Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) Speaks at the Iowa Freedom Summit … “Reigniting the Miracle of America” … We Need to Bring Together a Coalition of Americans Who Want to Believe Again in the “Miracle of America”.

SEN. TED CRUZ SPEAKS AT THE IOWA FREEDOM SUMMIT IN DES MOINES, IOWA …

Senator Ted Cruz, one of the few red blooded, true conservatives in the Republican party, wowed them this week at the Iowa Freedom. Cruz spoke of reigniting the Miracle of America. He asked how do we bring back the Miracle of America? Cruz answered his question by stating the following:

“Number one, we champion jobs and economic growth and opportunity. We bring back an environment where small businesses are growing, are creating opportunity and we get the senseless obstacles from Washington out of the way. That means tax reform, regulatory reform, it means sending the ‘locust’ of the EPA back to Washington. [...] And the most important regulatory reform we can do is repeal every word of Obamacare. We need tax reform and the most important tax reform we can do is to abolish the IRS. We need a simple flat tax that is fair that every Americans can fill his or hers  taxes on a post card. There are 110,000 employees at the IRS. We need to padlock that building and put everyone of those 110,00 on our Southern border. I say that somewhat tongue-in-cheek, think about that for a second imagine you travel 1000′s of miles through Central America, through the heat, you’re swimming across the Rio Grande and the first thing you see is ten thousand IRS agents, you would turn around and go home too.

The second key to reigniting the Miracle of America is we need to defend our Constitutional rights. Every single one of them, the 1st Amendment, the 2nd Amendment, the 4th, the 5th, the 10th Amendment.  You know no liberty has been more under assault in recent years than religious liberty. Whether it is the Federal government going after Hobby Lobby, a Christian company, or going after the Little Sisters of the Poor. By the way, here is a real good rule of thumb, if you are litigating against nuns, as the Obama administration is, you probably have done something wrong. I am sorry to say one of the most graphic examples of the threat of religious liberty occurred in my home town of Houston. Where the city of Houston subpoenaed five pastors and demanded of those pastors that they hand over their sermons and hand over your sermon notes. [...] The heat and pressure was so great that the city folded under it and withdrew the subpoena.

Third, we need to restore Americans leadership in the world. Over the past six years we have seen the fruits of the Obama/Clinton foreign policy of receding from leadership in the word. Leading from behind does not work. Just a couple of weeks ago we were horrified at the terrorist attack in the streets of Paris. And then horrified again when 40 world leaders came in solidarity and yet missing from that rally graphically was the United States of America. You cannot fight and win a war on radical Islamic terrorism if you are unwilling to utter the words radical Islamic terrorism. [...] You know that Paris also illustrates that a big ocean doesn’t mean we are protected from radical Islamic terrorism. It is one of the reasons why I have joined Steve King and Chuck Grassley to introduce the ‘Expatriate Terrorist Act’ that says if an American citizen takes up arms with ISIS, he forfeits his or her citizenship.”

Must see Video …

This is a must watch VIDEO from probably the greatest Conservative and defender of the US Constitution of all elected politicians in Washington, DC today. He ended his speech by saying the following when it comes to the upcoming primary season, every person is going to tell you that they are the most Conservative person to ever walk. Cruz said, “talk is cheap” and the Word tells us, “that you shall know them by their fruit”.Cruz went on to say:

One of the most important roles of Americans and the people of Iowa will be to look each candidate in the eye and say, “don’t talk, show me”. Ted Crud went on to say, “if you say you support liberty, show me where you stood up and fought for it. If you say you support religious liberty, show me where you stood up and fought for it. If you say you oppose Obamacare show me where you stood up and fought against it. If you say you oppose the president’s Unconstitutional executive amnesty, show me where you stood up and fought. If you say you support life and marriage show me where you stood up and fought. If you say you’ll stand up to the Washington establishment, the career politicians of both parties, that have gotten us into this mess, show me where you have stood up and fought. If you say you oppose common core, show me where you have stood up and fought. And if you say you stand with our friend and ally the nation of Israel show me where you stood up and fought.

Together, we need to reassemble the Reagan coalition. We need to unify, we need to bring together conservative and evangelicals and libertarians and Republican women and Reagan Democrats and young people. We need to bring together a coalition of Americans who want to believe again in the “Miracle of America”.

Sen. Ted Cruz spoke of reigniting the “Miracle of America”.

