The Father of Lies in America

"This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country - the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age?" - Rick Santorum speaking at Ave Maria University in Florida, Aug 29, 2008[1]

Because Rick Santorum is rising in the polls in his run for President, he recently made headlines for something he said four years ago at Ave Maria University when he spoke of Satan, the Father of Lies, attacking America.  Santorum might have been describing his own political candidacy. 

Santorum and other conservative politicians have mastered the rhetoric that attracts conservatives and Tea Partiers.  They fill their pre-election talks with obligatory references to being pro-life and pro-traditional marriage, protecting the unborn, being anti-tax, and advocating major cuts in federal spending.  It’s easy to dupe the gullible electorate with fine words about Christianity, morality, and family values, and lies.

Pro-Life?

“On occasion scientists working on the nuclear program in Iran turn up dead.  I think that’s a wonderful thing, candidly.” – “Pro-life” Rick Santorum campaigning in S. Carolina (video), Oct 27, 2011

If evil is the absence of good—there’s a void in America as US citizens cheer their potential rulers, who spout off about murdering Iranian scientists or embargoing Iran. 

Embargoes are another lie.  Politicians make them seem like business transactions.  But embargoes are acts of war that kill people: the US embargo of Iraq killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis before the US invaded Iraq (video).

The war in Iraq was fought over a lie: as a US senator, Rick Santorum supported George Bush’s invasion of Iraq in search of WMD when Iraq had no WMD.  Even after the Bush White House admitted no WMD had been found, Santorum held a 2006 news conference and lied:

“’We have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons,’ Santorum said.”[2][3]

Yes, Santorum knows about lies.

Now Santorum advocates attacking Iran to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons, the same lie the US told to justify invading Iraq.  “Pro-life” Rick Santorum wants to be President so he can lead the US into a war against Iran (video).

Santorum and his fellow pretend-limited government conservative R-candidates, Romney and Gingrich, are walking contradictions:

• They profess a reverence for life as long as it is unborn.
• They bemoan the growth of the federal government while pushing for the growth of government by their advocacy of a militaristic, security state.  They supported the execution of a US citizen without due process by the Obama administration.
• They tell us how damaging Obama’s domestic policies are, but they support the same policies when practiced by rulers with an R after their names.

“What Makes This Country Great”

"I'm an Italian guy from a steel town who grew up understanding what makes this country great.” – From Rick Santorum website

A good lie mixes some truth in with it.  Santorum’s campaign website mentions he grew up in a steel town, so you’ll think he is still a member of the working class.  Other than four years working as a lawyer, Santorum has worked in politics since he was 23.  After he was elected to Congress at 32, Santorum has held office or been a D.C. lobbyist ever since and lives just outside of Washington, D.C.

“What makes this country great” for Santorum is political power.  As a candidate for the Republican nomination for President, Santorum says he opposes the big government policies of Obama.  Santorum wants you to forget that he:

• talks about limited government, but supports the NDAA and the PATRIOT Act (video and PATRIOT Act votes in 2005 and 2006);
• pretends to be  a limited government conservative, yet Santorum admits he’ll vote for bigger government as he explained how he’ll “take one for the team” during the Mesa AZ Republican debate when he described voting for bigger government to support Republican President Bush on No Child Left Behind (video);
• professes to be a fiscal conservative despite voting five times to increase the National Debt limit: HR 2015 in 1997, S 2578 in 2002, HJ RES 51 in 2003, S 2986 in 2004, and HJ RES 47 in 2006 (video about Santorum’s big spending ways in Congress);
• protests Obamacare despite having helped create a new unfunded entitlement, Medicare Part D, as Republican Senate conference chairman;
• joined with senators Barbara Boxer and Frank Lautenberg to pass new federal gun control regulations;
• helped keep forced dues flowing to the labor unions by voting to kill the National Right to Work bill (video);
• pretends to oppose abortion despite bragging (4:30 in this video) about voting for funding birth control—which means he sent US taxpayer’s money to Planned Parenthood for abortions (video).[4]

As Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute says of Santorum:

“…Santorum might be viewed as the mirror image of Ron Paul. If Ron Paul’s campaign has been based on the concept of simply having government leave us alone, Santorum rejects that entire concept. True liberty, he writes, is not ‘the freedom to be left alone,’ but ‘the freedom to attend to one’s duties to God, to family, and to neighbors.’ And he seems fully prepared to use the power of government to support his interpretation of those duties.”[5]

The Spiritual War in America

When nearly half of Americans polled want a preemptive attack on Iran now, and when government murder of US citizens without trial is cheered by the mob, the Father of Lies is winning.[6]

When Rick Santorum talks about government murder of Americans as good and murder of Iranian scientists as a “wonderful thing” and he gets your vote, the Father of Lies has won.

