “ambiguity,” while fully within a parent’s rights, has been an enabler to some ultimately choosing this lifestyle.

 

Through the years, we’ve seen the LGBT movement expand into nearly every segment of society – from scouting to sports teams. LGBT communities and organizations now thrive all around us.

 

And I have no reservation in stating that I believe they are deserving of respect and should be treated no differently than anyone else – period.

 

But they are in no way deserving of special treatment that infringes upon my rights. And that has nothing to do with discrimination.

 

Too often the LGBT community is portrayed as victims of hatred and persecution deserving of special protection and accommodation beyond existing laws on the books.

 

According to an October 2015 column in The New York Times by Richard Perez-Pena, California has become the first state with a policy of providing sex reassignment surgery for some prison inmates. And as advocates for the process move forward, it’s only a matter of time before your tax dollars will do the same in your state.

 

In 2015, Huntington Mayor Steve Williams formed the LGBT Advisory Committee to help advance the discussion about equality and justice for the LGBT community in our area. While the mayor’s intentions may be honorable, I believe it’s a mistake to expose our city to the same array of unintended consequences other cities now face.

 

Now, I have a few questions regarding my rights in this gender identity quandary.

 

“Which public restroom will they be allowed to use?” Will it be based on an individual’s “gender choice” or their biological persuasion?

Suppose a 30 year-old male chooses to put on a dress and walk into the same women’s restroom your 14-year-old daughter just entered.

 

Are we to assume this individual’s intentions are harmless?

 

How will law enforcement be forced to react if a citizen acts in such a situation?

 

We’ve allowed liberals to advance “political correctness” to mean some rights are more deserving of protection than others!

 

Not so!

 

Individuals outside the LGBT community also have rights which need to be protected.

 

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

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Conservatism is an enduring ideology

15 Apr

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Mark Caserta – Free State Patriot Editor

  • 4.15.16

I don’t subscribe to the liberal narrative that the principles of conservatism have moved “far right” of mainstream America.

 

And you shouldn’t either.

 

Understand, the entire premise of the progressive movement is based on our actions and behaviors being weighed and measured on a sliding scale of standards with no immovable principles. It isn’t conservative principles which are moving; it’s the progressives who continue to advance their agenda further “left.”

Liberals always seem to spin their motives with the thread of “human kindness” while painting conservatives as staunch, uncaring radicals. But you may be surprised at just how conservative you really are when examining the truth.

 

Conservatives believe liberty is a God-given right and not a “gift” from government. We agree the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land and may not be altered except by amendment. In fact, our continuance as sovereign nation rests on adhering to the rule of law penned by our framers.

 

We believe our faith in God is integral to the success of our nation and the two cannot be separated. Americans have a right to exercise their freedom to worship, uninhibited by anyone, including the government. And our right to expression is not limited by the amount of offense it may be to others, for they have the same right.

 

We believe government’s power should be derived from the “consent of the governed,” as stated in the Declaration of Independence, and anything less is tyrannical. We stand for limited government, lower taxes and more state-based solutions. We feel Washington is operating far outside the boundaries of the Constitution and must be reined in.

 

Conservatives believe in the sanctity of human life. The Guttmacher Institute has tracked roughly 50 million abortions since 1973. This is a travesty for which we will have to give account before the Almighty someday. Historically, there have been two other times when babies have been murdered on a large scale. Both times, a deliverer emerged – Moses and Jesus. We expect this will happen again.

 

Conservatives believe in the free-market principles of capitalism. Hard work and commitment should be rewarded with performance-based dividends. The socialist concept of “spreading the wealth” creates a slothful society where too many individuals feel they have a “right” to something without having earned it.

 

We believe in Ronald Reagan’s philosophy of “peace through strength.” Our military strength is non-negotiable. There are too many nations who see the United States as vulnerable. We owe the brave men and women who guard the walls of liberty every opportunity to win, unconditionally.

And finally, we believe in the exceptionalism of America and do not believe it must be “fundamentally changed.” The Obama presidency has successfully dispelled that myth. Voters are “champing at the bit” to rid our nation of this failed liberal experiment.

 

So while the dangerous, unrestrained ideology of progressivism has indeed taken a toll on our nation, the enduring principles of conservatism have helped us remain the greatest nation on earth.

 

And mainstream America hasn’t gone anywhere.

 

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident.

