President Obama had plenty to say at a New York City fundraiser for Hillary Clinton on Sunday — but nothing when it came to the terror attacks that rocked the city hours earlier. Barely a day removed from bombings in Manhattan and New Jersey — and a Minneapolis stabbing in the name of ISIS — the president couldn’t be bothered to address national security because he was busy propping up a candidate who would continue his failed policies.

For the White House, which has watched attacks like these peak under Obama’s watch, the optics were less than flattering. As the Chelsea neighborhood grapples with the wreckage from a homemade pressure cooker bomb, the administration continues to downplay the pain of 29 wounded Americans, suggesting that this conflict is “just a war of narratives.” (I guarantee the 30 people lying in hospital beds across New York City would beg to disagree.)

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Josh Ernest continued his unofficial role as Islam’s PR director, arguing, “We can’t give [ISIS] the narrative victory of suggesting that every Muslim is responsible for this kind of terrorism…” So what is the administration’s solution? Not intensifying the vetting of refugees or lifting the stranglehold of political correctness on law enforcement, but rather"…lift[ing] up the voices of prominent patriotic Muslims in the United States… There are millions of them!“ Ernest insisted. Fortunately, amateur hour at the White House is almost over, and Americans have the opportunity to elect someone who will end this embarrassing chapter in U.S. national security policy.

If Obama was right about anything on Sunday, it was this: "This is the most important election of our lifetime.” And the rubble strewn across the neighborhood streets of Chelsea demonstrate why. And while the president may not have had anything to say about the attempted mass murder of innocent people, the man vying for his job certainly did. More attacks are coming, warned Donald Trump, unless the country starts dealing with the crisis at hand. “I think this is something that maybe will happen perhaps more and more all over the country… We better get very tough, folks. We better get very, very tough.”

It was a stark contrast the message — or lack thereof — from the Democratic camp. “According to a pool report issued at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, a White House official confirmed ‘that while the president is being briefed’ on the matter ‘as warranted, there is no plan for him to make a statement today (paper or otherwise) on last night’s explosion in New York City.’” What do we expect from an administration that took six years to label the attack at Fort Hood “an act of terrorism?” Now, the president isn’t just shying away from calling the attacks what they are — but refusing to speak about them period! Even New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), hardly a conservative, was clear: “A bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters. “A bomb going off is generically a terrorist activity. That’s how we’ll consider it. And that’s how we will prosecute it.”

Under the leadership of Barack Obama, it’s become increasingly clear that our nation is coming apart — not just from external threats but internal. In the name of “tolerance,” government officials at every level have been hampered in tracking potential terrorists for fear that they’re discriminating against a certain people group. “There is tremendous pressure to show Muslims favor and to treat them differently than others, based on information that I am getting from my contacts [in the intelligence community],” FRC’s Lt. General Jerry Boykin says. “The Jihadists have us right where they want us. We are going all out now to pander to the enemy and to appease the same people who are here to destroy us.”

In true Orwellian form, Hillary Clinton [Monday] morning accused Donald Trump of “providing aid and comfort” to the terrorists by challenging them instead of coddling them as the current administration has done for the last eight years. The deep roots of political correctness have not only colored our way of thinking but endangered our citizens. In eight years — some of the bloodiest American terror experts have ever seen — President Obama has made people feel that if they identify anything as terrorism, they’re bigots or racists. The next president will have an enormous task — not just securing our country, but turning these misguided notions around. As we pray for those affected by this weekend’s violence, let’s also pray for America, which is on the verge of a decision that could impact scenes like this one for generations to come.

Originally published here.

Retailer Becomes Soft Target after Policy Change

What Target stores seem to be losing in customers, they’re gaining in predators! The retailer, still stinging from one of its worst financial quarters in two years, got even worse news last week when another man was caught recording women undressing in a Texas changing room. Thanks to Target’s unpopular open-door policy on gender, the stores have become a magnet for controversy, and, worse, criminal acts.

Now, faced with more scandal and ever less public support, Target is desperately trying to stop the hemorrhaging — both from a PR perspective and profit one. The folly of the policy, which allows anyone to access the restroom or dressing room of their choosing, continues to be on full display in headlines like Texas’s. State Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who’s been fighting policies like Target’s on a national scale after the Obama school bathroom mandate, called on Target to reconsider their decision. “After this latest incident, I hope Target finally recognizes the importance of protecting its customers, especially in environments where they can be at their most vulnerable. I am offering them the resources of my office to help assist them in improving their safety procedures,” Paxton said. How many more women need to be victimized before the cultural elite calls off this ridiculous attempt at political correctness?

In the meantime, customers aren’t the only ones losing faith in Target — so is Wall Street. According to Fortune, the retailer’s slump — brought on by a boycott of more than 1.4 million Americans — is only deepening. Shares are down 19 percent, reflecting “the first quarter of declining comparable sales since mid-2014,” analysts say. The setbacks have been particularly painful for employees, whom the company tried to reassure in its annual meetings. Promising to revamp grocery sales, executives are desperately looking for ways to boost sales.

Missing from their strategies to rescue the chain, however, is the most obvious solution: retracting a dangerous store policy that puts women and children at risk. And while the store has hinted at plans to build single, unisex bathroom stalls, even that won’t solve the changing room problem plaguing shoppers. It’s time for Target to stop living in the aisle of denial and get back to the business of keeping customers safe.

Originally published here.

Study Gives Charities a Faith Lift

Faith isn’t just good for the soul — it’s good for the economy! That’s the conclusion of a pair of Georgetown University researchers (who also happen to be a father-daughter team). For years, conservatives have argued that religion contributes a lot to society, but not many people knew it was $1.2 trillion worth! That’s the jaw-dropping sum that Brian and Melissa Grim totaled up from the “fair market value of goods and services” by religious groups (which also included the contributions of businesses with religious ties). If U.S. religion were its own country, “it would be the 15th largest economy in the world,” the duo explains.

To put the numbers in perspective, analysts say, the U.S. faith community is worth more than Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook combined! “Given the division of opinion on religion’s contributions to American society,” the Grims write, “this present study seeks to shed light on the topic by making an estimate of religion’s socio-economic value to society. Indeed, we should know if the decline in religion is likely to have negative economic consequences.” After eight years of an administration bent on eradicating religion from the public square, the report couldn’t come at a better time. Under the Obama administration, the government has not only marginalized the economic engine of faith, but targeted it — first by stripping away their conscience rights, then by attacking their wall of separation and autonomy.

Obviously, as this study shows, there are real-world consequences to the president’s crackdown on faith. While religious charities continue to be underappreciated by liberals, it’s clear that these social services — homeless shelters, prison ministries, health care, food pantries, adoption services, disaster relief, and more — are having a tangible result on people’s lives. “I wish I could go to every congregation and say, ‘You’re part of something very big and something very important,’” Brian Grim told reporters. Thanks to these charities, people are no longer burdens to taxpayers, but contributors to society.

Of course, that’s not what liberals want to hear, since it turns their entire argument for Big Government on its head. This research ought to remind everyone that the government isn’t the only one who can help the needy (and in most cases, isn’t the most efficient at doing so anyway!). And if there’s anything as encouraging as religion’s impact, it’s its tenacity. As much as the White House has tried to crowd out the faith community, it continues to thrive under the generous spirit of churchgoing America. And that, Brian Grim says, is worth celebrating.

Originally published here.