Abraham Lincoln: 'The Judgments of the Lord'

American Thinker

Second Inaugural Address

. . . "Abolitionist editor and orator Frederick Douglass that day entered the White House, the first time a black man was an honored guest an Inaugural reception. The president asked him his opinion of the address. “Mr. Lincoln, it was a sacred effort.”

"Lincoln called America “the last best hope of man on earth.” Yet in our time, in our land, a thousand unborn children are beheaded daily by an organization that is sheltered and funded by our own taxes. This dread toll deprives our people of genius and industry. Every child born in America has the potential to earn a million dollars.

"We know the truth about these unborn millions. “Ultrasound has made it impossible to deny that that thing in the womb is a human being,” writes Time magazine’s Joe Klein. We have seen the evidence of Klein’s dictum in practical effect.

"We agree with Lincoln that “nothing stamped in the divine image was sent into the world to be trod upon.” And yet we proceed as if the judgments of the Lord are not intended for us, and that His justice will sleep forever."  More

Brother of Christian Martyrs Thanks Isis

Revelation 20: 4;  New American Standard Bible   "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."

Andrew Klavan

The Coptic Egyptian Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California and Hawaii
had Tony Rezk make an icon of the the 21 Coptic Egyptian Men who were
beheaded by the hands of the the ISIS in Libya last week. More at the picture link.

"This is from Christianity Today: The brother of two of the 21 Coptic Christians slaughtered by ISIS beasts in Libya thanked the slavering Islamist murderers because the video of their damnable atrocity included the dying martyrs’ final words of Christian faith:

Speaking on a live prayer and worship programme on Christian channel SAT-7 ARABIC, Beshir Kamel said that he was proud of his brothers Bishoy Estafanos Kamel (25) and Samuel Estafanos Kamel (23) because they were “a badge of honour to Christianity”.

Harrowing scenes of the murders have been seen around the world. The last words of some of those killed were “Lord Jesus Christ”.

Beshir Kamel thanked ISIS for not editing out the men’s declaration of belief in Christ because he said this had strengthened his own faith. He added that the families of the ex-patriate workers are “congratulating one another” and not in despair: “We are proud to have this number of people from our village who have become martyrs,” he told the programme.

He said: “Since the Roman era, Christians have been martyred and have learned to handle everything that comes our way. This only makes us stronger in our faith because the Bible told us to love our enemies and bless those who curse us.”

"In my Revolting Truth video last week, I remarked what good news it was for the victims of the ISIS murderers that Barack Obama says Islamist terror is not an existential threat. But of course that’s pure satire on my part.

"The real good news for the Coptics is the promise of Christ: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' ”

Bibi’s grand slam: Boxing in Obama on Iran’s nukes

John Podhoretz

. . . "Obama’s own national security mouthpiece, Ben Rhodes, has said the White House views a deal with Iran as the “biggest thing President Obama will do in his second term on foreign policy.”

"Obama’s fit of pique against Netanyahu has led to a man-to-man showdown that will likely complicate that “biggest thing” immensely.

"Netanyahu yesterday laid out, calmly and comprehensively, the reasons the deal is likely to be a bad one — and he had not only an audience of Americans vastly larger than he would’ve had if the president hadn’t had his hissy fit, but also the ear of the audience that matters most in this regard.

"That audience is the United States Senate.

"And his audience heard him."   Read the full article

Missing Inaction   . . . "Presidential hopeful and alleged Native American princess Elizabeth "Running Gag" Warren was among the dozens of Dems who boycotted Netanyahu's speech in order to show their support for Obama. Or maybe their support for a nuclear Iran, which is basically the same thing." . . .

"But it's unforgivable that they've chosen to play politics by insulting and ignoring a critically important American ally." . . .

About [Hillary's] Private Email Server Built to Erase Messages (But Not For Security) ... Yeah, You Guessed It, It's Owned By a Muslim Company

Infidel Bloggers Alliance

"To summarize: according to DomainTools.com, the domain clintonemail.com has been hosted by Confluence Networks since 12/22/2011, more than three years. Confluence Networks, based out of the British Virgin Islands, has only existed as a domain (confluence-networks.com) since April 2011, appears to be closely related to a Dubai-based media advertising firm, and has always had its domain name managed by PrivacyProtect.org, a registration privacy firm that lists addresses out of Luxembourg and Australia, but gives a phone number apparently out of Denmark, and that shows up repeatedly in connection with fraud, scam, and spam-related domains."