1. This country was built on an extraordinary miracle. The miracle of American began with a revolutionary idea, Our rights do not come from government, they come from God Almighty.
2. This country was built on incredible opportunity … There has been no country in the history of the world that has allowed so many millions with nothing to come and seek the unlimited dreams of their potential.
3. The miracle of American as been American exceptionalism. We are the clarion voice for freedom and we will back down to no face of tyranny.

Le Journal du Dimanche Poll: 42% of French Opposed to Charlie Hebdo’s Cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad

And you wonder why Western Europe is considered to have already lost the war on terror to Islam?

In a recent poll by Le Journal du Dimanche, 57% of respondents stated that ‘Charlie Hebdo’ should continue to print cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad; however, an amazing 42% oppose Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of Muhammad. So I guess that these people do not believe in Je Suis Charlie Hebdo. With nearly 50% of French not believing in freedom of speech and freedom of the press, does anyone wonder why many believe that western Europe has lost the war against Islam? What else would you expect when you allow Muslim “free zones” within a sovereign country?

More than 4 in 10 French people believe Charlie Hebdo shouldn’t publish cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, given that many Muslims find the images offensive, according to a recent poll by a French publication, published Sunday.

A survey conducted by Le Journal du Dimanche, a French weekly newspaper, presented participants with this information: “Some Muslims feel attacked or injured by the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.”

In the final tally of responses, 42% checked a box to indicate that the country should “consider these reactions and avoid publishing these cartoons,” while 57% of respondents checked “we should ignore these reactions and continue to publish such cartoons.” The remaining 1% checked “no opinion.”

Pope Francis Claims There Are Limitations on Freedom of Speech, ‘One Cannot Make Fun of Faith’ … REALLY?

POPE FRANCIS SAYS THAT YOU CANNOT MAKE FUN OF FAITH …

Following the radical Islam terror attack at Charlie Hebdo, the satirical newspaper that had made fun of the prophet Mohammad in the past, that left numerous dead, Pope Francis stated that there were limitations of freedom of speech and said, “One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith.” Really? SORRY PONTIFF, YOU COULD NOT BE ANY MORE WRONG. So let’s understand this, the Pope thinks that people do not have the right to make fun of religion? The Pontiff made his point by comparing it to if an individual cursed at his mother, that person would be punched. So is the Pope saying that ‘Charlie Hebdo’ brought this on themselves? Would he say the same about a rape victim?

A note to the Pontiff, blasphemy is offensive, cruel and pretty much wrong, but it is not illegal and does not warrant murder.That is what is supposed to separate Christianity from radical Islam. Sorry, but the very essence of freedom of speech is to defend the very words that you would disagree with, offend you and make your blood boil. Wasn’t it Jesus who told us to bless those who persecute us (Romans 12:14), to return love for hate and good for evil (Psalm 109:5), and even to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). Loving your enemies would include supporting the fundamental commitment to free speech, and defending the right of free speech, even, or especially, for those who offend you. Why am I telling a Pope this?

Pope Francis suggested there are limits to freedom of expression, saying in response to the Charlie Hebdo terror attack that “one cannot make fun of faith” and that anyone who throws insults can expect a “punch.”

The pontiff said that both freedom of faith and freedom of speech were fundamental human rights and that “every religion has its dignity.”

“One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith,” he said. “There is a limit. Every religion has its dignity … in freedom of expression there are limits.”

The right to liberty of expression comes with the “obligation” to speak for “the common good,” Pope Francis said, cautioning against provocation.

To illustrate his point, he joked about Vatican aide Alberto Gasparri who was standing nearby on the plane.

“It’s true that we can’t react violently, but, for example if Dr. Gasbarri here, a great friend of mine, says a curse word against my mother, then a punch awaits him,” the pontiff said.

Pope Francis also said that killing in the name of religion is an “aberration,” but adding that those who deride other faiths can expect to provoke a strong, even violent response. An aberration?

“One cannot react violently, but if [someone] says something bad about my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s to be expected,” the pontiff said. “There are a lot of people who speak badly about other religions. They make fun of them. What happens is what happens with my friend [who insults my mother]. There is a limit.”

The pope made the comments during an in-flight news conference from Sri Lanka to Manila, where he took up the second leg of a weeklong tour of Asia. He was greeted at the airport by President Benigno Aquino III and a performance by hundreds of jeans-clad young people. People cheered the pope’s motorcade to the residence of the apostolic nuncio.

In recent days, the 78-year-old pontiff strongly denounced the attack by two militant Muslim gunmen on Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical publication that has long derided Islam and other religions and their institutions, including the Vatican.

