 Photo Cred, National Journal In the midst of corruption and selfishness in our nation's politicians, occasionally someone better stands out.
Marlin Stutzman has had a distinguished career in politics, serving as both a senator and representative in the Indiana General Assembly and serving three terms in the United States House of Representatives. He authored many bills, including a budget that would have balanced the US budget in just 6 years. Congressman Stutzman consistently votes pro-life, pro-family, and pro-America. But all of that is not what makes him stand out the most. What causes him to rise to the top is a significant amount of personal integrity and a real “servant's heart." Marlin Stutzman always puts his constituents first. He refuses to accept or put money into the Congressional 401k program (every dollar put in by the Congressman is matched by the taxpayers, and he chose to not take more money from the people). He also has a self-imposed term limit of two terms in the Senate. Additionally, Congressman Stutzman's main occupation is NOT politics; he owns and runs a farm and is a very involved husband and father. Because of his record and commitment to "change Washington, not America" we are pleased to announce Marlin Stutzman for US Senate.
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 Almost a month ago, the Michigan State Board of Education introduced a new guidance statement for Michigan's public schools regarding LGBTQ students. It's been nearly a month, and just now, The Daily Caller uncovered it (you can read a summary from Education Report here). So, what was the Board of Education hiding? A lot. Not only does the proposed Statement and Guidance on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students allow students (of any age) to choose their own gender without parental or doctoral input, but it also expressly instructs school officials not to give any hints to the parents unless the student requests that they do. At home, your son (whether he's a high school senior, or just going into the first grade) could just be a normal kid -- while at school, he identifies as a girl and uses the girls' restrooms and locker rooms. You and the family doctor could be left completely in the dark. Social experimentation such as this, especially in our schools, inevitably leads to rape, bullying, and molestation for students of both genders. Our schools are not a playground for "progressive" social scientists, and the State Board of Education should reject this proposed guidance. TAKE ACTION
 Today in Utah, U.S. Senator Mike Lee kicked off his reelection campaign, and we can't think of a better time to give him our full and enthusiastic endorsement.
Mike Lee has been on the front lines fighting for faith, family, and freedom in the Senate. While he doesn't always get as much airtime as other conservative heroes like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul, Senator Lee's courageous leadership in crafting and advancing a conservative reform agenda in Congress has made a mark. Mike Lee knows the issues, he knows the Constitution, and he knows his constituents. With that, we endorse Senator Mike Lee for re-election in 2016, and look forward to six more years of a stalwart conservative reformer representing Utah in the United States Senate. Dear Marco, I will be upfront and honest, I was unsure about you when you first announced your candidacy. I battled against some of your ideals with mentors of mine who were amazing advocates for your cause. Your supporters were honorable in their debates, and actually did win me over on key issues, such as a "path to citizenship". You also reached across the Cruz/Rubio divide and spoke directly to me. You tried not to get bogged down in the mire and muck of this race, and you did well. Over the months, I actually became very partial to you. You led a campaign of positive, uplifting ideals. Truly, you were one of the "Ronald Reagans" of this campaign, balancing justice and mercy in an eloquently understandable way. You reached across the Cruz/Rubio divide and spoke directly to me. You are one of the greatest men who has ever run for the White House. While I disagreed with you on subsidies and the NSA, we agreed on bedrock, fundamental principles. We agreed that life matters, and that our nation should be defended, and that America's brightest days are ahead of her. You, Marco, have convinced me through your story and testimony that you believe in America and her ideals. Your message resonated with the core of who I am, as an American, and while you didn't win this time, there is always another shot. I am infinitely proud and thankful that you ran for President, and that you were in the Senate. I'm looking forward to seeing you run again, someday. I would love nothing more than to lock arms with my friends and mentors to support a Rubio Presidency, in the future. In All Respect and Gratitude, Ian Parish