(Emphases in the original)

You can't make fun of terrorists at the U. of Minnesota

Campus Reform

"In the future, close attention may be paid to the content published by Students for a Conservative Voice to ensure that any material that is produced with student fee funds does not compromise the cultural harmony of the campus."   

 . . . "Sadly, this is not the first time that the Minnesota Republic has had to deal with censorship issues at the U of M. Earlier this year, a stack of our publication was found in the garbage next to our newsstand. Our newsstands have also been vandalized and signs promoting the Minnesota Republichave been ripped up and thrown on the ground.

"The Minnesota Republic has dealt with all of this, while the U of M has stood by and allowed it to happen. Whether it is offensive speech or not, all speech on a public university campus should be protected." . . .

Obama takes inside hit from new Defense Secretary

Legal Insurrection
3-year timeline for ISIS campaign “political”

"Barack Obama is fighting a losing battle to defend his foreign policy—and the latest blow has come from inside his own cabinet.

"Today, new Defense Secretary Ash Carter went on the record as a critic of the three year plan to defeat ISIS contained in President Obama’s request for use of continued military force in the Middle East.

“ 'I wouldn’t assure anyone that this will be over in three years or that the campaign will be completed in three years,” Carter said, before admitting that he understands why that sort of timeline was included in the request." . . .
. . .
"Carter has done more here than challenge a talking point; what he’s done is shine light on the non-strategy used by the Administration to cook up this authorization. Their choices had nothing to do with the needs of the mission, but everything to do with what would make Obama look good before an increasingly hostile audience."

THE GREAT, AMAZING, INCOMPARABLE STAN EVANS IS DEAD

Ann Coulter
"If and when Congress votes on a new immigration bill -- whatever the "triggers," timetables or other provisos -- the real issue to be decided will be the same as it has been from the beginning. That issue is whether the Republican Party, dazed from a daily pounding by the Washington press corps, will agree to commit political suicide by enfranchising 11 plus million illegal aliens on U.S. soil, the vast majority of whom will soon be casting Democratic ballots." 

. . . "I can't remember Stan being on the wrong side of any issue -- including when he was screaming from the rooftops that Republicans' work was not done just because they had managed to block Hillarycare. 

"The GOP argument that "America has the best health care in the world!" may have sufficed to stop Hillarycare, but it was not going stop national health care forever. Fix it, he said. Make it market-based. Allow competition. Otherwise, some other Democrat would come along and dump socialized medicine on the country. 

"He was right about that, and he's right about immigration being the most dangerous threat to America's survival since the Cold War. Immigration, Stan wrote a few years ago, "is strictly about the votes, and nothing but the votes. All the rest is sham and smokescreen. Obama and his party want their 70 percent of these 11-plus million illegals and will stop at nothing to get it." 

"Two weeks ago, he told me not to give up. And neither should you, America. "

A flustered Marie Harf is grilled on Clinton’s private email

Legal Insurrection

. . . "Harf’s latest mess comes to us from a press conference held earlier today. Reporters asked if the Department of State could say with certitude that Clinton’s private email was never used to share classified information. DOS’s response? “It’s not really a pertinent question.”

“ 'Do you have anything further on whether there’s going to be any kind of comprehensive review on the contents of these emails or how it is you’ve reached the decision that there is no classified information included?” asks a reporter." . . .

From the comments to this post:

Marie Harf is the perfect spokeswoman for this administration.
Arrogant, dismissive, condescending, and above all, stupid and intellectually incurious enough to never think or deviate from the talking points given to her or ask for any information other than what her masters see fit giving her.
It really takes a special kind of person to deliver unbelievably stupid statements with the kind of arrogance Harf does.

Artist Jon McNaughton’s Painting Perfectly Captures Obama’s Blundering Foreign Policy

Downtrend

"See the beautiful painting pictured above? Controversial artist Jon McNaughton released it this past Monday as a critique of President Barack Obama’s blundering foreign-policy decisions, reports CBS Local:

McNaughton explains on his Facebook page, “I felt a need to paint a new image to capture the delicate situation we face as Americans. What has happened since he’s been in office? Where is the stability and peace in Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Israel, Palestine, China and North Korea? How are our veterans doing? Are American citizens safer as they travel abroad?”

"This is certainly not the first time McNaughton has used art to slam the president.

"Back in February 2012, artist Jon McNaughton released “The Forgotten Man,” which depicts Obama callously stepping on the U.S. Constitution:" . . . More

ACLU demands removal of 'Christian' philosophy from school superintendent hunt

Michigan Live

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan urges McBain Rural
Agricultural Schools near Cadillac to remove "a strong Christian
background and philosophy" from a superintendent job description posting.

"MCBAIN, MI -- McBain Rural Agricultural Schools' search for a new superintendent who has "a strong Christian background and philosophy" is under scrutiny from the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan."

. . . "State ACLU leaders wrote a letter to the district on Tuesday, March 3, urging the district remove any reference to religion, saying the requirement violates multiple federal and state laws against discrimination

" 'There is no principle more fundamental to American public education than the requirement that schools be welcoming of all students, employees and administrators regardless of religious or ethnic background," Dan Korobkin, ACLU of Michigan deputy legal director wrote. "Our Constitution wisely requires public schools to remain neutral in matters of religion. When a school favors one religion over another, or religion over non-religion, students and teachers who do not subscribe to the favored religion are made to feel like they do not belong.". . .

"UPDATE: 'Christian' philosophy removed from school job ad, apology offered after ACLU complaint"

Netanyahu responds to Obama: We did indeed present practical alternative to Iran deal (UPDATED)

Jerusalem Post

"Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday his speech to the U.S. Congress offered a “practical alternative” to a possible Iranian nuclear deal and that lawmakers now “understand better” why the deal is bad.

"Netanyahu’s assertion came after President Barack Obama said the Israeli leader had offered no viable alternative to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

“ 'There was nothing new” in the speech, Obama said. He said Netanyahu made almost the same speech when he warned against the interim deal reached with Iran, but that the interim deal has resulted in a freeze and rolling back of Iran’s nuclear program." . . .

Update from Dry Bones

Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses Barack Obama’s criticism  "The prime minister told reporters that he got a good bipartisan impression at the U.S. Capitol."

Iran Rejects Obama’s 10-Year Nuke Offer, Leads the attack on ISIS

Patterico's Pontifications   "Back to the drawing board.

"Look for the Obama/Kerry Axis of Stupid to cave in 5. . . 4. . . 3. . . 2. . . .

That’s precisely the rationale the Mullahs have settled on. Especially since the Iranians have seen Obama’s bargaining position slip from obstructing, to containing (remember Hagel’s Freudian slip during his Senate confirmation hearings), to enabling.
The grovelling and begging was never a negotiating position, as some have observed; rather, it was President Jarrett/Obama’s preferred tactic.
Kerry told reporters: “We’re working away. Productively.”

 Obama’s Iranian-nuclear strategy brings dividend: Rev Guards lead military assault on Tikrit

Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Tikrit battlefront

. . . "For four reasons, this battle is loaded with ramifications for Obama’s Iran policy and the Islamic Republic’s drive for recognition as the leading Middle East power:

1.   For Tehran it is a high-stake gamble for prestige, Its top military strategist, Al Qods Brigades chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani, was thrown into the Tikrit operation, to become the first high-ranking general Iran has ever placed publicly up front in direct command of a key battle as a guarantee of its success.

2.  However, three days after the offensive was launched on Sunday, March 1, the 25,000 Iranian and Iraqi troops, backed by Iraqi Shiite militias, were still fighting outside its gates, upsetting the high hopes of a swift victory and breakthrough into the city.
Islamist forces slowed their advance by strewing hundreds of mines and roadside bombs on all the roads leading to Tikrit, while teams of suicide bombers jumped out and blew themselves up amidst the invading army – a tactic seen before in the battle for the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani.
ISIS boasted that one of the suicide bombers was an American citizen whom they dubbed “Abu Dawoud al-Amriki.”
3.  The United States has no military input in the battle - neither US advisers on the ground nor aerial bombardment.  . . .