RUTHFULLY YOURS

Higher Education Act Reform Title VI Must Include Accountability to
Stop Misuse of Funds, Strengthen National Security

WASHINGTON and SAN FRANCISCO, CA. – With Congress considering the
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) in several
individual bills, leading organizations focused on education policy,
the Jewish community, and civil rights announced today a coordinated
effort to provide lawmakers with solutions to prevent misuse of
federal funds under HEA Title VI.

Enacted by Congress as part of the 1965 HEA, Title VI provides federal
funds to 129 international studies and foreign language centers at
universities nationwide. Title VI has the mandate to strengthen U.S.
security by training security specialists and educating the public. In
the absence of congressional oversight, however, these programs have
devolved into hotbeds of anti-American and anti-Israel activity,
disseminating falsehoods both in universities and (through the
congressionally mandated “public outreach” programs) to K-12 teachers
and to the general public.

Mark Twain once said, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Unfortunately, this quote could be used by terrorist organizations that, contrary to the claims of the administration, are alive, growing and seeking our demise.

During the last presidential campaign, the Obama administration simplistically claimed, “Bin Laden is dead and GM is alive” as a campaign slogan. The administration refused to use the word terrorists and terrorism. The harsh reality is that while artful use of language may help win elections and convince (deceive) the American people to accept what should be unacceptable “solutions” to problems, semantic games do not actually solve problems or protect America or Americans from the threats posed by terrorist groups, such as ISIS, and transnational criminal organizations.

While the president and politicians from both the Republican and Democratic political parties have found all sorts of bogus excuses to implement Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the reality is that failures of the immigration system imperil national security and public safety, and present a host of other threats and challenges for America.

Bowing to pressure of their constituents, some politicians, who, not atypically, attempt to be in two opposing positions on the same issue simultaneously, have demanded that the border be secured first to prevent the entry of terrorists. These are the very same politicians who have been openly supportive of providing “DREAMERS” with lawful status, pathways to citizenship for illegal aliens who join the military and a host of similar proposals that would do irrevocable damage to national security.

Obviously our borders must be truly secured to prevent the entry of aliens engaged in terrorism or aliens who would otherwise be problematic for America. However, while the southwest border must be secured, so too we must understand that terrorists can and have gained entry into the United States through ports of entry by committing visa fraud. They may enter by stowing away on ships or running the northern border. We are, indeed, a country of 50 border states.

On September 3, I was a guest on the NewsMax-TV program, “America’s Forum” hosted by JD Hayworth, to discuss yet another troubling story about yet another screw-up by DHS, an agency I have long referred to as the Department of Homeland Surrender.

State Primary: There are no primaries in Louisiana. The election is on November 4, 2014. If there are no decisive victories on numerical count, a runoff is scheduled for December 6th, 2014.

Voter Registration: http://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/RegisterToVote/Pages/default.aspx

Deadline for Registering to Vote: Louisiana statutes require you to be registered 30 days prior to an election to be eligible to vote in that particular election.

To see the actual voting records of all incumbents on other issues such as Foreign Policy, Second Amendment Issues, Homeland Security, and other issues as well as their rankings by special interest groups please use the links followed by two stars (**).

U.S. Senate

US SENATE LOGO SQ
David Vitter (R) Next Election in 2016.

Mary Landrieu (D) Incumbent

http://www.marylandrieu.com/ http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/mary_landrieu.htm **

http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/

Rated 0 by AAI, indicating a mixed Arab/Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE On March 23, 2010, the President signed into law the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Senator Landrieu supported this historic legislation because it achieves the goals she laid out at the beginning of the debate:

It stabilizes costs and expands affordable health care choices for families and small businesses in Louisiana and throughout the country.
It expands coverage and increases choice and competition for thousands of Louisianans.
Most importantly, this law makes private health insurance more affordable and accessible without including a government-run option.

ENERGY Following the Deepwater Horizon Spill, the issuance of permits for new offshore drilling has been painfully slow, and continues to lag behind pre-spill levels. Senator Landrieu is a strong proponent of increasing domestic energy production and is working to reverse this trend. The Senator has pushed for a more efficient permitting process; an essential step in allowing companies to return to their pre-spill levels of productivity. Senator Landrieu strongly opposed the 6-month moratorium on deep-water drilling and defacto moratorium on shallow water drilling imposed April 2010. She successfully fought for it to be lifted two months early. She continues to fight for a clear, understandable set of regulations which will clear the current backlog of drilling permits and allow responsible operators to begin new exploration. This will put protect thousands of jobs in our state which depend on the offshore oil and gas industry, and will help to ensure the energy security of our nation. March 13, 2014 – Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana intensified the pressure on Secretary of State John Kerry, a former Senate colleague, to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline. During a hearing on the State Department’s 2015 budget, Ms. Landrieu, a Democrat who has been a strong pipeline proponent and faces a tough re-election fight this year, pressed Mr. Kerry to approve the project, which would carry crude from Canada’s oil sands and from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale Formation to Gulf Coast refineries. Ms. Landrieu, the new chairwoman of the Senate Energy Committee, said, “Canada is our closest, strongest trading partner,” and “a majority of American people” support Keystone. “It is hard for me to understand why there are still questions about whether building this pipeline is in our national interest,” she said.

IMMIGRATION After an illegal alien has entered our country the next line of defense is interior enforcement. Currently employers are not required to verify that an applicant or employee is legally allowed to work in this country. In addition, local law enforcement at the state and local level have had their hands tied when dealing with illegal aliens by not even allowing them to inquire about arrestees’ citizenship status. Senator Mary Landrieu has worked hard to allow state and local law enforcement to help in reducing illegal immigration and to put in place workplace verification systems allowing employers to quickly verify the legal working status of their employees. If an illegal alien avoids being picked up, or remains here after receiving deportation orders, the next thing they look for are incentives, rewards and benefits. Amnesty is the largest of these rewards and gives illegal aliens a path to citizenship or makes them instantly legal. Senator Mary Landrieu has voted in favor of amnesty for illegal aliens. Senator Mary Landrieu has voted in favor of giving illegal aliens further rewards and other incentives to come such as in-state tuition, educational benefits, welfare and health care services.
Don Reaux (D) Challenger

http://donreaux2014ussenate.webs.com/
Bill Cassidy M.D (R) Challenger Congressman, District 6

http://billcassidy.com/ http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Bill_Cassidy.htm **

http://cassidy.house.gov/issues

Rated -2 by AAI, indicating a anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY AND EPA REGULATIONS http://cassidy.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/cassidy-questions-epa-administrator-mccarthy-on-unfair-epa-regulations

Dr. Cassidy released the following statement: March 2014 – “EPA routinely issues rules and regulations that are difficult to understand, hard to follow and expensive. My concern is that this level of regulation discourages businesses from investing, which destroys jobs or prevents new jobs from being created.” On the Energy and Commerce Committee, Bill is working to bring down prices at the pump and promote energy independence thereby improving our national security. In addition to responsibly utilizing Louisiana’s energy resources, he supports lifting the ban on offshore energy production, recovering oil shale in the Western United States, opening part of the Alaskan frontier to energy exploration, and increasing domestic refinery capacity to improve America’s long-term energy security. Energy independence is essential to America’s long term growth and security. Supports construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.

