Month: September 2020

About Amy Coney Barrett

Supreme Court Justice Nominee Amy Coney Barrett

It’s announced! President Trump’s nominee to replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is Judge Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. Court of Appeals for Chicago’s Seventh Circuit. Barrett, a conservative-minded judge, will rise above what will be a brutal Senate hearing to be confirmed as quickly as possible. And she will do it with dignity. So, what should you know about this woman?

Judge Barrett, 48, was born and raised in New Orleans giving her a southern culture background as well as a hint of southern/Cajun accent. She married Jesse Barrett in 1999 after they both graduated from Notre Dame Law School. Jesse is a former assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Indiana and is now in private practice. They have seven children, ages 8 to 19, two of which are adopted Haitians, and one is a special needs child. Amy also grew up as one of seven siblings.

The Barretts are devout Catholics and very committed to their faith in Jesus. They are long-time members of the “People of Praise,” a largely Catholic organization of small groups that meets regularly to share their unity in Christ, commitment to one another, and Christian experiences. The organization’s literature describes itself as a charismatic Christian community.

Before President Trump nominated her to the 7th Circuit in 2017, Barrett was a law professor at Notre Dame for nearly two decades. She received the “distinguished professor of the year” award three times at Notre Dame. Her scholarship focuses on constitutional law, originalism, textualism, and statutory interpretation. She adamantly opposes the “living Constitution” approach to legal rulings.

During her tenure as professor at Notre Dame, she was a member of the Faculty of Life, an antiabortion group. Barrett was quoted in a 2013 magazine article as saying “life begins at conception.” She also stated that justices should not be strictly bound by Supreme Court precedents leaving open the possibility that she could vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The 2017 Senate hearing for her appointment to the 7th Circuit was noted for its questioning of her strong Christian faith being perhaps incompatible with blind justice on the Court. An often-cited comment of Senator Dianne Feinstein was, “You have a long history of believing that your religious beliefs should prevail. The dogma lives loudly within you.” Yet, Justice Ginsburg often spoke freely of how her Judaism shaped her thinking on the Court, and no one gave it a second thought.

Judge Barrett will be the fifth woman to serve on the Supreme Court and only the second woman justice nominated by a Republican president. Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated by President Reagan, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg by President Clinton. She will join President Obama nominees, Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor on the bench as the youngest of all justices. She could potentially be on the court for over forty years.

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Justice Ginsburg’s Death Will Fan the Political Firestorm

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Condolences and prayers go out to the family and friends of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The death of a Supreme Court justice always generates a contentious political atmosphere surrounding the replacement nomination and confirmation. But, this one will almost certainly ignite the most explosive judicial process in our history.

Over the recent months, I have thought our nation couldn’t be more divided. What could be worse than the combined bashing of the president, the racial strife, the riots, the anti-law-enforcement acts, and the fiery presidential race. Well, we just learned what could be worse. The next month-and-a-half will see the aforementioned egregious issues grow in magnitude while the justice nomination and confirmation pour fuel on the fire.

President Trump, without a doubt, has the constitutional right, further, the obligation, to nominate a replacement justice without consideration of the approaching election. The Senate, likewise, has the constitutional right, again, the obligation, to decide on confirmation of the nominee. The Democrats will decry with a vengeance such a constitutional action.

The principal argument of the Democrats will be the perceived precedent set by the Senate in 2016 by its declining to confirm President Obama’s election year nomination of liberal-leaning Merrick Garland to replace conservative-leaning Antonin Scalia. The Republican majority Senate simply didn’t schedule the vote. After Trump was elected, he nominated conservative-leaning justice, Neil Gorsuch, who was confirmed by the Senate. There is essentially no difference in the current situation and that of 2016. Both cases were according to the Constitution. In each case, the president nominated and the Senate decided whether to confirm. In 2016, the Senate chose to reject confirmation; in 2020, the Senate can choose to confirm. Both actions are constitutional, and both are by duly elected representatives of the American people.

In all 29 cases of past election year vacancies, the president nominated a replacement, and the Senate acted on it. The Democrats have presented many quotes of 2016 conservatives opposing election year justice replacement. There are just as many quotes from 2016 liberals advocating election year replacement including then-Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Schumer, and Justice Ginsburg. That’s just politics.

One difference consideration between the 2020 and 2016 situation is that, in 2016, the people’s 2012 election of a Democratic president and 2014 election of a Republican majority Senate left their will regarding the justice nomination somewhat in question. The people’s will in the current nomination is obvious from their electing both a Republican president and a Republican majority Senate. Delaying the process in 2020 would be ignoring the will of the people who voted for this Republican president and Senate majority largely based on anticipated Supreme Court vacancies.