Bill Maher & Ben Affleck Battle Over Radical Islam … “They Will F*cking Kill You”

Ben Affleck gets his “liberal” lunch handed to him by Bill Maher … 

Poor Ben Affleck was just a perplexed mess as for once he was not surrounded by individuals who were just there to agree with him in an echo chamber. Affleck was given a lesson into the real war on woman. However, I hardly believe that he thought such a thing would happen with his appearance with Bill Maher. Affleck had a look of disbelief when Maher said,  “It is the only religion that acts like the Mafia. They will F*cking kill you if you say the wring thing, draw the wrong picture or write the wrong book.”

It was not too long ago when Maher ripped Charlie Rose a new one and informed him that Islam was not like other religions.

The Blaze:

Affleck was noticeably uncomfortable and frustrated throughout the discussion, calling claims that there are widespread problems within the Islamic religion “racist” and “gross.” Maher said liberals should stick up for liberal principles that many in the Muslim faith do not value, such as freedom of speech and equality for women.

Later in the segment, Affleck said the United States has “killed more Muslims” than radical Islamists have killed Americans while asking Maher to lay out his solution.

“I can show you a Pew Poll of Egyptians, they are not outliers in the Muslim world that say like 90 percent of them believe that death is the appropriate response to leaving the religion,” Maher eventually responded. “If 90 percent of Brazilians thought death was the appropriate response to leaving Catholicism, you would think it was a bigger deal.”

SCOTUS Decision Day on Hobby Lobby Challenging ObamaCare’s Contraception Mandate … Major Decision Just Hours Away (Update: Hobby Lobby Wins 5-4 Over Obamacare)

1st Amendment and Freedom of Religion at stake this morning at the SCOTUS …

It is decision day for The Supreme Court of the United States on the issue before them of Holly Lobby challenging the Obamacare contraception mandate. Holly Lobby, the for-profit businesses is challenging the requirement in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that employers cover contraception for women at no extra charge among a range of preventive benefits in employee health plans. As the National Journal reports, SCOTUS  won’t strike down Obamacare’s contraception mandate completely because that is not what the two companies, Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties, have asked of the Court. They haven’t asked the justices to ax the entire policy; however, a ruling for the law’s challengers could still render the policy toothless for millions of women.

VIDEO – FOX News – click on pic to watch video

FOX News:

The court meets for a final time Monday to release decisions in its two remaining cases before the justices take off for the summer.

The most contentious is that brought by Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby and a furniture maker in Pennsylvania. The for-profit businesses have challenged the requirement in the Affordable Care Act that employers cover contraception for women at no extra charge among a range of preventive benefits in employee health plans. It is the first major challenge to ObamaCare to come before the court since the justices upheld the law’s individual requirement to buy health insurance two years ago.

Supporters of Hobby Lobby cite a few factors potentially leaning in their favor, including the tone of oral arguments in March and a unanimous decision last week finding President Obama overreached in making recess appointments to a labor board.

“Absolutely, we win — we are very confident after oral argument in March that we will prevail in this case,” Hannah Smith, senior counsel for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents Hobby Lobby, told Fox News. She suggested this, too, is a case of government “overreach.”

CNN – Jonathan Turley, Professor of Law at George Washington University discusses the ramification of today’s SCOTUS decision.

CNN VIDEO

I predict 6-3 in favor of Hobby Lobby. Then again, this SCOTUS has disappointed me before.

UPDATE I: Hobby Lobby wins SCOTUS decision 5-4 over Obamacare.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the major opinion and said, it was difficult to distinguish between closely held corporations and the people who own them. The religious liberty law was not intended to discriminate “against men and women who wish to run their businesses as for-profit corporations in the manner required by their religious beliefs.”

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that owners of private companies can object on religious grounds to a provision of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law that requires employers to provide insurance covering birth control for women.

The decision, which applies only to a small number of family or other closely-held companies, means an estimated several thousand women whose health insurance comes via such companies may have to obtain certain forms of birth control coverage elsewhere.

In a 5-4 vote along ideological lines, the justices said the companies can seek an exemption from the so-called birth control mandate of the law known as Obamacare. The companies in the case said they did not object to all birth control but certain methods they said were tantamount to abortion, which they oppose for religious reasons.

In their last decision of the nine-month term, the justices ruled for the first time that for-profit companies can make claims under a 1993 federal law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that was enacted to protect religious liberty.

Democrats go mental over the decision and threaten to respond to SCOTUS decision. But wait, isn’t it now law of the land? Isn’t that what Democrats, including Obama, say when the GOP tries to end Obamacare?