Tragedy In Arizona 

Prescott, Arizona, is reeling from the news that 19 members of an elite firefighting unit were killed battling a blazing fire near the small town of Yarnell. "We're devastated. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet," Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said yesterday.

Our hearts go out to the families of these brave firefighters. It is a tragic reminder that on a daily basis first responders here at home are putting their lives on the line to help and protect us, just as our men and women in uniform do overseas. 

Please join us in praying for these families and those affected by this devastating wildfire. 

Palin Warns GOP Elites 

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin raised more than a few eyebrows this weekend when she seemed open to joining a third party. Appearing on Fox News Saturday, Palin was asked whether she and radio talk show host Mark Levin would be "willing to build a 'Freedom Party' if [the] GOP continues to ignore conservatives?" Palin responded: 
 

• "I love the name of that party -- the 'Freedom Party.' And if the GOP continues to back away from the planks in our platform, from the principles that built this party of Lincoln and Reagan, then yeah, more and more of us are going to start saying, 'You know, what's wrong with being independent?' … 

  "I think there will be a lot of us who start saying, 'GOP, if you abandon us, we have nowhere else to go except to become more independent… Remember these are private parties, and you know, no one forces us to be enlisted in either party."

That was the mood of many callers I spoke to on the Bauer & Rose Show yesterday. They have had it with Beltway elites and frequently cited the same issues: More than a dozen GOP senators voting for the so-called immigration "reform" bill, and the weak response from Republican leaders to the outrageous Supreme Court decisions on marriage. 

Anyone interested in seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 -- Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Chris Christie, Rand Paul, etc. -- needs to understand how close the GOP coalition is to a permanently unraveling. 

Anyone who thinks a 3rd party led by Sarah Palin would be insignificant doesn't get it. If they think it would be suicidal for the party, then they had better come up with a plan to keep populists and pro-family conservatives inside the tent everyone says they are trying to expand. 

Conservatives have been told repeatedly that this amnesty bill is necessary to help the party grow. Statistically that appears to be an extraordinarily weak argument. 

Hispanics are more likely than the general population to identify as "liberal." And they overwhelmingly support the concept of "bigger government and more services" over "smaller government and less services." It is difficult to comprehend how granting amnesty to millions of new liberal voters helps the GOP. 

Members of Congress are back home for the July 4th recess. House members need to hear from their constituents. Use our online Congressional Directory to find contact information for your elected representative's district office. Make your voice heard! 

Lerner Waived Her Rights 

Friday the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 22-to-17 to call IRS executive Lois Lerner back to testify about her knowledge of the IRS's harassment and targeting of conservative groups. You may recall that Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a May appearance before the committee and refused to testify.

However, she made a series of statements addressing the issue after she asserted her rights, effectively offering her testimony then refusing to answer questions from committee members. As Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), a former prosecutor explained, that is not how the Fifth Amendment works:
 

• "I have identified nine separate specific assertions made by Lois Lerner on May 22 and that was after she asserted after she asserted her right. Nine separate specific assertions, including, Mr. Chairman, 'I have done nothing wrong,' 'I have broken no laws,' 'I have provided no false information to Congress,' 'I have violated no IRS rules,' 'I have violated no IRS regulations,' and then, Mr. Chairman, she authenticated a document, all of this, Mr. Chairman, after she invoked her right to remain silent.

  "The case law … is clear. This is not the way the Fifth Amendment works. You don't get to tell your side of the story, and then avoid the very process we have in this system of getting at the truth, which is cross-examination."

Lerner's attorney vowed to resist further attempts to compel her testimony. If she refuses to testify, she could be charged with contempt of Congress. Stay tuned. 

Hobby Lobby Wins Reprieve 

Overshadowed by last week's disappointing Supreme Court decisions was some good news in the legal battle against Obamacare's assault on religious liberty. 

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Hobby Lobby was likely to succeed in its lawsuit against Obamacare's contraception mandate and ordered a lower federal court to reconsider its ruling against the company. Friday the district court reversed itself and issued an injunction preventing the federal government from enforcing the mandate. 

The Obama Administration is effectively arguing that for-profit companies -- even privately-held companies such as Hobby Lobby owned by religious families -- have no right to assert claims of religious liberty. But in their opinion, the appellate court judges rhetorically asked, "Would an incorporated kosher butcher really have no claim to challenge a regulation mandating non-kosher butchering practices?"  

The Obama Administration is putting Hobby Lobby and other business owners in an intolerable position: The company can A) violate its religious beliefs and comply with the mandate, B) pay $26 million in fines if it dropped its health care plan to avoid the mandate or C) keep its health insurance coverage and pay nearly $500 million in fines for failing to comply with the mandate. 

This case and others like it will presumably be decided by the Supreme Court, where there are four reliably liberal justices and four center-right justices. As we learned yet again last week, pinning your hopes on Justice Anthony Kennedy is a slender reed.