In the upcoming confirmation process, the rub is going to be with a few Republican senators in very close races, particularly those in liberal states. For them, taking a strong conservative stance on confirmation could lose their seat, and the Senate could lose its slim majority. Another issue is the time frame of confirmation. Getting a nomination and confirmation by election day is very optimistic. Of course, the Trump presidency and the senate majority hold until January regardless of the election outcome. But, depending on how America votes, confirmation by a lame-duck senate would be even more contentious, but totally constitutional.

So, get ready! Hang on! If you thought you were witnessing a political firestorm now, standby for the perfect firestorm. Pray that the antifa rioters and killers don’t see this as a new cause to kill more cops, burn more buildings, and loot more stores.

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Hope for Our Divided Nation

America is divided as in no other time since the Civil War. National dissonance has metastasized far beyond political competitiveness. It is now a schism between patriotism and anarchism. Americans are forced to choose between traditional American values and an aggressive movement toward socialist anarchy.

I have tried for months to avoid seeing this movement for what it is, convincing myself that the radical anti-American faction was just a fringe culture–a splinter group. But it has become obvious that half of our nation has aligned with this attack on our traditional values. The moderately conservative Democratic party of a few decades ago is now the socialistic anarchist party of today.

Anarchy may seem to be an over-the-top description of the movement drawing in half of our country, but let’s take a hard look at reality. Anarchy is defined as disorder due to the absence of government authority or simply the absence of order–chaos. It is more than rioting and lawlessness. Here is what it looks like in America today.

  • Democrat leaders refusing to stop constant rioting, killing, and property destruction in most major cities
  • Democrats describing the riots, occupations, and violence as myths
  • Democrat leaders de-funding, restraining, and disestablishing the police
  • Democrats inciting racism by political pandering to minorities
  • Democrat leaders declaring many major cities as sanctuaries for harboring illegal immigrants and criminals
  • Democratic controlled media reporting with a totally liberal bias and censoring conservative voices
  • Democrats paralyzing government with a three-year, $40M investigation of the president based on known contrived evidence
  • Democrats impeaching the president over false claims and doing everything else possible to de-legitimize his presidency
  • Democratic Congressional “Squad” calling for the dismantling of our economy and political system as other Democrats follow their lead
  • Democrats pursuing gun control and confiscation
  • Democrats trying to abolish the electoral system so a few highly populated liberal states would elect every president
  • Democrats by the tens of millions supporting an avowed Socialist presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders
  • Democratic university and high school educators teaching radical social concepts and revisionist history to confused students
  • Democrats holding kangaroo court hearings of the president’s cabinet members with constant attacks while disallowing responses
  • Democrats insisting on trillions more dollars for Covid-19 economic stimulus risking unmanageable national debt for political advantage
  • Democrats using delay tactics to slow the reopening of the economy and suppressing promising drugs
  • Democrats keeping their presidential candidate, Joe Biden, from public appearances to hide his real agenda and lack of capacity for leadership
  • Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, claiming he would be the most progressive (revolutionary) president in history

I could go on, but I’ll stop there. All of these moves are attempts to weaken or abolish America as we know it.

Democratic rhetoric and actions of late define anarchy as a demonstration of love, rioting as peaceful protests, civility as weakness, lawlessness as an appropriate objective, destruction of property as a right, and the free market as racist.

I don’t believe there has ever been a time in our nation’s history when the words of Isaiah have been more descriptive: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight! …Who justify wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!

The battle for the soul of America has become a battle for the survival of America. We must pray more fervently than ever before for the containment of anarchy in our country. We are not without hope, but victory will only come from the Lord. So pray and act as you are guided. Vote against the attempt to abolish all that our great nation stands for.

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Trump’s Unprecedented First-term Accomplishments

U.S. President Donald Trump

Donald Trump has accomplished more to benefit the American people in his first term than any other first-term president. You have seen various lists of these accomplishments. Here is a quick-read, condensed version of just the top 100 of these accomplishments for you to share with others.

  1. Creation of Space Force
  2. Violent crime fallen every year in office until the present senseless riots
  3. Killed Islamic terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani
  4. U.S. became the world’s largest producer of crude oil
  5. Required all pharmacists to share money-saving information
  6.  “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act” (FOSTA),
  7. Low-wage workers benefited from higher minimum wages
  8. Biggest wilderness protection & conservation bill in a decade
  9. Save our Seas Act
  10. Allowed drug imports from Canada
  11. Required all healthcare providers to disclose the cost of their services
  12. Required hospitals to post their standard charges
  13. Year-over-year declines in drug prices
  14. White House VA Hotline to help veterans
  15. VA employees held accountable for poor performance, 4000 removed
  16. Joint plan to provide veterans access to mental health treatment
  17. Federal employees/military pay increase by 3.1%, the largest in 10 years
  18. 12 weeks of paid parental leave for millions of federal workers.
  19. HIV prevention drugs for free to 200,000 uninsured patients
  20. Small businesses allowed to group together when buying insurance.
  21. First Step Act, reforms that make our justice system fairer
  22. Rehabilitative programs for inmates
  23. Increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities
  24. Forgave Hurricane Katrina debt that threatened HBCUs.
  25. New single-family home sales up 31.6%
  26. Received the Bipartisan Justice Award at a historically black college
  27. Poverty rate fell to a 17-year low of 11.8%
  28. Poverty rates for African-Americans at all-time low
  29. Five national monuments, 1.3 million acres of wilderness added
  30. Committed $124 Million to rebuild rural water infrastructure
  31. [Prior to coronavirus] Consumer confidence at an all time high
  32. [Prior to coronavirus]  More than 7 million jobs created since election
  33. [Prior to coronavirus]  More Americans employed than ever before
  34. More than 400,000 manufacturing jobs created
  35. Doubled convictions of human traffickers and increased charged by 75%
  36. Dismantled an organization making prostitution-related advertisements
  37. Arrested 1,588 criminals associated with human trafficking
  38. School choice so that no child is trapped in a failing school
  39. Increased funding for school choice by $42 million.
  40. ISIS lost their territory and are largely dismantled
  41. ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi was killed
  42. More than $1 billion for states each year to fund vocational programs
  43. Expanded apprenticeship opportunities for students and workers
  44. Prohibited the U.S. government from discriminating against Christians
  45. Withheld money from college campuses deemed to be anti-Semitic
  46. Halted tax money going to organizations that fund or perform abortions
  47. Sanctioned the socialists in Venezuela who have killed their citizens
  48. New trade agreement with South Korea
  49. European Union to increase U.S. energy exports to Europe
  50. Withdrew the U.S. from the job killing TPP deal
  51. $250 billion in new trade and investment deals in China
  52. $12 billion in aid for farmers
  53. Over a dozen US hostages freed
  54. Made historic official visits to China and North Korea
  55. Billions that will fund the building of a wall at our southern border
  56. Second chance hiring for former inmates
  57. “Ready to Work Initiative” to connect employers with former prisoners
  58. Opportunity Zone Incentives for investment in low-income communities
  59. 8,764 communities across the country designated as Opportunity Zones
  60. End Common Core for public schools.
  61. Established 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund
  62. Prevention programs for Veteran suicide.
  63. Over $1 Trillion in businesses investment returning from overseas
  64. [Prior to coronavirus] Manufacturing jobs growing fastest in 30 years
  65. [Prior to coronavirus] Stock market reached record highs
  66. [Prior to coronavirus] Household income hit highest level ever recorded
  67. [Prior to coronavirus] African-American unemployment at all time low
  68. [Prior to coronavirus] Hispanic-American unemployment at all time low
  69. [Prior to coronavirus] Asian-American unemployment at all time low
  70. [Prior to coronavirus] Women’s unemployment rate at 65-year low
  71. [Prior to coronavirus] Youth unemployment at 50-year low
  72. [Prior to coronavirus] Lowest overall unemployment rate ever recorded
  73. Trained more than 4 million Americans in skilled jobs
  74. Record number of regulations eliminated that hurt small businesses
  75. Welfare reform requiring able-bodied adults with no children to work
  76. More affordable generic drugs than ever before
  77. Reformed Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging
  78. Right-To-Try allows terminally ill patients to try experimental treatment
  79. $6 billion in new funding to fight the opioid epidemic
  80. VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act
  81. U.S. oil production reached all-time high
  82. U.S. now a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957
  83. NATO allies increased their defense spending
  84. Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord
  85. Circuit court judges confirmed faster than any other new administration
  86. Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh confirmed
  87. Moved U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem
  88. New trade deal with Mexico & Canada
  89. Breakthrough agreement with the E.U. to increase U.S. exports.
  90. Imposed tariffs on China
  91. Improved the National Suicide Hotline.
  92. Most comprehensive childhood cancer legislation ever
  93. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
  94. $2.4 billion funding increase for the Child Care and Development Fund
  95. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)
  96. Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education & Support Act
  97. Anti-robocall law
  98. US stock market hit all-time record highs
  99. Deployed National Guard to dispel deadly domestic riots
  100. Negotiated first Arab country pact with Israel in 25 years (UAE)

(Trump did all of this while fighting constant flagrant abuse from Democrats, impeachment charges, biased news reporting, and a pandemic).

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