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Mark Caserta: Gitmo not symbolic of U.S. malfeasance

8 Apr

me

  • 4.8.16  

Frankly, I’m tired of liberals maintaining that the Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) detention camp in southeastern Cuba is a recruitment tool for radical Islamic terrorists and must be closed.

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News flash for progressives: Gitmo was constructed to house war criminals captured by U.S forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and other theaters of the war. The intelligence acquired from detainees has, in fact, saved American lives.

And Americans are weary of our president apologizing for it.

According to “The Religion of Peace” website, “the Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers” for the sake of the Islamic Caliphate. It further states that Muslims who don’t join the fight are called “hypocrites” and warned that Allah will “send them to hell” if they don’t join the slaughter.

It’s very naive to believe groups like ISIS would attempt to leverage Gitmo interrogation techniques as a recruitment tool, while they’re busy chopping off heads, burning people alive and drowning them in cages.

The truth is the expansion of Islamic terrorism on behalf of Allah began decades ago.

In November 1979, Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Iran and took 52 American diplomats as hostages. For 444 days, Americans were held hostage while a feckless Carter administration attempted to negotiate with Iran’s revolutionary leaders. The event captivated our nation and helped give birth to an era of terrorism and regional instability in the Middle East.

In October 1983, 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers were killed as Islamic terrorists drove a truck carrying explosives into the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Shortly afterward, 58 French paratroopers were killed in a similar attack. It was reportedly the deadliest attack on the U.S. Marine Corps since the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

In February 1993, New York experienced the first attack on the World Trade Center when Islamic terrorists parked a rental van in a garage below the twin towers packed with explosives. Six people died and more than 1,000 people were injured in what was, at the time, one of the worst terrorist attacks ever to occur on U.S. soil.

And the list goes on.

Incidentally, after closing Gitmo, President Obama plans to relocate these Islamic extremists to prison facilities in the United States.

Now, prisons are filled with individuals potentially dismayed with their lives in the U.S. What successes would these Islamic leaders have within the confines of their prison walls in the recruitment and training of domestic terrorists?

Terrorists are far more empowered by Obama’s tepid response in curtailing their activity than they are by Gitmo. Obama and his liberal followers want Gitmo closed because they’re desperate for accomplishments in his fruitless legacy – period.

Gitmo is not symbolic of U.S. malfeasance as liberals maintain, but rather our resoluteness against terrorism.

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: America is primary target for jihadists

1 Apr

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

4.1.16

More than once last week, I heard the analogy “Nero played while Rome burned” to describe the antics of President Obama in the wake of the brutal Islamic terrorist attack in Brussels, Belgium.

Following the attack, despite promptings to return from Cuba to the United States in a presidential display of leadership and support for the Belgium people, Obama chose to stay and attend an exhibition baseball game hours after the attack. The following evening he chose to dance the tango and sip champagne at a state dinner with his wife, Michelle.

Reportedly, at least 31 people were killed and hundreds injured in the attack.

In January 2014, Obama likened ISIS to the “J.V.” team.

“The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a J.V. team puts on Lakers uniforms, that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant,” Obama told David Remnick of The New Yorker.

In a February 2015 interview with Vox’s Exra Klein and Matthew Yglesias, Obama charged the media with “absolutely” overstating the threat of “terrorism” compared to the threat of “climate change.”

During the exchange, Obama was asked “if the media sometimes overstates the level of alarm people should have about terrorism” as opposed to the problem of climate change.

“What’s the famous saying about local newscasts, right? If it bleeds, it leads, right?” Obama said. “You show crime stories and you show fires, because that’s what folks watch, and it’s all about ratings.”

Obama said stories relative to climate change just aren’t “sexy” enough for the media.

Nearly a year-and-a-half after the United States and its allies began confronting the Islamic State, Obama still didn’t have a strategy to defeat them. A June 2015 New York Times column written by Julie Davis and Michael Shear reported Obama acknowledging the fact at a news conference following the G7 Summit in Germany.

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“We don’t have, yet, a complete strategy, because it requires commitments on the part of Iraqis as well,” Mr. Obama said. “The details are not worked out.”

In February 2015, FBI Director James Comey warned that his agency was investigating suspected supporters of ISIS “in various stages of radicalizing” in every state across the U.S.

Failed leadership and an anemic response to the threat are enabling the return of the Islamic Caliphate and the rise of ISIS. Innocent people around the world are paying the price with their lives.

We know America is a primary target for radical jihadists. One has to wonder when a coordinated array of ISIS attacks will begin in the U.S.

