Religious leaders rally behind Rick Santorum

In an effort to avoid a repeat of 2008, when social conservatives failed to rally behind a single Republican presidential candidate, a group of more than 100 religious leaders who gathered in Texas this week reached a consensus to support former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, said the decision was reached after three rounds of balloting, with Santorum winning 85 votes in the final round, to Newt Gingrich’s 29. Texas Gov. Rick Perry had strong support at the beginning of the process, but was eliminated after the first round of balloting, Perkins said.

“The focus here was on people putting aside their preferences, putting aside the candidate they had signed up with, trying to reach a consensus,” Perkins said.

“Rick Santorum has consistently articulated the issues that are of concern to conservatives, both the economic and the social, and has woven those into a very solid platform,” Perkins said. “And he has a record of stability…He’s reliable.”

Three major issues guided the group: Repeal of the healthcare law that was passed in 2010, the national debt and government spending, and social conservative values.

“There were passionate speeches made on behalf of the various candidates, but there was this underlying desire to come to a consensus,” Perkins told reporters on a conference call after the event.

At this juncture, it is the option left to us here in Texas and increasingly in other states.

When the Federal government won't seal the border and mandates that the states provide education and health care -- don't ask citizenship....you have to find ways to conserve scarce funds.

Then there is this:

ICE blamed for Texas parolee law delayThe state has been unable to enforce a new law designed to increase the deportations of illegal immigrants from the Texas prison system amid concerns that federal immigration officials are unprepared to handle the anticipated influx of convicted criminals, state officials said.

Under the new law, which was scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, state prisoners who are granted parole and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials must either be deported or leave the country voluntarily - or risk being returned to state custody to serve out the remainder of their sentences.

The law was crafted to address a vexing problem identified by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, which reported granting parole to some illegal immigrants and turning them over to ICE - only to later learn that they were not removed from the country, said state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Plano.”………………..

Mexico’s drug war is giving growers a break EL BARRIL, Mexico — The Mexican government is allowing domestic marijuana and opium poppy production to climb to record levels, as soldiers who once cut and burned illegal crops here in the vast Sierra Madre mountains are being redeployed to cities to wage urban warfare against criminal gangs.

Since President Felipe Calderon ordered his troops into the streets in late 2006, the acreage dedicated to marijuana farming has nearly doubled in Mexico, according to technical reports by the U.S. government and the United Nations, data provided by the Mexican military, and interviews with law enforcement agents and growers.

The acreage devoted to opium poppies has also soared, according to the U.S. State Department, making Mexico the second-leading heroin producer in the world, after Afghanistan, whose crop goes mostly to Europe and Asia.......

“Yes, it is a change in strategy, as the army now gives priority to catching criminals and seizing cocaine, which is far more valuable to the cartels” than marijuana or heroin, said Raul Benitez, an expert in drug trafficking and national security at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

The Mexican government, Benitez said, also cares less about marijuana cultivation these days because the U.S. government appears to care less.”………………..

Still no solution for illegal immigrants' long-term care costs…………..”Still, the real problem isn't hospitals, which transfer most all patients, both U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants, once urgent care is no longer needed and the bed is needed for other patients. It's long-term care facilities, unable to afford to accept patients, like Martinez, who don't have insurance. It remains for hospitals, obligated by federal regulation to arrange post-hospital care for those who need it, to find alternatives and to provide care indefinitely if they can't....

Jan 8, 2012: Re: “hardship waivers” ….”House liberals cheer proposed Obama administration immigration reform ......"Becerra on Friday said Republicans left the White House no other option but to act unilaterally on immigration reform.

President Obama is right," he said. "We can't wait for Republicans in Congress to stop playing this nasty game of politics, blocking immigration reform legislation, which is tearing families and America apart."

Please accept my apologies for my delayed response to what follows.

I appreciate your clarification that you are a Christian conservative. We disagree on Newt Gingrich and Fred Thompson, but I can respect your position. I think we **DO** fully agree that propelling 1-percenter candidates into national consideration is not a good use of Iowa social conservative votes, especially if it leads to McCain or Romney getting the nomination.

The purpose of Iowa ought to be to get rid of anti-Christian RINO Republicans, not to give momentum to solid conservatives who can't win the nomination, and I think we can agree on that.

96 posted on Sunday, January 15, 2012 12:50:15 AM by TitansAFC: “You misread my point, or else I did not properly execute my argument. I AM a Christian Conservative; Life issues are the FOREMOST issue to me, as is religious freedom. What I mean by “preemptively nip the leaders in Iowa in the bud” is to stop the propelling of one-percenters into bone fide vote splitters WHEN THERE IS a Pro-Life, Pro-religious freedom, Social Conservative with a considerably better chance of winning available. Huckabee is not such an upgrade from Fred Thompson that it was worth risking everything and getting McCain. Santorum is not such an upgrade that it is worth risking everything and getting Romney. All four of them are reliable Pro-Life Social Conservatives with records of protecting religious freedom and traditional marriage. We need very strong standards merged with pragmatism. We cannot afford anymore Iowa pipe dreams. Never again!”

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