Video: Dr. Benjamin Carson makes Barack Obama VERY uncomfortable at National Prayer Breakfast

Is it me or did Dr. Benjamin Carson spend thirty minutes criticizing Barack Obama - who heard every word - without ever looking at him? Right out of the gate, Carson begins ripping political correctness, something Obama loves.

Great line at the 8:14 mark:

"If you don't accept excuses, pretty soon people stop giving them and they start looking for solutions."

Ha! Was he telling Obama to stop blaming Bush?

Big quote moment begins at the 17:00 mark. As Carson was talking about great nations of the past, he made reference to Rome. Here's the quote, followed by a screenshot of the look on Obama's face after the comment:

I think particularly about ancient Rome. Very powerful, nobody could even challenge them militarily. But what happened to them? They destroyed themselves from within. Moral decay, fiscal irresponsibility. They destroyed themselves.

Here is the screenshot from right after Carson uttered those words but be sure to watch the look on the face of Obama during the entire comment.

The look of a man who knows people are on to him?

God appeared to be somewhere in the room at this National Prayer Breakfast and Obama clearly didn't like it.

To get the most out of this speech, watch Obama's face while listening to Carson's voice.

Via Freedom's Lighthouse:



h/t Barrackaid #2

Innocence of Muslims producer arrested by the Feds

Folks, the arrest of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula for violating his parole may seem like a victory for Muslim and leftist forces who want to squash our First Amendment right of free speech but, as they say, things aren't at all what they seem. Early indications are that his arrest is indeed a victory for the good guys.

Via the Smoking Gun:

The producer of the controversial anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims” has been arrested for violating terms of his probation and is set for an appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, is scheduled for an initial appearance before Judge Christina Snyder, who sentenced him in June 2010 following a bank fraud conviction.

Investigators have not yet provided details about how Nakoula allegedly violated probation, but it seems clear that his involvement in the “Innocence of Muslim” production is central to the government's new charge.

Nakoula (seen above) was sentenced to 21 months in prison to be followed by six months in a halfway house. Upon completion of the custodial term, he was placed on probation for five years.

Included in his probation terms were prohibitions on his use of the Internet, unless he secured prior approval from his probation officer. Additionally, he was not to “use, for any purpose or in any manner, any name other than his/her true legal name or names without the prior written approval of the Probation Officer.”

While producing “Innocence of Muslims,” Nakoula repeatedly used the alias “Sam Bacile” (and other variants) in communications, online postings, and dealings with cast and crew working on the film.

Nakoula has a history of criminal behavior and has been on parole ever since he was convicted for his role in a bank fraud scheme back in 2010. That's why he was arrested, not because he made an anti-Muhammad film. The narrative being pushed by the mainstream media, in fact, has been that Nakoula is a Coptic Christian.

In reality, according to Shoebat, Nakoula gave an interview in Arabic in which he admitted that he is neither Christian nor Jew.

Moreover, the crimes he was found guilty of committing were done in conjunction with a man named Eiad Salameh, a Muslim fundamentalist who hates Christians and Jews.

In short, the arrest of Nakoula should be cheered by conservatives, Christians, and Jews. He broke the law and quite possibly scammed everyone who was even remotely involved in the production of the film.

Anti-Muhammad film vs. 'Piss Christ'; Are you choking on the hypocrisy yet?

Barack Obama said Jeremiah Wright converted him to Christianity. Yet, when it comes to the 'Arab Spring' and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood all across the Middle East, it's Christians who are being ignored by this administration. Just contrast the lack of attention in the mainstream media (White House ventriloquist dummy) given to Egypt's Coptic Christians and compare it to the constant sympathy for the Syrian rebels, who resemble the Muslim Brotherhood more each day.

The latest example comes courtesy of the reaction of the Obama / Hillary tandem to the anti-Muhammad film vs. their non-reaction to the news that 'Piss Christ' will be on display in a New York Gallery next week.

First up, here is the video ad that includes both Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in which both decry the anti-Muhammad film. Clinton, once again, goes out of her way to stress that the U.S. Government had "nothing to do" with the making of the film. American taxpayer dollars were used to air this ad throughout Pakistan. The ultimate irony here is that the hypocrisy itself proves what we all know to be true. It's not about the film; it's about the reaction to it. Otherwise, 'Piss Christ' would receive the same treatment.