 As I am sure you have heard, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died on Saturday. His death came as a shock to the entire political community. Scalia was one of the strictest textual judges on the Court, only possibly being passed up by Justice Thomas. Scalia will also be remembered for his biting remarks in dissenting opinions. Last year, in his Obergefell decent, Justice Scalia stated that it seemed almost as if Justice Kennedy's opinion had been written from statements found in fortune cookies. Scalia will also be remembered for his detailed legal reasoning, as seen in Heller vs. District of Columbia, the case which established that the Second Amendment applies to individuals. It is not as though Scalia got every decision right; indeed, I vehemently disagree with his opinion in Employment Division vs. Smith. However, Scalia was a great legal scholar and a principled man. He was a towering figure in the history of American jurisprudence. Scalia, in some circles, is credited with bringing textual interpretation back to the Supreme Court. Over this last weekend, I have wondered why God called him home. It seems as if he is still needed here. With him on the Court, the ratio was 4-1-4; now, without him, the Court is 4-1-3. He was vital in many landmark decisions: Heller vs. District of Columbia, Hobby Lobby vs. Burwell, and Schuette vs. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action. Without him, each of these cases would have been lost. There are several more cases coming up for review that were expected to be 5-4. Now that the Court has 8 members, until a replacement is nominated, a tie vote will defer to the lower court's decision. Where Do We Go From Here? Although the death of Scalia has been hard for the conservative movement, we must remember that Scalia was not our only hope. Scalia's death will create a massive fight over his replacement. Obama will attempt to appoint a replacement. The Senate does not have to approve the nominee. Historically the Senate has not approved a nominee this late in the election cycle (there have been 7 such cases). The Democrats have cited the case of Anthony Kennedy's nomination as an example of the Senate approving a nominee this late in the election cycle; however, he replaced Lewis Powell, who retired in June of 1987, over a year before the election. Reagan originally nominated Judge Robert Bork as Powell's replacement, but the Senate blocked Bork's nomination. Kennedy was the second nominee and was approved during an election year. This case is different from Powell's replacement. Replacing a man like Scalia should not be taken lightly. Remembering Justice Scalia The following are some of Scalia's best quotes: "God assumed from the beginning that the wise of the world would view Christians as fools…and He has not been disappointed. Devout Christians are destined to be regarded as fools in modern society. We are fools for Christ’s sake. We must pray for courage to endure the scorn of the sophisticated world. If I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world." "To allow the policy question of same-sex marriage to be considered and resolved by a select, patrician, highly unrepresentative panel of nine is to violate a principle even more fundamental than no taxation without representation: no social transformation without representation. If, even as the price to be paid for a fifth vote, I ever joined an opinion for the Court that began: ‘The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons, within a lawful realm, to define and express their identity,’ I would hide my head in a bag. The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie." "If you’re going to be a good and faithful judge, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you’re not always going to like the conclusions you reach. If you like them all the time, you’re probably doing something wrong." “Having transformed two major parts of the law, the Court today has turned its attention to a third. The Act that Congress passed makes tax credits available only on an ‘Exchange established by the State.’ This Court, however, concludes that this limitation would prevent the rest of the Act from working as well as hoped. So it rewrites the law to make tax credits available everywhere. We should start calling this law SCOTUScare.” “Under all the usual rules of interpretation, in short, the Government should lose this case. But normal rules of interpretation seem always to yield to the overriding principle of the present Court: The Affordable Care Act must be saved.” More quotes can be found here, here and here Rest in peace Justice Scalia. We shall always remember you.
 David Daleiden, the man behind the Center for Medical Progress sting videos, has been indicted under the law banning the sale of human body parts. Planned Parenthood, however, was not indicted. The Thomas More Society will continue supporting David Daleiden. If convicted, Daleiden will spend 20 years in prison and have to pay a fine of $10,000. The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, announced that the failure of the Grand Jury will not stop the investigation into Planned Parenthood in Texas.