HEALTHCARE Bill came to Congress to lower health care costs, increase access to high-quality care, and put patients in charge of their health care dollars and decisions. President Obama’s new health care law does not achieve this. Instead, Bill is supporting legislation that will repeal the new law and replace it with reforms that will help ensure access to affordable, quality health care to all Americans without adding to our national debt. His platform on healthcare:

Providing greater flexibility for the use of Health Savings Accounts;
Reforming the medical liability tort system to reduce frivolous lawsuits that drive up costs by forcing doctors to practice defensive medicine;
Creating pooling mechanisms, like Individual Membership Associations and Association Health Plans, that provide patients greater flexibility and bargaining power;
Providing tax credits to cover the cost of health care for low-income families;
Allowing patients to shop for insurance across state lines;
Providing patients who wish to opt out of federal programs (like Medicaid) vouchers to purchase private coverage;
Allowing employers to offer discounts to incentivize participation in wellness programs; and
Ensuring coverage for those with pre-existing conditions by strengthening high risk/reinsurance pools.

Thomas Clements (R) Challenger

http://www.thomasclements1776.com/
Paul Hollis (R) Challenger

http://www.paulhollis.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Repeal it! Throw the website for Obamacare into the Potomac River! It’s not affordable and it’s not good care. Build a health care system on the principles of the patient making the choice for doctors and individual insurance choice. For those with preexisting conditions, establish strong incentives for insurance companies to cover at fair and affordable pricing.

IMMIGRATION Finish the fence along our nation’s southern border. No amnesty for persons in our nation illegally and more aggressive deportation of illegals, especially potential violent criminals.

TERM LIMIT CONGRESS AND MAKE TRANSPARENCY THE RULE, NOT THE EXCEPTION

The Framers of our nation’s Constitution did not envision professional politicians in Congress. Term limits are necessary to break up the institutional power that revolves around powerful political figures. The federal bureaucracy and bureaucrats need to be under constant oversight by Congress and the process of federal agencies must be made transparent, so decisions do not come as a surprise to our citizens.
Rob Maness (R) Challenger

http://robmaness.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE Repeal the Obama/Landrieu Government Healthcare Takeover: Develop and implement common sense, free-market reforms. The only way to increase quality and access to healthcare while reducing costs is to ensure patients and doctors are empowered to make their own choices. Medical choices made at the provider and patient level are proven to drive down costs while maintaining quality service. I’ve supervised government hospitals and have been treated by government healthcare most of my life. With no incentive to keep cost down or provide good medical service, we’ve seen the lack quality care evident in the government model.

ENERGY Energy Independence and Security: The only way to free us from dependence on despot countries that use oil prices to gain international advantage is to keep developing alternative energy sources while simultaneously following an “all of the above” approach. We need to increase oil refinery capacity, provide fast-track approval for job creating projects such as the Keystone pipeline while continuing to explore successful natural gas production and free up more federal land for drilling.

NATIONAL SECURITY International Security: My unique experience in the Pentagon after 9/11 offers first-hand experience into the face of global terrorism. We must always maintain a level of defense capability necessary to effectively identify and defeat National and International security threats like the current Islamic-Fascism we face wherever they are around the globe.

IMMIGRATION Immigration and Border Security: We cannot consider immigration reform before we secure our border. I will fight any proposal that does not include achievable and verifiable border security. I also support ending “birthright citizenship”. Senator Landrieu supported the DREAM Act, supports giving illegal immigrants in-state tuition discounts, supports “chain migration” (where an immigrant becomes a citizen and is allowed to bring other family members into the country legally) and supports the current plan to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.
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US HOUSE OF REP LOGO

District 1
Steve Scalise (R) Incumbent

http://scalise.house.gov/ http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Steve_Scalise.htm **

Rated -4 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY In order to decrease our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, Congressman Steve Scalise is working with his colleagues in Congress to increase our domestic energy supply. Congressman Scalise is an adamant supporter of fully lifting the moratoria on oil and gas leasing in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and the oil shale lands in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. This includes ending the President’s reckless “permitorium.” The Administration’s slow pace at issuing drilling permits is strangling the exploration and production of domestic energy, and costing the American people thousands of jobs. Supports construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.

HEALTHCARE Congressman Steve Scalise is working with his colleagues in Congress to pass meaningful legislation which will protect patients’ rights to choose the coverage that best suits their needs. Congressman Scalise believes health insurance should be portable between jobs, and Congress should provide incentives to make private insurance more affordable for those individuals who do not have access to employer-based insurance. Congressman Scalise supports a full repeal of the unconstitutional job-killing Obamacare law. He is a co-sponsor of H.R. 2, repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act, which passed the House on January 19, 2011. Obamacare is not reform, and Congressman Scalise is working with his colleagues to replace this law with real reforms to health care in America. Congressman Scalise also supports Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) that allow individuals to save a limited amount of money for health expenses tax-free and Associated Health Plans (AHPs) that would allow small businesses to band together to purchase health insurance for their employees at a lower cost. Additionally, Scalise will fight to reduce frivolous lawsuits against physicians, which cause doctors to abandon certain practice areas and add to the rising cost of health care.

IMMIGRATION Although the United States is founded on immigration, it was also founded on the rule of law. Congressman Steve Scalise wants to first seal the United States’ borders with stronger security and enforcement of existing laws. Scalise is a co-sponsor of the English Language Unity Act, H.R. 997 which would make English the official language of the United States. Scalise is working to cut off taxpayer funded benefits for illegal immigrants, and is an original co-sponsor of legislation that would end birthright citizenship, the Birthright Citizenship Act, H.R. 140. Scalise is opposed to giving amnesty to the millions of illegal immigrants currently living in our country. He does not want to reward those who have committed a crime. Amnesty programs will only encourage more illegal aliens to cross our borders and drain our nation’s resources. In 1986, the federal government granted amnesty to illegal immigrants, and millions more illegal immigrants have crossed our borders since. Amnesty failed then, and it will fail now.
Lee Dugas (D) Challenger

https://twitter.com/LeeDugas2001

District 2

Cedric Richmond (D) Incumbent

http://www.cedricrichmond.com/ http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Cedric_Richmond.htm **

http://www.cedricrichmond.com/issues

Elected in 2010 – Voted against construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. – Supports Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

In March 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act implementing measures that have prioritized health care like never before. These comprehensive reforms have empowered hardworking families to make sound choices concerning their health instead of accepting unjust terms dictated by insurance companies. I continue to fight on behalf of those individuals who aren’t looking for a handout but just a level playing field when it comes to health care. Today thousands of seniors, young adults, small businesses, and individuals with preexisting conditions now have unprecedented access to quality health care in the state of Louisiana. In 2012, the Supreme Court Ruled in favor of the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. I strongly support President Obama’s push for an overhaul of health insurance programs and applaud the Supreme Court on its decision to uphold the individual mandate which guarantees that the American people, all American people have health care coverage.
Samuel Davenport (L) Challenger

https://twitter.com/Samuel4Congress

District 3

Charles Boustany Jr. M.D. (R) Incumbent

http://www.charlesboustany.com/ http://boustany.house.gov/#dialog

http://www.ontheissues.org/house/charles_boustany.htm **

Rated -1 by AAI, indicating a mixed Arab/Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE “There is no other way to put it: Obamacare is a complete failure. That is why I am proud to lead the effort in the House of Representatives to dismantle one of the worst pieces of legislation in American history. As a doctor, heart surgeon, with years of experience caring for patients, I understand firsthand the problems plaguing our system. It is time we rely on market-based solutions- not a socialist one where bureaucrats get in the way- to provide the highest quality and most affordable care in the world.”

ENERGY “I am proud that South Louisiana supplies the energy powering America, and that is a tradition we need to continue in a responsible way. We must not only resume, but also expand, oil and gas production off our coast, now! President Obama is out of touch to suggest we increase our dependence on foreign oil. You and I both know this approach only threatens our national and economic security. While Obama bureaucrats continue dragging out the permitting process, gasoline prices skyrocket and coastal Louisianans are suffering. We need to promote American energy, not punish it. ” Supports construction of Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments.

ECONOMY “Government bureaucrats do not create jobs- entrepreneurs do. It is time America reclaims its rightful position as the world’s foremost economic powerhouse. To get our economy moving again, we need to create a pro-business environment that allows the entrepreneurial spirit to flourish. This requires fighting burdensome regulations and keeping tax rates low. As your Congressman, I promise to continue leading the fight on both fronts.”
Bryan Barrilleaux M.D. (R) Challenger

https://www.facebook.com/bryan.barrilleaux.3

District 4
John Fleming M.D. (R) Incumbent

http://fleming.house.gov/ http://www.ontheissues.org/house/John_Fleming.htm

Rated -6 by AAI, indicating a anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY Supports construction of the KeystoneXL Pipeline without limiting amendments. Many Americans experienced a wakeup call over the past year with the dramatic increases in fuel costs. People are demanding that Congress take a common sense approach to this Nation’s energy crisis. As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, I am working hard to provide a voice for these common sense solutions. I am convinced that in order to meet America’s rapidly expanding energy needs and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, we must look for responsible ways to expand domestic production.

The expansion of oil and natural gas production in and off the coast of Louisiana has had an enormously positive impact on our state’s economy. As a direct result of this production vital state revenue has been accelerated, local economic development has been stimulated, and crucial jobs have been created for the people of Louisiana. I agree we must always work towards developing cleaner and more efficient energy sources, but this cannot be done overnight. Any responsible comprehensive energy policy must include expanding production of abundantly available domestic resources such as coal, oil, natural gas, and other minerals.

IMMIGRATION One of the most urgent issues facing our nation is today is the alarming increase of illegal immigration. America has always been a nation of immigrants, but today we face the challenge of a new influx of individuals from other countries who are coming here illegally. Illegal immigration is creating stress on our economy by overwhelming our education, health care, and social services systems – all at the expense of the American taxpayer. Additionally, our municipal and state governments are being saddled with the soaring costs of prosecuting criminal activity by illegal aliens and for jail and prison costs of illegal aliens convicted of crimes. As a member of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, I have worked to strengthen our immigration policies and continue to pressure my colleagues in Washington to show resolve by enforcing the laws already on the books. I support many measures to strengthen enforcement activities such as expanding the federal E-verify program, imposing fines on businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens, eliminating the spending of tax dollars on benefits and services for illegal aliens, and cutting off federal funds to states and cities that declare themselves “sanctuaries” for illegal aliens. Additionally, I support making English the official Language of the United States, reforming Social Security to ensure that benefits are received only by those who pay into the system, , and removing any possibility of amnesty for those that break our laws. As Congress continues to debate health care reform, I will fight against any legislation that allows illegal immigrants to receive health benefits at taxpayer expense. Anything less is unacceptable, particularly when our country is in the midst of a recession, with a staggering federal deficit and a double-digit unemployment rate.

HEALTHCARE Throughout the health care debate over the past year, I have consistently argued against expanding the federal government’s control over the health decisions made by individual Americans. Congress should never have passed health reform that imposes job-killing taxes, inserts government between the doctor and the patient, and cuts services Louisiana seniors depend on. Now that health care reform has become law, I am working with my colleagues to repeal this legislation and replace it with common-sense health reform that will give all Americans access to quality, affordable health care. We can improve our health care system by putting patients in charge of their own health care, through health savings accounts and other forms of tax-deductible savings programs. Insurance premiums can become more affordable for everyone by allowing consumers to purchase insurance across state lines and encouraging, but not requiring, young healthy individuals to purchase health insurance. Programs that expand choices in Medicare, such as Medicare Advantage, should be strengthened, so that seniors can choose the benefits packages that best suit their needs. There is no doubt about it; health care in America must be improved. The answer, however, is not an intrusive and expensive government administered health care plan for Americans. If the history of government-administered health care plans is any guide, the actual costs of the new health care reform is likely far higher than understood or anticipated today. As this process unfolds, I will continue to work to represent you, bring common-sense to this debate, and work to repeal this disastrous law.
Randall Lord (L) Challenger

http://lordforla.weebly.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

Issues at a glance:

foreign policy (let’s mind our own business)
nation-building (unwise),
warrantless mass surveillance (illegal, immoral, and just plain creepy),
domestic drone use (bad idea),
the national debt (it’s a big problem),
federal spending (waaaay too much),
the Federal Reserve (eliminate it),
health care (DC isn’t competent to handle it),
government welfare (inefficient and not helping),
the drug war (too costly and does little good),
marriage (let the couples decide),
Congress (passes too many laws and the wrong kinds of laws),
and our government in general (too big and burdensome).
Overall, get the Federal Government out of managing every aspect of our lives.
Our Liberties are inversely proportional to the size and power of Government.

District 5
Vance McAllister (R) Incumbent

http://www.mcallisterforcongress.com/ http://mcallister.house.gov/#dialog

http://www.ontheissues.org/House/Vance_McAllister.htm **

NO ISSUE STANCES POSTED
Jamie Mayo (D) Challenger

http://www.supportjamie.com/

Ralph Abraham M.D. (R) Challenger

http://www.ralphabraham.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

100% PRO-2ND AMENDMENT We must protect our right to bear arms. I’ll stand with you to stop our federal government from taking away our freedom and the right to protect ourselves and our families.

