“Today, liberty is under assault,” declared conservative firebrand Ted Cruz before an adoring audience Friday at the Republican Party of Texas State Convention. The GOP senator and Tea Party darling left virtually no red meat unthrown, calling for a return to the Constitution – “the most extraordinary document crafted in history” – a resurrection of American leadership abroad – where “bullies and tyrants are laughing at [us]” – and a rebuilding of jobs and economic growth at home, through adhering to free market principles, supporting “the American energy renaissance,” abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and repealing “every blessed word of Obamacare.” On the subject of the Constitution, Cruz declared that religious liberty was under fire, and blasted the recent controversy over the IRS’s alleged targeting of conservative groups that applied for nonprofit status. In one instance, an Iowa-based anti-abortion group was asked to provide information about its members’ prayer meetings, according to documents sent by an IRS official to the organization. “You know what, the federal government has no business asking any American the content of our prayers!” said Cruz to roaring applause. The Texas senator also touched on a high-profile federal case, in which the Colorado-based Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged is suing the Obama administration over an accommodation under the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that insurance cover contraception without a co-pay. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court affirmed a compromise that allows the religious nonprofit to sign a form certifying its objection to contraception, before sending it to an insurer who can then provide the coverage directly. “Let me give you a simple rule of thumb,” said Cruz. “If you’re litigating against nuns, you’ve probably done something wrong.”
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