Something To Strive For?
When we think of things worth striving for, usually something noble comes to mind -- striving for a better education, a new job or reaching a life goal. But by the standards of most Americans, one abortionist is striving for something sinister.
The latest undercover video exposing Planned Parenthood's barbaric fetal harvesting practices features Dr. Amna Dermish discussing how she was trained to "get the specimens out pretty intact."
And she has one major goal in mind: to harvest an intact fetal brain. "I haven't been able to do that yet," she says, adding "this will give me something to strive for." Her methods may be illegal.
Dr. Dermish's comments, as disgusting as they are, should give all of us who cherish the sanctity of life a renewed sense of commitment. Let us strive for the day when all of our children are welcomed into the world and protected under the law.
Let us strive for the day when Planned Parenthood no longer receives taxpayer subsidies from hard-working Americans.
Comey Vs. Obama
FBI Director James Comey is causing a lot of consternation at the White House. Twice in the past week, Comey has warned that a major spike in violent crime is partly due to a "Ferguson effect" that is causing law enforcement officers to hesitate on America's "mean streets."
Comey warns that "a chill wind [is] blowing through American law enforcement over the last year," adding "That wind is surely changing behavior." And while President Obama is embracing the Black Lives Matter movement, Comey's comments are being echoed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "We have allowed our Police Department to get fetal, and it is having a direct consequence," Emanuel said recently.
By the way, a new Washington Post analysis of 800 fatal shootings by police officers found that the officers were justified in approximately 95% of the cases.
Meanwhile, President Obama will be in Chicago today calling for more gun control laws during an address before the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Chicago is a good place to talk about violent crime. Last weekend, five people were killed and 17 were wounded. But virtually nothing Obama is proposing would stop criminals from getting guns.
The left is increasingly out of touch when it comes to the Second Amendment. The NRA has a 58% favorability rating, significantly higher than President Obama's 46% approval rating.
Moreover, when asked whether recent mass shootings represent problems related to mental health issues or inadequate gun control laws, only 23% of the public thinks we need more gun control laws.
The Anti-Israel Left
I have warned before about the growing anti-Israel sentiments of the American political left. We saw it in the Occupy Wall Street crowd.
The latest example comes from the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. A recent viral video entitled "When I see them, I see us," shows Palestinian and BLM activists embracing each other's cause. It comes at a time when Palestinians are engaged in a terror campaign against Israeli Jews. Moreover, the video features a Palestinian bomber and celebrates a U.S. cop-killer.
The attempt to turn Palestinian violence into the equivalent of the American civil rights movement is outrageous, and the absurdity is obvious. In the Middle East, the one country that promotes civil rights is Israel. There are no civil rights in Gaza or in many Arab nations unless you come from the correct Muslim sect.
Two weeks ago, one of the speakers at Louis Farrakhan's Million Man march in Washington, D.C., was Revered Jeremiah Wright. Not surprisingly, Wright launched into an anti-Israel rant, saying among other things, "The youth in Ferguson and the youth in Palestine have united together" and "Palestinians are saying 'Palestinian lives matter.' We stand with you, we support you."
Barack Obama sat in Reverend Wright's church for years, and the church's magazine gave an award to Louis Farrakhan, a raving anti-Semite. If you want to make a connection between the political left and rising anti-Semitism, look at the past seven years of Barack Obama pummeling Israel in the court of public opinion, while reorienting our foreign policy away from the only true democracy in the region to the theocratic mullahs of Iran.
Poll Position
There has been a change at the top of the GOP leaderboard for 2016. A new CBS/New York Times national poll finds Dr. Ben Carson now leading the Republican presidential primary. Carson leads Donald Trump 26% to 22%. No other candidate received double-digit support.
This poll comes on the heels of several others showing Dr. Carson opening up big leads in Iowa -- anywhere from 8 to 14 points.