HEALTHCARE REFORM Obamacare is broken. As a physician, I see the problems with it every day and know I can offer solutions to improve it. Let’s fix our healthcare system by letting patients work with their family physicians to enable the greatest possible healthcare.

VETERANS Never Forget What a tragedy that our Veterans are dying while waiting for competent healthcare. Every freedom we enjoy is directly related to the service and the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. We Owe Them.

NO NEW TAXES No new taxes for businesses and individuals. America has been taxed to the point of Bankruptcy. If our government spent his/her tax money wisely and frugally, there would be far less national debt and the average American household income would be higher. How novel an idea that the government should budget our tax money just as the average American MUST budget our family incomes to survive. YOU already pay more than your “fair share
Harris Brown (R) Challenger

http://harrisbrownforcongress.com/
Zach Dasher (R) Challenger

http://www.zachdasher.com/splash?splash=1

District 6

Bill Cassidy (R) is a candidate for the U.S. Senate as challenger to Senator Mary Landreiu (D)

Vying for his seat as challengers:
Bob Bell (R) Tea Party Challenger

http://www.teapartyoflouisiana.net/capt-bob/capt-bob
Dan Claitor (R) Challenger

http://www.claitorforcongress.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE The Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act Dan believes that all Americans deserve the opportunity to purchase affordable, high-quality health care, but he also knows that Obamacare has been a failure that must be stopped. Obamacare has already led to higher deductibles, higher premiums and coverage mandates that consumers do not want or need. This policy has forced patients out of the plans they like and away from the doctors they have. Dan sincerely believes that a consensus can be found among members of both parties to repeal and replace the failed experiment of Obamacare, but only in partnership with a solution to address the problems that existed before, such as coverage for those with pre-existing illness. In Congress, one of Dan’s top priorities will be to find a way forward for our country that repeals Obamacare and offers immediate solutions to increase competition and bring down costs.

IMMIGRATION Dan wants to secure the border, have stronger enforcement of our existing immigration laws and is oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants. Granting amnesty without first securing the border is a bad idea. Congress passed a bill in 1986 that granted amnesty to millions who had illegally entered the United States, and the legislation failed to secure the border. In addition, as we have seen numerous times, President Obama and his administration freely pick and choose which laws they will enforce and which ones they will ignore. We cannot trust the federal government to effectively and fairly carry out comprehensive immigration reform.

GOVERNMENT AND REGULATIONS

Economic Growth, Not Increasing Dependency Dan Claitor knows most Americans want to work for a living and that our country is stronger when more people are earning paychecks. As our Congressman, Dan will work to cut government regulation, simplify the tax code and free small businesses to create the jobs our people need.

Local Government, not Federal Control Dan Claitor firmly stands for the rights of states and local communities to conduct their own business without heavy-handed federal intrusion. He wants to serve in Congress to reduce the scope and influence of federal government, not increase it. In the Louisiana Senate, Dan has been leading the fight to stop the federal government’s confiscation of tens of millions of dollars a year from offshore drilling that should come to Louisiana, not go to the federal government’s spending machine.

Norm Clark (R) Challenger

http://www.rm3clark.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE REPEAL THE AFORDABLE CARE ACT Read about the veterans’ administration and think about how the government is going to be able to handle medical care for hundreds of millions when it cannot take care of our veterans who are a fraction of the entire population. True, there are those who have preexisting conditions and will need to be taken care of. Obama-care is not the way to do it. If our health was truly an issue why were no doctors consulted on this monstrosity that had to be voted on before we knew what was in it?

IMMIGRATION SECURE THE BORDER We are not safe until our borders are secure. The New York Times has published stories that advised that government agents were able to smuggle radioactive materials across both our Northern and Southern borders. If they can do it why can’t others? We know terrorists have been located in the U.S. that illegally crossed into our country. Overstaying a visa is also a form of illegal status. Several members of the 9-11 attackers belonged in this category. Local law enforcement are often out gunned by the drug cartels that ship their product across our borders. Why not secure our border and stop the drug trade at the same time. Use returning military from Iraq and Afghanistan as border patrol, giving them access to the same equipment that they used in the military along with seismic detectors to catch suspects on and under the border. Deport illegal aliens. They entered this country illegally. A burglar does not have squatting rights when he breaks in, illegals should not be allowed to stay.
Paul Dietzel (R) Challenger

http://www.pauldietzel.com/#sthash.7nt107te.dpbs

POLICY STATEMENT

The challenges facing our country are similar to the dramatic experiences of the Industrial Revolution when the United States shifted from primarily a rural and agrarian economy to an urban and industrial economy. Those changes forced adjustments in America’s job market and created new economic opportunities. Today, technology has increased our nation’s productivity, but life in the new American economy demands changes to federal policy so that we are not left behind. The American economy is sputtering. We already see signs that signal yet another financial crisis in the future. In the first quarter of 2014, the economy decreased by 2.1% – the worst GDP rate since the Great Recession in 2009. Forecasts predict growth may be just above 1.4% – 3% for the entire year of 2014. Real unemployment rates stand between 12-15%. Total federal debt is 74% of GDP – higher than at any point in US history except during WWII. By 2020, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and interest payments on the $17.4 trillion national debt will consume all available revenue leaving nothing to fund our military and support energy infrastructure. The Challenge Before Us Real solutions to our problems will NOT come from those who helped create the problems in the first place. We don’t need better bureaucrats or more career politicians in Congress. We need innovators and small business owners to bring common sense solutions to a corrupt system. Our country cannot survive by making its innovators slaves to its bureaucrats. We need people with private sector experience to solve public sector problems. We don’t need those who better understand how to game the system. We need young men and women who can change the game.
Cassie Felder (R) Challenger

http://felderllc.com/
Garret Graves (R) Challenger

http://www.garretgravesforcongress.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE REPEAL OBAMACARE AND REPLACE IT WITH THE CONSERVATIVE ALTERNATIVE

Protect patients’ rights and decisions
Provide the best healthcare in the world
Prevent government expansion into private healthcare markets

Weighing in at over 10 lbs., Obamacare comes with a $1.8 trillion price tag over the next decade. This law is a massive expansion of government that will, according to a study by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), result nearly 500,000 lost jobs. Rather than forcing Americans out of their jobs and further involving itself in our personal health decisions, the federal government needs to get out of our personal lives. Passed before many had even read it, which is in itself a travesty, this one piece of legislation could turn our health care system on its head, destroying hundreds of thousands of small business jobs, and forcing people to give up their current plans- with doctors they’ve come to trust- and force them to pay more and get less in return. That’s a toxic prescription for the U.S.Already amended and delayed nearly 40 times, it’s time to move for full repeal and replace it a version similar to a proposal by the Republican Study Committee. This plan protects our relationship with doctors, allows for more investment in health saving accounts, allows us to keep policies when we change jobs, and provides for the coverage of those with pre-existing conditions.