The Grand Jury failed in its mission for the following reasons: 1. While it is true that Daleiden offered to buy the parts of unborn children, Planned Parenthood was the seller. Planned Parenthood was thus the criminal; Daleiden was a whistle blower. 2. Planned Parenthood admitted to illegally performing partial birth abortions in order to obtain the best parts. Daleiden had no part in this. 3. Planned Parenthood admitted to making a profit off of the sale of the parts. Daleiden never made such a profit, meaning that he is clear under the fact that there must be a profit in the sale in order to be guilty of the misdemeanor. 4. Daleiden was charged with tampering with government records, which he never did. Both his company and his organization were properly filed and, though his company was a facade, that is not against the law. 5. There are clear indications that Planned Parenthood is killing children after birth in order to more easily and effectively harvest their organs. However, recent questions regarding a conflict of interest have come into play, as the prosecutor was potentially a member of the Planned Parenthood board. ...And Other Critiques on Obama’s Unconstitutional Gun ControlGuest Post by Ian Parish“The vast majority of Americans--including the vast majority of gun owners--believe we must take sensible steps to address these horrible tragedies.” -President Barack Obama, announcing his new Executive Orders on Gun Control, January 5th. The air was heavy, that cold morning in January. The 44th President of the United States took to the podium, shed some tears, and unrolled his new Executive Fiat to enact more gun control. Not only did he do that, but he blatantly lied to the American people. In a poll done by CNN, it was found that nearly 60% of Americans disagree with Obama's gun policies. The same poll also states that when asked whether or not gun laws made purchasing a firearm “too easy”, “too difficult”, or “about right”, a majority (49%) said that they felt that it was “about right”. A palpable majority, Mr. President. Not only that, but many of Obama’s so-called “common sense” measures are actually not as common sense as he’d like you think. They’re actually pretty redundant and seem quite benign, at first glance. For example, let’s take an excerpt from the Fact Sheet straight from the White House’s own website. “1. Keep guns out of the wrong hands through background checks. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is making clear that it doesn’t matter where you conduct your business—from a store, at gun shows, or over the Internet: If you’re in the business of selling firearms, you must get a license and conduct background checks.”[1] So, we’re basically going to keep doing what we've already been doing? Not only is the President lying about Americans wanting his specific reforms, he’s also creating a redundancy. How many firearms would you have to sell before being required to register for an FFL? Five? Three? One? The White House actually answers that for us, courtesy of their own website. “Quantity and frequency of sales are relevant indicators. There is no specific threshold number of firearms purchased or sold that triggers the licensure requirement. But it is important to note that even a few transactions, when combined with other evidence, can be sufficient to establish that a person is “engaged in the business.” For example, courts have upheld convictions for dealing without a license when as few as two firearms were sold or when only one or two transactions took place, when other factors also were present.” I’d like to draw attention to the specific sentence, “There is no specific threshold number of firearms purchased or sold that triggers the licensure requirement”. Anyone and everyone will potentially have to get an FFL license to sell firearms. It doesn’t stop there, however. The President repeatedly calls for “comprehensive background checks”. The thing is, this already exists. We already have a background check system up and running. A mistake in the background check system is what allowed Dylann Roof, the shooter who killed nine innocent churchgoers in South Carolina, to legally buy a gun.[2] What does the President have to say about the accuracy of background checks? His Executive Order says: “Background checks have been shown to keep guns out of the wrong hands...”[3] I feel like another example may be relevant here, just to prove my point. Let’s go back to the Virginia Tech Shooting, perpetrated by Seung-Hui Cho. It was April the 16th, a day many of us will never forget here in Virginia. I was ten years old at the time, and I remember the candle-light vigils and praying for the families, colleagues, and friends of the murdered. Seung-Hui Cho was a madman and a violent murderer. He senselessly slaughtered 32 other human beings on his rampage across the campus of Virginia Tech. Background checks wouldn’t have stopped him, either. He bought his weapons-of-choice legally. Let me repeat that. He bought his firearms legally. The only thing the President’s Orders do is make acquiring firearms so much harder for law-abiding, patriotic citizens. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is being flagrantly ignored by Obama, again. What part of “shall not be infringed” is so hard to understand? “Comprehensive background checks” do not stop tragedies. Laws don’t stop tragedies. Sadly, tragedies happen. That’s part of life, sometimes. Stripping the ability to acquire weapons of self-defense from the elderly and from women--two of the most victimized groups in our society--only helps people like Dylann Roof, Seung-Hui Cho, and others increase tragedy. Evil, hell-bent murderers will jump any hoops, legally or illegally, to perpetrate their evil desires. If you want tragedy to be stopped, however, you give people the ability to purchase the greatest equalizer on planet Earth: the firearm. The firearm, when used in the right place at the right time, prevents tragedy. The firearm, when used with the principle of peace through strength, prevents tragedy. Just think about what it would be like if five law-abiding citizens had a conceal carry weapon during the Virginia Tech shooting! The perpetrator could have been stopped.When you limit Second Amendment rights, you’re not just preventing the acquisition of weapons. You’re prohibiting our God-given right of self-defense from evil men, and from government. The Second Amendment exists to ensure our self-defense and our freedom from tyranny. So, if you’re tempted to make the baseless assumption that “most” Americans agree your executive fiat again, Mr. President, check your opinion at the door. We like our freedom, and our God-given right to self-defense. You can take our guns, but you’ll have to pry them from our cold, dead hands. In review, President Obama’s Executive Actions on guns are fairly modest. However, they’re just a baby step towards Obama’s larger ambition for gun control. Remember, this is the same man who praised Australia's mandatory gun buyback program. The truly appalling thing about this situation is the fact that the President stepped down from his proverbial throne and issued an edict like an emperor. To change laws, the President must use Congress. Executive Order used to promote an agenda is unconstitutional. He somehow doesn’t understand this, with all his talk about having a pen and a phone. Hopefully, we can begin to move forward on a Constitutional Amendment limiting the use of Executive Action.
