Merriam Webster defines fascism as “a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government.” Case in point comes from NY Senator Chuck Schumer: “It is clear that we will not pass anything legislatively as long as the House of Representatives is in Republican control, but there are many things that can be done administratively by the IRS and other government agencies — we must redouble those efforts immediately.”

We have all heard it said that the basic building block of society is the family. It’s true, and has been true since the Garden of Eden. Until now, that is. America’s hedonist lifestyle has prevailed and we have made a remarkable decision. We have decided that our wishes and desires, our lusting after, and coveting after well, everything, is far more important than a family.

The Bible has often been maligned by atheists, by academics and intellectuals. I have often thought that intellectualism does not in itself confer intelligence and many of those who deride the biblical narratives as being unsubstantiated by historical fact increasingly now find themselves discomfited. Archaeologists are finding in the soil of Israel ever mounting evidence that substantiates what is written in the biblical texts.

The Left learned a long time ago that they don’t have facts, logic, and reason on their side. The only way they can make a “case” for any given topic is to charge it with as much emotion and histrionics as possible. Where emotion-driven ideology is concerned, one of the most successful of those tools is the Left’s “War on Women.”

In 2014, the top six economically free countries are Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand and Canada. These six scored above 80 to merit the description “free.” Canada’s economic freedom returned to “free” this year, having been only “mostly free” for the past two years. Changes in the U.S. score are more discouraging. The United States is the only nation to have declined in economic freedom for each of the past seven years.

This week is School Choice Week in South Dakota and across the country. More than 5 events are planned across the Mount Rushmore State, in addition to 5,500 events nationwide. The Week, which is the nation’s largest-ever celebration of educational opportunity, gives students, parents, and teachers in South Dakota a chance to raise awareness of the different types of educational options available to families in advance of the 2014-2015 school year.

Freedom does not merely mean that each individual bears the responsibility and the burden of choosing their path. In a free society, it also means that each individual will also receive either the praise or the blame that results from those choices. Freedom and responsibility cannot be separated if either is to have a realistic bearing upon the individual. If you cannot choose, you are not responsible.

There are several bills on the watch list at American Clarion which are coming up for consideration either in committee or in the full State House in the next few days. There are bills dealing with domestic issues, the Second Amendment, taxes, Common Core and other education issues, and more.