ENERGY U.S. ENERGY INDEPENDENCE…BROUGHT TO YOU BY LOUISIANA

In Congress I will fight to:

Produce more American energy and energy-jobs
Improve energy efficiency
Stop our dependence upon foreign oil

The good news is that current energy policies create jobs. The bad news is that most of these jobs are held by foreign workers in foreign countries. Home to some of the nation’s top petrochemical facilities and workers, Louisiana also provides up to one-third of the oil and natural gas consumed in America. But, we are poised to help contribute even more towards U.S. energy independence if we could remove federal obstacles, cut red tape and taxes, allow people who understand energy and resources to guide policy decisions and keep the government from distorting energy markets. From blocking the Keystone XL pipeline to upholding a moratorium on offshore exploration, misguided policy decisions have handcuffed our ability to create thousands of jobs here at home and have instead created job growth in other countries – like Venezuela and Iran – that do not share American interests or values. At the same time, we have seen gasoline prices spike from less than $2.00/gallon when Obama took office to nearly $3.50 today. This type of government overregulation is bad for consumers, bad for Louisiana and bad for the United States.

FIGHTING GOVERNMENT OVERREACH & PROTECTING SOUTH LOUISIANA’S TRADITIONAL VALUES In Congress I will fight to:

Restore the founding principles that made America great
Get government out of our lives
Promote Louisiana values

President Obama has used executive orders, administrative actions and other venues to trample on Louisiana values – pro-life, traditional marriage and gun rights. As is the case with Obamacare, the actions of Attorney General Eric Holder, and the IRS agenda to crack down on conservative groups, President Obama’s big brother overreach has divided our nation and raised the level of frustration with Washington, D.C. to an all-time high.
In Congress, I will fight to protect the sanctity of human life, defend Louisiana’s definition of marriage, and work to return power back to the states so that they can determine their own course and destiny.
Craig McCulloch (R) Challenger

http://www.mccullochforcongress.com/
Charles “Trey” Thomas (R) Challenger

http://www.charlestreythomas.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE Affordable Healthcare begins when both a patient who has the financial resources, and a doctors who are able to keep costs low, are allowed to make their own decisions. Ensuring individuals have the power of choice is the first step to reducing costs; allowing doctors to compete more by free-market principles than by bureaucratic policy is the second step. However, no step should include attempts to subsidize the health care for some patients by forcing other patients to pay more than their health needs require or their budget allows. I will fight for solutions that increase the financial resources for all types of patients and their unique needs who then can better afford out-of-pocket expenses; and solutions that help keep those expenses lower by less government intervention in the market between medical providers and group or individual customers. This also includes enhancing more cost effective components such as government subsidized health savings plans and/or catastrophic insurance plans for high risk patients below certain income levels. I am also concerned that at the root of the problem is distrust that the opponents of the Affordable Care Act are concerned with helping certain groups of unfortunate people such as those with pre-existing conditions. Unfortunately, some of those groups have accepted that their only help will be the government forcing someone under penalty of tax to overpay for health care and use the extra money to help them. One problem is that when government is involved in the decision-making of our health choices, quality withers as evident in the last few months with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Proponents of the Affordable Care Act believe that we should not abolish the law but to find ways to Amend and Improve the Affordable Care Act. However, if you concede the need to amend and improve, you are acknowledging that it is flawed and fails to help more than it hurts. So the practical question is how do you amend with the hopes of improving a 906 page final law that at one time was a 2400 page resolution and that has 11,000 pages of related regulations used by the administration to enforce the law? That is critical because if we are unable to eliminate every flaw in the law and the related regulation components to that flaw which may impact many other components of the law, then the federal government will be subject to ongoing lawsuits by those attempting to exploit those unintended loopholes left by the practical inability to eliminate them.

IMMIGRATION The invaluable contributions of immigrants including naturalized citizens and foreign citizens legally living and working in the United States should never be threatened by any attempts to decrease immigration. Nonetheless, the ability to legally immigrate to the United States is threatened because of both, insecure borders and an inefficient system to become a citizen. If you agree that both are the problem, then the critical concern is which issue has to be addressed first. I believe that it is fundamentally unfair and dangerous to demand correcting inefficiencies before correcting an unsecure border as this would reward even more people who are willing to break the rules first with all rights and privileges of citizenship instead of following the proper path as many others. Furthermore, in time of combating terrorism, a secure border should be a national security priority completely separate from immigration and definitely not used as a political bargaining chip by patriotic leaders.

ENERGY I believe a true “all of the above” approach to energy does not include the government actively destabilizing the production of one source in favor of a different source that is not yet able to compete on the mass market as a cost-effective alternative source. We should continue to support the development of alternative energy sources and we should simultaneously utilize available resources to provide affordable and reliable energy that fuels so many areas of our economy. In developing alternative forms of energy, some believe the government has to play an increasing role to insure these new technologies and innovations get a fair chance to compete against big oil companies. However, many of the major fossil fuel energy providers support and invest in alternative energy sources as a means of increasing shareholder value for long-term financial stability. These companies know that in order to continue competing in the future market, they cannot ignore future possibilities. The government should not try to disrupt the market forces that are leading to the alternatives as a sustainable replacement. Furthermore, the government’s role in funding basic research such as grants to universities for alternatives should reflect an “all of the above” approach that is not influenced by a political bias towards or against specific sectors or companies. As for utilizing available resources for affordable and reliable energy, the recent boom in domestic oil and natural gas production has created more jobs and lower prices for various forms of energy right here in the United States. However, there is opportunity to create even more jobs for thousands of Americans who have given up looking for work if not for hindrances from the federal government. America, and especially Louisiana, cannot afford to disregard opportunities to provide thousands of well-paying jobs to its citizens by not safely harnessing our natural energy resources.
Lenar Whitney (R) Challenger

http://www.lenarwhitney.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

HEALTHCARE ObamaCare must be REPEALED and replaced. Unleash free market capitalism. Eliminate Government mandates on coverage types (community standards) and allow Americans to buy the insurance they want across state lines. Encourage Medical Savings accounts to reward thrift and practical use of our medical resources while helping consumers become self-insured. Reducing the obscene cost of medical care will be greatly aided by reducing the defensive cost of medicine through lawsuit abuse reform. Reduction of fraud and theft, especially in Medicaid, should be the highest priority of Holder’s Justice Department. And finally, the government must stop telling us what we have to pay for in our coverage, especially when discussing the provision of abortion and pregnancy terminating devices and drugs. These decisions should be left to each citizen and their conscience. The government cannot and should not determine what an employer must do against his/her conscience. This is a direct attack on our fundamental religious liberty.

