Duck Dynasty Fights Back 

Last night, Duck Dynasty's Robertson clan issued a statement responding to A&E's suspension of Phil Robertson, who expressed his biblically-based values on marriage and human sexuality in an interview with GQ. Here are a few excerpts of the family's statement:
 

• "We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word. …Phil would never incite or encourage hate. We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. 

  "We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty."

While Phil Robertson has been the focus of this furor, the real attention should be directed to the intolerant homosexual rights movement and its totalitarian left-wing allies in Big Media. 

Even lesbian writer Camille Paglia is appalled by the attack on Phil Robertson. She blasted the reaction of the left calling it "punitive [political correctness], utterly fascist, utterly Stalinist." 

She is right! The culture war is real and it strikes at the very heart of this nation.

Let me summarize it for you: 

The same cultural forces trying to make sure that no nativity scene is displayed in a public square; 

The people who tried to destroy the president of Chick-fil-A for the "crime" of supporting traditional marriage; 

The bureaucrats in the Obama Administration who are trying to force Catholic and evangelical business owners to subsidize abortion and pay for other medical services and products that violate their religious values; 

The radicals who demand that a small, Christian-owned bakery be forced to cater a same-sex "wedding;" 

The same people who are purging our history books and replacing the text with anti-American history -- it is all part of the radical left's jihad against America's cultural norms and our Judeo-Christian values. 

The culture war has been going on for decades. But the election of Barack Obama has unleashed the left, making it more aggressive than ever.

Sadly, on our side, the resistance is often too weak. Too many churches are AWOL, too many politicians are cowering in fear, too many people are afraid to speak up. 

I believe America, this great experiment in ordered liberty under God, will survive or fall based on how we handle these issues, not whether billionaires pay higher taxes or if the chained consumer price index is adjusted. 

Obama Waives Individual Mandate 

The disaster-drama that is Obamacare continues to unfold. Last night, the Obama Administration was forced to waive the individual mandate for people who have had their insurance policies cancelledbecause of Obamacare. According to columnist John Fund, that is "at least the 14th unilateral change to Obamacare that's been made without consulting Congress." 

A couple of points come to mind. 

First, it was only a few weeks ago that Obama and his Democrat allies shut down the government over their refusal to delay the individual mandate. Now Obama has tacitly conceded that Senator Ted Cruz and House Republicans were right to demand such a delay. 

Second, Obamacare was supposed to solve the problem of too many Americans being uninsured. A key element in the Democrats' scheme was the individual mandate, forcing people to buy health insurance. 

What's the reality? Millions of Americans have lost their existing health insurance plans and now Obama is waiving the mandate!

Third, the Obama Administration is legislating at whim, threatening our system of checks and balances. 

Given all the other abuses and scandals in this administration, the results of a new Gallup poll are not at all surprising: 72% of Americans -- a new record high -- say that Big Government is a threat to the country. 

House Republicans Fighting Back 

Seven House Republicans, led by Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, have sent a letter to the Justice Department requesting a criminal investigation of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. 

Their request stems from testimony Clapper gave to Congress in March about the NSA's data collection efforts. Clapper was asked directly whether the agency was collecting bulk electronic data of American citizens, and he assured members of Congress that it was not doing so. We now know that Clapper's answer was false, and a federal court has just declared the program unconstitutional. 

In their letter, the House Republicans write, "There are differences of opinion about the propriety of the NSA's data collection programs. There can be no disagreement, however, on the basic premise that congressional witnesses must answer truthfully." 

I got a lot of angry feedback about the recent budget deal that cuts military benefits, including those for our disabled veterans. You will be pleased to know that Representatives Martha Roby (R-AL) and Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) have introduced legislation to fix this outrage. 

Their bill is similar to the Session amendment, which would restore funding for the benefits by closing loopholes that have allowed illegal immigrants to fraudulently receive billions of dollars in child tax credits. The Roby/Fitzpatrick bill currently has 45 co-sponsors, 44 Republicans and only one Democrat.