Intolerable
Topic: Nuclear Terrorism
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

A recent Washington Times editorial does a great job of getting to the bottom line concerning the Iranian nuclear threat:

Iran's Mushrooming Threat

When it comes to displaying a calculated contempt for the United States, Europe and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over nuclear weapons development, the mullahcrats in Tehran are in a class with the Pyongyang Stalinists.

As the IAEA meets in Vienna to consider a European-drafted resolution pointing to Iran's continued refusal to come clean about its nuclear program, representatives of the Islamist regime continue to threaten the agency. The speaker of the Iranian parliament warned on June 15 that members may not ratify Iran's signature to an additional protocol to the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) -- something insisted on by the IAEA after it discovered that Tehran was attempting to develop atomic weapons in violation of its obligations as a signer of the NPT. The speaker, Gholam Ali Hadad-Adel, suggested that by pressing Iran to tell the truth, the Europeans were doing the bidding of nefarious "Zionists." Late last month, the head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards warned that that the regime was prepared to launch suicide attacks or missile strikes against "29 sensitive sites in the U.S. and in the West."

Iranian President Mohammed Khatami (who is usually depicted in the Western press as a moderate) has denounced three European Union countries (Britain, France and Germany, known as the "EU 3") who have tried to put together a compromise arrangement in which Iran verifiably ends its pursuit of atomic weapons -- much as Libya has. Indeed, Mr. Khatami has hinted that Iran will withdraw from the NPT if the international community tries to force it to tell the truth about its nuclear activities.

Unfortunately, there is little evidence thus far that either the United States or the EU 3 will move decisively to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. While Britain and France seem to be inching toward a somewhat tougher approach, they have shown little interest in putting any kind of a deadline on Tehran. While Washington has done a commendable job of articulating the problem that would be posed by nuclear weapons in the hands of rogue governments like the one in Iran, it has shown little stomach for confronting the regime anytime this year. While the West delays taking action, congressional investigators reported on June 15 that Beijing is sending nuclear technology to Iran in exchange for oil.

In short, while we pass resolutions at the IAEA, the situation grows more dangerous. It is looking more and more like 2005 will be the critical year when the West will decide whether it is prepared to live with an Iranian atomic bomb, or take decisive action to prevent one from being developed. We understand that the United States and Europe are exhausted by Iraq, but we don't have the luxury of being exhausted. The truth is that the world will become a much more dangerous place if Iran -- ruled by a violent, paranoid cabal that routinely employs terrorism as an instrument of state policy -- is allowed to acquire a nuclear capacity. That would be intolerable.

For more analysis, and links for taking action, check out our "Barbarians With Nuclear Weapons Series" by clicking on "Nuclear Terrorism" under "Entries by Topic" at the left of this page.

California Minimum Wage Hike
Topic: Legislation
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

Here's an important alert for Californians from the National Taxpayers Union:

Abundant economic research has shown that minimum wages - and by extension, any increase in them - do more harm than good, particularly to the very workers they aim to protect. Not only do higher minimum wages fail to raise overall wage levels, they actually reduce overall employment by making unskilled and teenage workers more expensive to hire. Worse, by raising the cost of labor to businesses, the starting wage laws raise inflation, thus sticking all consumers with an unnecessary and economically unhealthy "tax hike."

California's position is more tenuous than those of most other states. Businesses there already face high taxes and a poor business climate. Yet another hike in the cost of doing business could spur an exodus to Nevada, Arizona, and other states where such costs are far lower.

It includes a CapWiz-type e-mail form and sample message.

The "I Vote Values" Campaign
Topic: Election / Voting
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

Three cheers to the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission for development of "I Vote Values," a voter awareness and voter registration effort aimed at mobilizing those infamous 4 million conservative Christians who failed to vote in the 2000 presidential election.

The ivotevalues.com site is replete with resources for pastors and churches, and includes legal guidelines on how churches may engage in civic involvement without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. It's likely most church leaders are unaware of how broad a range of activities and speech is permitted.