IMMIGRATION America is a land of immigrants. Our entire success as a nation has hinged on the contributions of our forefathers who immigrated to our great land. But they did so legally and they provided for themselves. They did not arrive with their hand out dependent upon the government. We can’t continue to accept the burden of all of the needy on earth… especially those who so easily cross our southern border. As the world we live in constantly shrinks, the accessibility to our borders is made easier and more and more immigrants cross into America in search of a better life. But, America has a limit to the number of indigents that our system can support. We have exceeded that limit as is evidenced by the exploding debt and overburdened social welfare system. We MUST SECURE OUR BORDERS. We must maintain a respect for law which includes forcing all illegal aliens to voluntarily deport and get to the end of the line. Those who do not deport willingly must be forcibly deported by the Federal Government and not allowed back in through any legal framework. Amnesty is OUT OF THE QUESTION. Legalizing 10-20 million illegal immigrants would be cultural and economic suicide. We must end selective enforcement of our immigration laws. We can work to build a more functional guest worker program to help meet our nation’s demand for inexpensive labor… but not until we have resolved our own unemployment problems. IMMIGRATION

ENERGY America sits atop one of the largest concentrations of Energy on the planet Earth. In 1977, Congress created a new cabinet level division of government, the Energy Department, whose purpose was to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. After 30 + years of failing to accomplish that mission statement, and after leading an active resistance to the drilling technology known as fracking, the Energy Department is about to achieve its original mission. Through little or no achievement of their own, they have made themselves irrelevant. America has ascended to its once vaunted title of top energy producer in the world and sits at the precipice of making the OPEC states an obsolete term when discussing world energy security. As your congresswoman, I will move to eliminate the Energy Department, cutting the annual budget of our government by $28B and unleashing the private sector to rebuild America with plentiful energy to run a reborn manufacturing sector. This would also change the globe. We should be Europe’s primary energy provider, instantly drying up Putin’s wealth and with it, his renewed Russian Nationalism. It would also cripple the economy of the Middle Eastern nations who spend much of their oil profits funding ways to destroy us. We need to free America’s Energy Producers to power a New American Renaissance. This would create millions of new jobs here at home. And provide the resources to tackle the ACTUAL apocalyptic event of our day – 18 Trillion Dollars of National Debt. In vowing to do away with the Department of Energy (DOE) I will be criticized by many “do gooders” who have no idea how much overlap exists between the DOE and existing state regulatory bodies. To guarantee appropriate regulation, I will rely on the wisdom of the founders which is present in the 10th amendment where all powers not specifically granted to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people. Being familiar with the workings of our own State Mineral & Energy Board and after working directly with our Department of Natural Resources, I am persuaded that they, and similar regulatory bodies in the other states, are suitably empowered to fulfill the original mandate of the DOE and oversee the United States’ expansion of its energy resources and its elimination of its dependence on foreign oil. As it concerns the myriad of investments made by the U.S. Government in alternative energy, let’s allow the free market to analyze whether the scandalous waste of resources that have been poured into these “new” technologies is practical. Let’s allow the best and the brightest to formulate strategies for success where they can be competitive. I will vote to eliminate all forms of government encouragement, outside of typical and ordinary investment tax policy, in alternative energies… including ethanol production. Let’s shift our corn production to feeding the world instead of feeding our gas tanks. I believe that God would honor our decision.
Edwin Edwards (D) Challenger

Ex-Governor, Ex-Congressman, Ex-State Sen., Navy Veteran & Felon
http://www.edwinedwards4congress.com/

HOT BUTTON ISSUES

ENERGY I am an advocate for all those who work throughout Louisiana in our oil and gas industry and those Louisianans who work offshore. I will fight to make Louisiana the most favorable place for our energy companies to create high quality jobs, but I will not allow these industries to go unchecked. I am the only candidate concerned with the receding coastline and damage to the marsh. The damage is obvious and dangerous, and it must be stopped. I believe the responsibility for the damage lies between the Corps of Engineers (Federal), in part with the mineral production companies, and in part from the forces of nature, but I believe the courts have a proper role in deciding which parties are responsible, and allocating funds to repair our precious coastline, so the Louisiana we love is not swept away.

Moving Forward with the Keystone Pipeline I will work hard to get the Keystone pipeline constructed immediately. We have the refining capacity, and our resources are ready and waiting. If we choose not to buy Canadian oil, then the Chinese will. They will use that oil to manufacture electronics, clothing, and even our beloved Mardi Gras beads. They will use it to manufacture goods that we will need, but at prices we could never afford. With several Louisiana contractors and a workforce of 20,000 good local men and women, and beat the Chinese before their manufacturing even begins. We could use the equipment, know-how and experience already in our state to build that much needed pipeline in only a matter of years, with no adverse impact on the environment and while preserving our state’s precious natural resources.

HEALTHCARE Had I been in Congress, I would not have voted to pass The Affordable Care Act. I agree with many that, when it was argued, the bill was too long, too complicated, and fraught with problems. That being said, the Act passed, and the United States Supreme Court has declared it constitutional. That means that we, the American people, must adhere to it and deal with issues as they arise. I will work to keep good provisions within the Affordable Care Act. For example, the provision should be kept for people with pre-existing conditions so they do not feel afraid of losing insurance or not being able to afford a policy. And, children should be allowed to remain on the policies of their parents until they reach the age of 26. Many of our young people are seeking further education after undergraduate degrees, and they deserve to feel secure if they become ill or injured. Quality, Affordable Healthcare Through Medicaid Expansion – I will always see the importance of benefits of coverage for children, the elderly, the unemployed, and underemployed. Statistics state that nearly 300,000 of our citizens do not have healthcare benefits. That in itself is a shocking figure. If the Federal Government agrees to continue paying 100% of the cost for three years and 90% costs thereafter, that is a bargain that Louisiana cannot afford to pass up. Further, this expansion will create 17,000 jobs in Louisiana’s Paramedical field. Louisiana needs this. If not us, then another state will reap these benefits, and where will that leave those 300,000 citizens? The sick will not sit at home and writhe in pain, they will go to emergency rooms, causing emergency rooms to be overcrowded, and doctors are required by law to treat them regardless of their ability to pay, so hospitals will pass that cost on to those who can pay for their medical bills, driving up the cost of healthcare for every Louisianan.

Richard Lieberman (D) Challenger

http://www.lieberman2014.com/

Read more: Family Security Matters http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/louisiana-2014-candidates-for-congress-where-they-stand?f=puball#ixzz3DZfB9FvX
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

How many other Muslims in the US are one step away from active jihad?

Prosecutors say that Brown is a devout Muslim who had become angered by U.S. military intervention in the Islamic world, which he referred to as “evil.”

Here’s more on the jihadi I reported on yesterday. Nowhere in the initial reportage was jihad or Islam even mentioned. It is only when the murderer declares his jihad that the media is forced to report it.

America, the media is your enemy.

Accused killer says Livingston teen’s murder was ‘vengeance’ against U.S. NJ.com August 21, 2014

WEST ORANGE – The man accused of gunning down a Livingston teenager in his car earlier this summer told investigators the murder was an act of retribution for U.S. military action against Muslims in the Middle East.

According to court documents filed Wednesday in Washington state, where he is accused of killing three other men, Ali Muhammad Brown said he considered it his mission to murder 19-year-old Brendan Tevlin as an act of “vengeance” for innocent lives lost in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Iran.

