Mystery In Columbus
Police in Columbus, Ohio, need some help. Here's the situation:
Yesterday a man walked into a restaurant named Nazareth, owned by an Israeli Christian. The man asked to speak to the owner, who wasn't there, so he left.
About 30 minutes later, he came back, only this time he had a machete. He began attacking the customers, systematically working his way through the restaurant.
Thankfully, the patrons fought back with chairs and other items. He fled the scene, and police eventually caught up with him. He was shot and killed when he threatened officers.
The coroner's office identified the attacker as Mohamed Barry. Some reports indicate he was a Somali national. Yet a Columbus police officer said, "There's nothing to lead us to believe this is anything more than a random attack."
God bless the Columbus police, but seriously. . . Do they see anything in these facts that might lead to a different conclusion about why a Muslim named Mohamed attacked a restaurant named Nazareth, owned by an Israeli?
Yes, Let's Talk About Abortion
The pro-abortion group NARAL was very upset that abortion wasn't being discussed at any of the previous Democrat debates. Moderators have brought it up several times during the Republican debates, but Senator Sanders and former Secretary of State Clinton had yet to be asked to state their positions on the issue.
So NARAL launched a social media campaign to draw attention to the lack of questions about abortion in the Democrat debates. On this point, I agree with NARAL -- let's ask Clinton and Sanders some questions.
How about this one: "Senator Sanders, advocates of abortion do not like the term 'pro-abortion.' But can you name one abortion you would prevent?"
Or this one: "Senator Sanders, you support public funding for abortion. Why should religious Americans be forced to subsidize abortion, the destruction of innocent human life, with their hard-earned tax dollars?"
Here's one for Mrs. Clinton: "Secretary Clinton, Congress passed legislation making the practice of partial-birth abortion illegal. It is a gruesome procedure in which an unborn child's skull is punctured and crushed just moments from the baby taking its first breath. You voted against that law. Can you explain to the 70% of Americans who oppose partial-birth abortion why they are wrong?"
Here's another: "Secretary Clinton, you claim to be against gender bias. Yet you oppose legislation that would prevent the destruction of an unborn baby simply because she is a baby girl. How can you claim to be against gender discrimination and yet allow the destruction of future generations of women?"
Saturday Night's Debate
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Ben Carson will face off Saturday night in Greenville, South Carolina. CBS will carry the debate live at 9:00 p.m. ET. Here's my quick take on what I think each candidate needs to do:
- Jeb Bush must prove that he does indeed understand the times and the frustration at the grassroots.
- Macro Rubio needs to pivot off the attack by Christie and use it to his advantage to get back into the game.
- Ted Cruz needs to convince voters that he more than anyone else can rebuild the Reagan coalition of Southern evangelicals, Midwestern Catholics and working class voters.
- John Kasich needs to find a way to appeal to South Carolina's more conservative electorate, while distinguishing himself from Jeb Bush.
- Ben Carson must convince voters that he can win.
- Donald Trump just needs to continue being Donald Trump. In a divided contest, that gives him the advantage he needs to prevail.
Your Vote
Your votes for 2016 are pouring into our online straw poll. We're going to keep it open through the holiday weekend. So if you haven't yet cast your vote, please do so now! Who is your favorite candidate and is there someone you could not support?