As for 'Piss Christ', Fox News Radio's Todd Starnes has more:

“Piss Christ,” once branded as a “deplorable, despicable display of vulgarity,” will be displayed at the Edward Tyler Nahem Gallery in Manhattan on Thursday. The artwork features a “photograph of the crucifix submerged in the artist’s urine.”

The artwork debuted in 1989 and was funded through prize money provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. The art gallery hosting the retrospective salute to Andres Serrano is privately owned.

Religious groups and some lawmakers have already started sounding off – and making comparisons to the controversy over a recent anti-Muslim film. The low budget movie “Innocence of Muslims” sparked violent and deadly clashes across the globe.

It also brought strong rebukes, condemnations and apologies from President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a host of administration officials.

The administration tried to have the film removed from YouTube – but Google rebuffed their request. The State Dept. spent $70,000 on a Pakistani television advertisement rebuking the film. And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff personally telephoned a Christian minister in Florida to ask him to withdraw his support of the film.

Rep. Michael Grimm (R, C-NY) wants to know why President Obama hasn’t denounced the exhibit and said he’s fed up with what he called the administration’s “religious hypocrisy.”

“The Obama administration’s hypocrisy and utter lack of respect for the religious beliefs of Americans has reached an all-time high,” Grimm told Fox News. “I call on President Obama to stand up for America’s values and beliefs and denounce the ‘Piss Christ’ that has offended Christians at home and abroad.”

So will the Obama Administration condemn the anti-Christian art display? Will they air a television ad denouncing the exhibit? Will the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ask the gallery to cancel the exhibit? 

The White House did not return calls seeking comment. Neither did the Pentagon.

Does that mean that Serrano won't be receiving a phone call from Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, General Martin Dempsey?

So taxpayer dollars were both used to decry an anti-Muslim film and subsidize an anti-Christian piece of art.

Video: Appearance on Focus Today with Perry Atkinson

Today, I had the opportunity to sit down with Perry Atkinson of Focus Today, of The Dove TV. Among other things, we talked about the 9/11 attacks of 2012 on U.S. Embassies. We also got to talk about Unsung Davids.

Via The Dove:

Important Video: Dearborn Police stand down as Muslim Mob Assaults Christians

The surrender of Dearborn, MI to Islam is all but complete. This may be one of the most important videos in a long, long time. Background: A group of Christians showed up at the annual 2012 Arab Festival, holding signs and wearing t-shirts to communicate their message.

There are many things to take note of as you watch. First, the mob assaults the Christians with debris (rocks, bottles, crates, etc.). Second, the police do nothing to stop it. The video opens with one officer telling one of the Christians that use of a bullhorn is prohibited by a city ordinance. Then, after 30 minutes of massive assault, one officer tells a Christian he's putting his own safety in danger because the cops have so much territory to cover. Note the response of the Christian male; he tells the officer that violence will be wherever their signs are. Having no response, the cop turns and walks away.

There are only two explanations for the behavior of these police officers. Either they are sympathetic to the Muslim cause or they are suffering from displacement.

Via The United West:



Matthew 5:10:

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

That's the good news.

Cross-posted at Shoebat

Catholic Bishops preparing for Civil Disobedience

It's pretty safe to say that any administration that agitates the Catholic Church to this degree is showing reckless disregard for the first amendment and is intolerant.

Via CNS News:

Having organized 43 plaintiffs—including the archdioceses of New York and Washington and the University of Notre Dame—to file 12 different lawsuits against the Obama administration last Monday alleging the administration is violating the religious freedom of Catholics, the Catholic bishops of the United States are now preparing Catholics for what may be the most massive campaign of civil disobedience in this country since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and early 1960s.

“Some unjust laws impose such injustices on individuals and organizations that disobeying the laws may be justified,” the bishops state in a document developed to be inserted into church bulletins in Catholic parishes around the country in June.

“Every effort must be made to repeal them,” the bishops say in the document, which is already posted on the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “When fundamental human goods, such as the right of conscience, are at stake, we may need to witness to the truth by resisting the law and incurring its penalties.”

The bulletin insert reminds Catholic parishioners that the bishops have called for “A Fortnight of Freedom”—which they have described as “a special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action”—to take place from June 21 to July 4.

The elites always seem to twist themselves into pretzels to avoid calling the west's war with Islam a religious war. Meanwhile, we have a religious war right here, being waged by the Barack Obama administration against the Catholic Church.

Indonesian Muslims pelt Christians with Sewage and Garbage

Is it me or are the Muslims taking their cues (and vice versa) from the Occupy Wall Street crowd?

Via the Jakarta Post (h/t GWP):

An angry mob once again assaulted the members of the Congregation of Batak Protestant Churches (HKBP) Filadelfia on Sunday morning as the parishioners were trying to attend their house of worship – the second attack within a week.

The congregation was reportedly entering their church, located on Jejalen Raya village in Bekasi, West Java, at around 9 a.m. when a group of people suddenly began throwing objects at them.

“They threw mineral water in plastic cups, mud, rotten eggs and water from drainage ditches at us. Some of them were still harassing parishioners after the congregation had already dispersed,” HKBP Filadelfia Rev. Palti Panjaitan told The Jakarta Post.

He added that the plastic cups that were thrown by the crowd also hit Bekasi Police chief Sr. Comr. Wahyu Hadiningrat and Bekasi Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) chief Agus Rismanto, whose members were unsuccessfully trying to provide safety.

So the intolerant Christians who were minding their own business were pelted with sewage by the tolerant Muslims. Reminds me of Isaiah 5:20.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

And the mainstream media continues to channel Baghdad Bob.

CBS Finally reports on Christian Persecution in Egypt

As Lebanon opened its country to Islam, Christians were persecuted. When Hamas was elected to power in Gaza, Christians were persecuted. When Saddam was overthrown in Iraq, Christians suffered. As the Syrian rebels al-Qaeda and Hamas fights against Bashar al-Assad, they are persecuting Christians. When Mubarak was overthrown in Egypt, the Christians began to suffer. Many of us knew this would happen. Yet, the liberal media that championed the 'Arab Spring' was disinterested. It was journalistic malpractice that should have torpedoed their credibility with the masses.

Instead, they embarrassingly continue to hold a large media megaphone and now, well over a year after Egypt fell, CBS actually discovers Christian persecution in Egypt.

Via NewsBusters:

Sunday's CBS Evening News refreshingly spotlighted the continuing persecution of the Coptic Christians in Egypt, an ongoing story that the Big Three networks have largely ignored for months. Correspondent Elizabeth Palmer zeroed in on the uncertain future for the religious minority as the country gears for a rare election: "[Egypt's] Christians are deeply worried....Two of the frontrunners in the race with a realistic chance of winning are deeply devout Islamists."

The last time CBS reported on the anti-Christian violence in Egypt was a news brief on the October 9, 2011 edition of Evening News, according to a Nexis search. Since January 2011, ABC, NBC, and CBS's morning and evening newscasts have only mentioned the issue six times.

Anchor Jeff Glor introduced Palmer's report by noting that "Egyptians vote this week in the first free presidential election in six decades. There are thirteen candidates running from all over the political spectrum. But Elizabeth Palmer reports tonight Egypt's largest minority fears their situation may go from bad to worse."

The correspondent began with footage of a Christian worship service in Cairo, stating that "the Coptic Christian ritual is ancient and familiar. But outside the door, Egypt now feels unwelcoming and unsafe. Last May, a Coptic church was set on fire in Cairo. Locals blamed Muslims in the neighborhood. And then, in October, Christians protesting the destruction of another church were mowed down by military vehicles."

Suddenly, the mainstream media - the supposed beacon of news and information - has discovered something it should have discovered a year and a half ago.



CBS didn't even wake up after one of its own female reporters - Lara Logan - suffered an extremely violent sexual assault at the hands of a mob of celebratory Islamists who shouted, "Jew! Jew! Jew!"

What the liberal western media isn't doing is criminal.

Campaign 2012: Black Liberation Theology vs. Mormonism

On May 16th, as it was being learned that Romney's Super PAC was preparing to go after Obama using Jeremiah Wright, CNN's Roland Martin said: that if "...the GOP wants to do that, then guess what? You're now putting Mormonism on the table."

Guess what else? It doesn't matter whether Romney repudiates the Super PAC for considering an anti-Jeremiah Wright campaign. The liberal media is already going after Romney over Mormonism despite what he says about any proposed ad campaign. Note the straw man here. MSNBC's Ed Schultz pits Mormonism against Jeremiah Wright and Black Liberation Theology anyway.