“All these lives are taken every single day by America, by this government. So a life for a life,” he told detectives, according to the documents.

Brown, 29, also confessed to killing the other men, all of whom, like Tevlin, were shot multiple times in isolated areas late at night. He described the murder as a “just kill” – carried out against an adult male who was not in the company of any women, children or elderly persons, court papers said.

Prosecutors say Brown is a devout Muslim who had become angered by U.S. military intervention in the Islamic world, which he referred to as “evil.” He also referred to drug use as inherently evil.

“During the interview Brown also stated that, as part of his beliefs, if a ‘man sees evil then he must take action against that evil’,” according to court papers.

Essex County authorities have characterized Tevlin’s June 25 murder as a robbery that turned violent when Brown fired 10 shots into the popular college student’s vehicle, which was stopped at a red light at the corner of Walker Road and Northfield Avenue in West Orange.

When Americans look around the world today, we see one crisis after another. Russian aggression in Ukraine, extremism and chaos in Iraq and Syria, a deadly epidemic in West Africa, escalating territorial tensions in the East and South China seas, a global economy that still isn’t producing enough growth or shared prosperity — the liberal international order that the United States has worked for generations to build and defend seems to be under pressure from every quarter. It’s no wonder so many Americans express uncertainty and even fear about our role and our future in the world.

In his new book, “World Order,” Henry Kissinger explains the historic scope of this challenge. His analysis, despite some differences over specific policies, largely fits with the broad strategy behind the Obama administration’s effort over the past six years to build a global architecture of security and cooperation for the 21st century.

During the Cold War, America’s bipartisan commitment to protecting and expanding a community of nations devoted to freedom, market economies and cooperation eventually proved successful for us and the world. Kissinger’s summary of that vision sounds pertinent today: “an inexorably expanding cooperative order of states observing common rules and norms, embracing liberal economic systems, forswearing territorial conquest, respecting national sovereignty, and adopting participatory and democratic systems of governance.”

This system, advanced by U.S. military and diplomatic power and our alliances with like-minded nations, helped us defeat fascism and communism and brought enormous benefits to Americans and billions of others. Nonetheless, many people around the world today — especially millions of young people — don’t know these success stories, so it becomes our responsibility to show as well as tell what American leadership looks like.
This is especially important at a time when many are wondering, as Kissinger puts it, “Are we facing a period in which forces beyond the restraints of any order determine the future?”

For me, this is a familiar question. When I walked into the State Department in January 2009, everyone knew that it was a time of dizzying changes, but no one could agree on what they all meant. Would the economic crisis bring new forms of cooperation or a return to protectionism and discord? Would new technologies do more to help citizens hold leaders accountable or to help dictators keep tabs on dissidents? Would rising powers such as China, India and Brazil become global problem-solvers or global spoilers? Would the emerging influence of non-state actors be defined more by the threats from terrorist networks and criminal cartels, or by the contributions of courageous NGOs? Would growing global interdependence bring a new sense of solidarity or new sources of strife?

On Monday, I had a follow-up to last week’s column on why members of the Obama administration and other transnational progressives deny that the Islamic State is Islamic — viz., because they want to ally with what they call “moderate Islamists.” If Americans grasp that “moderate Islamists” and violent jihadists share the same basic ideology, such an alliance becomes politically untenable.

Case in point: The curious tale of Mohamed Elibiary, the Obama administration’s go-to “moderate Islamist” for counterterrorism advice.

The “moderate Islamist” folly has both domestic and international components, and the Obama administration is far from alone in it. On the foreign-policy side of the equation, see David French’s excellent post on Monday highlighting how the administration (echoed by the GOP’s McCain wing) is again calling for the arming of the purportedly “moderate Syrian rebels” — and don’t miss continuing coverage of these U.S.-backed “moderates” as they collude with terrorists from al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. When that same strategy was applied in Libya, it gave us the Benghazi Massacre, contributed to the rise of the Islamic State, and left the country in jihadist clutches.

My Monday follow-up column dealt with the domestic side of our government’s “moderate Islamist” charade: the appearance last week of several administration officials with a number of their Islamist advisers — leaders of enterprises linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. These organizations and institutions continue to have Obama’s ear even though some were proved in court to have conspired in the Brotherhood’s conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas, its Palestinian terrorist branch, through a “charity” known as the Holy Land Foundation.

Now the Washington Free Beacon’s Adam Kredo reports on Mr. Elibiary, Obama’s appointee to the Department of Homeland Security’s Advisory Council . . . though not for long. The administration has quietly announced that Elibiary is about to be cashiered.

Obama and then–DHS secretary Janet Napolitano made Elibiary a key counterterrorism adviser even though he had been a regular contributor to the very Holy Land Foundation charity the Justice Department had prosecuted. The HLF, it turns out, was established by Elibiary’s longtime friend Shukri Abu Baker. The latter was among the defendants convicted of using the “charity” to finance Hamas — he is serving a 65-year sentence from the prosecution that Elibiary dismisses as Islamophobic persecution.

Why should any American trust Washington to get its ISIS strategy right in a hurry?

By all means, let’s destroy the Islamic State, but let’s talk about it first.

We are in a very strange place right now. President Obama is rushing into a war he doesn’t want to fight. He can barely bring himself to call it a war.

Obama didn’t merely ignore the threat of the Islamic State for the better part of a year, he ridiculed the notion the terror group was anything but a “jayvee team.” Now suddenly, he wants to go to war.

Sort of. The administration has struggled with the W-word. The president had to try several times to articulate a coherent position, working through terms like “degrade,” “destroy,” “manage,” etc. Last week, the secretary of state insisted that “war” wasn’t just the wrong term (he preferred “counterterrorism operation”), but it was wrong even to analogize this new military action to war. That’s pretty remarkable given the Democrats’ comfort with analogizing pretty much everything else to war. We are through the looking glass when it is okay to say that opposition to requiring elderly nuns to pay for birth control is part of a “war on women” but airstrikes and coordinated ground attacks by allied militias aren’t like a “war” on terrorists.

By the end of the week the administration had made a fragile peace with the word “war,” but it’s unclear whether Obama has made peace with war itself. According to a report by the New York Times’ Peter Baker, the president feels he’s being pushed into a war — or counterterror operation — on a timetable not of his choosing because of the sudden shift in public opinion in the wake of the beheadings of two Americans.

Obama reportedly said that if he had been “an adviser to ISIS,” he wouldn’t have killed the American hostages. Instead, he would have released them with a note pinned to their chests reading: “Stay out of here; this is none of your business.” If only the terrorists had done that, the president seemed to be saying, I wouldn’t be stuck with this mess.

While I’m not sure I want the commander-in-chief spending a lot of time thinking about how Islamic State can improve its PR strategy, he’s probably right. The president is defensive about criticism that he’s too cautious. “I do not make apologies for being careful in these areas, even if it doesn’t make for good theater.”

I’m unaware of anyone criticizing the president for being careful. He’s been criticized for being wrong, vacillating, and inconsistent. Regardless, if he feels this way, why is he rushing to war?

A somewhat intemperate Philadelphia Tweeter called Christopher Reynolds spent his breakfast time trying to catch my eye:

@DanHannanMEP@MarkSteynOnline Steyn,your libertarianism in the USA is a joke now that I see your really a no to freedom#YesScotland

And a few minutes later:

@MarkSteynOnline You cry liberty and freedom while at the same time rejecting the real-life implementation of such in Scotland#YesScotland

As far as I’m aware, I haven’t expressed an opinion on the referendum in Scotland, but, given that I’m spending most of this month in the British Isles (if anyone still calls them that), I might as well put in a word on the subject. Let us first dispense with Mr Reynolds’ endearingly deranged notion that Thursday’s big vote is anything to do with “libertarianism”. The Scottish people are being invited to decide whether their cradle-to-grave welfare state will be more flush as a semi-devolved entity dependent on subventions from Westminster or as a reborn Kingdom of Scotland dependent on subventions from the European Union. In such a political culture, there are no takers for “libertarianism”.

I certainly accept the right of the Scots to secede from the United Kingdom, as I accept the right of the southern Irish to secede from the United Kingdom in 1922, or Quebec to secede from Canada in 1995. I’m not sure there’s anything particularly “libertarian” about that. But, if Mr Reynolds believes otherwise, he might start with his own rights as a Pennsylvanian. As we have had cause to note glumly here before, the 1869 Supreme Court decision says America’s Union is “perpetual” and “indissoluble”, and therefore if Mr Reynolds and 99 per cent of his neighbors vote to secede, tough: They can’t. What Irish nationalists sought in 1922 and Scottish nationalists are seeking on Thursday is forbidden to Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

Which is not necessarily an abstract consideration. When an identity is not ethnically or geographically defined, its fortunes can wax and wane. “Britishness” is presently on the wane, which is surprising only to David Cameron and the boobs he relied on for his pro-Union campaign. But, over on this side of the Atlantic, it’s not hard to foresee circumstances in which in portions of an ever broker, ever more centralized unitary America the idea of “Americanness” might wane, and the least dysfunctional states might pine for the same right as Slovenia, Slovakia, and East Timor: the right to go it alone. In 1897 Britishness looked like a permanent feature of the map. But it’s had a rough half-century, and mostly at the hands of the British state. For half-a-century, it has been associated with – and, indeed, taught to three generations of schoolchildren as principally responsible for – all the worst -isms in the dictionary: imperialism, colonialism, racism. You can understand the attraction to England’s Celtic fringe in casting off the unloveliness of Britishness and presenting oneself as the last victims of Anglo imperialism. As David McWilliams put it the other day in The Irish Independent:

When the Scottish become Scottish and not British they might even become as well-liked around the world as us.

“Academia has been and remains a key target of foreign intelligence services, including the [Cuban intelligence service],” says an FBI report from Sept. 2nd.

“One recruitment method used by the Cubans is to appeal to American leftists’ ideology. “For instance, someone who is allied with communist or leftist ideology may assist the [Cuban intelligence service] because of his/her personal beliefs.”

Not that any of the above should come as earth-shaking news to anyone who:

A: Attended a typical college and suffered through typical Liberal Arts courses.

B. Knows anything at all about the history of Cuban spying in the U.S.

Let’s face it: FBI agents tasked with ferreting out Cuban spies in the U.S face a daunting task. Just think of how many Liberal Arts college professors match the potential Cuban-spy profile—ideology-wise that is, competence at sleuth-work is a different matter.) Just how many Liberal Arts college professors actually eschew “leftist ideology?”

Indeed, of the most recently convicted Cuban spies–Ana Montes, Walter Kendall Meyers and Carlos and Elsa Alvarez, three were recruited by Castro’s agents from academia– John Hopkins, for Montes and Florida International University for the Alvarez couple.

Cuba’s Intelligence services “will actively exploit visitors to the island” continues the report. “Intelligence officers will come into contact with the academic travelers (from the U.S.) They will stay in the same accommodations and participate in the activities arranged for the travelers. This clearly provides an opportunity to identify targets….Castro’s intelligence aggressively targets U.S. universities under the assumption that a percentage of students will eventually move on to positions within the U.S. government that can provide access to information of use to the [Cuban intelligence service,”] continues the FBI report.

“A preferred target are ‘study abroad’ programs (in Cuba,)” adds America’s top Cuban spycatcher Chris Simmons, recently retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency, “as participating students (from the U.S.) are assessed as inherently sympathetic to the Cuban revolution.”

The William F. Buckley Program at Yale University lately showed bravery unusual for an academic institution. It has refused to be bullied by the Muslim Students Association and its demand that the Buckley Program rescind an invitation to Ayaan Hirsi Ali to speak on campus September 15. Hirsi Ali is the vocal Somalian critic of Islamic doctrine whose life has been endangered for condemning the theologically sanctioned oppression of women in Islamic culture. Unlike Brandeis University, which recently rescinded an honorary degree to be given to Hirsi Ali after complaints from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Buckley Program rejected both the MSA’s initial demand, and a follow up one that Hirsi Ali share the stage with one of her critics.

The Buckley Program is a rare instance of an academic organization staying true to the ideals of free speech, academic freedom, and the “free play of the mind on all subjects,” as Matthew Arnold defined liberal education. Most of our best universities have sacrificed these ideals on the altar of political correctness and identity politics. Anything that displeases or discomforts campus special interest groups––mainly those predicated on being the alleged victims of American oppression–– must be proscribed as “slurs” or “hateful,” even if what’s said is factually true. No matter that these groups are ideologically driven and use their power to silence critics and limit speech to their own self-serving and duplicitous views, the modus operandi of every illiberal totalitarian regime in history. The spineless university caves in to their demands, incoherently camouflaging their craven betrayal of the First Amendment and academic freedom as “tolerance” and “respect for diversity.”

In the case of Islam, however, this betrayal is particularly dangerous. For we are confronting across the world a jihadist movement that grounds its violence in traditional Islamic theology, jurisprudence, and history. Ignoring those motives and their sanction by Islamic doctrine compromises our strategy and tactics in defeating the jihadists, for we cripple ourselves in the war of ideas. Worse yet, Islamic triumphalism and chauvinism–– embodied in the Koranic verse that calls Muslims “the best of nations raised up for the benefit of men” because they “enjoin the right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah”–– is confirmed and strengthened by the way our elite institutions like universities and the federal government quickly capitulate to special interest groups who demand that we endorse only their sanitized and often false picture of Islam. Such surrender confirms the jihadist estimation of the West as the “weak horse,” as bin Laden said, a civilization with “foundations of straw” whose wealth and military power are undermined by a collective failure of nerve and loss of morale.