From the 2000 election crisis, the Democrat party's strategists learned that they could, in theory, use lawyers and judicial fiat to muscle the electoral system in the same way they have strong-armed the legislative process, wielding judges who create law rather than interpret it. John Kerry has legal teams poised to litigate election results in every state, should they fail to cut his way. Imagine the turmoil should the Democrats choose to do in a dozen states what they did in Florida in 2000. Wide margins of victory for President Bush are the sole prevention for such a debacle. Four million conservative Christian votes would certainly help to provide that cushion.

Update: In today's Wall Street Journal, John Fund has more on the looming election crisis:

Mr. Gore's decision to contest the Florida election in 2000 until the bitter end may have permanently changed the way close elections are decided, in much the same way that judicial nomination battles have changed. If the election is close this November, endless lawsuits and recriminations could poison of [sic]public opinion and create a climate of illegitimacy around any final winner. Voters are used to having the final word in an election. Let's take steps to keep it that way, so we can minimize the use of scorched-earth tactics of trial lawyers to settle elections. The Floridification of our politics isn't something anyone should want.

Five Questions on the Murder of Paul Johnson
Topic: Nuclear Terrorism
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

[Ed. Note: This entry is identical to one I posted shortly after Nick Berg's murder. Sadly, the only change necessary was to the victim's name. The issues raised remain the same.]

Does anyone believe that the scum who murdered Mr. Johnson will hesitate for one second to detonate nuclear weapons in the US, as soon as they get them?

Does anyone believe that if Mexican busboys and multi-ton shipments of cocaine can easily penetrate our borders, Islamic terrorists and nuclear weapons cannot?

Does anyone know why immigrants from terrorist-sponsoring states are here, and more are still allowed entry? How much immigration from Germany and Japan was allowed during World War II?

Does anyone know what will awaken our country, if 9-11 and the parade of Moslem atrocities following it have not?

And, on a related topic, how is the beheading of a fetus in the womb less barbaric than what happened to Mr. Berg?

Just asking.

Death by Stupidity
Topic: Homeland Security
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

Have space aliens secretly come to earth and sucked out the brains of the Republican leadership?

From the Washington Times:

Special checks on Muslims at border to end

Washington, DC, Jun. 13 (UPI) -- The Bush administration has pledged to stop special security checks imposed on adult males entering the United States from mainly Muslim countries.

Those targeted are mostly from countries considered a risk for terrorism.

"Our long term goal", senior homeland security official Asa Hutchinson told Arab civil rights leaders Friday, "is to treat (all visitors) the same way, and not based on where you come from."

Hutchinson also distinguished the approach of the Department of Homeland Security from that of other parts of the administration, notably Attorney General John Ashcroft's Justice Department, United Press International reported.

Under the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System or NSEERS, introduced in November 2002, male visa-holders coming to the United States from any one of 25 listed nations have had to undergo special screening, including being fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed at ports of entry.

The countries include Yemen, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Iran. Apart from North Korea, they are all majority-Muslim nations.

Daniel Pipes, at his weblog, comments:

By way of background, the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), described as a "system designed to protect U.S. citizens from terrorism," requires male visa-holders to undergo special screening, including being fingerprinted, photographed, and interviewed at ports of entry. Other than North Korea (clearly thrown in as eye-wash; how many North Koreans have you met wondering the streets of America?), all the nationalities have majority-Muslim populations.

I understand and commend the DHS concern for fair play. But I have two questions for Asa Hutchinson: Can you seriously assure me that homeland security is maintained by this step? And what will you say should a terrorist get through who otherwise, through fingerprinting, photographing, and interviewing, would have been stopped from entering the country? When political correctness trumps security, the results cannot be good.

President Bush and his administration have made it clear that the war on Islamic terror will be a long one, so why a pledge to end a program that could be a crucial component of homeland defense for decades? Use the White House contact page to insist President Bush rescind this insane pledge.