This is exactly what the left wants and frankly, Romney isn't the least bit prepared for it. If he thinks taking Jeremiah Wright off the table is going to take Mormonism off the table, he's wrong. The left has already put it on the table in response to the sheer notion that the Romney Super PAC would even consider a Jeremiah Wright campaign.

Here is an exchange moderated by Schultz between conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams and Michael Eric Dyson. Note that Williams says Romney repudiated the Super PAC and this should be a dead issue. Schultz and Dyson don't seem to care about that much.

Again, the liberal media sees Mormonism as Romney's biggest weak spot and they're going to go after him full boar over it. They're using the prospect of a Jeremiah Wright campaign as their green light.

Via MediaIte:

Roland Martin: If Jeremiah Wright fair game, so is Mormonism

Make no mistake. One of the reasons the liberal media wanted Mitt Romney to be the Republican nominee was because of his religion. In this exchange, note CNN's Roland Martin. Aside from saying Republicans need to stay away from the Jeremiah Wright issue because it won't work (if that's true, why wouldn't Martin want Republicans to do it?), Martin says if Obama's religious history is fair game, so is Mitt Romney's.

Via MediaIte:

Alleged Jeremiah Wright recordings cast doubt on Obama's Christianity

In 2008, video recordings of Jeremiah Wright's sermons came closer than anything else to derailing Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Now, four years later, there appears to be audio recordings of Wright that may be damaging to Obama as well. Those recordings, allegedly in the possession of author Edward Klein, consist of Wright telling Klein some unflattering things, to include charges that Obama attempted to silence Wright in 2008.

One claim had to do with Obama's Christianity. During an appearance on Sean Hannity's radio show, Klein said that Wright wouldn't go so far as to say he converted Obama from Islam but he came awfully close:

...the Reverend Wright told me on tape, that Obama came to him and said, 'I need some spiritual advice; I don't know exactly who I am' and the Reverend Wright said... 'Well we know your Islam background... but what you need now, is some coaching on Christianity.' And I asked the Reverend Wright 'did you convert him from being a Muslim to being a Christian and he said, 'well, I don't know if I could go that far but... I made it comfortable for him to accept Christianity without having to renounce his Islamic background.'

When one converts to Christianity - from any religion - isn't the point of doing so to renounce your previous religion? Look no further than John 3:18-21:

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Let's not forget John 14:6 either:

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Does Islam not repudiate Christianity by denying this central component? Why is the reverse not true as well? Christianity must necessarily repudiate Islam for the same reason.

If Klein's claim is true, perhaps the best we can say about the president is that he is a 'Chrislamist,' which means he is not a Christian. At worst, the president is feigning Christianity for political expediency so that he can remain a Muslim.

For some reason, this 2008 slip is looking a bit more freudian today:



h/t to Keith and Yid with Lid

Ben Barrack is a talk show host and author of the upcoming book, Unsung Davids

Cross-posted at Shoebat.com

New French President either Hates himself or is channeling Judas Iscariot

Newly elected French President Francois Hollande is an avowed socialist. As such, he lies. He doesn't just lie though. He exploits the poor by demonizing his opponents, claiming they are too wealthy and should take better care of the less fortunate. In fact, Hollande said he doesn't like the rich.

Small problem. Hollande, like Obama, is a very rich socialist, which seemingly makes only one of two things possible.

1. Hollande hates himself
2. Hollande is channeling Judas Iscariot, who ultimately hated himself (explanation below)

Via the Daily Mail:

France's new Socialist president owns three holiday homes in the glamorous Riviera resort of Cannes, it emerged today.

The 57-year-old who 'dislikes the rich' and wants to revolutionise his country with high taxes and an onslaught against bankers is in fact hugely wealthy himself.

His assets were published today in the Official Journal, the gazette which contains verified information about France's government.

To the undoubted embarrassment to the most left-wing leader in Europe and a man who styles himself as 'Mr Normal', they are valued at almost £1million.

It will also reinforce accusations that Hollande is a 'Gauche Caviar', or 'Left-Wing Caviar' - the Gallic equivalent of a Champagne Socialist.

How is Hollande exhibiting the characteristics of Judas, you ask?

John 12:1-6:

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead,[a] whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

In case you haven't noticed, I can't stand socialists.

h/t GWP 

Video: Jon Stewart addresses Mitt Romney's Mormonism

Now this is an interesting approach. Comedy Central's Jon Stewart does an entire segment on Mitt Romney's religion and comes across as defending it while still keeping it an issue. In fact, Stewart chides conservative evangelical leaders for chiding Mormonism. He also criticizes MSNBC hosts Lawrence O'Donnell and Martin Bashir for attacking Romney over religion.

