The FaithWalker’s Daily — Dec. 27: Supremes Deny Hobby Lobby, The Benghazi Office Shuffle, Gun Owners Exposed

The FaithWalker’s Daily is a quick review of key news stories of the day from the perspective of a conservative Christ-follower living in, but not of, the world.

• Hobby Lobby Refused Religious Protection by Supreme Court

The Basics —

The Supreme Court refused to issue an emergency injunction that would protect Hobby Lobby from having to provide coverage for Obamacare “morning-after” mandate while they appeal the mandate in federal courts.

Dig Deeper:

• Via FoxNews : Key graph: “The Supreme Court’s latest ruling is not on the underlying merits of the mandate itself — it simply denies the company’s request for an injunction while legal battle on the merits plays out.  Though the mandate has exemptions for religious entities like churches, the lower court ruled that Hobby Lobby is not a religious group.” Claims no “substantial harm” will be caused by complying.
• Via HuffPo: No surprise that the opinion is written by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

A Few Thoughts…

Although this ruling will not decide the mandate issue, it will, in fact, likely cause “substantial harm” to Hobby Lobby when it starts paying fines in excess of $1.2 million per day. Elections do have consequences. Most disturbing is that the grounds for denying the request is that Hobby Lobby is not a religious group. Somewhere along the way, we’ve allowed ourselves to think in terms of religious and not religious, of sacred and secular –as if it were possible to disconnect faith from reality. Now it would seem you must be a legally defined religious group to claim First Amendment protection for the free exercise of your faith.

Everyone lives by faith. Some are more honest about it than others.

• Bogus! Benghazi State Department Resignations

The Basics —

The four State Department officials who allegedly “resigned” after a damning report showed systemic security failures that led to the Benghazi tragedy are, in fact, still employed by the State Department. They have simply been reassigned.

Dig Deeper:

• Via The New York Post: Penalties are bogus.
• The Washington Examiner reminds us that both Clinton and Obama claimed full responsibility:

Finally, it seemed as though somebody was going to be held accountable for the security failures in Benghazi.

Except no one was.

It turns out that none of the State Department officials who supposedly resigned after the Accountability Review Board report has actually left the agency. All of them are either still working for the State Department today, or are on administrative leave and expected back soon.

So much for accountability

• Via The Washington Examiner: GOP Senators say they won’t approve Kerry as new Sec. of State until Clinton testifies about Benghazi.

A Few Thoughts…

Is responsibility for one’s actions Biblical? Or are such calls merely a “witch hunt?” Think of Jesus’ many parables of those who were given responsibility but failed to act on it. Put it in any other context and the answer becomes clear. If one of those officials had side-swiped someone’s car, they’d be held responsible.  If they had allowed a gun to fall in the hands of a deranged shooter, there’d be no free pass.

Reshuffling office supplies is not taking responsibility for anything.

 

• Should List of Gun Owners Be Made Public?

The Basics —

A New York newspaper published the identities of registered “handgun permit holders” as readers protested and other states wrestle with the same question of how much information is too much.

Dig Deeper:

• Via FoxNews: The NY story. Key Graph:  “But readers swiftly condemned the move. They pointed out that the interactive map could make the gun owners a target, but also make clear to would-be robbers which homes do not contain a gun. ‘Do you fools realize that you also made a map for criminals to use to find homes to rob that have no guns in them to protect themselves?’ one reader wrote on Facebook.”
• Also via FoxNews, Illinois Attorney General says they must release info on all gun holders as a matter of public interest. State Rep. Ron Stephens disagrees:

If the state publishes a list of gun owners, Republican Rep. Ron Stephens said, “You are by design also publishing a list of everyone who doesn’t” carry a firearm.

That could be comparable to publishing a list of everyone who has, or doesn’t have, a car alarm or home-security system, at least in the eyes of those who want to keep the records private.

“My gun ownership is none of your business,” Stephens, who is pushing a bill in the General Assembly to lock down that list, told FoxNews.com. “I don’t know what Lisa Madigan doesn’t understand about that, but obviously she’s confused.”

• Iowa considering special breathalyzer test for permit holders who may be driving drunk.
• Via Hot Air: Gun-related violence declining in the US. [With link to above pic.]

A Few Thoughts…

Although the use of deadly force is the last thing the overwhelming number of gun owners ever want to use, in a fallen world it is sometimes necessary to resist evil with force. That is, after all, why police officers carry guns. And why President Obama’s own security detail does, as well. The presence of guns most often prevents, not causes, bodily harm. Publishing the names and addresses of everyone who does or does not have guns is foolish as it needlessly exposes many to risk — mostly those who have chosen not to exercise their right to defend themselves in that way.

Many are opposed to guns, but few protest the freedoms guns defend.

A Few More Stories You Might Hear About Today

•  Sign indicate the end may be near for our 41st President, a great American — even if you’re not a fan of his political legacy.
• Fathers dissapearing from families at an alarming rate. “Vincent DiCaro, vice president of the National Fatherhood Initiative: Deal with absent fathers, and the rest follows. People ‘look at a child in need, in poverty or failing in school, and ask, ‘What can we do to help?’ But what we do is ask, ‘Why does that child need help in the first place?’ And the answer is often it’s because [the child lacks] a responsible and involved father,’ he said.”
•  250,000 sign up to label Westboro Baptist group as “hate group.” A slippery slope if ever there was one, and one that every Christian should run from even while we condemn the group for their twisting of Scripture to fit theirr hate-filled agenda.
• Sharia constitution in Egypt officially passes.

A Little Something to Grow Your Faith….

Safe living generally makes for regretstlater on. We are all given talents and dreams. Sometimes the two don’t match. But more often than not, we compromise both before ever finding out. ~ Richard Elder

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