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[1] “Faith in Public Life: A Personal Journey,” speech by Rick Santorum, Aug 29, 2008, Ave Maria University, (Accessed at http://www.avemaria.edu/Portals/0/Podcasts/2324.wma on Feb 24, 2012).

[2] “Lawmakers Cite Weapons Found in Iraq,” by Dafna Linzer, The Washington Post,  Jun 22, 2006, (Accessed at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/21/AR2006062101837.html on Feb 29, 2012).

[3] “Report: Hundreds of WMDs Found in Iraq,” Jun 22, 2006, Fox News, (Accessed at http://web.archive.org/web/20080424081106/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200499,00.html on Feb 29, 2012).

[4] “Santorum's Contradictions: A Record of Forcing Catholics to Pay for Contraception,” by Thomas R. Eddlem, The New American, 20 Feb 2012, (Accessed at http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/10930-santorums-contradictions-a-record-of-forcing-catholics-to-pay-for-contraception on Feb 24, 2012).

[5] “Santorum’s Big-Government Conservatism,” By Michael Tanner, National Review Online, Jan 4, 2012, (Accessed at http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/287068/santorum-s-big-government-conservatism-michael-tanner on Feb 28, 2012).

[6] “Newsmax Poll: Nearly Half of Americans Say Attack Iran Now,” Feb 27, 2012, By Jim Meyers,Newsmax.com, (Accessed at  http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/iran-attack-nuclear-israel/2012/02/27/id/430675?s=al&promo_code=E478-1 on Feb 28, 2012).

Your Federal Government At Work

It’s primary season for the upcoming Presidential election in the US.  As “limited government conservative” Presidential candidates for the Republican party explain their unique qualifications for President, consider these recent examples of our overreaching federal government:

• To “protect us from drugs,” the federal government frequently conducts drug raids.  In a city-wide drug raid in Fitchburg, MA, the FBI took a chainsaw to Judy Sanchez’ door while she was in her apartment with her three-year-old daughter and pet dog.  Sanchez was lucky, neither her dog nor anyone in her family was shot.[1]  It wasn’t the first time government agents raided the wrong home in the drug war, and it won’t be the last.  Many other innocent citizens have been killed by the feds while they “protect us” from drugs.
• To “keep us safe from terrorism,” we must now sacrifice our liberties and endure the indignity of body searches and porno-scans.  When our protectors at La Guardia Airport in NY spotted two suspected pipe bombs in a passenger’s luggage, TSA agents seized the passenger’s property and simply left the suspected pipe bombs in a public area.  For six hours hundreds of passengers passed by the confiscated suspected bombs and police were not notified.[2]  It turned out to be much ado about nothing, as the suspected pipe bombs were merely gold and silver pipes for use as homeopathic medicine.
• In addition to sacrificing our liberties as the feds “keep us safe from terrorism,” it also seems we must sacrifice our property as well.  Almost every day there’s a story of another TSA agent being prosecuted for stealing from travelers they’re “protecting.”[3]
• To “protect us from guns,” the federal government let guns be sold to people who were buying for Mexican drug cartels.  Code-named Fast and Furious, the federal government program strong-armed Arizona gun dealers into violating gun laws and now both political parties dispute who was running the program.[4]
• To “keep making homes affordable,” government-sponsored enterprises: Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, after a taxpayer-funded bailout in 2008, are now owned by taxpayers.  Freddie Mac sets the rules for refinancing home loans and made rules making it difficult for homeowners to refinance their mortgages to get lower interest loans and stay in their homes.  Freddie Mac recently invested in mortgage-backed securities that are profitable when homeowners are trapped in high interest loans.[5]  Meanwhile, sister organization Fannie Mae has been under investigation for nearly a decade for fraudulent foreclosures.  According to whistleblower Nye Lavalle:

“Fannie Mae, its directors, servicers and lawyers appeared to have an institutional policy of turning a willful blind eye to evidence of mortgage origination and servicing fraud.  When confronted directly with this evidence, Fannie not only failed to correct and remedy the abuses, it assisted in continuing the frauds via institutional practices that concealed fraudulent foreclosures.”[6]

• To “serve the American people,” the federal government employs about two million people, not including those in the military or the Postal Service.  For those of you out of work or having a tough time making ends meet, your federal employees feel your pain—the House just approved an extension of a two year pay freeze for federal employees.[7]  Unlike you, the majority of federal employees still get pay increases during a “pay freeze” and get compensated on average, 16% more than private sector employees.[8]

The Tea Party has become a political force by making noises about limited government since Obama was elected President.  But of the R-candidates for President who supposedly embrace the limited government philosophy, only Ron Paul believes in limiting the limited federal government.  Mitt-Romneycare-Romney doesn’t.  Newt-Moonbase-Gingrich doesn’t.  Rick-Votes-for-National-debt-increases-5-times-as-Senator-Santorum doesn’t.

