‘The veto of Arizona’s religious freedom bill is only the beginning’ (Tammy Bruce, The Washington Times)

Demonstrating the wisdom of a modern day King Solomon must either be a great gift or a great burden.  As Ms. Bruce correctly predicted, my knee-jerk reaction was to join the faceless, nay-saying chorus.  Then I realized that she is right.  Christians acting out of religious conviction is valid and should be respected even when it is disagreed with.  Indeed, no one would force a Jewish organization to serve pork or a Muslim organization to produce images of Mohammad.  Politicizing the issue by using the mechanisms of progressive government or the force of law to mandate some artificial, one-size-fits-all, politically correct Orwellian Utopia won’t work.  That’s splitting the baby in half: nobody wins.  Therefore, when two sets of competing values with equal validity exist the marketplace should determine the results.  Simply put, if you don’t like the vendor take your business elsewhere.  Nobody is harmed and everyone’s needs are met.  No doubt King Solomon would approve.  But I suspect Ms. Bruce knew that already.

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'For Debbie Dingell, a life primed for politics' (Ben Terris, Style, Washington Post)

Since when is a longtime trophy wife of a U.S. Congressmen entitled to his seat?  Just because he has held the seat for 58 years and she has conveniently been married to the old man for 33 years (nepotism), knows people/attends lots of midday cocktail parties (luncheons), takes 'serious looking' photo-ops and has worked for GM, a company with deep business ties to her family—no potential favoritism there—doesn’t make her objectively qualified to take over.  Good to know such obvious nepotism of the ruling Democratic elite is so blatantly celebrated by The Washington Post.  Her married name might be Dingell, but given her questionable track record she sounds more like a dingleberry to me.

Postscript: Democrat Debbie Dingell has won the 12th District House seat to succeed her husband, John, who is retiring as the longest-serving member of Congress (November 4, 2014)

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Genderqueer at the Gym (Marion Cory, Outlook section, Washington Post)

While it is scientifically true that all human beings are biological amalgamations of testosterone and estrogen, gender is--and remains--a static principle unless one undergoes hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery.  In truth, the gender of the partner one sleeps with only defines that person as much as he or she allows it to.    It is clear from Ms. Cory's article that the primary judgment she suffers from is self-imposed.  After all, would a truly confident person care about the accusatory looks or snickered whispers of the insensitive or ill-informed?  Would that same person politicize what amounts to be an internal character flaw by writing an editorial in The Washington Post subtly blaming society-at-large for some perceived slight?
  

Building the body is healthy and can indirectly aid self-esteem, but it doesn't take the place of a good therapist.  Ms. Cory should stop playing her version of Facebook's game of fifty-seven flavors of gender labels.  It may be more fun and diverting than hitting the gym or those dusty law books at Georgetown, but her effort is ultimately counterproductive because it sees this issue through a divisive prism.  Indeed, any observation with its roots in the politics of race, gender or class promotes alienation not understanding or acceptance.  That's what truly makes this a queer issue.

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No concessions from Obama

By THE WASHINGTON TIMES - - Monday, February 10, 2014 

What the heck is Ben Wolfgang talking about?  Exactly what are Mr. Obama's "concessions" to Republicans?  This snake oil salesman--allegedly a Constitutional lawyer--has repeatedly violated his Presidential oath to "faithfully... preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution by cherry-picking law enforcement and ruling by executive fiat with a "magic" pen and phone.  Mr. Obama--likely the most radical and polarizing president in U.S. history--doesn't know the meaning of the word "compromise" and he certainly doesn't concede anything to Republicans.  Mr. Wolfgang's statement is, at best, misleading if not completely untrue.  Indeed, Mr. Wolfgang's journalistic duty is to hold government accountable not to provide cover for a corrupt administration.