And what our president is doing to prevent it.

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: Trump lacks proper direction in his mission

25 Mar

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  • 3.25.16

It’s time Donald Trump supporters begin to look themselves in the mirror and ask some very pertinent questions about what it’s really going to take to make America great again. I believe it’s going to take more than just a man to return our country to greatness.

Our Founding Fathers were humble enough to know their wisdom was insufficient for the task that lay ahead. They understood they needed to be sensitive to God’s direction and that founding a nation required the Almighty to order their steps and direct them in ways far beyond the scope of earthly wisdom.

The challenge we face today will require a similar approach.

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Our nation needs someone willing to seek God’s wisdom in all they say, do and represent. And right now, I simply don’t see Donald Trump as a man willing to lead our nation under God’s direction. In fact, I see a man determined to have it his way – or no way at all.

No doubt, there will be those who will charge me with “judging” or “condemning” the Donald. In fact, I have Christian friends, whom I love and respect dearly, justifying their support of Trump by suggesting his flip-flops on his liberal stances are the result of a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ.

Certainly, all things are indeed possible through Christ. But there’s a huge difference between judging a man’s heart and discerning his ability to lead a country.

I don’t propose to know Mr. Trump’s heart, but I do know the Bible tells us we should look at the “fruit” one produces in life as a barometer of character. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us the “fruits of the Spirit” include, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I simply don’t see Trump’s actions aligning with these traits.

Are we so desperate for leadership that we are willing to allow an individual who vigorously attacks anyone who disagrees with his views and who spews vulgarity in public venues to become our next president?

It isn’t just the verbiage that’s concerning – it’s the judgment.

Are we so determined to “punish” liberal Democrats and feckless Republicans that we are willing to elect someone with a gaping lack of knowledge of foreign affairs simply because they are politically irreverent?

Are we so nave we’re willing to believe that simply because Donald Trump personally financed his campaign that he will not be indebted to his supporters in the same manner other candidates reward special interest groups and donors?

Unfortunately, we are witnessing millions of true patriots divided by a passionate desire to see our nation rebound from nearly eight years of progressive bondage. And liberals are leveraging this division against us!

But we must not allow our disgust with the current political theater to cloud our vision.

Remember, we got where we are because we elected a man unwilling to listen to others, unwilling to produce Godly fruit and who relentlessly attacked those who disagreed with him politically.

We must not make the same mistake again.

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: Cruz has bona fides to be US president

19 Mar

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

Mar 18, 2016

It’s encouraging to see that so many people understand the need to “make America great again” following the failed leadership of the current administration.

But the worst thing we can do in this upcoming presidential election is vote with our emotions instead of our minds. That’s how we got Barack Obama.

For the first time in nearly eight years we’ve an opportunity to logically look beyond the rhetoric and seek out substance in a principled, knowledgeable candidate who has proven he will stand up to both liberal Democrats and the so-called GOP establishment.

Sen. Cruz understands big government is the problem, not the solution. As president, Cruz promises to reduce government by eliminating the Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Education will be returned to the states, and the IRS will no longer be a feared government agency targeting anti-liberal policies.

West Virginians know all too well that Obama and his Environmental Protection Agency cronies are deliberately killing the coal industry. Cruz has promised to pull back the massive EPA regulations and allow the coal industry to breathe again, revitalizing jobs across the country.

Cruz understands the economy. He’s consistently voted against raising the debt ceiling, massive spending bills and government bailouts. He’s for free trade and against government subsidies where government picks “winners and losers.” He understands business, not government, creates jobs.

Ted Cruz understands foreign policy and the quandary in the Middle East. He led the fight against Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran and promises to “tear it up” early in his presidency. He’s been a staunch supporter of Israel and doesn’t believe in a “neutral” approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And finally, in January’s edition of “Charisma News,” Cruz openly shared his testimony about his faith and his commitment to religious liberty.

“When I was 8 years old, I went to our church’s summer camp, along (with) my cousin Bibi. At the invitation, tears streaming down my face, Bibi and I both walked down and gave our lives to Jesus.

“And it changed my life. To have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to know that God’s only Son died to pay for my sins, that I was fallen that I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, nothing is more important to me. I am a new creature in Christ, and it is central to who I am today.”

Serving in the highest office in the land requires a servant’s heart, not a taskmaster’s whip.

And it requires someone with proven integrity.

