{"id":159,"date":"2009-04-22T20:36:52","date_gmt":"2009-04-22T20:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/04\/with-obama-the-criticism-is-ab.html"},"modified":"2009-04-22T20:36:52","modified_gmt":"2009-04-22T20:36:52","slug":"with-obama-the-criticism-is-ab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/04\/with-obama-the-criticism-is-ab.html","title":{"rendered":"With Obama, The Criticism is About Substance, Not Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barry, I really don’t understand what you are talking about.  <\/span>Much of what President Obama is being criticized for revolves around substantive issues – not style.  <\/span>And, it’s hardly “nitpicking” as you suggest.  <\/span>A lot of troubling developments have occurred in the Obama Administration’s First 100 Days.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Let’s just take a look at his record on the issue of life.  <\/span>As I chronicled in an earlier post<\/a><\/font>, President Obama is on the fast-track to becoming one of the most pro-abortion president’s in recent memory.  <\/span>From the very start, he set a disappointing tone that’s put this country on a path that will result in more abortions and less protection for the unborn.<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Just days after taking the oath of office, he immediately signed an Executive Order repealing what’s become known as the “Mexico City” policy.  <\/span>His action repealed a policy that correctly barred the use of federal funds by non-governmental agencies abroad for abortion counseling and abortions.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

President Obama also signed another Executive Order – this one lifting many restrictions on embryonic stem cell research that were put in place under Bush Administration.  <\/span>That move has triggered legislative activity<\/a> in some states, <\/font>where lawmakers are moving to enact legislation to protect embryonic stem cells.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

And, the Obama Administration is poised <\/font>to rescind the regulations known as the “Conscience Clause<\/a>” – which ensure that physicians and medical personnel are not required to violate their conscience by being forced to participate in abortions.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

And, while we’re on the topic, let’s take a look at one of the most important appointees in the Department of Justice – the Office of Legal Counsel.  <\/span>President Obama nominated Dawn Johnsen, the former Legal Director for NARAL and one of the most outspoken abortion advocates in the nation.  <\/span>In fact, Johnsen authored legal briefs suggesting that limitations to abortion were somehow in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment, which outlaws slavery.  <\/span>Sen. Arlen Specter says Republicans might filibuster the nomination<\/a>.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

But, Barry, let’s return to the most recent controversy – The Department of Homeland Security’s inclusion of abortion opponents in the agency’s definition of “rightwing extremism” – labeling pro-life supporters – as well as veterans and those who oppose immigration – as a dangerous threat in the latest domestic terrorism warning.   <\/span>Not only is this absurd and outrageous, it is also another example of the Obama Administration flexing its pro-abortion muscle.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

It’s now been revealed<\/a> <\/font>that even the civil liberty experts inside the DHS raised objections to the warning, flagging the troubling language.  <\/span>But did DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano take the department’s own internal legal advice and remove the troubling label?  <\/span>No.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Come on, Barry, let’s not gloss this over.  <\/span>There’s plenty of ‘substance’ behind The First 100 Days of the Obama Administration.  <\/span>Unfortunately, for many Christians and conservatives, it’s the kind of ‘substance’ we could do without.<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font> <\/p>\n

To subscribe to “Lynn v. Sekulow” click <\/font>here<\/font><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barry, I really don’t understand what you are talking about.  Much of what President Obama is being criticized for revolves around substantive issues – not style.  And, it’s hardly “nitpicking” as you suggest.  A lot of troubling developments have occurred in the Obama Administration’s First 100 Days.   Let’s just take a look at his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8,116,117,38,123,39,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abortion","category-congress","category-homeland-security","category-immigration","category-national-security","category-president-barack-obama","category-war-on-terrorism","category-white-house"],"yoast_head":"\nWith Obama, The Criticism is About Substance, Not Style - Lynn v. 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FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. Sekulow serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/author\/jsekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}