Friday, July 21, 2017

Court halts Illinois mandate to promote abortion

Rockford, IL - July 20, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- A federal court issued an injunction Wednesday that halts enforcement of an Illinois law which forces pregnancy care centers and doctors to promote abortion regardless of their ethical or moral views. Alliance Defending Freedom and allied attorneys represent multiple pregnancy care centers, a pregnancy care center network, and a doctor and her medical practice in a lawsuit challenging the law.

ADF attorneys argue that the new law, which is actually an amendment to the existing Illinois Healthcare Right of Conscience Act, violates federal law and the U.S. Constitution. In Wednesday’s order in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Rauner, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois agreed, writing, “It is clear that the amended act targets the free speech rights of people who have a specific viewpoint.”

“The government is out of line when it attempts to force Americans to communicate a message that is contrary to their most deeply held beliefs,” said ADF Legal Counsel Elissa Graves. “In addition, the state shouldn’t be robbing women of the freedom to choose a pro-life doctor by mandating that pro-life physicians and entities make or arrange abortion referrals. The court was right to halt enforcement of this law while our lawsuit proceeds.”

SB 1564 forces pregnancy care centers, medical facilities, and physicians who conscientiously object to involvement in abortions to adopt policies that provide women who ask for abortions with a list of providers “they reasonably believe may offer” them. Federal law prohibits the government from placing burdens on religious conscience without a compelling interest for doing so.

As the court’s order explains, “plaintiffs have demonstrated a better than negligible chance of succeeding in showing that the amended act discriminates based on their viewpoint by compelling them to tell their patients that abortion is a legal treatment option, which has benefits, and, at a minimum and upon request, to give their patients the identifying information of providers who will perform an abortion.”

“The government has no business forcing pro-life doctors and pregnancy care centers in Illinois to operate as referral agents for the abortion industry,” said ADF-allied attorney and co-counsel Noel Sterett with Mauck & Baker LLC. “A law that targets medical professionals because of their pro-life views and right of conscience is unconstitutional and unethical.”

“This decision correctly interprets the Constitution to prohibit compelled speech mandating faith-based ministries to speak a message with which they are fundamentally opposed,” added National Institute of Family and Life Advocates President Thomas A. Glessner. “We applaud this ruling that stops the state of Illinois from forcing pro-life pregnancy medical clinics to become abortion referral agencies.”

Mauck & Baker attorney Whitman Briskey is also co-counsel in the case on behalf of the plaintiffs.

ADF attorneys also represent NIFLA in a similar case out of California, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, currently being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.

The Fair Representation Act Has Just Been Introduced to Congress

Fair Vote

On June 26, 2017, Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced H.R. 3057: The Fair Representation Act. He was joined by co-sponsors Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Ro Khanna (D-CA). This is a historic moment. The Fair Representation Act is the most comprehensive approach to reforming congressional elections in United States history. It would truly realize the vision of the House of Representatives as “The People’s House.”

Read more...

Second Amendment Foundation Sues Michigan Agency Over Civil Rights Violations Against Foster Parents

Bellevue, WA - July 20, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a federal lawsuit against the head of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on behalf of four Michigan residents, alleging civil rights violations under color of law for enforcing restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of people who want to be foster or adoptive parents.

SAF is joined in the lawsuit by William and Jill Johnson and Brian and Naomi Mason. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, alleges that MDHHS caseworkers told Mr. Johnson, a 100-percent disabled Marine Corps veteran who sought custody of his grandson that he would have to give the agency the serial numbers of all of his firearms. When he questioned this, the caseworkers allegedly told him, "If you want to care for your grandson you will have to give up some of your constitutional rights." This was after the state asked the Johnsons to be foster parents to their grandson.

Two weeks later, the lawsuit alleges, a Gogebic County Court judge told the Johnsons that if they wanted their grandson placed in their care, "We know we are violating numerous constitutional rights here, but if you do not comply, we will remove the boy from your home."

"The statements from the caseworker and judge are simply outrageous," said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. "This amounts to coercion, with a child as their bartering chip. I cannot recall ever hearing anything so offensive and egregious, and we've handled cases like this in the past. Blatantly telling someone they must give up their civil rights in order to care for their own grandchild is simply beyond the pale."

The lawsuit asserts that "the policy of the MDHHS, by implementing requirements and restrictions that are actually functional bans on the bearing of firearms for self-defense, both in and out of the home, completely prohibits foster and adoptive parents, and those who would be foster or adoptive parents, from the possession and bearing of readily-available firearms for the purpose of self-defense. This violates Plaintiffs' constitutional rights under the Second and Fourteenth Amendments."

The Johnsons and Masons reside in Ontanogan, a small community on the north shore of the Upper Peninsula, on Lake Superior. Mr. Mason has been the Pastor at the Ontonagon Baptist Church in Ontonagon for nine years. He is also the Chair of the Ontonagon County Department of Health and Human Services Board.

"This is a case we simply must pursue," Gottlieb said. "State agencies and the people who work in those agencies simply cannot be allowed to disregard someone's civil rights."

The Second Amendment Foundation is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

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EVENT: Gun Rights Policy Conference September 29, 30, Oct 1. Click HERE for Information!


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Are you considering Suicide? If you need help right now, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741. -- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Congress Should Pass the Preserving Taxpayers Rights Act

Americans for Tax Reform

In recent years, the IRS has proven again and again that it is incapable of doing its job. This failure is due to both the increasing politicization of the agency, as well as the ineptitude of IRS management.

Recently, government watchdog groups have found the IRS mispaid 31% of their employees, gave bonuses to tax delinquent employees, shortchanged taxpayers by $1.2 million, lost track of computers with sensitive taxpayer information on them, and wasted $12 million on an unstable email system.

One of the strangest blunders by the IRS was the agency’s insistence on hiring Quinn Emanueal, an elite, litigation-only, white shoe law firm to audit tech company Microsoft. The agency did so despite having the capability to handle this audit without hiring private contractors.

Already, the IRS has roughly 40,000 employees responsible for enforcement and auditing. In addition, the agency has access to the services of the office of Chief Counsel or a Department of Justice attorney, both of which would have had the expertise to conduct this kind of work without putting sensitive information at risk.

Read more...


Sen. Lee and Rep. King introduce enhanced Pro-Gun Legislation

National Association for Gun Rights

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative Steve King (R-IA) introduced companion bills to remove suppressors, or “silencers,” from federal regulation. The Silencers Helping Us Save Hearing Act of 2017 (SHUSH Act), introduced as S. 1505 and H.R. 3139, further deregulates suppressors by completely removing them from all federal regulation – going further than the Hearing Protection Act.

“Sen. Lee and Rep. King are champions for gun rights, and their joint legislation displays their dedication to restoring the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans,” said Dudley Brown, President of the National Association for Gun Rights. “Most in Congress who support silencer freedom want full deregulation, and that’s exactly what Lee and King are doing with S. 1505 and H.R. 3139.”

Previously introduced legislation, the Hearing Protection Act, would treat suppressors as long guns under federal law, still requiring a NICS background check to purchase an accessory. The SHUSH Act removes silencers from all federal control, providing the full deregulation supported by the majority of Second Amendment supporters in Congress.

“Suppressors are accessories and should be treated just like magazines, scopes or gun stocks,” said Brown. “Pro-gun Republicans control the House, Senate, and White House. Congress has the opportunity to pass this meaningful, pro-gun legislation and we should ask for nothing less. Treating an accessory the same as a gun sets a bad precedence for anti-gun legislators to further regulate other accessories in the future.”

“We’re happy and privileged to be able to work with Sen. Lee and Rep. King on this legislation, and excited to continue pushing forward,” Brown concluded.

Russian lawyer who met Trump Jr. ready to testify in Senate

Associated Press

The Russian lawyer who met with President Donald Trump’s eldest son during the 2016 election campaign said she’s ready to testify before the U.S. Senate and “clarify the situation behind this mass hysteria.”

Donald Trump Jr. agreed to meet with Natalia Veselnitskaya in the expectation of receiving incriminating information about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s White House campaign, according to emails Trump Jr. has publicly released. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower.

The meeting raised new questions about the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Moscow, which are being scrutinized by federal and congressional investigators. These questions have only intensified as the identities of other Russia-connected participants have become known.

Read more...

Microsoft promises to harness unused TV channels to bring ‘super wi-fi’ to rural areas in 12 states

By Heather Chapman, The Rural Blog

Microsoft says it will use the bandwidth from unused television channels, called white spaces, to deliver high-speed broadband to many of the 24 million rural Americans who lack fast internet access. The initial service will serve 12 states: Washington, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Virginia, New York and Maine, “to connect 2 million rural Americans in the next five years who have limited or no access to high-speed internet,” Cecelia Kang reports for The New York Times.

Fast, reliable, affordable internet service has been a longtime problem in rural America. Internet service providers often can’t justify the cost of building infrastructure in sparsely populated areas. Microsoft and other companies have been testing white spaces as an alternative since 2008. Microsoft President Brad Smith told Kang that white spaces were “the best solution for reaching over 80 percent of people in rural America who lack broadband today.” For Microsoft’s blog post, click here; for its white paper, here.

White spaces technology is sometimes called “super wi-fi” because it “behaves like regular wi-fi but uses low-powered TV channels to cover far greater distances than wireless hot spots, “up to 10 miles in rural areas,” Jay Greene reports for The Wall Street Journal. “It is also more powerful than cellular service because the frequencies can penetrate concrete walls and other obstacles,” Kang reports. Microsoft stands to profit from the service because Americans who have internet access are better positioned to buy Microsoft apps and products.

Read more...

Trump administration pulls health law help in 18 cities

The Associated Press

President Donald Trump’s administration has ended Affordable Care Act contracts that brought assistance into libraries, businesses and urban neighborhoods in 18 cities, meaning shoppers on the insurance exchanges will have fewer places to turn for help signing up for coverage.

Community groups say the move, announced to them by contractors last week, will make it even more difficult to enroll the uninsured and help people already covered re-enroll or shop for a new policy. That’s already a concern because of consumer confusion stemming from the political wrangling in Washington and a shorter enrollment period. People will have 45 days to shop for 2018 coverage, starting Nov. 1 and ending Dec. 15. In previous years, they had twice that much time.

Some see it as another attempt to undermine the health law’s marketplaces by a president who has suggested he should let “Obamacare” fail. The administration, earlier this year, pulled paid advertising for the sign-up website HealthCare.gov, prompting an inquiry by a federal inspector general into that decision and whether it hurt sign-ups.

Read more...



Trump really wants Obamacare to fail. What I don't get is why he wants "Trumpcare" in it's place. There is no viable alternative, except to scrap it all and legislate the insurance companies.

Here is an idea: Instead of depending on the government to take care of pre-existing conditions, maybe it would be prudent to create a co-op for pre-existing conditions, in which everyone who wants to pays into it to help cover the bills for everyone. It would be voluntary, not mandated, and it would be beneficial. Insurance companies could be legislated to offer a package for that, rather than make everyone pay into it and inconveniencing those who have no pre-existing conditions. There are charities available for that.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Made In America Week ....(and more...)

From the House of Representatives



Grijalva Signs Resolution of "No Confidence" Against Trump, Declares Him "Utterly Unfit" to Serve As President
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ, 3rd)
July 20, 2017

Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) released the following statement after signing a resolution of “no confidence” in Donald Trump’s fitness to serve as President of the United States. Amongst other grievances – including Trump’s suppression of the Press, verbal assaults on women, and violation of the Emoluments Clause - the resolution addresses Trump’s troubling connections to the Russian Government during the 2016 presidential campaign. The resolution also comes after reports that Trump held a secret second meeting with Russian President, Vladimir Putin during the recent G-20 summit as well as new revelations that an eighth person with deep Russian business ties attended the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian attorney connected to the Kremlin.
Read more...

There is an old addage that says "If you keep looking for something wrong with someone long enough, you will find it. So, stop the witch hunt and you might gain more confidence. Of course, since he is not a lefty liberal, I'm sure there is nothing you will like about him. You guys have already made it clear that you will not work with anyone who isn't. Personally, I have no confidence in you because of that.

Grothman to Appropriators: Defund Anti-American Area Studies Programs in Higher Education Act
Glenn Grothman (R-WI, 6th)
July 20, 2017

“… at too many Title VI centers across the country, academic diversity is severely lacking, with many centers using the young, malleable minds of college-aged students as a one-sided sounding board for professors’ anti-American and anti-Semitic political agendas. These professor’s significant biases seep into how their students approach their academic course of study and prevent students from being exposed to alternative viewpoints—perspectives that often reflect the positive aspects of long-practiced and accepted American foreign policies and norms.
Read more...

It's about time someone start focusing on how our young men and women are being affected by these rogue professors.

During ‘Made in America' Week, Guthrie Votes to Improve Energy Infrastructure, Create Jobs
Brett S. Guthrie (R-KY, 2nd)
July 20, 2017

Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, voted for two bills to improve energy infrastructure in the United States, the Promoting Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure Act (H.R. 2883) and the Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act (H.R. 2910).
Read more...

GUTIÉRREZ REACTS TO SENATE INTRODUCTION OF NEW DREAM ACT
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL, 4th)
July 20, 2017

On Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced a new version of the DREAM Act (an acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors). The President has pledged, through a spokesperson, to fight this bipartisan legislation that would allow immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to live and work here legally if they meet certain criteria. This happens as the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program that provides temporary deportation relief for Dreamers and allows them to work legally) is under attack by Republican leaders and it is clear the President and his team are unlikely to defend it. This could make the 800,000 people who would qualify for the DREAM Act and who currently have DACA vulnerable to deportation, especially because they have registered with federal authorities as part of the program.
Read more...

Hartzler Introduces Bill to Protect Subsidized Housing from Smoke Damage
Vicky Hartzler (R-MO, 4th)
July 20, 2017

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) introduced the Smoke Free Affordable Housing Act (HR3322) today to encourage subsidized housing developers to maintain a healthy environment for residents while protecting the subsidized property from expensive smoking related remediation costs. The federal government is investing billions of dollars every year in subsidized housing only to see many properties seriously degraded by smoke damage within only a few years. The Smoke Free Affordable Housing Act would incentivize subsidized housing developers to establish and maintain smoke-free policies to create a healthy environment for residents and protect the investment of hardworking taxpayers.
Read more...

Congressman Higgins Says Proposed 2018 Federal Budget is a Vehicle to Take from Hardworking Americans & Give to the Wealthy
Brian Higgins (D-NY, 26th)
July 20, 2017

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26), a member of the House Committee on the Budget, objected to the Fiscal Year 2018 budget resolution introduced by House Republicans this week which slashes Medicare and fails to invest in the growth of the American Economy.
Read more...

Higgins Issues Statement on U.S. - China Rice Agreement
Clay Higgins (R-LA, 3rd)
July 20, 2017

“The best rice in the world is grown in the heart of Acadiana, with Louisiana rice farmers already contributing more than $700 million to the state’s economic output each year. Expanding rice exports, while ensuring that Louisiana farmers are competing on a level playing field, supports thousands of jobs and generates much-needed economic activity in rice country. I’m glad to see Secretary Perdue and officials at USDA announce the opening of this new market, and I’m confident that Louisiana rice farmers are poised to strengthen our state’s position as one of the world’s leading rice exporters.”
Read more...

Hill Reaffirms Commitment to Enhancing American Energy Resources
French Hill (R-AR, 2nd)
July 20, 2017

“We’re working hard to implement American energy policies that boost our energy independence, benefit consumers, protect our environment, and preserve our natural resources. The common sense bills we passed this week remove unnecessary red tape and provide flexibility to our states—creating jobs, moving towards energy independence, and promoting a strong national energy policy. Enhancing our energy resources across Arkansas and the nation will greatly increase jobs and benefit hardworking Americans.”
Read more...


While Obamacare Struggle Continues, Tax Reform is Questionable...

John McCain, Republican senator from Arizona, diagnosed with brain tumor
Washington Post
July 19, 2017

The Mayo Clinic said doctors diagnosed a tumor called a glioblastoma after surgery to remove a blood clot above McCain’s left eye last week. The senator and his family are considering treatment options, including a combination of chemotherapy and radiation, according to the hospital.
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Prayers, indeed. I have never known anyone who survived this. Politics aside, I feel for his family.

Should doctors be paid a premium for assisting deaths?
MacLean's
July 12, 2017

Daws was among the first assisted-dying providers in Canada and had been a vocal advocate for the service long before it became legal 13 months ago. For the first six months the law was in place—before the province had formal fee codes for how doctors would be paid—Daws and the other seven early providers in B.C. worked for free, assuming that they would be paid retroactively, and fairly, for their work. But that hasn’t happened, and providers are losing faith that it will.
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Why should death be profitable? Only an undertaker should make money off of death -- but that is just my opinion.

Minneapolis Mayor ENCOURAGED Muslim Cop To Kill White Woman With What She Did Days Earlier
USA Daily News 24
July 19, 2017

America is still in shock over the death of Minneapolis resident Justine Damond, who called police after witnessing an assault in her neighborhood. Minutes after her 911 call was placed, Damond would be dead, after a Somali Muslim police officer turned off his body cam and shot her in cold blood through his police car window. Now sickening information is coming about about Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges’ intimate ties with the Muslim police officer, who now has innocent blood on her hands thanks to sickening thing she did in the months leading up to Damond’s murder.
Read more...

Still think it will never come here? I hate to tell you, it already is.

Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated: Mawson Homeschooled Study Reveals Who is Sicker
Children's Medical Safety Research Institute
May 4, 2017

A pilot study of 666 homeschooled six to 12-year-olds from four American states published on April 27th in the Journal of Translational Sciences, compared 261 unvaccinated children with 405 partially or fully vaccinated children, and assessed their overall health based on their mothers' reports of vaccinations and physician-diagnosed illnesses. What it found about increases in immune-mediated diseases like allergies and neurodevelopmental diseases including autism, should make all parents think twice before they ever vaccinate again:
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I usually don't put out news this old, but it is still recent enough that I thought it was worth relaying.


After healthcare failure, Republicans face similar divisions on tax reform
Yahoo! News
July 18, 2017

"If we move too much in the mandatory area, then it will make tax reform that much more difficult to get. It's that basic," Dent told Reuters.
Read more...

Trump tells Republican senators to send him ObamaCare repeal bill before August recess
Fox News
July 19, 2017

President Trump told Republican senators Wednesday that they shouldn’t leave Washington for August recess until they send him an ObamaCare repeal bill to sign.
Read more...

Surveillance footage captures last days of boy fed to pigs
Hot 99.5

This is soooo horrific...
I have no words...How could this happen!!!

Read more...

Great Tweets!



Gov. Mike Huckabee‏ Jul 19
If GOP Senators Murkowski, Collins, and Capito won't stop Planned Parenthood $$ to vacuum babies from womb, then vacuum them out of office!