It's about life, the universe and everything--even politics: Ernest Istook Show March 27, 2014

enMarch 27, 2014

Insights, Issues & Istook

What was the main topic of the podcast episode?

Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?

Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?

Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?

Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?

Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?

What was the main topic of the podcast episode?

Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?

Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?

Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?

Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?

Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?

About this Episode

The I-R-S tells Congress it will take years to turn over subpoenaed emails Imagine how slow it would be if this were snail mail. Do NOT take that long with your taxes; I-R-S has no sense of humor. Congress is mad, as they should be FYI, contempt of Congress is a process that also takes years Ernest tells how to get I-R-S' attention: Cut off their money! Gun law craziness in Washington, DC - "Attempted possession" of ammunition gets businessman convicted--but it wasn't even ammunition! Players can cross the goal line but not the picket line--NLRB says yes to unions for college football Like father, like son-in-law: Osama-bin-Laden's son-in-law convicted on terrorism charge Americans agree: We're getting weaker Russia has a plan to assimilate the Ukraine without firing a shot. (Are the Borg in Kiev?) How Obamacare undercuts American values Movie CEO blasts Obamacare GUESTS: Emily Miller, Senior Editor, The Washington Times, author, Emily Gets Her Gun Tony Perkins, president, Family Research Council Larry Pratt, president, Gun Owners of America Lt. Col. (ret.) Tony Shaffer, former intelligence officer, fellow, The London Center Congressman Jim Jordan (R, Ohio) Jenny Beth Martin, national coordinator, Tea Party Patriots

Recent Episodes from Insights, Issues & Istook

Obama plans to deny guns to millions of seniors

Big Brother is everywhere, and now federal databases could cost seniors their guns. And that's just one of the problems from Big Brother's Big Data. Behind the scenes, the Social Security Administration is preparing to add millions of seniors to the FBI's list of people disqualified from owning a gun. These are seniors who have relatives handle their benefits and finances for them. The reports the White House claims the mental competency of such people is questionable, making them a potential threat to others. Obama will grab any excuse to ignore the Second Amendment and establish gun control Like the Social Security list, Obama uses other gigantic federal databases to snoop on our personal finances, and to micro-manage where we live. Bureaucrats will insist on re-zoning and other local changes wherever there is a mostly-minority population. But housing usually reflects income, not prejudice. And wanting help with your finances does not mean you are mentally unstable. But Big Brother is everywhere, and Obama wants him to control our lives.

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJuly 21, 2015

Here comes a mess as Obama invites transgenders into the military

Political correctness has become a threat to national defense. The Pentagon's leaders, hand-picked by President Obama, are reversing the long-time rule that transgenders have mental issues and cannot serve. The official and stupid explanation is that ending this debate will free commanders from distractions. This is actually the start of endless new distractions; it was the former policy that avoided those. Start with uniforms: If a man thinks he's Caitlyn Jenner, does he dress like G.I. Joe or G.I. Jane? Fitness tests are gender-normed so women need not run as far or as fast, or do as many pushups. But what are the fitness numbers for a male body that calls itself Sheila? What becomes of common showers and bunking arrangements? Now hear this: They plan for military medicine to cover hormone treatment and sex-reassignment surgery. That guarantees a lot of wannabe-whatevers will want to enlist to get an extreme makeover at taxpayer expense. This is not avoiding distractions. This is creating a ton of new distractions that will weaken our armed forces.

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJuly 21, 2015

Supreme Court says even innocent people are guilty of discrimination

Even when you're innocent, government can find you guilty. By 5-4, the Supreme Court says you can be punished for civil rights violations, even when you never intended to discriminate illegally. They don't want equal opportunity; they want equal results. How? They call it disparate impact. You can be perfectly fair and neutral, but if a minority claims they did not get a fair share of jobs, raises, housing, or loans, then the reasons why don't matter. You can base decisions purely on poor education, lousy credit, bad job performance, even a criminal record, but it doesn't matter. Unless your results show the approved ratios, you must pay. You also can be punished in advance if a statistician or some expert predicts unequal results will eventually occur. The mortgage meltdown that collapsed our economy occurred because lenders were required to make bad loans. With disparate impact, the Supreme Court may make another meltdown happen. Find more insights online at Former Congressman Ernest Istook is president of .

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJuly 01, 2015

Obama encourages us to place same-sex marriage above religion

If you like your religion, can you keep it? President Obama said in 2008 that too many Americans cling bitterly to their guns and their religion. He recently repeated his calls for gun control. Now Obama seems to want people to give up their faith as well. At least the part that conflicts with his politics. The President made the remarks shortly after the Supreme Court proclaimed a new Constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The document has no clear language that says so, unless it's written in invisible ink, like something out of a National Treasure movie. Obama noted how religious people often oppose gay marriage. Then he called for activists to “help them,” presumably help to overcome our faith. Obama once wooed the faithful by saying he believed in one-man, one-woman marriage. Now he brags like he supported same-sex marriage all along. Maybe, just maybe, he lied to get elected. Find more insights online at Former Congressman Ernest Istook is president of .

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJuly 01, 2015

Same-sex court decision destroys the democratic process

We lose the democratic process when courts make our biggest decisions for us. Our Constitution provides clear limits on the powers of government. Instead, the Supreme Court uses the Constitution to reduce our ability to make our own decisions through elections. By ignoring public votes and duly-enacted laws, the Supreme Court has given America a new definition of marriage that ignores biology and contradicts the natural marriage of a man and a woman. We are told that centuries-old standards must fall if someone complains that their dignity is at stake. It's the same word games as when Bruce Jenner claims to be Caitlin Jenner because he 'feels' like a woman. We have to wonder what a woman is, if biology means nothing. Now it's the same for marriage. But this new 'tolerance' does not permit dissent. They're already cracking down on anyone, including churches, that fails to celebrate same-sex marriage. Find more insights online at Former Congressman Ernest Istook is president of . .

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJune 29, 2015

Obama transfroms troops from war fighters into guardians of the green

Once it was Army uniforms that were green. Now it's the whole Pentagon. Global warming is a major national security issue, according to President Obama and his hand-picked general who now run the Pentagon. We still have no strategy to deal with the threats from the Islamic State, but our troops now have a Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap. Over 7,000 bases are under orders to factor-in global warming in all that they do. Evidently the climate impact must be considered before America's troops can even twitch a muscle. , but . Military budgets suffer, but the Navy converts its ships to more-expensive and inefficient green fuels. The same thing for naval aviation. As commander-in-chief, Barack Obama is transforming our troops from war fighters into guardians of the green. Find more insights online at

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJune 23, 2015

A racist's act does not justify limiting the rights of millions of Americans

Tragedies grow worse when politicians pile on. The minister was one of nine killed at a black church in South Carolina. The horrid murders clearly involved a sick person filled with racial hatred. But before funerals could be planned, politicians jumped to urge gun control on all 320-million Americans. Others claimed it proves that most white people are racists. This was a racial attack, but those are less common than activists claim. Cries of hate crime or hate speech are thrown around loosely. Blacks and other minorities commit race-based crimes, also; it's not just whites. More laws will not cure mental illness. False claims that most of us are closet racists will not bring us together. Yes, firearms are used in killings, A wicked act by a racist is not good reason to remove the rights from millions. Find more insights online at

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJune 22, 2015

First they ban trans fat; next will they make us eat broccoli?

Artificial trans fats are being banned. Trans fat occurs naturally in milk products and in meats like beef. Those are not restricted by the FDA's new ban. Only the “artificial” trans fat is banned. But the grocers and restaurants began phasing those out years ago. What will replace it, and how will it taste? The substitute could be something that itself gets banned years from now. After all, trans fats came in vogue after the feds banned some saturated fats 30 years ago. A better question is the FDA's proper role. Transfat may not be healthy but it's not poison. The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to decide whether things are safe, not whether they're healthy. So watch out, next they'll restrict sugar, salt, and caffeine. If they can tell us what we cannot eat, then they can tell us what we must eat. So bring on the broccoli. Find more insights online at . Former Congressman Istook is president of .

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJune 18, 2015

Protests against police lead to more violent crime

Headlines show that law and order could be collapsing: Murders and shootings are up in big cities where police pulled back after accusations of racist law enforcement. Homicides are up 20 percent in New York City. Shootings have doubled in Baltimore. Shouldn't civil rights protesters aim some of their anger at the thugs who violate the rights of their victims? Since 2010, 121 murders nationwide have been committed by illegal aliens set free instead of detained pending deportation. Didn't President Obama say immigration resources would be focused on dangerous people? Instead, his officials are skipping several steps on checking whether someone is dangerous or not. And Obama's amnesty for illegal aliens extends to the employers who hire them. Enforcement is down to near nothing of the law against employing illegal aliens. When you stop enforcing one law, people figure they don't have to obey the other laws either. Find more insights online at

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJune 17, 2015

America: land of make believe; truth and reality got lost

Political correctness is at new levels of absurdity A man has surgery to look like a woman. He competed in the Olympics. He fathered children. He forever has male DNA. Yet we're told it's shameful unless we call him a her. A white woman leads a chapter of the NAACP. She was born Caucasian. She attended a black university--but sued them claiming mistreatment because she wasn't black. But now she says she's black. So does her opinion about herself override the facts? Are imaginary friends real, because somebody believes in them? Or fairies, like Tinker Belle in Peter Pan? America is now a land of make-believe. TV shows that are taped in exotic locations, with situations created by producers, and edited heavily before airing—are called reality TV. Thinking or desiring something does not make it real. It's time for America to wake up and realize that. You'll find more insights online at

Insights, Issues & Istook

enJune 16, 2015

Ask this episode Anything

What was the main topic of the podcast episode?

Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?

Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?

Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?

Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?

Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?