Fwd: New Common Sense: Under God, An Inconvenient Phrase

New Common Sense Applying First Principles to the Issues of Today At Heritage Is there a moral defense for free markets and capitalism? Does Islamist ideology challenge America's founding principles? Around the Country Want to see experts discussing America's First Principles and the Constitution? Join Heritage at the annual Values Voter Summit on September 17-19, 2010 in Washington, DC. "Barack Obama has managed a rare feat in American history: The longer he is president, the less presidential he has become." Check out James W. Ceaser's article, "The Unpresidential President." Quick Thoughts Will the First Amendment survive this Congress? Senator Lindsey Graham misunderstands the Federalist Papers. Perhaps he has not seen our latest monograph. What We're Reading: The Sacred Rights of Conscience: Selected Readings on Religious Liberty and Church-State Relations in the American Founding edited by Daniel L. Dreisbach and Mark David Hall.   "Under God," An Inconvenient Phrase The Gettysburg Address is one of the greatest speeches in American history. In his short speech, Abraham Lincoln summarizes the first principles of our Founding and admonishes us to defend the republican and constitutional institutions essential to the American tradition. It is no surprise, then, that Lincoln's memorable words are etched in marble walls, or that groups across the country distribute it as part of a pocket guide. It is a surprise, when a group excludes phrases from this short speech and then suggests that fidelity to the text is irrelevant. That is exactly what the progressive legal society, American Constitution Society (ACS), did with its pocket guide to the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Gettysburg address. Here is what Lincoln said: "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." (Words in the original, emphasis added) Noticeably absent from ACS's version of Gettysburg address is Lincoln's reference to God in the last sentence. In his article "God and Gettysburg," Professor Robert P. George of Princeton University highlights the importance of getting the text of the Gettysburg Address right. After all, numerous newspaper accounts and transcriptions of the Address, as well as three of the five drafts (including the Bliss Draft with Lincoln's signature) contain the phrase "under God." ACS has since amended its version of the Gettysburg Address to include the words "The Hay Draft," without further context. George supplies the missing history of the Hay draft, though: "the Hay draft was found among [Lincoln's former secretary] John Hay's papers about forty years after Lincoln's death. It seems to have the greatest number of deviations from other drafts and from what Lincoln is known to have said at Gettysburg." ACS further responds that George's concern for fidelity to Lincoln's original speech is unnecessary. After all, "the draft of the Gettysburg address included in our pocket Constitution is just that, one of Lincoln's drafts." In the end, it seems that the final text of documents is not that important. Good thing we are only discussing the Gettysburg Address and not, say, the United States Constitution. Keep Reading about God and the Gettysburg Address                        Forward this message to a Friend!   Quote of the Week                            There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage.. ~ John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men For more quotes, visit westillholdthesetruths.org About The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute -- a think tank -- whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400

Fwd: Energy Department Official Can?t Say How Much Greenhouse Gas Is Generated on Capitol Hill

Today's Headlines Monday, July 26, 2010

Advertisement – NewsBusters.org, the website you trust to expose the liberal media's bias every day, is turning 5 years old in August!  Several activities are underway to celebrate this milestone, including a T-shirt giveaway. Every weekday between now and August 17, we will give away five NewsBusters t-shirts. Click here to sign up for a chance to win one. The sooner you sign up, the more chances you'll have to win!  Also, be sure to visit www.NewsBusters.org each Friday for more anniversary news and surprises. Energy Department Official Can't Say How Much Greenhouse Gas Is Generated on Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) – At a House subcommittee hearing last week, an Energy Department official could not answer a question from a Republican lawmaker about how much pollution is emitted in the process of generating electricity for federal government operations in the nation's capital. When CNSNews.com asked for the greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the federal government operations in Washington, D.C., a spokesperson for the Energy Department said that greenhouse gas emissions are not measured by regions, but by each agency nationwide. The spokesperson also said that in the future, greenhouse gas emissions will be collected by zip code. Lockerbie Probe May Prove Uncomfortable for Obama Administration (CNSNews.com) – The four Democratic U.S. senators probing the early release of the Libyan convicted in the Lockerbie bombing believe there were links to a BP oil deal, but their inquiry may have the unintended consequence of raising questions about just how strongly the Obama administration opposed the Libyan's release. Scottish government ministers, stung by accusations that they released Abdel Baset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi to ease a massive oil exploration contract in Libya, are pointing out that it is the U.S. government that is blocking the release of two documents relating to the decision. U.S. Spent $314,613 Studying Increase in Family Violence After NFL Upset Losses (CNSNews.com) – The National Institutes of Health spent $314,613 over two years on a study that found family violence increases about three times as much on the Fourth of July as it does after the local NFL team suffers an "upset" loss. The researchers also determined that an "upset" loss by the local NFL home team was not linked to nearly as great an increase in family violence as were Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day, New Year's Day, and New Year's Eve. Sen. Baucus Won't Say If Obama's Controversial Recess-Appointee to Run Medicare Will Get Confirmation Hearing (CNSNews.com) – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) would not say whether Dr. Donald Berwick, who received a recess appointment to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, would ever receive a Senate confirmation hearing in the committee that Baucus oversees, as the Constitution requires. On Capitol Hill last week, CNSNews.com asked Sen. Baucus, "Why didn't you schedule a hearing for Dr. Berwick?" Schumer's New Campaign Finance Bill Preserves NRA Loophole (CNSNews.com) – An updated version of a campaign finance bill written by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) preserves a controversial loophole that would exempt the National Rifle Association from tough new disclosure and speech restrictions during election cycles. The new bill, an updated version of Schumer's original DISCLOSE Act, was introduced on the Senate floor on July 21 without being referred to committee. Massive US-South Korea Naval Maneuvers Held Amid North Korean Threats (CNSNews.com) – Despite characteristically belligerent rhetoric, there were no reports of North Korean troop movements or threatening behavior as South Korea and the United States continued large-scale naval exercises Monday aimed at deterring aggression by the isolated communist state. A statement by U.S. Army Gen. Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said the drills were "designed to send a clear message to North Korea that its aggressive behavior must stop." ACLJ Asks Commission to Make N.Y. Building a Landmark to Keep 13-Story Mosque from Being Built at Ground Zero (CNSNews.com) - A conservative civil liberties group has formally requested landmark status for a building in lower Manhattan that an Islamic group wants to replace with a 13-story mosque and community center. The American Center for Law and Justice said it is "urging city officials to landmark the site because it stands as a symbol of America's strength and survival in the face of brutal, sadistic terrorism." CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO HHS: Abortions and HIV Status Don't Have to Go in Electronic Health Records (CNSNews.com) - Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, says that abortions and HIV status do not need to go in the electronic health records all Americans are supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the economic stimulus. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Mexican Prison Guards Let Killers Out, Lent Then Guns, Prosecutors Say BP Says 'No Final Decision' on Replacing Tony Hayward Fungus Blights Nation's Basil Crop European Union to Adopt New Sanctions Against Iran Classified U.S. Documents Leaked Online Give Inside Look at Afghanistan War Obama's Message to Voters: Things Could Be Worse Veterans Affairs Department Clarifies Its Policy on Medical Marijuana WikiLeaks Says Documents Include Evidence of War Crimes Ford Introduces New, Fuel-Efficient Explorer Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP Police, security bar people from photographing public buildings in Washington, D.C. Geithner defends letting tax cuts for wealthy expire, cites deficit Justice Department right in Black Panther case, commission official says Chavez warns of US oil cutoff in Colombia dispute Colorado Tea Partiers say Tancredo betrayed them Howard Dean calls Fox News 'absolutely racist' for aiding Sherrod ouster Al Franken warns that GOP Congress would bring 'truly dangerous agenda' Wal-Mart plan to use smart tags raises privacy concerns Atlantic City takeover another example of Christie's governing style Heavy liability could sink small oil drillers COMMENTARY Wagging Fingers By Rich Galen The United States Navy, in conjunction with naval forces of the Republic of South Korea, is holding a joint combat exercise off the coast of the Korean peninsula to show the North Koreans that the U.S. and South Korea are taking its provocations seriously. We are, in a very real sense, wagging a finger under the nose of North Korea.

Fwd: Morning Bell: Let's Not Make a Deal

07/27/2010 Let's Not Make a Deal At the height of the debate over Obamacare, when the White House's leftist allies were in full panic mode, The Washington Post's Ezra Klein accused Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) of being "willing to cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people." Lieberman's crime? He opposed including an expansion of Medicare in the health regulation bill. Now that the President's signature foreign policy achievement, the New START nuclear agreement with Russia, is on the ropes, the left is again back to their hyperbolic ways. Ploughshares Fund president Joseph Cirincione told The Associated Press last week: "A delayed ratification with a close vote would be a blow to U.S. leadership around the world. People would doubt the President's ability to negotiate other agreements." The histrionics are the result of a sudden surge of concerns over the treaty that started with a blast from Mitt Romney who declared the treaty "Obama's worst foreign policy mistake." Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Carl Levin (D-MI) attempted to shoot down Romney's concerns, but their responses raised more questions than they answered. Romney has responded to his critics by identifying eight problems with New START that must be resolved before the Senate can vote on the treaty. We'll focus on three today: