Sunday, April 26, 2015

A Lack of Truth and Integrity

Recently, Harry Reid was asked if he regretted comments he made as Senate Majority Leader about Mitt Romney not paying taxes for 10 years. Of course, the claim was untrue. It was pointed out that the allegations seemed "McCarthy-like" to some. Said Reid: "They can call it whatever they want. Romney didn't win, did he?" This, from one of the sleaziest politicians ever to hold such a high political post. It is another example of leftist thinking that the ends justify the means - to the point of even trying to ruin a good man's reputation with false accusations of criminal behavior (tax evasion).

Dana Perino, former press secretary to George W. Bush, was recently interviewed on Fox (where she is also a commentator) about her new book "And the Good News Is...Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side." While serving as assistant press secretary under Scott McClellan she said that she had become good friends with him. She was upset with McClellan when he put out one of those now-out-of-office-tell-all-books critical of Bush. But Bush dissuaded her from going after McClellan, saying that she should forgive him and should not live bitterly. Contrast that classiness with Obama's constant attacks of his critics, including Fox News, James Rosen, and other outspoken conservatives who subsequently suffered IRS audits.

Ben Affleck's family was recently the subject of an episode of the PBS show "Finding Your Roots." When it was discovered that Affleck had an ancestor who was a slave owner, Affleck pressured the host and PBS to keep that fact out of the episode. They did. Public Broadcasting caved in to a big name leftist actor. When the truth surfaced, Affleck said: "We deserve neither credit nor blame for our ancestors and the degree of interest in this story suggests that we are, as a nation, still struggling with the terrible legacy of slavery." What? Nice try Ben. The interest in the story is because a left-wing publicly owned media outlet caved in to pressure from you. The interest is there because you tried to hide the truth. Nothing to do with the struggle over slavery.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day President Obama said this: "Together we must stand against bigotry and hatred in all their forms." That is, unless the bigotry and hatred is actually directed against Jews and those critical of Islam. If you actually believed what you said, Mr. Obama, you would have marched with many other world leaders in Paris following the horrific murders at Charlie Hebdo and the kosher market there. But Muslims were the perpetrators of those crimes - and you had no interest in standing against them.

And speaking of standing against bigotry and hatred, it was good to see a critique of Obama by liberal commentator Kirsten Powers. Powers pointed out in a 4/22/15 column in the USA Today that Obama spoke out when three young Muslims were murdered in North Carolina (apparently over a parking space). (Obama referred to those killings as "brutal and outrageous murders.") But Powers noted that Obama "...can't seem to find any passion for the mass persecution of Middle Eastern Christians or the eradication of Christianity from its birthplace." Again, when Muslims are the perpetrators Obama is unable to find his voice.

Powers continued: "Western leaders, including Obama, will be remembered for their near silence as this human rights tragedy unfolded." Added Powers: "It will be hard to forget his lecturing of Christians at the National Prayer Breakfast about the centuries old Crusades while Middle Eastern Christians are being harassed, driven from their homes, tortured and murdered." In what could only be taken as a defense of radical Islam, what Obama actually said was this: "And lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ."

If Obama was not so disparaging of America he would recognize that there are, in fact, any number of occasions when we should get on our high horse and directly confront evil - rather than make excuses for it. Instead, Obama has consistently apologized for America's actions in the world, while refusing to even acknowledge the threat from "radical Islam" - an expression which he will not even utter.