Obama Blames The Right
Barack Obama waded into the San Jose controversy on Friday. Incredibly, he blamed political violence on conservatives.
Speaking at a fundraising event in Miami, Obama condemned the violent left-wing demonstrators who attacked Trump supporters at a rally last week. But he added, "It is very important for us to . . . not slip into some of the bad habits that currently manifest themselves in the other party." Obama warned progressives to avoid resorting "to some of the same kinds of tactics they've [conservatives] been engaging in for quite some time."
What is he talking about? Virtually all political violence is coming, and historically has come, from the left, not the right.
The Occupy Wall Street movement developed a lengthy rap sheet. Polling found that its supporters were prone to violence.
How about the Black Lives Matter movement and the Ferguson and Baltimore riots? It is delusional to suggest that this kind of political violence is coming from the right.
French Stands Down
National Review columnist and decorated Iraq war veteran David French is standing down. He will not be an independent candidate for president in 2016. In a column posted Sunday night, French wrote that he was not the right person "given the timing."
Jerusalem Day
Yesterday, Israel celebrated Jerusalem Day and the 49th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem during the Six Day War. Because of this liberation, Jews, Christians, and Muslims can freely express their faith in a city that is important to each religion. Before 1967, east Jerusalem was under the jurisdiction of Jordan. Jews and others were denied access to their most holy sites, including the Western Wall.
Of course, jihadists all over the region routinely announce that their goal is to again divide Jerusalem in half and, ultimately, for a united Jerusalem to serve as the capital of a new Palestinian state.
In his remarks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his promise to never allow Jerusalem to be divided. "Forty-nine years ago, Jerusalem was released from its shackles," Netanyahu said. "We will not return to a reality whereby the city is torn, divided, and wounded."
Prime Minister Netanyahu explained the vital importance of Israeli control over Jerusalem, saying, "There was no peace [here] for the [three] religions until Jerusalem was under Israeli sovereignty. Someone was always dispossessed. It is only when we watch over the city, under Israeli sovereignty, that there can be freedom for the three religions."
Netanyahu also emphasized his desire for peace: "Israel wants peace. I want peace. I want to renew the diplomatic process to achieve peace. But peace, if it is achieved, will come through direct talks between us and our neighbors, at the end of which they will recognize that Israel is the national homeland of the Jewish people."
The prime minister's remarks were a poignant reflection of Israel's struggle. "The veterans here remember what the soldiers wrote on the military vehicles -- 'There will not be a second Auschwitz, and there will not be a second Masada.' . . . This was proven once again -- that the only way to guarantee our existence is our presence and ability to defend ourselves and to protect the security of the state of Israel."
We encourage Prime Minister Netanyahu to remain steadfast. Thousands of years ago, Solomon understood that if you loved a baby you couldn't cut it in half. Prime Minister Netanyahu understands that the same wisdom applies to Jerusalem today.
Remembering D-Day
Today is the 72nd anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of France that marked the beginning of the end of World War II.
America still has the most powerful military in the world. Its technological sophistication surpasses anything our leaders of 70 years ago could have imagined. But when it comes to having the moral courage to do what needs to be done to triumph over evil, our retreat from the values of the Greatest Generation has been nothing short of breathtaking.
On D-Day, President Roosevelt demonstrated that moral courage when he led the nation in a prayer for our troops crossing the English Channel. Below are some excerpts of FDR's D-Day prayer. Share them with your children as a reminder of America's rich religious heritage and the courage we drew from it.
"Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. . .
"They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
"And for us at home . . . help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice. . . And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. . . Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen."