Solidarity & Action

On Capitol Hill this week leaders of various Christian denominations gathered to call attention to the growing danger of Christian persecution in the Middle East. The press conference was organized by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), co-chairs of the Religious Minorities in the Middle East Caucus.

Speakers at the press conference represented the Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox Church, Southern Baptists, evangelicals and others. There were also representatives of various think tanks and charities that minister to Christians in the Middle East.

At the press conference they released the "Pledge of Solidary & Call to Action" regarding Christian persecution in Egypt, Iraq and Syria. The Pledge has been signed by nearly 200 religious and civic leaders across America and reads in part:

"Now facing an existential threat to their presence in the lands where Christianity has its roots, the Churches in the Middle East fear they have been largely ignored by their coreligionists in the West… American religious leaders need to pray and speak with greater urgency about this human rights crisis. …

"Even as we pledge to do all within our power to alleviate the suffering of Christians and other small religious communities in the Middle East, we urgently appeal for action from our government to recognize and act upon the unique plight of these religious communities. It is our conviction that American foreign policy can be more effectively used to advocate for policies that protect international religious freedom for all."

Kudos, once again, to Rep. Frank Wolf for his leadership on this urgent issue. I urge all our readers to pray for our brothers and sisters in the Middle East and to share the Pledge with your pastor.

Scandal Update

Last night the House of Representatives voted 232-to-186 to form a select committee to investigate the September 11, 2012 attacks on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya. But that's not the only investigation that is taking place related to this scandal.

Capitol Hill police are investigating threats against Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), who was chosen by Speaker John Boehner to lead the select committee. The investigation was launched after reporters at Politico and other news outlets received emails threatening Gowdy.

I know it is often frustrating to watch all the hearings on Capitol Hill because it seems like nothing ever gets done. Granted the process is annoyingly slow, but it is beginning to yield results in this case. A major crack in the bureaucracy's "stone wall" emerged yesterday.

Several weeks ago, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told members of Congress that the IRS had failed to comply with a subpoena demanding all of Lois Lerner's emails because it would "take years, not months" to comply. Koskinen's response didn't pass the straight face test then and for good reason.

Yesterday -- after the House voted to hold Lerner in contempt and voted for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate IRS abuses -- the tax agency informed House investigators that now it will surrender all of Lerner's emails and correspondence.

In response to this news, Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said, "While it is good that we are finally getting these e-mails, it should never have taken this long."

Lastly, the House Veterans Affairs Committee voted unanimously yesterday to subpoena emails and documents from VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and other top officials in his department. This vote comes as more whistleblowers are coming forward alleging that VA hospitals in Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas may have also falsified records regarding delays for appointments and medical treatments.

Three senators -- Burr (NC), Cornyn (TX) and Moran (KS) -- this week joined the American Legion's call for Secretary Shinseki to resign.

Government Gone Wild

Think gas prices at the pump are too high? I do too. But if you think paying $3.50 or $4.00 a gallon is bad, try $150 a gallon. In fact, you are paying it.

Thanks to the administration's "green" agenda, the Pentagon is paying as much as $150 a gallon for "alternative fuels."

"How much pornography would it take for an EPA employee to lose his job?" Believe it or not, that was a question posed this week by Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to EPA officials.

Apparently one EPA employee was busted with "7,000 porn files on his computer and had been watching porn for two to six hours per day since 2010." And he's still on the job. In fact, he's so good at what he does, he even got a "performance bonus." Folks, you can't make this up!

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports, "A unit run by President Barack Obama's political staff inside the Environmental Protection Agency operates illegally as a 'rogue law enforcement agency' that has blocked independent investigations by the EPA's inspector general for years."

I was stunned to read this week that a California school district had instructed students to study Holocaust denial. "Some people claim the Holocaust is not an actual event, but instead is a propaganda tool that was used for political and monetary gain," the lesson plan said.

In response to public outrage, the assignment was scrapped. Some are dismissing the episode as a "misguided" attempt to "meet Common Core standards relating to critical learning skills." That cannot be the end of it. Taxpayers should demand that state officials investigate who created this lesson plan and who approved it for use in the public schools.

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