Last Chance for the Broadcast Decency Act
Topic: Legislation
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

The Family Research Council reports:

The Broadcast Decency Act, which would increase tenfold the fines that the FCC can levy, was passed overwhelmingly in the House, and now has its last chance in the Senate.

The bill's author, Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), has said he will introduce a clean version of his legislation as part of the Department of Defense Authorization. The American public, President Bush, the FCC and the U.S. House of Representatives realize that only by greatly increasing FCC fines will these multi-billion companies get the message, why can't the U.S. Senate get the same message?

If this attempt fails we will not get another chance this year! Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner's office needs to be contacted immediately (202/224-2023) and be shown your strong support for Senator Brownback's broadcast decency amendment (S.Amdt.3235 to S.2400).

Click here for an e-mail form and sample message, addressed to the Armed Services Committee Chairman.

Protect the Pledge With H.R. 2028
Topic: Legislation
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

An alert from the Family Research Council on one of the pending pieces of legislation which would remove jurisdiction from our tyrannical courts:

Legislation to Protect the Pledge from Courts

In response to the decision by the Supreme Court to throw
out a challenge to the reference 'under God' in the Pledge of
Allegiance Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) is pushing for
consideration of his bill, the Pledge of Allegiance Protection
Act, H.R. 2028. The legislation would use Article III of the
Constitution to remove the jurisdiction of lower federal
courts to rule on the Pledge. This is a simple way for
Congress to assert its legislative authority over the courts and
protect the rule of law.

For too long the courts have been undermining the
foundations of our country with decisions that fly in the face
of democratically enacted legislation, not to mention the
intention of the Founding Fathers. This bill would be the first
and important step in pushing back against irresponsible
judges and court decisions.

By passing the Pledge Protection Act Congress would be
reaffirming the rightful use of the phrase 'under God' as an
important part of America's culture and history while
preserving the Pledge from future litigation.

Contact your Representative in support of H.R. 2028!

The alert includes an easy-to-use e-mail form, complete with a sample message you can customize. (Be sure to check the "remember me" box. This will set a cookie file on your computer, so that whenever you return to the FRC alerts section, your name and address will be automatically filled in on the form.)

Barbarians With Nuclear Weapons, Part 11
Topic: Nuclear Terrorism
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial noted the indifference with which the "international community," and possibly even the Bush administration, is treating the Iranian mullahs' nuclear weapons program:

We've heard a disturbing number of quiet remarks in Washington and other Western capitals recently to the effect that the world will just have to "get used to" the idea of the Iranians having nukes. Have these people thought through the consequences of such resignation? With the presumed American security umbrella suddenly jeopardized by the mullahs' bomb, the political calculations of every Mideast government would change. Many countries may conclude they themselves have no choice but to go nuclear, and the world could be off to another nuclear arms race.

Last year the U.S. deferred to the Europeans as they brokered an inspection agreement with Iran that the mullahs have since violated with impunity. In other words, the "multilateral" diplomatic path is failing. The question is whether anyone important is going to admit this reality. If not, we at least hope Washington is preparing covert and military options to sabotage the Iranian program, and to step up aid to those Iranians wishing a fundamental change in their terror-sponsoring regime. History will not look kindly on the leaders who let Iran get the bomb on their watch.

Let's hope the Bush administration's retreat to the ropes is only a tactic -- a setup for a post-election knockout punch. If not, then the WSJ is correct in predicting a Mideast arms race. The race will be a short one, however, since the new weapons will be detonated soon after their manufacture. Mutual Assured Destruction worked because those on both sides of the Cold War wanted to live. But for the jihadis, a heavenly whorehouse full of virgins awaits "martyrs" who murder westerners in general, and Jews and Christians in particular.

Use the White House contact page to again remind President Bush that you will support prevention of the Iranian Islamic Bomb by all available means.