It's important to remember, though, that it's not about the left coming to Mormonism's defense. It's about keeping the issue in the public eye. Stewart did just that here. Segments like this one will help Barack Obama.

Via The Atlantic:

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Video: Anti-Bullying Homosexual sets example by Bullying

Gay activists love to use the 'heads I win, tails you lose' argument. If you're a heterosexual who has no problem with homosexual behavior, you're ok. If you're a heterosexual who disagrees with homosexual behavior, you're homophobic and suppressing homosexual tendencies.

Here is another example, courtesy of gay rights / anti-bullying activist Dan Savage, who spoke to verbally bullied high school students all across the country. Apparently, if you disagree with him, you're a bully who deserves to be bullied by an anti-bullying, gay activist. Fortunately, angered Christians spoke with their feet and left.

Via Todd Starnes:

As many as 100 high school students walked out of a national journalism conference after an anti-bullying speaker began cursing, attacked the Bible and reportedly called those who refused to listen to his rant “pansy assed.”

The speaker was Dan Savage, founder of the “It Gets Better” project, an anti-bullying campaign that has reached more than 40 million viewers with contributors ranging from President Obama to Hollywood stars. Savage also writes a sex advice column called “Savage Love.”

Savage, and his husband, were also guests at the White House for President Obama’s 2011 LGBT Pride Month reception. He was also invited to a White House anti-bullying conference. 

Savage was supposed to be delivering a speech about anti-bullying at the National High School Journalism Conference sponsored by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. But it turned into an episode of Christian-bashing.

Rick Tuttle, the journalism advisor for Sutter Union High School in California, was among several thousand people in the audience. He said they thought the speech was one thing – but it turned into something else.

“I thought this would be about anti-bullying,” Tuttle told Fox news. “It turned into a pointed attack on Christian beliefs.”

Tuttle said a number of his students were offended by Savage’s remarks – and some decided to leave the auditorium. 

Look, Christians who believe Savage can be gay all day long shouldn't be forced to agree with the lifestyle. No One is talking about making homosexuality illegal or persecuting homosexuals (no one that I choose to know personally). Why does the Christian belief that homosexuality is immoral or wrong so offend Savage? He is an angry homosexual who is mad at people for not believing as he does. Period. There's a term for that and it's called 'thought police.'

As for the 'heads I win, tails you lose' argument, two can play that game. Perhaps Savage is so angry because his conscience is telling him that his lifestyle is immoral and wrong.

Here's the video:

**Language Warning (did you expect anything else?)**

South Sudan bombed by Muslim north, Boy killed

Tensions between Sudan and South Sudan have been rapidly increasing over the last few months. South Sudan, which isn't even one year old, is led by a devout Christian man named Salva Kiir. To the north, Sudan is run by the Muslim Brotherhood's Omar al-Bashir. South Sudan, which holds the majority of the oil reserves between the two countries, shut off the spigot going to the Port of Sudan, saying that Bashir's men were stealing much of it.

South Sudan then took control of the Heglig region - just north of its border with Sudan - after saying that Bashir's SLA was launching attacks from there. Naturally, Bashir painted South Sudan's actions as aggressive and threatened to declare war. Kiir's SPLA pulled out of Heglig to prevent war and Bashir exploited the situation, saying that his forces drove the SPLA out of Heglig.

Two very significant events transpired this weekend. First, a Catholic church in Khartoum, was torched by a Muslim Mob. Via the AP:

A Muslim mob has set ablaze a Catholic church frequented by Southern Sudanese in the capital Khartoum, witnesses and media reports said on Sunday.

The church in Khartoum's Al-Jiraif district was built on a disputed plot of land but the Saturday night incident appeared to be part of the fallout from ongoing hostilities between Sudan and South Sudan over control of an oil town on their ill-defined border.

Last week, South Sudanese troops seized Heglig, which the southerners call Panthou, sending Sudanese troops fleeing. The Khartoum government later claimed to have regained the town.

One day later, Bashir's forces bombed the capital city of Unity State (Bentiu), which sits just south of the border that separates the two countries.

Via Sudan Tribune:

Sudan Armed Force (SAF) warplanes carried out an intensive bombardment of the Unity state capital town of Bentiu and neighboring Rubkotna, Sudan Tribune reporter says.