I used to joke about the Democrat’s short-term memory loss; however, during recent events I have begun to wonder about the memory of Republicans. I have watched the poll numbers with amazement as a man of questionable moral character leads in the GOP nomination. Not only is his character questionable, his political record is suspect at best. There are many reasons that Donald Trump should not be elected; only a few of them follow.
Moral Character It was less then twenty years ago that Republicans attacked President Clinton for his affair, and yet Donald Trump is open about his immoral behavior and he is at the top of the polls for the Republican nomination. Nominating him would be hypocritical. Trump has committed adultery. In William J. Bennett’s book about the Clinton impeachment trials, Bennett stated, “Adultery will often reveal something about a person’s character and judgment; his prudence and judiciousness; his honor and trustworthiness; his governing abilities and stability.” The President has to set an example for the next generation. The President has moral authority and he must be able to use it to encourage children to live moral lives. Virtue is the most important aspect of political leadership, for without it there is no protection against tyranny. Past Record Trump today seems to embrace many of the Republican ideals, yet his past record is a maze of questionable ideas. Even on the campaign trail, Trump has supported universal health care. In 2000 Trump supported a ban on assault weapons. Trump also has questionable beliefs on religious liberty. Trump’s foreign policy has been mostly a show of force. He has forgotten the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Speak softly but carry a big stick.” Political Ability Trump has admitted to engaging in crony capitalism, but that is about all his political experience. He has funded campaigns on both sides. His contributions included $6,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Commission; $3,900 to Hillary Clinton; $5,000 to Harry Reid; $1,000 to Joe Biden; and $2,000 to Charles Schumer. Secondly, Trump has not proven an ability to work within the political system. He has come across as bellicose. Despite the annoyance they cause, negotiation and compromise is necessary in America’s political process. The Constitution specifically set up a system that would create gridlock and necessitate compromise and debate. In such a system we need someone who can negotiate and yet not give over the proverbial farm. Conclusion From all sides, Trump is not a good choice for the Republican Party. He has betrayed the principles of this party. He is not moral. He does not have the political ability that the President needs. Trump must not win the GOP nomination.  “My view is the less the government can do and the more freedom and opportunity you give people, that trusting people and free people and free enterprise - that America has built the greatest country in the history of the world.”
There are more than a few good people running for president in 2016. After a great deal of thought and research I have decided that Rick Santorum is the best man for the job, and here are the reasons why. First let us tackle Senator Santorum on the issues. One of the most important issues that face a president is foreign policy, and out of all of the current GOP candidates for president Senator Santorum has the most experience with foreign policy. Senator Santorum served for 8 years on the Senate Armed Services Committee and authored the Syria Accountability Act and the Iran Freedom and Support Act. Further, and most importantly, Rick Santorum stands with Israel, Patriot Voices, the organization that Senator Santorum started and was chairman of for 2 years, took goodwill trip to Israel and has led the effort in standing with Israel against those who would attack her Senator Santorum has often declared that as president he will fight to stop the rise of radical Islam and the threat of terrorism. Rick Santorum believes in the American dream and the importance of allowing healthy amount of immigration into our country. As president, he hopes to downsize the amount of immigrants (or immigration) As the son and grandson of Italian immigrants, Rick Santorum believes in the American dream and the importance of allowing healthy amount of immigration into our country. As president, he hopes to downsize the amount of immigrants (or immigration) each year from the approximately 1 million immigrants we currently get to about 750,000, which he believes is a more healthy number that will allow for economic growth and jobs for American citizens. Senator Santorum has been focused on helping middle class Americans who are the backbone of the country. In order to do this he believes in creating a fairer and flatter tax code that would greatly diminish the role of the IRS in our day to day lives. Senator Santorum’s thoughts on the American workers can be found in his book Blue Collar Conservative. Senator Santorum is committed to creating an atmosphere in which business can thrive with less government restrictions and more freedom. As a member of the “Gang of Seven” which helped to expose the congressional banking and post office