The Cost of Complacency
Topic: World War IV
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

A recent Barna Research Group survey portends a repeat of the near-disastrous 2000 presidential election, and offers this sobering warning:

The research pointed out one particular caution for the President's campaign. "Getting his supporters to actually turnout on Election Day will be critical for Mr. Bush. Currently, there is the danger of his most ardent supporters - the evangelicals - failing to show up because they are so firmly convinced he will win. 81% say the President will win in November; only 6% predict a victory by Mr. Kerry. Non-evangelical born agains are not quite as confident, but they are twice as likely to believe victory will go to Mr. Bush as to expect Mr. Kerry to win. Should that confidence deflate turnout among the Bush support base, a close election could swing to a different outcome."

Some have estimated that four million Evangelicals sat out the 2000 presidential election. That complacency nearly caused the calamity of an Al Gore presidency in wartime. Now we are faced with the threat of John Kerry presidency, which would result in a de facto surrender in the war on terror. (Kerry has indicated that, like Bill Clinton, he will treat Islamic terror attacks as crimes, not acts of war.)

Evangelicals who plan to shun the polls have less than five months to realize the error of their ways. If they do not, they, along with Kerry supporters, will get the government they deserve. Unfortunately, so will the rest of us.

Red Cross: Charge Saddam or Release Him
Topic: World War IV
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

Already infamous for its anti-Semitism, the International Committee of the Red Cross has managed to sink to a new low:

Red Cross ultimatum to US on Saddam

Release him, charge him or break international law, Bush told

Saddam Hussein must either be released from custody by June 30 or charged if the US and the new Iraqi government are to conform to international law, the International Committee of the Red Cross said last night.

Nada Doumani, a spokeswoman for the ICRC, told the Guardian: "The United States defines Saddam Hussein as a prisoner of war. At the end of an occupation PoWs have to be released provided they have no penal charges against them."

You can express your outrage at the ICRC contact page.

Clean Up the Broadcast Decency Act
Topic: Legislation
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council suggests a course of action for jumpstarting the Broadcast Decency Act, currently stalled in the Senate:

The FCC has reached a $1.7 million settlement with Clear Channel Communications Inc., the nation's largest radio company, which would clear them of all pending charges of indecency. While this might seem like a victory for our side the fine means little to a company with billion-dollar revenues. The Broadcast Decency Act, which would increase tenfold the fines that the FCC can levy was passed overwhelmingly in the House, but now is mired in the Senate - being held up by Senators who are using the bill to weigh it down with numerous amendments. Only by greatly increasing FCC fines will these enormous companies get the message. Why can't the U.S. Senate get the same message? Some of these amendments deserve our future attention, but not at the cost of this bill. I urge you to contact Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), John Ensign (R-NV), Trent Lott (R-MS), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) Ted Stevens (R-AK) and John Sununu (R-NH) and ask them to set aside their amendments so that a clean version of the Broadcast Decency Act can be voted on by the full Senate and signed by the President. You can contact your Senators [here].

The Child Custody Protection Act (S. 851)
Topic: Legislation
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

Wanna stop an Episcopal priest from secretly transporting your minor daughter across state lines to have your unborn grandchild killed? (No, I'm not making this up.) The Family Research Council reports on new legislation to protect unborn children and their teenage mothers from the Left's guerrilla tactics:

[On June 3rd] the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Child Custody Protection Act, which would ban adults from taking minors across state lines for an abortion. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, an Episcopal priest, testified on behalf of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She explained why she volunteered to take a minor for an abortion: "I was stunned - a fifteen-year-old girl was going to have to get up at the crack of dawn and take multiple buses to the hospital alone?"

Ragsdale seems to think that riding the bus is more dangerous than an abortion. Yet she gave her testimony right after the testimonies of Crystal Lane and her mother Joyce Farley. When she was just 13, Crystal was taken out of state for an abortion by the mother of her 19 year-old boyfriend. Crystal's own mother never knew about the abortion until afterwards, when Crystal developed severe complications that required hospitalization. Sounds much more dangerous than the buses that most of us ride. To email your elected officials in support of this important legislation, click [here].

Topic: Quality Punditry
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

In his recent FrontPage Magazine piece, Defeating Global Jihad: Reagan Showed the Way, Robert Spencer, an author and director of Jihad Watch, ponders how Ronald Reagan might have fought World War IV:

"How do you tell a Communist?" Reagan asked in 1987. "Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." How do you tell a jihadist? Well, a contemporary Reagan might say, it's someone who reads the Qur'an and Sunnah. How do you tell an anti-jihadist? It's someone who understands how these Islamic texts are used to recruit and motivate terrorists -- and who is willing to call upon self-proclaimed moderate Muslims to face this fact and initiate an honest, definitive and thoroughgoing reform. And if they will not? Then at least they should know that the lines have been drawn, and that the lovers of freedom are not going to stand for more mayhem wrought by those who would enclose non-Muslims and women behind a wall of oppression.

If Islam is no part of the problem, such reform cannot be part of the solution. By vilifying and attempting to marginalize those who dare tell the truth about Islamic radicalism as Reagan did about Communism, today's intelligentsia provides ample cover to radical Islamic terrorists, allowing them to operate under the radar screen of media scrutiny and even law enforcement.

Freedom is under attack by the warriors of jihad; the battle lines do indeed resemble those of the Cold War. "There are very useful analogies to be drawn between communism and Islam," says Ibn Warraq. "Communism has been defeated, at least for the moment; Islamism has not, and unless a reformed, tolerant, liberal kind of Islam emerges soon, perhaps the final battle will be between Islam and Western democracy."

This is the war we're in now. If only we had a Reagan to fight it.

Remember Ronald Reagan

(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

" . . .When I saddle up and ride into the sunset it
will be with the knowledge that we've done
great things. We kept faith with a promise as
old as this land we love and as big as the sky.
A brilliant vision of America as a shining city
on a hill. Thanks to all of you, and with God's
help, America's greatest chapter is still to be
written, for the best is yet to come."

President Ronald Reagan
- December 1, 1988

At the Ronald Reagan Memorial Foundation website, you can leave a condolence message for Mrs. Reagan, and donate to the Ronald Reagan Memorial Fund, in support of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Topic: Quality Punditry

From the holy city of Selma, California, Victor Davis Hanson muses on The New Defeatism:

. . . This present generation of leaders at home would never have made it to Normandy Beach. They would instead have called off the advance to hold hearings on Pearl Harbor, cast around blame for the Japanese internment, sued over the light armor and guns of Sherman tanks, apologized for bombing German civilians, and recalled General Eisenhower to Washington to explain the rough treatment of Axis prisoners.

We are becoming a crazed culture of cheap criticism and pious moralizing, and in our self- absorption may well lose what we inherited from a better generation. Our groaning and hissing elite indulges itself, while better but forgotten folks risk their lives on our behalf in pretty horrible places.

. . . Our very success after September 11 -- perhaps because of the Patriot Act, the vigilance of domestic-security agencies, and the global reach of our military -- has prevented another catastrophe of mass murder, but also allowed us to become complacent, and thus once more cynical and near suicidal.

Practice Budget Control With H.R. 3800
Topic: Legislation
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

From the National Taxpayers Union:

Tell Congress to Protect Family Budgets by Reforming the Federal Budget Process

The current Congress has one last chance to prevent the budget process from becoming a fiscal train wreck. Although budget process reform is not a "glamorous" issue like tax cuts or significant spending reductions, adoption of common-sense mechanisms like those contained in H.R. 3800 -- legislation introduced by Rep. Hensarling (R-TX) and co-sponsored by more than 100 Members of the House -- will guide Congress towards a more fiscally-responsible future. House Leadership has finally heard the outcry from voters and from fiscally responsible members of their own party, so they are allowing the full House to vote on the strong taxpayer protections contained in the Family Budget Protection Act. Only a massive outpouring of support from voters will push these important taxpayer protections through Congress.

The alert contains further information on the bill, plus an easy-to-use e-mail form for contacting your Representative.

Thought Crimes Legislation
Topic: Legislation
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

An alert from Concerned Women for America:

Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) are planning to bring up the Kennedy-Hatch federal "hate crimes" amendment, perhaps as early as next Wednesday. They plan to amend the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2004 (S. 1382).

"Hate crimes" laws violate the fundamental legal principles of equal protection and the limitation of criminal liability to actions - not thoughts or beliefs. Acts such as cross-burning and church desecration are already distinct federal offenses, and there is no evidence that authorities anywhere are prosecuting crimes less vigorously on account of the identity of the victim or perpetrator.

A "hate crimes" law can lead to "thought crime" as is found in totalitarian countries. To put it more to the point: This "hate crimes" law, which includes "sexual orientation," lays the groundwork for persecution of Christians in this country.

In Canada and Sweden, it is now a "hate crime" to criticize homosexuality in any fashion. Canadian broadcasters are forbidden to air any critical discussion of homosexuality, and private citizens have been hauled before "human rights" commissions and threatened with fines and jail time. In Sweden, a pastor was arrested at his church after he began reading Bible verses about homosexuality. The "gay" lobby is frank about its desire to persecute Christians in America in just the same way, and this "hate crimes" bill is a key step in that strategy.

The alert includes an e-mail form for contacting your senators, plus info on contacting the Capitol Hill switchboard.

Topic: Random Thoughts

While watching the World War II Memorial dedication, it occurred to me that had the post-9/11 George W. Bush been president in 1938, perhaps the loss of 55 million lives, and the most costly war in history, could have been averted. When Hitler took Czechoslovakia, W. would have said, "Let's roll." Would he have received from the Greatest Generation the vicious opposition he is receiving for doing the same today? It's possible, but I doubt it. If called, they would have served and sacrificed, just as they ultimately did.

Bad News, Good News on the County Seal
Topic: Cultural Civil War
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

The bad news is the LA County supervisors decided to remove the cross from the county seal.

The good news is the decision is not irreversible, and that big fish like Dennis Prager and Charles Johnson (of Little Green Footballs fame) are now on the issue. There is no question that if every Christian in LA County contacted his supervisor, the board would have no choice but to put up a fight against the ACLU jihadists. Will LA County Christians do their duty on this one? We'll see.

Check out Monday's entry for contact info, particularly if you live in LA County.

Barbarians With Nuclear Weapons, Part 10
Topic: Nuclear Terrorism
(What are "political devotions"? Click here.)

In a recent piece in National Review Online, Michael Ledeen analyzes a declaration of war made by a top Iranian official in a speech to regime loyalists at the Technical College of Tehran. Ledeen notes Iran is sabotaging the US economy, organizing terror attacks on our soil, and is speeding toward acquisition of nuclear weapons. And he offers a fair challenge to President Bush:

You'd have thought this president, who has spoken so often and so well about his support for freedom in Iran, would have long since insisted that his administration develop a coherent policy to support the Iranian people's desire to rid themselves of these murderous mullahs. It hasn't happened. Moreover, President Bush eloquently and spontaneously condemns the mullahs in private conversations as well as in public speeches, yet he seems oddly detached from his State Department's slow mating dance with the black widows in Tehran.

Sooner or later we will be forced to fight back against the mullahs, because their war against us is driven by fanatical hatred of everything we stand for and the knowledge that their regime is doomed if we succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no escape from this war, whatever the appeasers in Foggy Bottom may think. We can win or lose, but we can't get out of it.

Faster, please.

If you would like to ask that President Bush order his administration to develop and articulate a policy on Iranian regime change, you can do so at this page at Whitehouse.gov.