Ted Cruz toes the line.

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: Candidates should avoid brokered convention

11 Mar

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Mark Caserta: Free State Patriot Editor

  • 3.11.16

In addition to being plagued with mammoth egos and juvenile behavior, the Republican Party is certainly in a political pickle right now. And it could get much worse.

Now, I plan to support the GOP nominee and the constitutional process – period. Besides, in my estimation, any of the four remaining candidates are more qualified than either of their Democrat opponents.

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The problem is the voters may not be the ones choosing! The GOP could be facing their first “brokered convention” in nearly 70 years.

What is a brokered convention? Here’s how it works.

During the primary and caucus season, a candidate seeks to win enough votes to be awarded a simple majority of the available delegates during the first official vote of the party’s nominating convention. For the Republican Party, the magic delegate number is 1,237. Of the GOP’s 2,472 available delegates, the majority are “pledged” delegates, meaning they will be bound to vote for a particular candidate at the convention.

Here’s where it could get nasty.

If during the first vote at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 18-21 the delegates are split among candidates and there is no clear majority, the convention is then considered “brokered.” The Republican National Committee will then press the proverbial “reset” button, releasing all delegates from their pledged candidate and enabling them to cast a vote for the individual of their choice.

A “no holds barred” nomination process then ensues with self-serving party leaders bartering back room deals to wangle a candidate they feel could garner the necessary delegates. Subsequent voting would then take place until one candidate receives a majority.

Now, here are some points to consider regarding this process.

First, it renders months of primary and caucus voting null and void, taking the American people completely out of the process, which could have huge ramifications.

Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, for all intents and purposes, are out of the race. A brokered convention, controlled by the so-called GOP “establishment,” would be their only hope of winning the nomination.

And this same establishment hates businessman Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz. A brokered convention would most assuredly not result in either of these candidates receiving the Republican nomination.

Additionally, given the poor caliber of the Democrat candidates, I believe the jury is still out on their presumptive nominee. While Democrat leadership certainly doesn’t want to show its “down card” this early in the process, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry or former presidential candidate Al Gore could easily step up as party “benefactors” and become formidable candidates.

My political “Xanadu” rests with Rubio and Kasich dropping out after the March 15th primaries, reducing this to a two-man race. I believe the changing dynamics would result in a Cruz nomination before the GOP could orchestrate a brokered convention and sidestep voters.

Regardless, unless the equation changes, a brokered convention may be inevitable. And the American people would just watch from the sidelines.

Here’s hoping candidates simply do the right thing.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident.

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Mark Caserta: What will you do with your freedom?

5 Mar

me

3.4.16

We all hear the word “freedom” bandied about often enough, but what does the word actually mean to you?

The principal author of the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton, may have said it best.

“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”

While sitting in my “Men of Truth” class in church this past Sunday, I thoughtfully considered the greatest freedom of all – the ability to choose one’s path in life.

Now, the ability to choose our own belief system is a God-given right which no man should be able to abrogate. And the freedom to express or exercise our religious faith is certainly an integral derivative of the process. But simply believing isn’t enough!

Dr. Steve Nutter, our class teacher and mentor, used believing in God as an example of how we must each put our faith into action. “Believing isn’t enough,” Dr. Nutter paraphrased from the Bible, the Book of James. “Even the demons believe, and they tremble in terror.”

It’s how we put our Godly belief system into action that fosters God’s consummate freedom in our lives.

The freedom from bondage and addiction are, in essence, the temporal chains of this world. One could argue these worldly obstructions are meant to create a communication barrier between us and God, deafening us to potentially life-changing inspiration from our creator.

And then there’s the freedom to prosper and grow in an environment that nurtures and rewards hard work. Capitalism is certainly the quintessential example of this freedom in America, although under attack by the progressive movement.

A freedom which I consider to be the antithesis of all virtuous freedoms is the freedom from the rule of law and accountability. This nefarious, illicit freedom fosters suppression of principled, lawful ones. Probably the most prominent example of our day is the right to exercise your religious freedom.

Let’s be constitutionally honest, shall we? How can “freely exercising your religious beliefs, outside of any government interference,” be interpreted as “Congress making a law that shows respect to one religion over another?”

I’ll tell you how. We allowed it to happen.

The desire for freedom, while inherent in us all, may be driven by the wrong conviction. Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

Someone always wants to take it away.

So, beginning today, what will you do with your freedom?

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger and a Cabell County resident.

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