The attacks by Mig 29 fighters started at 8:50 am.

A Reuters reporters at the scene, outside the oil town of Bentiu, said he saw a fighter aircraft drop two bombs near a river bridge between Bentiu and Rubkona.

"I can see market stalls burning in Rubkona in the background and the body of a small child burning," he said.

Presumably, this is a photo of the dead boy.

More photos here.

Video: CNN's Jack Cafferty says Romney should be more open about Mormonism

The mainstream media is continuing its subtle attacks on Mitt Romney's religion. In some cases - see Lawrence O'Donnell - the attacks haven't been as subtle. CNN's Jack Cafferty seems to be using the David Gregory approach. The MSM doesn't want to appear bigoted so is clearly trying to set a narrative that says Mormonism is an issue because of Romney's intimate involvement with it. They know why Romney doesn't want to talk about it; the doctrine and history of the religion would be considered quite bizarre to most people. They also know that most people don't know that kind of detail.

Make no mistake, however. These guys know that doing so has more downside for Romney than upside, which is why Romney doesn't appear all that interested in discussing the subject. Cafferty knows this and says that Romney should not avoid talking about his religion, for several reasons.

Via MediaIte:

On Tuesday’s “Cafferty File,” CNN contributor Jack Cafferty said that likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney needs to embrace his Mormon faith and prepare an address, similar to one he gave in 2008, in order to clear up misconceptions about the religion that are still held by many Americans. Oddly, Cafferty gave a similar presentation less than a year ago and came to the opposite conclusion – that a speech Romney gave in 2008 could be blamed for ending his presidential campaign in the last cycle.

Isn't that interesting? CNN's Cafferty thinks it's important for Romney to be more open about Mormonism as the former Massachusetts Governor has all but clinched the Republican nomination. Yet, last year, Cafferty asserted that doing so in 2008 torpedoed his chances then.

Should tell you all you need to know about why Cafferty thinks Romney should do the same thing now.

Folks, the MSM is going to bludgeon Romney with his religion. Why the Republican Party establishment doesn't see this is beyond me.

In Sermon, Catholic Bishop compares Obama to Hitler and Stalin

Those concerned that the Catholic Church's response to the HHS contraception rule was going to be a flash in the pan got a bit of a reprieve courtesy of Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of the Diocese of Peoria, IL. Jenky compared Barack Obama to Hitler and Stalin.

Via Washington Examiner:

"Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health care," Jenky said. "In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, Barack Obama – with his radical, pro abortion and extreme secularist agenda, now seems intent on following a similar path." Jenky added.

Jenky reminded the men of the Catholic Church's history of surviving threats from Jihadi, Nazism and Communism and called them to stand up for their faith.

Denouncing the "entrenched corruption and sheer incompetence" of the Illinois state government, Jenky also criticized Catholic politicians who "pretend to be Catholic."

Here is the relevant excerpt from Jenky's sermon.

POLITICO using the David Gregory strategy on Romney's Mormonism

Compare the attack dog techniques of MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell and the outwardly encouraging attempts by NBC's David Gregory to make Mitt Romney's Mormonism an issue. O'Donnell all but called Romney a member of a racist and sexist religion while Gregory smiled on the Late Show and insisted that Romney should talk about his Mormon faith because this is such a monumental moment - the first Mormon presidential nominee.

POLITICO's Lois Romano appears to be projecting O'Donnell's views onto disenchanted Republican voters while adopting the David Gregory mantra:

Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith has hovered over his 20-year political career like a thick layer of incense at Easter Mass. Negative perceptions of the religion so worried his 2008 presidential team that the dilemma had its own acronym in campaign power point presentations: TMT (That Mormon Thing).

Worries persisted this year as skeptical evangelical Christians flocked to other candidates—any other candidate it seemed — causing Romney to avoid all things Mormon in public.

But now that the former Massachusetts governor is the likely GOP nominee, many Republicans think that the standoffish candidate actually needs to embrace his Mormonism publicly to open a window into his life.

Romano, perhaps unknowingly, puts Media Research Center's Brent Bozell in the same camp as Gregory:

Conservative activist L. Brent Bozell hasn’t endorsed a presidential candidate but admittedly favored the more conservative players in the race over Romney. Still, he sees no reason for Romney to hide his light under a bushel. “If you’re a Mormon, you don’t need to distance yourself from it,” says Bozell. “We can all get along. I think the hostility seen in the primaries toward him was based more on cultural issues—social issues, not religious.”