DAVID L. HUNTER
Germantown

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/10/letter-to-the-editor-no-concessions-from-obama/#ixzz3ZNtdN2fk 

Twitter: @DavidHunterblog

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Obama: 'A pen, a phone, a precedent' (Rationalizing an Imperialist American president)

As any informed grade school student could educate Ms. Marcus: Congress makes the laws, the President enforces the laws and the Court interprets the laws.  That, in a nutshell, is our governmental system.  Indeed, per the oath of office, the primary responsibility of the President is to “support and defend” the Constitution.  Not to perpetually rule by executive fiat (a.k.a. the pen and phone) cherry-picking the laws you like and disregarding or arbitrarily amending the laws you don’t agree with or are not politically convenient.  That is the purview of whimsical Kings and autocratic Dictators.  That, in practice, is “lawlessness” as any clear-thinking person knows.

Ms. Marcus' attempt to muddy the waters is feeble.  By suggesting that Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation—which freed the slaves and actually affirms the fundamental principle of the Constitution that “All men are created equal”— is the same thing as suspending certain deportations of non-US citizens (not “defending” the law) is profoundly Orwellian reasoning.  Likewise, that Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase (Is the State Department or diplomacy suddenly no longer a part of the executive branch?) and delaying, revising or rewriting—Ms. Marcus' words—Congressional edicts by the Obama Administration (a.k.a. “legislating” not “executing” the law) demonstrates willful ignorance and a dereliction of her journalistic duty.

Ms. Marcus is certainly doing her part to ensure that transparency and the rule of law are the touchstones of the Obama presidency.

Twitter: @DavidHunterblog
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Outrage! Feds Cut EBT Benefits by $44.00 a month

Does the Washington Post ever factor in any degree of personal responsibility in any of its stories or philosophically is everyone just automatically a victim? 

While difficult economic times, failing health and a product of multigenerational welfare are mitigating factors, the subject of Mr. Saslow's extensive piece, Raphael Richmond, chose not to pursue higher education or a professional career, chose to lay down with no less than five deadbeat baby daddies and produce six children.  She appears to have enough discretionary funds to beautify herself and support a cigarette habit at seven dollars a pack in DC.  Per Mr. Saslow's extensive profile, Ms. Richmond is provided with a housing voucher to a four bedroom domicile (at $139.00 per month); she has access to what I assume to be a free cell phone; she receives free medical care at a southeast Washington health clinic and periodic ER visits which I assume she does not pay for; and food stamps for herself, her adult daughter and soon to be adult son.  Ms. Richmond even has access to a free computer and scanner but somehow a subway ride and four bus transfers equal an insurmountable journey.  And the Post devotes three pages worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in column space to detail this woman's supposed plight and the underlying reason for this article is the fact that her EBT benefits have been reduced by a grand total of $44.00 dollars a month.  I put it to Mr. Saslow, hasn't the American taxpayer done enough for this woman given her life choices and how else does a society reduce a 17 trillion dollar debt unless cuts are made somewhere?

Re:  'December 7th & December 8th' (Eli Saslow, Front Page, Washington Post)

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Seriously? 'Push to give Pell grants to prisoners' (Nick Anderson, Education section, Washington Post)

Charles Manson is a cult leader and convicted mass murder--so like many felons he doesn't exactly have a history of playing well with others--but if he ever earned a Ph.D. in prison he should be hired (assuming he ever gets out of prison) over someone with a clean record?  And when Mr. Manson fills out that inevitable job application with that pesky standard question about whether or not he has ever been convicted of a felony, how likely is it that any rational employer is going to disregard a violent criminal history just because he holds an advanced degree?  In other words, 34.6 million in Pell grants for prisoners may be less than 1% of the program's annual budget, but in point of fact, it is a colossal waste of money because those resources could and rightfully should be used to educate the non-violent and law-abiding.  Add to that expense the annual average taxpayer cost in 40 states of $31,286 per inmate (per the Vera Institute of Justice in a 2010 study released in 2012) and many inmates who also get free health care have a standard of living that is better than many rank and file Americans.  The fact that the Post would bring attention to this highly controversial issue--a political lightning rod so extreme that even Democrats won't touch it--is, in effect, subtle advocacy of a truly radical ideal.  The Post should be less concerned about the flagging self-esteem of criminals and more concerned with the interests of John Q. Taxpayer for it is he who buys the subscriptions and pays the bills.

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