Only Ron Paul:

• Wants to stop the War on Drugs (video) and has consistently advocated ending it (video).  Ron Paul wants to end the war on drugs and he understands the 2nd Amendment.
• Wants to abolish the TSA.
• Wants to end government-sponsored enterprises (video).
• Wants to cut $1 trillion from the federal budget as soon as he takes office.

If you are a voter and truly want a limited federal government, what lies do you tell yourself when you support your “limited government” candidate instead of Ron Paul for President?

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[1] “FBI Uses Chainsaw In Raid On Wrong Fitchburg Apartment,” By Jim Armstrong, WBZ-TV, Jan 31, 2012, (Accessed at http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/01/31/fbi-uses-chainsaw-in-raid-on-wrong-fitchburg-apartment/ on Feb 2, 2012).

[2] “'Bomb’ botch at LaGuardia,” By PHILIP MESSING and TIM PERONE,  Jan 31, 2012, NY Post, (Accessed at http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/bomb_botch_at_lag_cNNAisTre0rBixGKlehknI on Feb 2, 2012).

[3] “NYC agent arrested in latest TSA theft allegation,” AP, February 02, 2012, (Accessed at http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/02/police-tsa-agent-at-jfk-stole-5k-from-passenger/ on Feb 4, 2012).

[4] “Report by House Democrats Absolves Administration in Gun Trafficking Case,” By CHARLIE SAVAGE, Jan 31, 2012, NY Times, (Accessed at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/us/politics/operation-fast-and-furious-report-by-democrats-clears-obama-administration.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha24 on Feb 2, 2012).

[5] “Report Prompts Calls To End Freddie Mac's Conflict Of Interest,” by Chris Arnold and Marilyn Geewax, Jan 30, 2012, NPR, (Accessed at http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/01/31/146110055/report-prompts-calls-to-end-freddie-macs-conflict-of-interest on Feb 4, 2012).

[6] “A Mortgage Tornado Warning, Unheeded,” By GRETCHEN MORGENSON, NY Times, Feb 4, 2012, (Accessed at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/business/mortgage-tornado-warning-unheeded.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25&pagewanted=all on Feb 5, 2012).

[7] “House approves measure to freeze federal salaries,” By Ed O'Keefe, Feb 1, 2012, Washington Post, (Accessed at http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/federal-pay-freeze-bill-comes-up-for-a-vote/2012/02/01/gIQAJwg9iQ_story.html?wpisrc=nl_fedinsider on Feb 4, 2012).

[8] “Comparing the Compensation of Federal and Private-Sector Employees,” Congressional Budget Office, Jan 2012, (Accessed at  http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/126xx/doc12696/01-30-FedPay.pdf on Feb 4, 2012).

From page 23 of the report:

“For workers at all education levels, the cost of total compensation averaged about $52 per hour worked for federal employees, compared with about $45 per hour
worked for employees in the private sector with certain
similar observable characteristics. Thus, total compensation was about 16 percent higher, on average, for federal workers than for similar private-sector workers, indicating that the government spent about 16 percent more on total compensation than it would have if average
compensation had been comparable with that in the
private sector, after accounting for differences in those
characteristics.”

Dangerous Men

“...he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law...

“The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.”

― Article II Section 2 of the US Constitution

President Obama (D) appointed Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and three others to the National Labor Relations Board while the Senate was in “pro forma” session.  According to the Obama administration:

“The President nominated Mr. Cordray last summer.  Unfortunately, Republicans in the Senate blocked his confirmation.  They refused to let the Senate go forward with an up or down vote.  It’s not because Republicans think Cordray isn’t qualified for the job, they simply believe that the American public doesn’t need a watchdog at all.  Well, we disagree.”

“…Here are the facts:  The Constitution gives the President the authority to make temporary recess appointments to fill vacant positions when the Senate is in recess, a power all recent Presidents have exercised.  The Senate has effectively been in recess for weeks, and is expected to remain in recess for weeks.  In an overt attempt to prevent the President from exercising his authority during this period, Republican Senators insisted on using a gimmick called “pro forma” sessions, which are sessions during which no Senate business is conducted and instead one or two Senators simply gavel in and out of session in a matter of seconds.  But gimmicks do not override the President’s constitutional authority to make appointments to keep the government running.  Legal experts agree.  In fact, the lawyers who advised President Bush on recess appointments wrote that the Senate cannot use sham “pro forma” sessions to prevent the President from exercising a constitutional power.”[1]

The Senate Rs were doing what the Senate Ds did back when Bush was President and Obama was a Senator: pretending to be in session over the end of the year by gaveling in for a few minutes and ignoring the President's nominees.  But now that he’s President, Obama decided the Senate can't do that.

“Do As I Say, Not As I Do” says President Obama

This isn’t the first time our “Constitutional scholar” President has changed his interpretation of the powers of the executive branch now that he’s President:

• In 2007, Candidate Obama promised not to use signing statements as a candidate (video) and reneged after he was elected.
• Candidate Obama acknowledged it is un-Constitutional for the President to attack a country without authorization from Congress.  Yet as President he has bombed Libya, and launched drone attacks in Pakistan and Yemen killing hundreds of civilians.
• Candidate Obama also said the USG cannot detain US citizens without due process[5].  President Obama has executed US citizens without due process.

“Do As I Say, Not As I Do” says the Opposition

Now the opposition party is in an uproar about the President violating the Constitution by appointing four bureaucrats:

• Rush Limbaugh, who also pretends to be a Constitutionalist, said “Obama is acting outside the Constitution,” and “defying the Constitution.”   He called it “lawless behavior,” and analogized Obama’s action as taking “a pee on the Constitution.”[2]
• Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) called it an “unprecedented power grab,” and said, “The precedent that would be set by this cavalier action would have a devastating effect on the checks and balances that are enshrined in our Constitution.” 
• Other “limited government” conservatives called it another example of how liberals “pay lip service to the Constitution.”

Where were those same champions of the Constitution when:

• Ron Paul pushed to end the Fed, which emits fiat paper money and devalues the savings of all, but those controlling the financial system, by bailing out big banks?  Why do the same champions of the Constitution ridicule Paul for advocating gold-backed money when Art I Section 10 of the Constitution states that “No state shall… make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts…”?
• The USG pursued undeclared wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, and Libya?  Art I Section 8 of the Constitution says only Congress shall have the power to declare war.[3]
• Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA) which allows indefinite detention without due process for US citizens (which the federal government was doing anyway?[4]  Provision 1021 of the bill, which grants the President the authority to have the military indefinitely imprison US citizens, violates our 4th and 5th Amendment rights to be secure in our persons and to be subject to due process of law.
• Congress passed and continues to renew the PATRIOT Act which violates our 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures?
• Congress created the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA, which routinely violates our 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures?
• The Obama administration executed American citizens without due process?

How will our champions of the Constitution vote on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) which threatens our 1st Amendment right to freedom of expression?

“A Dangerous Man”

Both sides quote the Constitution while they're out of power and ignore it once they’re in power.  Nothing gets the loyal opposition quoting the Constitution faster than when the other side tries to get one over on them.  But when both sides agree to violate the Constitution, watch out.  Of the Republican candidates for President this year, only Ron Paul criticizes the attack on our liberties at home and calls for following the Constitution.

Now both parties are beating the drums for war against Iran.  Only Ron Paul, called “a dangerous man” by opponents in his own party, warns against overreacting and starting a war with Iran (video), pointing to the million deaths of Iraqis and thousands of deaths of US troops in Iraq as an example of what we risk.[6]

Ron Paul is a dangerous man.  He means it when he talks about following the Constitution.  And people are listening.

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[1] “America's Consumer Watchdog,” The White House Blog, Dan Pfeiffer, Jan 4, 2012, (Accessed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/04/americas-consumer-watchdog on Jan 7, 2012).

[2] “Rush Limbaugh: ‘Lawless’ Obama Is ‘Taking A Pee On The Constitution’,” by Jon Bershad, Jan 5, 2012, (Accessed at http://www.mediaite.com/online/rush-limbaugh-lawless-obama-is-taking-a-pee-on-the-constitution/ on Jan 7, 2012).

[3] Congress cannot delegate the authority to declare war to the President as it has with it's Authorization to use force legislation.  That is an attempt to amend the Constitution which requires a different process than passing legislation.

From Ron Paul’s speech in the House, 8 Oct 2002 on the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002:

“This is not a resolution to declare war. We know that. This is a resolution that does something much different. This resolution transfers the responsibility, the authority, and the power of the Congress to the President so he can declare war when and if he wants to. He has not even indicated that he wants to go to war or has to go to war; but he will make the full decision, not the Congress, not the people through the Congress of this country in that manner.”

[4] “Obama Says Bill Breaks With Our Values, Signs It Anyway,”  The Atlantic.com, By Conor Friedersdorf, Jan 3, 2012, (Accessed at http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/obama-says-bill-breaks-with-our-values-signs-it-anyway/250828/ on Jan 7, 2012).

[5] “Barack Obama's Q&A,” By Charlie Savage, Boston Globe, Dec 20, 2007, (Accessed at  http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/specials/CandidateQA/ObamaQA/ on Jan 9, 2012).

[6] “Rick Santorum calls Ron Paul ineffective, dangerous,” By Michael A. Memoli, Jan 8, 2012, (Accessed at http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-paul-santorum-record-debate-20120108,0,7996570.story on Jan 8, 2012).