scandals in the early 1990s, Senator Santorum has long been a proponent of fiscal responsibility. Senator Santorum supports “No Budget, No Pay” legislation which would require a balanced budget or else the members of congress forgo their pay. He also has been a long supporter of a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution. Rick Santorum believes in school choice and stands for “Common Sense, not Common Core” He believes that parents, states and communities should make the decisions about education rather than the federal government. Regarding family values and religious freedom, Senator Santorum is a strong believe in conservative values, such as the sanctity of life, the right to protect ones self and family, the definition of marriage as being a union between one man and one woman. "You can't ignore the reality that faith and family, those two things are integral parts of having limited government, lower taxes, and free societies." Senator Santorum also authored the Workplace Religious Freedom Act. To me the most important issue facing this nation and our society in general is the issue of life/abortion. And this is the main reason I admire Rick J. Santorum. From his time in the senate to the present day Senator Santorum has been a champion for the Right to life and a hero in the battle for the Sanctity of life. He wrote, and championed the fight to pass both the Born Alive Infant Protection Act and the Partial Birth Abortion Ban. Further he has written legislation promoting the use of adult stem cell research so that ethical research can be continued to cure debilitating diseases without the loss of human life entailed in embryonic stem cell research. Not one to stop with words, you can see his commitment to protecting the sanctity of life played out in his day to day walk. Senator Santorum is a protector of our weakest and most vulnerable citizens, those with disabilities. When his youngest daughter, Isabella, was born with a serious and rare genetic disorder called Trisomy 18, the resolve of the Santorums to protect the rights of the disabled was further galvanized. (read “Bella’s Gift”, authored by Senator and Mrs. Santorum with their daughter Elizabeth) Rick Santorum, while in the senate, authored and helped to pass the Combating Autism Act of 2005 and also co-authored Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Leading a grassroots effort through Patriot Voices, Senator Santorum was a strong voice in the fight against the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which was a treaty that would have put the US under international law and given the power of making decisions regarding the treatment of disabled Americans to unelected UN officials. These are the reasons why I support Rick J. Santorum for president, but in addition to that, the fact that he has such a happy and successful family shows me that he has been faithful in taking care of his biggest responsibilities, Rick is the proud father of two sons who are Citadel Cadets and who are planning to join the military. This shows me that Senator Santorum values, and has taught his children to value patriotism, and that he will not be reckless in his use of our armed forces. He knows that those soldiers have faces, names and families. Rick's previous successes in running for office and the organization he founded, Patriot Voices, does amazing things to protect our family, faith and freedom. In Rick Santorum, I see a man who loves his family and loves his country. That is the sort of man I want to be president. This is the man I want to run my country. #GameOn “America's honor, your honor is at stake. Go out and preserve the greatest country in the history of the world.”  Del. David Ramadan, a state Republican legislator from Northern Virginia, drew the ire of Donald Trump’s supporters this week. After Del. Ramadan criticized Trump via Twitter for opposing the Virginia GOP’s requirement for Republican primary voters to sign statements of party affiliation, an angry mob of Trump fans descended upon Del. Ramadan’s Twitter account, making some of the most absurd statements I’ve seen in a long time. Ramadan received thousands of hateful messages, accusing him of being an enabler of terrorism, with supposed ties to ISIS, Hezbollah, and other Islamist groups. This incident serves as a classic example of how ridiculous--and xenophobic--Donald Trump’s supporters can be. It's also a reminder of the danger of Trump's low-information, utterly fascistic rhetoric. Ramadan’s record speaks for itself. He moved to the U.S. from Lebanon to study at George Mason University, and has worked on behalf of conservatism ever since. He followed all the rules, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Today, Ramadan is a successful business owner, and a member of the oldest continually serving legislative body in the western hemisphere. As a state Delegate, he's been a constant supporter of the Constitution, protecting the unborn, and limited government. Simply put, his story embodies the American Dream. Instead of insulting a good and decent person like David Ramadan, Trump’s supporters should get a life--and find something better to do.
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