Rand Paul On Life 

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was interviewed this week by David Axelrod at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics. During the course of the hour-long interview, Axelrod prodded Paul on the sanctity of life. While Paul accurately described the problem with America's current legal regime, which permits abortion-on-demand, when asked what he would do as president, he said this: 

"My religious and personal belief is that life begins at the very beginning I think that persuasion is part of this. I think the country is somewhere in the middle and we're not changing any of the laws until the country is persuaded otherwise."

Notice that Paul answered the question purely in terms of political strategy. He did not spend one second trying to persuade his audience (the very thing he says must be done first) that women are exploited by abortion and babies are deprived of their God-given right to life. 

What Paul is doing on values issues is the same thing that many in the Washington establishment do -- he is treating the sanctity of life like a problem to be managed rather than a cause worth fighting for. 

Sadly, this is not the first time Paul has done this. When asked about efforts to redefine marriage last month, Paul said that conservatives will have to "agree to disagree on social issues" and that some voters don't want to be "festooned by those issues." 

To his credit, Paul will fight for his libertarian agenda of smaller government and less spending. But his position on values amounts to a slow-motion surrender. 

It takes a lot less persuasion to defend the humanity of an unborn baby than it does to defend tax cuts for billionaires or to argue that your mother's Social Security check is too big. On life and marriage, the public is at worst evenly divided. 

Paul is willing to fight for some dubious things -- massive cuts in defense spending, for example, and retreat in the war on drugs. But on life and marriage he continues to waiver. 

Speaking Of Values

Forty-five people were shot in Chicago over Easter weekend. Nine were killed. Five kids between the ages of 11 and 15 were shot while playing in a park. 

Reacting to the violence, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, "The values that we teach our children when we hold them and read to them are timeless. They're about right and wrong. They're about knowing good from bad. They serve as your compass as your guide. This is our home. These streets don't belong to the gang-bangers."

It's good that the mayor took the opportunity to address values. But what he did not address, and what many so-called "black leaders" refuse to address, is the breakdown of the black family.

I am convinced that if Martin Luther King, Jr., were alive today, he would be weeping over what has happened to his people. In some ways, the black family was much stronger when he was alive than it is today. Civil rights laws are stronger today, but families have been weakened. 

Character is formed in churches and in families by pastors and by parents. No government program can make up for the breakdown of the family. Try as they might, bureaucrats and social workers cannot replace fathers. 

I am equally convinced that after he finished weeping, Dr. King would be marching through the streets of Chicago leading a crusade to rebuild the black family. He would not be trying to redefine marriage or advocate for policies that led to a majority of minority babies being aborted. 

"Burn, Baby, Burn" 

A month ago, we reported the disturbing news that aborted babies were being burned to produce electricity in several British hospitals. It is happening here too.

A waste-to-energy facility in Marion County, Oregon, recently confirmed that it is receiving "biomedical waste" from British Columbia, Canada. What executives at the energy plant claim they did not know until this week was that the waste included aborted babies. 

In operation since 1987, the facility has been a source of considerable controversy. A 2007 article tragically titled, "Burn, Baby, Burn," noted that "800 tons of medical waste per year" were incinerated at the facility. Many local residents were deeply concerned then about the lack of testing for health and safety standards. But in recent days officials at the British Columbia Health Ministry admitted that the biomedical waste included "surgically removed cancerous tissue, amputated limbs, and fetal tissue." 

The burning of fetal tissue to power area homes has infuriated Marion County officials, who have called an emergency meeting today. County Commissioner Janet Carlson told a local TV station, "We are outraged and disgusted that this material could be included in medical waste received at the facility." 

Sam Brentano, chairman of the Marion County board of commissioners, said yesterday, "We thought our ordinance excluded this type of material at the waste-to-energy facility. We will take immediate action to ensure a process is developed to prohibit human tissue from future deliveries." 

Palestinians Pick Genocide Over Peace 

If there was any doubt or confusion about the true obstacle to peace in the Middle East, yesterday's action by the leadership of the Palestinian Authority to embrace Hamas should settle the issue. This decision to form a new unity government with Hamas -- a terrorist organization that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist -- tells you everything you need to know about the unwillingness of the Palestinian leadership to negotiate a meaningful peace with Israel. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the move yesterday, saying, "ůas peace talks were about to take place, [Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas chose Hamas and not peace. Whoever chooses Hamas does not want peace."

Meanwhile at the State Department, reality seems to be setting in. Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, "It's hard to see how Israel can be expected to negotiate with a government that does not believe in its right to exist. ů This could seriously complicate our effortsů" You think?