But not entirely: Romney experienced pushback this year from evangelicals who view the Mormon faith as at odds with the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity. They question whether Mormons even believe in Jesus Christ –even though the official name of the religion is the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. One prominent Texas cleric who supported Rick Perry called the church a “cult.”

“What I find disturbing,” said one Romney adviser who asked for anonymity, “are the exits polls where people said they could only vote for someone who shared their religious faith.” According to this adviser and others, Christian conservatives feel that electing a Mormon president would further legitimatize the lay religion founded nearly 200 years ago, when many of them see it as a false religion.

The question remains: What will the end result be of Republican voters learning more about Mormonism. Romney's reticence indicates he thinks it will hurt him.

Why? That's a question voters should answer before it's too late.

Read it all.

New York Times subtly plants anti-Mormon seeds

While the current debate rages about Hilary Rosen's comments about Ann Romney never working a day her life, an article in the New York Times by Geoffrey Kabaservice is planting seeds of concern about Mitt's Mormon faith. Kabaservice is walking a fine line between presenting information about Mormonism and doing so while not appearing bigoted.

Many of the problems various people have with Mormonism are found in the religion's early years. Kabaservice, no doubt, understands this and focuses on the Romney family's connection to those early years.

Via NYT:

...“The Real Romney” leaves an unsettling impression. Romney’s peculiar misfortune is that the things that defined him have become liabilities in his presidential pursuit, leading him to minimize or repudiate his own beliefs, legacy and accomplishments. Even as he shifts into the front-runner’s role, he is running on who he is not — namely, Barack Obama — rather than on who he is, and cannot stand openly for the things that matter most to him. If Obama is our first post-racial president, Romney, with his strategy of absences and denials, bids to become our first postmodern president.

Romney’s political problems begin, in a basic sense, with his family history. The authors trace the intertwined histories of Romney’s ancestors and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, beginning with his great-great-grandfather Miles Archibald Romney, who became an early convert to Mormonism in 1837. Mitt’s great-grandfather had undertaken the pioneer journey to the Utah Territory as a boy, and when he refused to abandon what Mormons considered the divinely ordained practice of “plural marriage” — he had three wives at that point — he fled federal agents to establish a colony in Mexico; the family remained there after the Mormon Church agreed to ban po­lygamy in 1890 as a condition of Utah’s gaining statehood.

Why is that relevant? Kabaservice explains just a few paragraphs later:

His upstanding life fails to win Romney the political credit that would normally extend to such a paragon, because many people do not understand or approve of the religion that inspires him. Over the last several years, about a quarter of Americans have told poll takers they would not vote for a Mormon. Liberals are skeptical of a religion that until 1978 refused to grant full membership to anybody with even one drop of African blood and still bars women from the priesthood. Mormon leaders have supported extreme right-wing organizations like the John Birch Society, denounced the theory of evolution, condemned much of American popular culture, and led the fights against the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and the gay marriage movement over the past decade. Christian conservatives might be expected to support Mormonism’s political agenda, but many believe that the religion is not Christian but a heretical and even satanic cult. Because of this opposition from both left and right, Romney is forced to play down his distinctive heritage, resorting instead to generalized expressions of faith and patriotism.

There you go. Kabaservice touches on Mormonism having a racist past that necessarily included Mitt's ancestors. Look for the mainstream media to pick up on that little part about barring women from the priesthood - after Hilary Rosen's comments play out.

Conservatives now being forced to defend Romney's Mormonism

Megyn Kelly interviewed Michael Reagan about the mainstream media's interest in bringing up Mitt Romney's Mormonism incessantly. Note that Reagan is in a position of having to defend Mitt Romney against these tactics. My point all along has been that these tactics would be used by Obama's apparatchiks because they will be effective.

Reagan has an interesting take here, saying that the liberal media is fixated on Romney being a Mormon but gives Harry Reid a pass; he also highlights the fact that Reid's loyalties are to the Democratic Party so much so that he is not defending Romney. The problem is that this was all predictable and any hypocrisy pointed out by the right is not going to stop further hypocritical tactics from the left.

Again, the veiled attacks on Mormonism from the left may not be justified but that will not make them any less effective. Note how Reagan is in defense mode instead of going after Obama

Via Fox Insider: