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2nd WorldNetDaily article |
Covenant News | Other news coverage of Howard
Phillips:
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Street Journal |
Dallas Morning News |
Newsbusters
U.S. NAVY NEEDS ANOTHER JOHN LEHMAN
John Lehman was probably our greatest Navy Secretary.
Here is what he had to say at a recent conference sponsored
by the Hudson Institute (May 22, 2009): "Former Secretary of
the Navy John Lehman discussed what the Navy should look
like over the coming decades. Lehman summed up his view with
three points; the Navy should look the same to everyone, it
should look competent, and it should look elite and glamorous.
On the first point, Lehman explained that when other countries
consider the U.S. nuclear deterrent, there was little question
as to its effectiveness. As regards conventional forces however,
not everyone views the U.S. Navy as an effective deterrent.
Our allies in the Pacific for example, are anxious at the
prospect of the U.S. reducing its presence in the region. As
Lehman explained, the U.S. Navy should appear effective and
serious to whoever was looking.
"Lehman’s second point, that the U.S. Navy should look
competent, spoke directly to the issue of a decline in the
Navy’s overall number of ships. ‘The Navy does not look
competent in the management of its resources,’ he said. Lehman
noted that during World War II, the Bureau of Ships was building
roughly 1,000 ships a year with a staff of about 1,000. Now,
they are turning out only about 6-7 ships per year with staffs
of 25,000. Lehman blamed this on the joint requirements
culture which greatly enables changing the requirements for ship
construction. These constantly changing requirements slow down
the process of procurement and drive up the costs. To fix this,
Lehman advocated a more streamlined procurement structure with
simple line-management and stricter accountability to cut down
on change orders and speed up the building of ships. The Navy
also needs to engage in a broader procurement process that would
include smaller contractors as well as established firms to
ensure competition. For the same reason, contracts needed to be
reviewed periodically instead of being awarded to a single firm
indefinitely.
"On his final point, Lehman argued for a Navy, and a military
in general, that looked elite and glamorous in order to attract
the most talented people. He spoke out against many current
practices which were ‘turning the military profession into
nothing more than a trade.’ Lehman had particularly strong words
for the switch from military dress uniforms to less formal
attire. He found the practice of wearing fatigues and overalls
at the headquarters of the U.S. military command a regrettable
indication of a decrease in the U.S. military’s status as an
elite organization."
SOUTER WAS CONSISTENTLY PRO-PERVERSION
"The U.S. Supreme Court is about to lose its only confirmed
bachelor. …
"President George H.W. Bush appointed Souter in 1990,
and the New Hampshire Republican quickly surprised liberals and
conservatives alike by voting with the liberal side of the court
on many cases, including gay ones."
Note: It didn’t surprise me because I took the time
to research Souter’s record, which rejected recognition of
higher law as spelled out in the Declaration of Independence and
which was consistently pro-abortion.
New Hampshire Governor Meldrim Thomson, who had appointed
Souter to be Attorney General of New Hampshire, asked me if I
was opposing Souter’s confirmation because he was "queer". I
said I had no knowledge of Souter’s sexual proclivities, but I
had no doubt that he was consistently pro-abortion, as
demonstrated by his record as an official of two hospitals where
he was instrumental in changing their policies from zero
abortion to convenience abortion.
"National gay groups had opposed his confirmation, ACT UP
protesters disrupted his confirmation hearing, and Senator Ted
Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) voted against him, predicting he would
‘solidify a 5 to 4 anti-civil rights, anti-privacy majority.’
"And yet, within two years, Souter, a former New Hampshire
attorney general, had emerged as a ray of hope for gay civil
rights advocates.
" ‘Justice Souter emerged as a thoughtful and dependable vote
for gay equality and inclusion,’ said Evan Wolfson, head of the
national Freedom to Marry group and, for many years, a key
attorney for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund."
SOUTER WOULD NOT EVEN SAY "HOMOSEXUAL"
"Souter was the first justice to refer to LGB people as ‘gay,
lesbian, and bisexual,’ instead of ‘homosexuals.’ He did so in
writing the 1995 opinion in Hurley v. GLOB – a case in
which a gay Irish group challenged the right of a St. Patrick’s
Day Parade organizer in Boston to exclude it from participating
as a contingent. Souter, for a unanimous court, said the parade
organizers had a First Amendment right to exclude the gay
contingent even though a Massachusetts public accommodations law
prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. But gay
legal activists were struck by the tone of respect Souter
demonstrated for gays in the opinion. The opinion said that laws
prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation are ‘well
within’ the state’s power ‘to enact when a legislature has
reason to believe that a given group is the target of
discrimination. …’ The opinion also characterized as fact that
‘some Irish are gay, lesbian, or bisexual’ and that openly gay
marchers ‘suggest their view that people of their sexual
orientation have as much claim to unqualified social acceptance
as heterosexuals.’ "
"GAY, LESBIAN, AND BISEXUAL" DEEMED MORE
RESPECTFUL
"In Hurley, said Wolfson, Souter’s ‘tone and even use
of respectful vocabulary helped shift the court to a new path.’
In the oral arguments during consideration of Boy Scouts of
America v. Dale, said Wolfson, Souter was ‘a serious and
probing questioner that helped articulate the distinctions
between Hurley and our case against the Boy Scouts’
discrimination.’ When the 5 to 4 majority ruled in favor of Boy
Scouts excluding gays, noted Wolfson, Souter voted with the
dissent.
"Souter also dissented against a majority opinion that the
University of Virginia had to provide student fee funding to an
anti-gay Christian newspaper on campus. In Rosenberger v. UVA,
he said the establishment clause of the Constitution is meant to
bar the use of public funds ‘for the direct subsidization of
preaching’ religious tenets."
BUSH APPOINTEE SOUTER WAS A DEPENDABLE
PRO-SODOMY, PRO-OBSCENITY, PRO-TRANSSEXUAL VOTE
"He voted with the 6 to 3 majority in the pro-[gay] ruling –
Romer v. Evans – that struck down one of many anti-gay
initiatives that sought to block gays form seeking protection
from discrimination under state law. And he was with the 6 to 3
majority striking down sodomy laws in 2003, with Lawrence v.
Texas.
"In 1994, he wrote the court’s decision in Farmer v.
Brennan, in favor of a male-to-female transsexual prisoner
who was incarcerated with male prisoners. The opinion said a
prison warden may have violated the Eighth Amendment
constitutional guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment if
he deliberately assigned the prisoner to a male prison knowing
that to do so would cause ‘substantial risk of serious harm’ to
the prisoner.
"In 1998, he alone dissented from the court’s opinion, in
National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley, that Congress
could prohibit the agency from using any of its funds to support
art that ‘may be considered obscene,’ including art with
‘homoeroticism.’ Two of the four plaintiffs fighting the law
were gay, and the impetus of the law had been the funding of an
exhibit of the work of gay photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.
"Nan Hunter, a longtime gay legal activist and now professor
of law at Georgetown University Law School, said Souter was more
a reliably progressive vote than a leader, but she acknowledged
that his ‘respectful tone’ in Hurley ‘signaled a dramatic
shift from the casually contemptuous tone of the court’s
opinion’ in the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick decision
upholding sodomy laws." Source: Lisa Keen, The Bay Area
Reporter (www.ebar.com), 5/7/09
|
Law of the Sea Treaty |
June 29, 2009 |
Digg This |
OBAMA IMPLEMENTS UNRATIFIED LAW OF THE SEA
TREATY
President Obama is imposing provisions of the U.N. Law of the
Sea Treaty (UNLOST) on U.S. policy, even though the Senate has
not ratified that treaty.
According to a "Memorandum for the Heads of Executive
Departments and Agencies" issued on June 12 with the subtitle, "National
Policy for the Oceans, Our Coasts, And the Great Lakes",
Obama says the following:
"To succeed in protecting the oceans, coasts, and Great
Lakes, the United States needs to act within a unifying
framework under a clear national policy, including a
comprehensive, ecosystem-based framework for the longterm
conservation and use of our resources.
"In order to better meet our Nation’s stewardship
responsibilities for the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes, there
is established an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force (Task
Force), to be led by the Chair of the Council on Environmental
Quality. The Task Force shall be composed of senior policy-level
officials from the executive departments, agencies, and offices
represented on the Committee on Ocean Policy established by
section 3 of
Executive Order 13366 of December 17, 2004. This Task Force
is not meant to duplicate that structure, but rather is intended
to be a temporary entity with the following responsibilities:
"1. Within 90 days from the date of this memorandum, the
Task Force shall develop recommendations that include:
"a. A national policy that ensures the protection,
maintenance, and restoration of the health of ocean,
coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems and resources, enhances
the sustainability of ocean and coastal economies, preserves
our maritime heritage, provides for adaptive management to
enhance our understanding of and capacity to respond to
climate change, and is coordinated with our national
security and foreign policy interests. The recommendations
should prioritize upholding our stewardship responsibilities
and ensuring accountability for all of our actions affecting
ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources, and be consistent
with international law, including customary international
law as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea. …
"2. Within 180 days from the date of this memorandum, the
Task Force shall develop, with appropriate public input, a
recommended framework for effective coastal and marine
spatial planning. This framework should be a comprehensive,
integrated, ecosystem-based approach that addresses
conservation, economic activity, user conflict, and
sustainable use of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources
consistent with international law, including customary
international law as reflected in the 1982 United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea."
(Read
the full
document)
|
David Rockefeller |
June 25, 2009 |
Digg This |
"ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG"
"June 15: At the annual awards gala of the Americas Society,
the 350 guests toasted David Rockefeller, the society’s founder,
in celebration of his 94th birthday." Source: Bill
Cunningham, The New York Times, 6/21/09, p. 10
|
Illegals Staying Home |
June 9, 2009 |
Digg This |
NORPASS IS ONE MORE STEP "FORWARD" IN BUILDING
A NORTH AMERICAN UNION (NAU)
"What is NORPASS?
"The North American Preclearance and Safety System, or
NORPASS, is a partnership of state and provincial
agencies and trucking industry representatives who are committed
to promoting safe and efficient trucking throughout North
America. The NORPASS partners work together to deploy mainline
screening systems at weigh stations, thus allowing safe and
legal trucks to proceed unimpeded while enforcement resources
are focused on high-risk motor carriers.
"How does it work?
"Each trucker who registers his/her vehicle to participate in
NORPASS receives a small transponder to mount on the windshield
(or if the trucker already has a compatible transponder, he/she
may enroll it at no cost). As the truck approaches a NORPASS
weigh station, a roadside reader detects the transponder and a
computer in the scale house checks the credentials. Some
stations are also equipped with weigh-in-motion equipment. If
everything passes, a signal is sent back to the truck and the
transponder gives a green light indicating that the driver may
bypass the weigh station. If a problem is detected with the
truck, the transponder returns a red signal, indicating that the
driver must pull in. The system also samples randomly so any
participating trucker can expect to receive an occasional red
light.
"Where does NORPASS work?
"There are currently nine member states/provinces (Alaska,
British Columbia, Connecticut, Idaho, Kentucky, New York,
Quebec, South Dakota, Washington) and two partner states (North
Carolina, Oregon), all offering open/interoperable weigh station
bypassing. In addition, NORPASS transponders can be registered
for use with tolling on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington.
To view the latest information regarding coverage, see the
coverage page.
"How much does it cost?
"There are no fees for participating in NORPASS member
states. This means no annual fees; no fees for green lights; no
fees ever! However, the truck must have a transponder which will
work in the system. These cost roughly US$45 and can be
purchased directly through NORPASS.
"Who sees the information collected at the weigh station and
how is it used?
"NORPASS member states designed their systems to improve the
efficiency and safety of motor carrier operations. NORPASS
member states agree to use the information collected by the
state solely for the purposes of statistical evaluation of the
system and determining each truck’s bypass status.
"Can I use a NORPASS transponder in other states or bypass
systems?
"Yes. Your NORPASS transponder will work in all NORPASS
states, and is fully compatible with the North Carolina
TransExpress Program and PrePass.
"How can I save on tolling also?
"For customers interested in toll discounts, we recommend the
BestPass (www.bestpass.com) transponder which is compatible with
several toll collection systems (including E-ZPass), as well as
NORPASS, for weigh station bypassing. If you already have a
BestPass transponder, you can simply apply to have NORPASS added
to it so you do not have to purchase a new transponder.
"I'm ready. How can I join?
"You can apply online, by mail, or by fax. For more
information, see the apply page.
"Parlez-vous français?
"Cliquez ici pour plus d’informations en français.
"¿Hablas español?
"Haga clic aquí para obtener información en español." Source:
http://www.norpass.net/index.php, 5/15/09
|
Illegals Staying Home |
June 9, 2009 |
Digg This |
RECESSION REDUCES ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
"Census data from the Mexican government indicate an
extraordinary decline in the number of Mexican immigrants going
to the United States.
"The recently released data show that about 226,000 fewer
people emigrated from Mexico to other countries during the year
that ended in August 2008 than during the previous year, a
decline of 25 percent. All but a very small fraction of
emigration, both legal and illegal, from Mexico is to the United
States. …
"Mexican and American researchers say that the current
decline, which has also been manifested in a decrease in arrests
along the border, is largely a result of Mexicans’ deciding to
delay illegal crossings because of the lack of jobs in the
ailing American economy.
"The trend emerged clearly with the onset of the recession
and, demographers say, provides new evidence that illegal
immigrants from Mexico, by far the biggest source of
unauthorized migration to the United States, are drawn by jobs
and respond to a sinking labor market by staying away. …
"On the American side, near Calexico, Calif., Border Patrol
vans return empty to their base after agents comb the desert for
illegal crossers. …
"With so many Mexicans remaining in their home villages, the
population of illegal immigrants in the United States stopped
growing and might have slightly decreased in the last year, an
abrupt shift after a decade of yearly influxes, research by
demographers in the United States shows. Mexicans account for 32
percent of immigrants in the United States, and more than half
of them lack legal status, the Pew center has reported.
"Still, at least 11 million illegal immigrants remain in the
United States, the demographers say. Despite collapsing job
markets in construction and other low-wage work, there has been
no exodus among Mexicans living in the United States, the
Mexican census figures show. About the same number of migrants –
450,000 – returned to Mexico in 2008 as in 2007. …
" ‘The latest evidence suggests that you can reverse the
flow,’ said Steven A. Camarota, a demographer at the Center for
Immigration Studies, a research group in Washington that calls
for reduced immigration. ‘It is not set in stone, so with some
mix of enforcement and the economy, fewer will come and more
will go home.’ …
"Most immigrants now need smugglers to guide them through
searing deserts and hidden mountain passes where there are gaps
in Border Patrol surveillance. In Mexicali, smugglers’ fees are
now $3,000 to $5,000 for a trip to Los Angeles, immigrants and
social workers said. They reported that Mexicans’ relatives in
the United States, struggling to hold on to their own jobs, no
longer had money to lend to a family member to pay a smuggler."
Source: From Mexicali, Mexico, Julia Preston, The New York
Times, 5/15/09, pp. 1, A4
|
Your Tax Dollars at Work--In China |
June 4, 2009 |
Digg This |
U.S. WILL PAY TO TRAIN CHINESE PROSTITUTES
"The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA),
a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will pay $2.6
million in U.S. tax dollars to train Chinese prostitutes to
drink responsibly on the job.
"Dr. Xiaoming Li, the researcher conducting the program, is
director of the Prevention Research Center at Wayne State
University School of Medicine in Detroit.
"The grant, made last November, refers to prostitutes as
‘female sex workers’ – or FSW – and their handlers as
‘gatekeepers.’
" ‘Previous studies in Asia and Africa and our own data from
FSWs [female sex workers] in China suggest that the social norms
and institutional policy within commercial sex venues as well as
agents overseeing the FSWs (i.e., the "gatekeepers", defined as
persons who manage the establishments and/or sex workers) are
potentially of great importance in influencing alcohol use and
sexual behavior among establishment-based FSWs,’ says the NIH
grant abstract submitted by Dr. Li.
" ‘Therefore, in this application, we propose to develop,
implement, and evaluate a venue-based alcohol use and HIV risk
reduction intervention focusing on both environmental and
individual factors among venue-based FSWs in China,’ says the
abstract.
"The research will take place in the southern Chinese
province of Guangxi. …
" ‘(1) gatekeeper training with a focus on changing or
enhancing the protective social norms and policy/practice at the
establishment level; (2) FSW (female sex workers) training with
a focus on the acquisition of communication skills (negotiating,
limit setting) and behavioral skills (e.g., condom use skills,
consistent condom use); and (3) semi-annual boosters to
reinforce both social norms within establishments and individual
skills,’ wrote Li.
"The doctor said the heart of the study involves ‘a
community-based cluster randomized controlled trial among 100
commercial sex venues in Beihai, a costal tourist city in
Guangxi.’ …
" ‘Li said his study is being done in China rather than the
U.S. because prostitution occurs with alcohol use in the United
States like it does in China, Americans will be able to benefit
from the project’s findings.
" ‘We want to get some understanding of the fundamental role
of alcohol use and HIV risk,’ he said. ‘We use the population in
China as our targeted population to look at the basic issues. I
think the findings will benefit the American people, too.’ …
"According to Li, there may be as many as 10 million female
prostitutes in China with the majority raging from teenagers to
those in their 20s." Source: Edwin Mora, www.CNSNews.com,
5/12/09
|
Sotomayer Press Release #2 |
May 29, 2009 |
Digg This |
| FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
For further information, contact:
Charles Orndorff, 703-938-9626 |
QUESTIONS WHICH JUDGE SOTOMAYOR SHOULD BE
ASKED
Howard Phillips, Chairman of The Conservative Caucus, has
called upon members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to probe
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor regarding the following
questions:
1. What relation, in your view, does the Declaration
of Independence bear to the Constitution of the United
States?
2. Do you agree with the statement in the Declaration
that "all Men…are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights"?
3. The Preamble of the Constitution asserts that "We
the People of the United States, in Order to form a more
perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the
general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America." Do you
agree that "We the People" are the source of
authority for the Constitution and everything in it?
4. How do you interpret the term "promote the
general Welfare"?
5. Article I, Section 1 says "All legislative Powers
herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United
States". Do you believe that legislative powers
may be exercised by entities other than the Congress? What
about the Federal Reserve? May it exercise legislative
powers? What about regulatory agencies? What about the Civil
Service? What about Presidential Executive Orders? What
about international organizations such as the World Trade
Organization (WTO)? What about NAFTA? What about the
Judiciary?
6. In the event of a national calamity, it is possible
that many members of Congress may suffer death or
disability. Article I, Section 5 asserts that "a Majority
of each [House] shall constitute a Quorum to do
Business". In your view, how ought such a majority be
defined? Would it be a majority of the living? A majority of
those physically and mentally capable? What would it be?
7. Do you attach any religious significance to the
language in Article I, Section 7 which, in defining the time
available to the President to consider whether he shall veto
a piece of legislation which has arrived on his desk,
permits him "ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall
have been presented to him". Is there a Christian
premise to this language in the Constitution?
8. Article I, Section 8 says "The Congress shall have
Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,
to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and
general Welfare of the United States". Do you believe
that the power of Congress, as stipulated, is limited to
those matters set forth in Article I, Section 8?
9. Article I, Section 8 says "Congress shall have
Power…To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations". Did
Congress violate this provision in accepting U.S.
participation in the WTO, in NAFTA, and in CAFTA?
10. Article I, Section 8 says "Congress shall have
Power…To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of
foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures".
Does this not imply that our money shall be of fixed value,
not subject to regulation by an entity such as the
Federal Reserve?
11. Article I, Section 8 says "Congress shall have
Power…To declare War". To what extent can the
President intrude on this authority?
12. Article I, Section 8 says "Congress shall have
Power…To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute
the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel
Invasions". What is your understanding of the term "the
Militia"?
13. Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution
asserts that no State shall "make any Thing but gold
and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts". How
do you interpret this requirement and its current
application?
14. Article II, Section 1 sets forth the oath to be taken
by the President: "Before he enter on the Execution of
his Office … ‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I
will faithfully execute the Office of President of the
United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve,
protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States.’ " In your opinion, has President Bush
faithfully, consistently, and without exception defended the
Constitution of the United States?
15. Article II, Section 2 states that the President "shall
have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the
Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the
Senators present concur". Do you believe that U.S.
participation in NAFTA and the World Trade Organization
should have required, as treaties, a two thirds vote of the
Senators present and voting?
16. Do you regard as valid Executive Agreements
which may be entered into by the President of the United
States?
17. Article III, Section 1 says "The Judges, both of
the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices
during good Behaviour". (a) How do you define "good
behaviour"? (b) If a judge is found to have violated
standards of "good behaviour", may such a judge be removed
from office by simple majority vote of the Senate, which
confirmed his appointment to office?
18. Article III, Section 2 says "The judicial Power
shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under
this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and
Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their
Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public
Ministers and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and
maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies to which the United
States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or
more States;… —between Citizens of different States,
—between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under
Grants of different States…. In all Cases affecting
Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those
in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall
have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before
mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate
Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions,
and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make."
What restrictions, if any, do you think are permissible on
the authority of Congress to limit the appellate
jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?
19. Article III, Section 2 stipulates that "The Trial
of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment; shall be by
Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the
said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not
committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place
or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed." The
U.N.’s proposed International Criminal Court (ICC)
treaty seems to be in clear violation of these provisions.
Do you agree that it would be un-Constitutional for the
Senate to ratify the International Criminal Court (ICC)
treaty?
20. Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution says "Full
Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public
Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other
State; And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the
Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be
proved, and the Effect thereof." In your opinion, does
this language require other states to recognize the
Massachusetts "same sex" marriage procedures?
21. Article IV, Section 4 says "The United States
shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican
Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against
Invasion". In your view, what is the Federal government
required to do in response to the invasion of illegal
aliens which has particularly affected such states as
California, Arizona, and Texas, among others?
22. Article VI says "This Constitution, and the Laws
of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance
thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made,
under the Authority of the United States, shall be the
supreme Law of the Land". In your view, does this
require that treaties ratified by the U.S. Senate are
the "supreme Law of the Land", even when such treaties are
in conflict with provisions of the U.S. Constitution?
23. The First Amendment to the Constitution stipulates
that "Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion". (a) Do you agree that
this language was included in the Constitution to prevent
any interference by the Federal government in the
establishments of religion which existed by authority of the
legislatures of the several states which had joined in
ratifying the Constitution? (b) In your view, are different
interpretations of this clause valid for purposes of
Constitutional interpretation?
24. The Second Amendment says "A well regulated
Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be
infringed." Do you believe that in light of this
language any or all of Federally enacted gun control
laws are Constitutionally valid?
25. According to the Fourth Amendment, "The right of
the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,
shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon
probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and
particularly describing the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized." (a) Do you believe that
any branch of the Federal government has the authority to
violate the Fourth Amendment for any reason whatsoever? (b)
Do you believe that the requirements of the Fourth
Amendment have ever been violated by the Federal
government, if so, when, by whom, and in what circumstances?
26. The Fifth Amendment says that "nor shall any
person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in
jeopardy of life or limb". Was not this provision
set aside in the Rodney King case when law enforcement
personnel were prosecuted for the same alleged offense under
both state and Federal law?
27. The Sixth Amendment requires that "In all criminal
prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the
State and district wherein the crime shall have been
committed". (a) How do you interpret the term "speedy"?
(b) When, in accordance with your definition, this provision
is violated, what should be the remedy?
28. The Eighth Amendment says that "cruel and
unusual punishments" may not be inflicted. How would
you define a cruel and unusual punishment?
29. The Tenth Amendment says that "The powers not
delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people." (a) When powers which
Constitutionally ought be reserved to the states are usurped
by the Federal government, what remedy is available to
states thus aggrieved? (b) Is nullification a valid
response? (c) Is interposition an appropriate
response?
30. The Thirteenth Amendment says that "Neither slavery
nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime
whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall
exist within the United States, or any place subject to
their jurisdiction." In your view, does adherence to this
amendment preclude the possibility of a military draft?
31. Many people have questioned the inclusion of the
Fourteenth Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, inasmuch
as part of a conditional readmission to the Union, certain
southern states were required to ratify this amendment. In
some cases, ratification was enforced at the point of a gun
by occupying military troops. (a) Do you think the
Fourteenth Amendment was properly ratified? (b) If not, do
you believe it should be enforced?
32. The Fourteenth Amendment says that no state may "deprive
any person of life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law". (a) In your view, at what point does
the unborn child qualify for consideration as a
person? (b) At such point, does it become unconstitutional
to deprive any such person of life without such person
having been duly convicted of a crime by a jury of his or
her peers?
33. The Fourteenth Amendment also says that no person
shall be denied "the equal protection of the laws".
In your view, does this make affirmative action laws
unconstitutional?
34. The Sixteenth Amendment says that "The Congress
shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes,
from whatever source derived, without apportionment among
the several States, and without regard to any census or
enumeration." How do you define the term "incomes"?
35. The Nineteenth Amendment says "The right of
citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by any State on account
of sex". Does this use of the word "sex" refer
exclusively to gender, or can it be construed to cover
sexual activity?
36. The XXVII Amendment to the Constitution says "No
Law, varying the compensation for the services of the
Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an
election of Representatives shall have intervened." This
language seems to preclude members of Congress from
accepting pay increases recommended by commissions or
operating in reliance on changes in the cost of living.
What is your view?
###
|
Sotomayer Press Release #1 |
May 29, 2009 |
Digg This |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
For further
information, contact:
Charles Orndorff, 703-938-9626 |
EMPATHY, IMPARTIALITY, AND JUSTICE: WHY SONIA
SOTOMAYOR IS NOT QUALIFIED TO BE OUR NEXT U.S. SUPREME COURT
JUSTICE
Bob Renaud, a member of the Board of Directors of The
Conservative Caucus, has issued the following analysis of
President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to
serve on the U.S. Supreme Court:
"President Barack Obama was just past his first ‘100 days in
office’ when David Souter’s retirement gave him the opportunity
to submit his first Supreme Court nominee to Congress. He had
been planning for this moment. During his campaign for the
presidency, Obama explained what he would look for in a nominee
to the high court:
" ‘We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to
recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy
to understand what it’s like to be poor, or African American, or
gay, or disabled, or old. And that’s the criteria by which I’m
going to be selecting my judges.’[1]
"President Obama reiterated his commitment to ‘empathy’ last
week when he commented on Justice Souter’s resignation. He
promised to seek someone ‘who understands that justice isn’t
about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook.’
Apparently, to President Obama, a basic understanding of the
plain text of the Constitution is now ‘abstract legal theory.’
But empathy, he says, will produce justice.
"Once again, President Obama has demonstrated that the
‘change we can believe in’ is not the change we need in this
country. What we need is a change towards constitutional and
biblical fidelity.
"Writing in 1833 in his famous Commentaries on the
Constitution, Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story explained that
empathy is not the same as justice. Justice must be ‘freely,
fully, and impartially administered.’ Without impartial justice,
‘neither our persons, nor our rights, nor our property, can be
protected. And if these, or either of them, are regulated by no
certain laws, and are subject to no certain principles, and are
held by no certain tenure, and are redressed, when violated, by
no certain remedies, society fails of all its value; and men may
as well return to a state of savage and barbarous independence.’[2]
"By seeking to nominate to the high court, judges who ‘got
the heart, the empathy’ — as opposed to judges who are faithful
to the law of the land — we are heading toward that ‘state of
savage and barbarous independence’ that Justice Story warned
about. That was two centuries ago. Justice Story wasn’t the
first.
"Writing 3,500 years ago in the book of Leviticus, the
ultimate Law-giver explained the proper role of judges:
" ‘Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not
respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the
mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour’
(Leviticus 19:15).
"In this text of Scripture, there is no reference to how
judges feel about a matter, or how judges should ‘empathize’
with the parties to the case, or even how judges should use
their own ethnic background to decide the matter before the bar.
The command is to ‘not respect the person of the poor, nor honor
the person of the mighty.’ Not feel their pain!
"Contrary to what the ACLU or even the president himself
might want, our legal system has codified this biblical command
not to respect either the ‘poor’ or the ‘mighty’ in our own
republic. The United States Code prescribes the oath that all
federal justices or judges are to swear or affirm before
performing their duties. The oath states:
" ‘I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal
right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully
and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent
upon me as [job title] under the Constitution and laws of the
United States. So help me God.[3]’
"President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia
Sotomayor, was picked for her empathy rather than her
impartiality. In fact, Judge Sotomayor has a record of showing
partiality both in her written opinions and as well as outside
the courtroom.
"In a 2001 speech at the University of California at
Berkeley, Judge Sotomayor said that the ethnicity and sex of a
judge ‘may and will make a difference in our judging.’ She went
on to declare that ‘I would hope that a wise Latina woman with
the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach
a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that
life.’
"Fast forward to 2008, where we see how Judge Sotomayor
applies her judicial philosophy of ‘empathy’ in the case of
Ricci v. DeStefano (now before the U.S. Supreme Court). In that
case, local firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut, took an
examination in hopes of getting promoted. When the results came
out, the majority of those who took the test and passed were
‘white.’ The town decided to disregard that exam. The
firefighters who passed the test were passed up for promotion,
and they sued the town for reverse discrimination. On appeal to
the Second Circuit Court where Judge Sotomayor sits, Judge
Sotomayor refused to examine the issues of the ‘white’ firemen
and threw out the case. So much for Judge Sotomayor’s ‘empathy’
for both sides.
"And finally, one cannot forget the gaffe committed in 2005
in which Judge Sotomayor explained at a Duke Law School forum
that it is at ‘the court of appeals is where policy is made.’
Isn’t that the job of the legislature? Judge Sotomayor caught
her mistake and quickly said, ‘We don’t make law, I’m not
promoting that, I’m not advocating that, you know.’ However, you
have to ask yourself, how does an ‘extremely qualified’ judge
make a mistake like that?
"Jesus Christ said that ‘out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaks.’
"I think it’s clear where Judge Sotomayor’s heart is — she
thinks that her job is to ‘empathize’ with the parties before
her as opposed to judging ‘in righteousness . . . thy neighbour.’
And this is why she is disqualified to be our next U.S. Supreme
Court justice."
1. A widely quoted 2007 speech that
then Sen. Obama gave to Planned Parenthood. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/supreme-court/2009/05/obamasempathystandard_drawin.html?hpid=news-col-blog
2. http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/preambles21.html
3. Title 28 chapter 21 § 453.
______________________________
Mr. Renaud is in his final year of law school at the Oak
Brook School of Law in Fresno, California and is an official of
Vision Forum Ministries in San Antonio, Texas.
###
OBAMA FASCISM PUNISHES THE PRODUCTIVE
"My name is George C. Joseph. I am the sole owner of
Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu, a family owned and operated business in
Melbourne, Florida. My family bought and paid for this
automobile franchise 35 years ago in 1974. I am the second
generation to manage this business.
"We currently employ 50+ people and before the economic
slowdown we employed over 70 local people. We are active
in the community and the local chamber of commerce. We deal with
several dozen local vendors on a day to day basis and many more
during a month. All depend on our business for part of their
livelihood.
"We are financially strong with great respect in the market
place and community. We have strong local presence and
stability. I work every day the store is open, nine to ten hours
a day. I know most of our customers and all our employees.
Sunshine Dodge is my life.
"On Thursday, May 14, 2009 I was notified that my Dodge
franchise, that we purchased, will be taken away from my family
on June 9, 2009 without compensation and given
to another dealer at no cost to them.
"My new vehicle inventory consists of 125 vehicles with a
financed balance of 3 million dollars. This inventory
becomes impossible to sell with no factory incentives
beyond June 9, 2009. Without the Dodge franchise we can no
longer sell a new Dodge as "new," nor will we be able to do any
warranty service work.
"Additionally, my Dodge parts inventory, (approximately
$300,000.) is virtually worthless without the ability to perform
warranty service. There is no offer from Chrysler to buy
back the vehicles or parts inventory.
"Our facility was recently totally renovated at Chrysler's
insistence, incurring a multi-million dollar debt in the form of
a mortgage at Sun Trust Bank.
"HOW IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CAN THIS HAPPEN?
"THIS IS A PRIVATE BUSINESS NOT A GOVERNMENT ENTITY
"This is beyond imagination! My business is being
stolen from me through NO FAULT OF OUR OWN. We did NOTHING
wrong.
"This atrocity will most likely force my family into
bankruptcy. This will also cause our 50+ employees to be
unemployed. How will they provide for their families? This
is a total economic disaster.
"HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA?
"I beseech your help, and look forward to your reply. Thank
you.
Sincerely,
George C. Joseph
President & Owner
Sunshine Dodge-Isuzu"
Source: tothepointnews.com, 5/26/09
|
ACORN Born in Leftist Revolution |
May 26, 2009 |
Digg This |
"GREAT SOCIETY" FUNDED GRASSROOTS LEFTISTS
When I was Director of the U.S. Office of Economic
Opportunity (OEO) in 1973, I cut off the money to all of the
entities promoted by Richard Cloward and Francis Fox Piven.
For example, prior to my tenure, under Sargent Shriver, Don
Rumsfeld, and Dick Cheney, more than 500 chapters of the
National Welfare Rights organization were created at taxpayer
expense to implement the Cloward-Piven strategy.
Despite my efforts to Defund the Left, when I resigned as OEO
Director, following President Nixon’s decision to continue
funding the agency and its programs at an even higher level, the
Left was refunded by my successors under Presidents Nixon and
Ford.
"ACORN, the radical organization charged with voter fraud in
several states, owes its origin to a revolutionary strategy
developed by two Columbia University sociologists in the 1960s.
"After completing his legal education at Harvard, Barack
Obama returned to Chicago to work in an ACORN-funded voter
registration project that developed directly out of this radical
revolutionary strategy.
"On … May 2, 1966, Columbia’s Professor of Social Work
Richard A. Cloward, and his then research associate Frances Fox
Piven, wrote a pivotal article in The Nation,
articulating ‘a strategy to end poverty.’
"In what became known as the Cloward-Piven strategy, the
article argued a revolutionary approach to mobilizing the poor
in the form of class warfare against capitalist forces viewed as
exploiting labor and oppressing the poor. …
"Cloward and Piven argued a ‘guaranteed annual income’ should
be established as an entitlement for the poor, a right the poor
could assert and demand to be paid.
"Arguing for massive registration of poor in existing social
welfare programs, Cloward and Piven sought to create a crisis
that could be exploited to obtain a fundamental redistribution
of power in favor of the ‘have-nots.’
"Advancing their socialist revolutionary aims, Cloward and
Piven explained the crisis they sought ‘can occur spontaneously
(e.g., riots) or as the intended result of tactics of
demonstration and protest which either generate institutional
disruption or bring unrecognized disruption to public
attention.’
"The Cloward-Piven strategy sought to apply the tactics of
the revolutionary civil rights movement, including urban riots,
to the poor as a whole, transcending interest-group politics
defined by race to involve interest-group politics defined by
class.
"Radical black activist George Wiley created the National
Welfare [Rights] Organization, or NWRO, to implement the
Cloward-Piven strategy.
"Sol Stern, writing in the City Journal, noted that
foot soldiers hired by the NWRO were successful in expanding
welfare rolls from 4.3 million to 10.8 million by the mid-1970s.
The result was that in New York City, where the strategy had
been particularly successful, ‘one person was on the welfare
rolls … for every two working in the city’s private economy.’
"James Simpson, a former White House staff economist and
budget analyst, asserts in American Thinker that the
‘vast expansion of welfare in New York City that came of the
NWRO’s Cloward-Piven tactics sent the city into bankruptcy in
1975.’
"William Radke, the founder of ACORN, was a member of the
radical Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS, before he
dropped out of Williams College in 1968 to join the anti-draft
movement protesting the Vietnam War.
"He next worked for George Wiley’s NWRO in Springfield,
Mass., before leaving for Little Rock, Ark., in 1970. In Little
Rock he formed the Arkansas Community Organizations for Reform
Now, an organization whose name he morphed into the Association
of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, to form a
national organization.
"With ACORN, Radke resolved to apply the Cloward-Piven
strategy as a ‘community organizer’ in an effort to recruit
radicals to register to vote as Democrats, often fraudulently,
in local, state and national elections.
"Radke’s idea was to create a crisis in voter registration
similar to the crisis in registration for welfare benefits that
Cloward and Piven had initially sought to cause.
"Funded heavily by George Soros through his Open
Society Institute, ACORN has followed a three-point strategy
that James Simpson described as follows:
- "Register as many Democratic voters as possible, legal
or otherwise, and help them vote, multiple times if
possible.
- "Overwhelm the system with fraudulent registrations
using multiple entries of the same name, names of deceased,
random names from the phone book, even contrived names.
- "Make the system difficult to police by lobbying for
minimal identification standards required of voters arriving
at polling stations to vote.
"In 1992, while he was working as a community organizer in
Chicago, Obama headed the Chicago operations of Project Vote!,
an ACORN effort to register voters nationally. In Chicago, Obama
had his biggest impact registering African-American voters on
Chicago’s South Side." Source: WorldNetDaily, 5/14/09,
Jerome R. Corsi
|
Outrageous Spending |
May 21, 2009 |
Digg This |
YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK
(CNSNews.com, 5/4/09) – "The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
is funding a study that seeks to discover a link between
drinking and having sex among homosexuals in Argentina.
"The study will send researchers to six bars in Buenos Aires
to interview both patrons and proprietors in an effort to
discover what it is about those bars that may encourage the
risky behavior.
"The study began on Sept. 30, 2008, and runs through Aug. 31,
2010. It already has cost taxpayers $198,776. By the time the
project ends, it will have cost $403,902, according to NIH.
"The grant, awarded to the New York State Psychiatric Institute,
was provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism (NIAAA), the division of NIH that studies the effects
of alcohol and alcoholism.
"The study’s primary focus is to determine the relationship
among drinking, bars frequented by homosexuals, and risky sexual
behavior to see if certain bars in Argentina might be good
targets for HIV-prevention campaigns.
" ‘Targeting public venues in Buenos Aires where men meet,
alcohol is consumed, and sexual behavior occurs, the goal of
this two-year exploratory study is to understand the various
factors that contribute to the creation of a high-risk sexual
space,’ the study’s abstract explains.
" ‘To that end, the study seeks to describe the relative
contribution of physical characteristics of the place, patron
characteristics, type and level of alcohol consumption, and
social dynamics that are at play and potentiate each other to
result in sexual risk behavior.’
"The study has six goals, including the collection of
information on six specific bars in Buenos Aires; the
appearance, of those bars, alcohol availability, patrons, and
types of sexual behavior taking place. The study also seeks to
identify which factors contribute to alcohol consumption and
sexual behavior in the bars.
" ‘The specific aims of this study are to … 2) identify factors
that contribute to alcohol use and high-risk sexual behavior in
the venues,’ says the abstract.
"Researchers will interview 48 of the men who patronize the
bars, as well as the bar staff to gather information on the
types of alcohol consumed and sexual behavior engaged in. …
"While the study is being conducted in Argentina, it is being
funded with U.S. tax dollars. The grant recipients--who
could not be reached for comment--say in the abstract that
information gathered in the bars in Argentina might help inform
similar efforts in America. …
"The study is among a number funded by the NIAAA to examine the
relationship between drinking and the spread of HIV, including a
study of tourism, prostitution, and HIV in the Dominican
Republic and another study examining drinking and HIV among
prostitutes in China."
|
North American Union Pass |
May 20, 2009 |
Digg This |
ANOTHER STEPPING STONE TO NORTH AMERICAN
UNION?
" Signs showing an integrated North America have begun
showing up on U.S. Interstate highways for NORPASS, a new
electronic system that allows participating truckers in Canada
and the U.S. to by-pass roadside weigh stations through the use
of a transponder mounted on the windshield.
"The NORPASS website describes the organization as ‘a
partnership of state and provincial agencies and trucking
industry representatives who are committed to promoting safe and
efficient trucking throughout North America.’
"Truckers that register to participate in NORPASS receive a
small transponder that signals to a computer in participating
weigh stations.
"As the participating truck approaches the NORPASS weigh
station, a roadside reader detects the transponder and a
computer in the weigh station checks the truck’s credentials.
"If the truck is certified, the NORPASS transponder signals a
green light, allowing the driver to bypass the station.
"If a problem is detected, a red light flashing on the
transponder indicates a need for the truck to stop and be
checked.
"Participating NORPASS truckers are charged $45 to purchase a
windshield transponder directly from NORPASS.
"Melanie Coon, a spokesperson for the Washington Department
of Transportation, or WaDOT, told WND the purpose of the
system is to contribute to the state’s efforts to introduce
‘automated intelligence systems to assist trucks and people in
crossing the U.S.-Canadian border more efficiently.’
"Along with Washington, states participating in NORPASS
include Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, South Dakota, New York,
Connecticut, Kentucky and North Carolina.
"Two Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Quebec, are
NORPASS participants.
"A map on the NORPASS website indicates NORPASS weigh station
by-passing is also compatible with the transponders issued by
BestPass, another U.S.-Canadian truck transponder system."
Source: Jerome Corsi, WorldNetDaily.com, 5/15/09
|
Kill the Death Tax! |
May 19, 2009 |
Digg This |
TCC’S "MAKE THE DEATH TAX REPEAL PERMANENT
PETITION"
TO: MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
|
Whereas,
|
the American people are already overtaxed; and |
|
Whereas,
|
it is grossly unfair to impose punishing taxes on
the loved ones of relatives who have passed away; and |
|
Whereas,
|
after taxing a person throughout his or her lifetime, it
is double taxation, to tax them again at death; and |
|
Whereas,
|
eliminating the tax on inheritances and bequests will
energize the economy by keeping family businesses and
farms working; and |
|
Whereas,
|
taxing away the lifetime assets an individual hopes to
pass on to his or her loved ones is morally wrong; and |
|
Whereas,
|
taxing inheritances is another example of government
changing the rules to punish those who played by the
rules all of their lives. |
|
Therefore,
|
I urge you to immediately reintroduce, vote on,
and pass the "Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act",
vital legislation to finally and permanently abolish the unfair
Federal Estate Tax ("Death Tax").
|
|
Marion Barry Did the Right Thing |
May 8, 2009 |
Digg This |
TWO CHEERS FOR MARION SHEPILOV BARRY
"The D.C. Council overwhelmingly approved a
bill yesterday to recognize same-sex marriages performed
elsewhere, in a vote that followed a sharp exchange between an
openly gay member and a civil rights champion and set off shouts
of reproach from local ministers.
"The council passed the measure by a vote of 12 to 1. During
the debate, council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) accused
Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), who cast the dissenting vote, of having
taken a ‘bigoted’ position.
"After the vote, enraged African American ministers stormed
the hallway outside the council chambers and vowed that they
will work to oust the members who supported the bill. …
"Barry, who said he supports gay rights and civil unions,
warned after the vote that the District could erupt if the
council does not proceed slowly on same-sex marriage.
" ‘All hell is going to break lose,’ Barry said. ‘We may have
a civil war. The black community is just adamant against this.’
"Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) has said he will sign the bill
recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The
council’s action puts the matter before Congress, which under
the Home Rule Charter has 30 days to review District
legislation. The bill could present the House and Senate with
their biggest test on the same-sex marriage issue since Congress
approved the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. …
"Several council members and gay rights advocates are hopeful
that the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate will be
able to stop congressional intervention.
" ‘I do not believe that a serious attempt to overturn the
council bill will be made or will be successful,’ said Del.
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who praised the council’s
decision. …
"Barry, a prominent figure during the civil rights movement,
said that he ‘agonized’ over whether to oppose the bill but that
he decided to stand with the ‘ministers who stand on the moral
compass of God.’
" ‘I am representing my constituents,’ said Barry, who later
told reporters that ‘98 percent of my constituents are black,
and we don’t have but a handful of openly gay residents.’ …
" ‘We need a new council. They are destroying our youth,’ a
same-sex marriage opponent, Paul Trantham of Southeast
Washington, shouted in the hallway during the ruckus. ‘Every
minister who fears God should be here. This is disrespectful to
the nation’s capital. There is nothing equal about same-sex
marriage.’
"This week, more than 100 black ministers signed a letter to
Fenty opposing the measure." Source: The Washington Post,
5/6/09, Tim Craig
TOM BRADEN, A FERVENT FOE, HAS DIED
Apparently preserved in alcohol, Tom Braden recently died at
the age of 92.
When Pat Buchanan could no longer stand nightly arguments
with Braden on CNN’s one-hour "Crossfire" program and WRC
Radio’s three-hour debate, he graciously turned the task over to
me.
When Braden was drunk, he was crude, rude, nasty, and
belligerent. He was only slightly less so when there was no
alcohol on his breath.
Braden led a very sad life. In return for a major payoff from
Nelson Rockefeller, Braden permitted his wife to be
Rockefeller’s mistress. Similarly, he looked the other way when
his wife had intimate relations with Bobby Kennedy and Robert
McNamara.
When Braden’s daughter was raped by a black man, he became a
virulent supporter of abortion.
Braden was a top official of the Central Intelligence Agency,
giving money to Left-wing students to represent the United
States at international conferences, corrupting with subsidies
the U.S. National Student Association, and providing the money
which permitted the Communist Party newspaper, The Daily
Worker, to publish on a regular basis.
In summary, Braden was a bitter, nasty man who took pride in
his friendships with wealthy, famous liberals and who had no
shame when it came to some of the horrible decisions he made in
the course of his life. Perhaps that is why he was an unreformed
alcoholic and perhaps it was alcohol that kept him alive until
past his 92nd birthday.
As described in The Washington Post (4/4/09): "Tom
Braden, 92, author of the memoir-turned-television series ‘Eight
Is Enough’ and a former CIA official who became the liberal
voice on CNN's talk show ‘Crossfire’ in the 1980s, died of
cardiac arrest April 3 at his home in Denver.
"Mr. Braden, a syndicated newspaper columnist, was best known
for his autobiographical novel about his life as the father of
eight children, which was published in 1975 and adapted as an
ABC comedy-drama two years later. Mr. Braden was also one of the
early practitioners of the televised arguments that masquerade
as interview shows when he became the sparring partner of former
Nixon adviser Pat Buchanan on ‘Crossfire’ in 1982.
"In the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Braden's Chevy Chase home became
an informal salon for the journalistic and political elite,
where Henry Kissinger spent Christmas Eves, AFL-CIO chief Lane
Kirkland spent Thanksgivings and Mr. Braden and his vivacious
wife, Joan, entertained everyone from former Defense Secretary
Robert McNamara to next-door neighbor and NBC anchorman David
Brinkley.
"As a CIA official in the early 1950s, Mr. Braden was head of
the
International Organizations Division
which promoted anti-communism by secretly funding groups
including the AFL-CIO and the National Student Association,
sending the Boston Symphony Orchestra on a European tour and
publishing Encounter magazine. After Ramparts magazine exposed
the CIA's system of funding anti-communist front organizations
all over the globe, Mr. Braden defended the program in
an article
in a 1967 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. He said the secret
program was his idea.
"Keeping secrets from Congress, he wrote, simply made good
sense: "In the early 1950s, when the cold war was really hot,
the idea that Congress would have approved many of our projects
was about as likely as the John Birch Society's approving
Medicare.’
"In 1977, Mr. Braden replaced former Robert F. Kennedy
campaign aide Frank Mankiewicz on a nationally syndicated WRC
radio spot called ‘Confrontation,’ paired against the
conservative Buchanan. The radio show jumped to late-night TV on
‘After Hours’ on the old WDVM with local broadcaster Gordon
Peterson as the moderator.
"Mr. Braden and Buchanan became known as the ‘Punch and Judy’
of Washington commentators. Guests left the broadcast studio
saying they felt as if they'd been in a bar fight. Others never
got to speak at all because Mr. Braden and Buchanan were so
intent on attacking each other's positions. Later, CNN picked up
the show and renamed it ‘Crossfire.’ Mr. Braden was replaced in
1989 by political journalist Michael Kinsley. …
"Thomas Wardell Braden II was born Feb. 22, 1917, in Greene,
Iowa. He left high school during the Depression and was sent to
New York by his parents to work as a printer for a family
friend. He graduated in 1940 from Dartmouth College, which
admitted high school dropouts. …
"Mr. Braden joined the CIA in 1950, working as an assistant
to Allen W. Dulles, who became CIA director. In 1954, he bought
the Blade-Tribune newspaper of Oceanside, Calif., with a
$185,000 loan from Nelson Rockefeller, the industrialist and
later New York governor, for whom his wife worked. Mr. Braden
unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor in 1966 on the
Democratic Party ticket."
BURT BLUMERT WAS A PURE GOLD FRIEND
Ron Paul and I, among many others, had a friend in common:
Burt Blumert, who once hosted me at his lovely home on Half Moon
Bay in California.
Here’s what Ron Paul had to say about Burt Blumert:
"Burton Samuel Blumert passed away on Monday March 30,
following a long battle with cancer. Burt was a true hero of the
freedom movement and my close friend, advisor, and business
partner.
"As the founder and manager of Camino Coins in Burlingame,
CA, Burt was one of the nation’s leading dealers in gold and
silver coins. A student of Ludwig von Mises and the Austrian
school of economics, Burt understood the important role precious
metals played in protecting ordinary citizens from the damage
wrought by fiat money and inflation. Thus, he regarded his work
as a coin dealer not just as a business, but as an opportunity
to help people by providing them with some protection from the
Federal Reserve’s inflation tax.
"After I stepped down from Congress in 1984, I partnered with
Burt in the coin business, a partnership which lasted until I
returned to Congress in 1996. Our partnership was based on
nothing more than our words. As anyone who ever dealt with Burt
could testify, that was all that was needed, because Burt’s word
was truly his bond. I am unaware of anyone who dealt with Burt
who questioned his integrity or his commitment to his customers.
"As well-known and respected as he was for his leadership in
the coin business, Burt was best known as a promoter of
libertarian ideas. Burt was a long time friend and patron of
Murray Rothbard, one of Mises’s top American students and a
pioneer in economics, political theory, history, and much else.
Burt helped Murray establish the Center for Libertarian Studies,
and served as its president from 1975 until his death.
"Burt also played a key role in the flourishing of the Ludwig
von Mises Institute, which, as its name suggests, is the leading
center for the promotion and development of Austrian economics
and libertarian political theory in the nation. Burt served as a
founding board member of the Institute and he chaired the
Institute's board after the original chair, Mrs. Margit von
Mises, passed away in 1993. He also published The Rothbard-Rockwell
Report, a well-read libertarian newsletter written by Murray
Rothbard and Mises Institute President Lew Rockwell.
"Burt played a major role in making the ideas of liberty a
force on the internet by serving as the publisher of
LewRockwell.com, as well supporting the development of Mises.org.
Burt also played an instrumental role in the development of
Antiwar.com. Burt also served as chairman of my first run for
the presidency, and important counselor in the second.
"In addition to his work with these organizations, Burt was a
friend, mentor, and patron to numerous libertarian scholars and
activists. He was incredibly generous with both his time and his
resources. Talking to Burt was always a treat, because he had
one of the best senses of humor I have ever known, and it seemed
like he was always in a good mood. Events that would send his
friends into fits of depression, rage, or both would be used by
Burt as fodder for a series of jokes and wisecracks. Even in the
last days of his battle with cancer he remained upbeat. One of
Burt’s friends called him shortly after learning about Burt’s
cancer, but instead of consoling Burt, this friend ending up
having his sprits lifted by Burt’s humor.
"It is somewhat of a comfort to myself, and I am sure to
Burt’s other friends, to know that he lived long enough to see
so many of his efforts bear fruit. Today, the Mises Institute
teaches sound economics and the principles of liberty to
thousands of students every year while Mises.org is one of the
leading economics websites in the world. LewRockwell.com is one
of the top providers of political, economic, and cultural
commentary on the web, while Antiwar.com is the leading source
of information for scholars, journalists, and activists looking
for material to combat the propaganda of the war party.
"As I travel across the country, I am astounded at the number
of young people I met who are interested in the cause of
individual liberty, peace, and sound money. Many of them got
their introduction to these ideas through one of the many
organizations nurtured by Burt Blumert.
"Madame Speaker, perhaps the highest compliment one can pay
to a departed friend is to say that they left the world better
than they found it. That is certainly true in the case of Burt
Blumert. While I am saddened that I will never again benefit
from Burt’s good humor and wise counsel, I am comforted by
knowing that I was blessed by his friendship and the thought
that the vibrant and growing freedom movement will serve as a
living monument to Burt for years to come. I therefore join
friends of liberty around the world in mourning Burt’s passing,
and saluting all he accomplished during his lifetime." Source:
Rep. Ron Paul, M.D. (R-Tex.), before the U.S. House of
Representatives, April 2, 2009,
www.LewRockwell.com,
4/3/09
|
Virginia Foxx - American Hero |
April 6, 2009 |
Digg This |
U.S. REP. VIRGINIA FOXX PROTECTS TAXPAYERS
FROM INCREASED SUBSIDIES TO ACORN, PLANNED PARENTHOOD
The Conservative Caucus has long been known as the leader of
the "Defund the Left" movement, seeking to cut off Federal
funding of organizations (almost always left-wing) which receive
taxpayer subsidies while lobbying Federal, state, and local
governments.
A small but encouraging victory on this front was recently
won by U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) when she persuaded the
House to prohibit Federally funded "volunteers" from being
assigned to such groups as ACORN and Planned Parenthood.
Congressman Foxx’s amendment to H.R. 1388 (the GIVE Act)
excludes organizations involved in lobbying or providing or
promoting abortion services, as well as any groups that have
been indicted for voter fraud.
Knowing that such groups often evade this type of restriction
by setting up a separate organization, sharing staff and office
space, to carry out the prohibited activity, the Foxx amendment
spreads a broader net, excluding any organization that is
"co-located on the same premises" as a prohibited group.
The vote on the Foxx amendment (House roll call 139, March
18) was 318-105. It is probable that some of those voting for it
hope to see the amendment removed by the House-Senate
conference. This is something that TCC will be watching.
|
Americans Reject Social Security for Mexicans |
April 3, 2009 |
Digg This |
U.S.-MEXICO AGREEMENT ON SOCIAL SECURITY FACES
PUBLIC OPPOSITION
The proposed Social Security totalization agreement between
the United States and Mexico faces strong opposition from the
public, according to a poll conducted by The Conservative Caucus
Foundation (TCCF). The agreement would allow Mexicans who have
worked in the United States and returned to Mexico (including
illegal aliens) to receive U.S. Social Security benefits.
Mexicans would be eligible even if they had not worked the 40
quarters required of U.S. Social Security recipients.
When asked whether Congress should overturn the agreement
(which has not yet been submitted for approval), 98% said yes
and only 2% no. The idea of a "global welfare system" was also
opposed by 98%.
Only 38% had heard about the agreement, which was signed in
2004.
The poll was conducted by mail during early 2009 and received
about 1,000 responses.
The Conservative Caucus Foundation (TCCF), founded in 1976,
has published studies on many public policy issues, including
some concerning Red China, the Panama Canal, nuclear
disarmament, and SDI.
|
Obama' Tax Hikes... |
March 27, 2009 |
Digg This |
EVEN HIS PROPONENTS NOW ACKNOWLEDGE THAT
OBAMA’S BUDGET COULD LEAD TO BIG TAX INCREASES
The Washington Post is left-wing, but it has correctly
described what the Obama budget will cost taxpayers. In an
editorial (The Budget Gimmick’s Return, March 26, 2009)
referring to attempts by the House and Senate budget committees
to disguise the size of future deficits, the Post says
"Like Mr. Obama, the Democrats in Congress want to spend more on
education, energy and other popular programs. Like Mr. Obama,
they don’t want to level with voters about the need to pay for
such programs through increased taxes."
On the same day’s op-ed page, Alice Rivlin (Clinton’s
Director of the Office of Management and Budget) points out that
the Obama taxes on energy use and charitable donations "will not
fully compensate for the rising spending" and goes on to
recommend tax increases on those with incomes below $250,000.
Just above her column, E. J. Dionne says that Obama should "come
right out and say we’ll need broad-based tax increases", but
recognizes that such honesty "would be suicidal" politically.
President Obama was elected by telling Americans almost all
of them would receive a bigger tax cut from him than from John
McCain. His budget puts the lie to his promise. Americans will
pay the cost of Obama’s budget, either directly through taxes or
indirectly through inflation that might exceed even that of the
Carter administration.
|
Save the First Amendment |
March 23, 2009 |
Digg This |
FAIRNESS DOCTRINE MEANS CENSORSHIP
Americans overwhelmingly agree that restoration of the
"Fairness Doctrine" would be a form of censorship, according to
a poll conducted by The Conservative Caucus (TCC).
Ninety-four percent described the Fairness Doctrine as a
"very serious threat" to freedom of speech, and 92% believed it
would force many radio stations to cancel conservative talk
shows. Only 2% thought that Congressional supporters were
honestly concerned with fairness, while 98% said that the
purpose was to "shut down conservative radio".
Earlier this month, an attempt to amend the omnibus
appropriations act to prohibit restoration of the Fairness
Doctrine was defeated in the Senate, 50-47.
The Fairness Doctrine, originally adopted with the stated
intention of regulating radio and TV in order to provide
balanced coverage, was revoked by the Federal Communications
Commission during the Reagan administration on free speech
grounds.
The poll was conducted by mail during January and February
with about 6,000 responses.
The Conservative Caucus (TCC) is a grass roots action
organization, formed in 1974. It was active in defeating the
SALT II Treaty, repealing the Catastrophic Coverage Act,
blocking the Clinton health-care takeover, and impeaching
President Clinton.
|
Official English |
March 23, 2009 |
Digg This |
POLL SHOWS STRONG SUPPORT FOR ENGLISH AS THE
OFFICIAL AMERICAN LANGUAGE
Americans want English to be the nation’s official language
according to a poll conducted by The Conservative Caucus
Foundation (TCCF). Ninety-nine percent of those responding to
the poll supported making English the official language.
There was also 96% support for revoking Executive Order 13166
(issued by President Clinton) which required Federal, state, and
local government agencies to conduct more of their business in
other languages. Ninety-nine percent agreed that it is
"patriotic and for the good of all immigrants to learn our
nation’s unifying language."
The tax burden of illegal immigrants who do not speak English
was a concern to 99%, and 99% opposed continuing to provide
government forms in a language other than English.
The poll was conducted by mail during early 2009 and received
about 3,000 responses.
The Conservative Caucus Foundation (TCCF), founded in1976,
has published studies on many public policy issues, including
some concerning Red China, the Panama Canal, the START treaties,
and SDI.
|
Obama's Appointees |
March 16, 2009 |
Digg This |
HOMOS ON PARADE
"So far, sixteen lesbian and gay individuals have received
appointments from President Barack Obama. Many of these people
applied for their positions through the Gay & Lesbian Leadership
Institute’s Presidential Appointments Project.
"The appointees are:
- Anthony Bernal – Scheduler,
Office of Dr. Jill Biden;
John Berry –
Director-Designate, Office of Personnel Management;
Brian Bond – Deputy
Director, White House Office of Public Liaison;
Ebs Burnough – Deputy
Scheduler, Office of the First Lady;
Michael Camunez – Domestic
Policy Cluster Head, Presidential Personnel;
Brook Colangelo – Chief
Information Officer, White House Office of Administration;
Brad Kiley – Director, White
House Office of Management and Administration;
Fred Hochberg –
Director-Designate, U.S. Export-Import Bank;
Karine Jean-Pierre – White
House Liaison, U.S. Department of Labor;
David Medina – Deputy Chief
of Staff, Office of the First Lady;
Dave Noble – White House
Liaison, National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
Mark Perriello – Director of
Priority Placement;
Nancy Sutley – White House
Council on Environmental Quality;
Moe Vela – Director of
Operations, Office of the Vice President;
Kei Koizumi – Assistant
Director for Federal Research and Development, Office of
Science and Technology Policy;
Alison Nathan – White House
Counsels Office"
Source: www.gaypolitics.com,
1/26/09
|
More on Sen. Gillibrand |
March 10, 2009 |
Digg This |
GILLIBRAND WAS A "CONSERVATIVE" DEMOCRAT IN
THE HOUSE
Home "Gov. David A.
Paterson bypassed a couple of better-known contenders… and
appointed Kirsten Gillibrand, a low-profile congresswoman from
the rural, conservative Hudson Valley, to New York’s open Senate
seat, potentially boosting his own prospects for election in
2010 but sowing new divisions in the state Democratic Party. …
"Gillibrand’s centrist voting record sets her at odds with
most of her Democratic colleagues in New York. She boasts a
perfect favorable rating from the National Rifle Association, in
a state with some of the strictest gun laws in the country. She
has supported tighter measures against illegal immigrants in a
state generally known for sanctuary. And she was the only New
York Democrat to vote against the $700 billion federal financial
bailout plan, which was considered a fiscal lifeline for New
York City. …
"The New York Immigration Coalition said in a statement:
‘During her tenure in the House, Representative Gillibrand took
positions on immigration that are deeply troubling, to say the
least.’ She supported giving local police the power to
enforce immigration laws and backed a fence along the U.S.
southern border, but opposed any path to citizenship for illegal
immigrants already in the country, the group said."
Source: Keith Richburg, The Washington Post, 1/24/09,
p. A3
|
GOP RINOS Vote For DC Power Grab |
March 5, 2009 |
Digg This |
EIGHT GOP SELLOUTS IGNORE THE U.S.
CONSTITUTION
The sell-out senators who voted to disregard the Constitution
of the United States and assign a vote to D.C. in the U.S. House
of Representatives as if it were a state were: Thad Cochran
(R-MS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Orrin Hatch (R-UT),
Dick Lugar (R-IN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK),
Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Arlen Specter (R-PA), and
George Voinovich (R-OH).
Democrats who voted to support the Constitution by opposing
the legislation were Max Baucus of Montana and Robert
Byrd of West Virginia.
FORMER ALABAMA GOVERNOR GUY HUNT HAS DIED
Alabama Governor Guy Hunt played an instrumental role in
launching Roy Moore’s judicial career long before Judge Moore
became Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
"Guy Hunt, 75, who in 1987 became Alabama's first Republican
governor since Reconstruction but six years later was the
state's first governor removed from office for a criminal
conviction, died of cancer Jan. 30 at Trinity Medical Center in
Birmingham.
The former Amway salesman, farmer and Primitive Baptist
preacher was dismissed as a bumpkin by some when he entered the
governor's race in 1986. But he pulled a spectacular upset when
internal feuding split the Democratic Party, sending a majority
of voters into Mr. Hunt's GOP column.
"He won reelection in 1990, but halfway through his second
term he was convicted of violating the state ethics law for
misusing 1987 inaugural funds, and removed from office. He later
received a pardon but could never restart his political career.
"Being governor allowed Mr. Hunt to appoint hundreds of
Republicans to state boards and commission and fill vacancies in
state and county offices with Republicans. By the time he left
office, the Republican Party had started winning other statewide
offices, and Alabama had become a two-party state after more
than a century of Democratic dominance.
" ‘That was the beginning of the power of the Republican
Party in Alabama, and Democrats did it to themselves,’ said
Democrat Lowell Barron, an influential state senator and a
frequent political ally of Mr. Hunt's.
"Mr. Hunt was a product of rural northern Alabama, growing up
on a small farm in Cullman County, marrying at 17 rather than
going to college, serving in the Army during the Korean War and
returning home to Holly Pond to become a minister in the
Primitive Baptist Church in 1958.
"He was a Cullman County probate judge in the 1960s and
1970s.
"A state leader for Ronald Reagan in the 1976 and 1980
presidential campaigns, he was rewarded when Reagan appointed
him state executive director of the Agricultural Stabilization
and Conservation Service in 1981. He quit the job in 1985 and
ran for governor, winning the office after the Democrats got
into an internal fight over one of their candidates.
‘That created a voter backlash that swept Mr. Hunt into
office with 56 percent of the vote. He became the first
Republican elected to lead Alabama since 1872.
"Barron said many people underestimated Mr. Hunt after his
election because of his laid-back, country manner, but he worked
quickly to develop good relations with Democrats, who dominated
the legislature.
"In his first year in office, Mr. Hunt got the legislature to
enact laws capping big punitive damage verdicts by juries that
were earning Alabama a reputation as ‘tort hell.’ The laws drew
national attention, and Mr. Hunt celebrated by erecting a
billboard in New York that declared the state ‘Open for
Business.’
"Mr. Hunt's celebration didn't last long, because the
Democrat-dominated Alabama Supreme Court dismantled key parts of
the ‘tort reform’ package.
"Mr. Hunt took a hands-on approach to recruiting new industry
to Alabama and, in his first year in office, was named one of
the nation's top governors by U.S. News & World Report." Source:
The Washington Post, 2/1/09. p. C8, Phillip Rawls
OBAMA’S ENERGY ORDER IS IDIOTICALLY INTRUSIVE
Whenever one runs out of evidence of the stupidity and grasp
of Big Brother government, new examples arise.
On February 5th, President Obama issued a memo for
the Secretary of Energy regarding "Appliance Efficiency
Standards". Here is some of what the memo had to say: "Under the
Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA), the
Department of Energy (DOE) is required to establish by certain
dates energy efficiency standards for a broad class of
residential and commercial products. These products are
appliances and other equipment used in consumers’ homes and in
commercial establishments. In the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(EPACT), the Congress directed the DOE to develop a plan to
issue expeditiously efficiency standards for those products with
respect to which the Department had not yet met the deadlines
specified in the EPCA.
"In 2005, 14 States and various other entities brought suit
alleging that the DOE had failed to comply with deadlines and
other requirements in the EPCA. In November 2006, the DOE
entered into a consent decree under which the DOE agreed to
publish final rules regarding 22 product categories
by specific deadlines, the latest of which is June 30, 2011.
The consent decree includes target dates for the rulemaking
processes and sets deadlines for issuance of final rules with
respect to each product category. The Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007 (EISA) directed the DOE to establish energy
standards for additional product categories.
"The DOE remains subject to outstanding deadlines with
respect to 15 of the 22 product categories covered by the
consent decree, as well as statutory deadlines for a number of
additional product categories. These efficiency standards, once
implemented, will result in significant energy savings for the
American people.
"Therefore, I request that:
"(a) the DOE take all necessary steps, consistent
with the consent decree, EPACT, and EISA, to finalize
legally required efficiency standards as expeditiously
as possible and consistent with all applicable judicial
and statutory deadlines. Such standards include, most
immediately, those covered by the five energy efficiency
rules with deadlines prior to and including August 8,
2009."
Source: Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 25, February 9,
2009, Presidential Documents
|
Faith-Based Initiatives |
February 23, 2009 |
Digg This |
BUSH SURRENDERED THE PRINCIPLE – – – OBAMA
EXPANDED THE PRACTICE
George W. Bush’s
unwise, unconstitutional policies are now being used as
precedent by Barack Obama. …
"Obama planned to sign an executive order later in the day
creating the White House Office on Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships. It would expand and refocus the faith-based office
founded by former President George W. Bush. …
"During his presidential campaign, Obama said he wanted to
expand White House faith-based efforts begun under Bush. But
while he endorsed Bush's initiative to give religious groups
more access to federal funding, he also promised to make some
changes to the office.
"Obama's advisers want to be certain tax dollars sent to
the faith-based social service groups are used for secular
purposes, such as feeding the hungry or housing the homeless,
and not for religious evangelism. The administration doesn't
want to be perceived as managing the groups yet does want
transparency and accountability. " Source: Newsmax.com, 2/5/09
|
Americans: Stop Illegal Immigration! |
February 13, 2009 |
Digg This |
AMERICANS
EXPECT CONGRESSIONAL ACTION AGAINST ILLEGAL ALIENS
Americans favor stronger
action against illegal aliens, especially in regard to
protection from the cost to taxpayers, according to a poll
conducted by The Conservative Caucus (TCC).
The poll found unanimous opposition to amnesty for illegals
and to continuing to pay at least $68 billion each year for
"emergency medical care, schooling, and government services".
Opposition to free medical care reached 99.5%/
Advocates of amnesty are expected to push Congress for
favorable legislation later this year, and some portions of the
stimulus bill are likely to provide funds to illegal aliens.
The poll was conducted by mail during late 2008 with about
1,200 responses.
The Conservative Caucus (TCC) is a grass roots action
organization, formed in 1974. It was active in defending the
SALT II Treaty, repealing the Catastrophic Coverage Act,
blocking the Clinton health-care takeover, and impeaching
President Clinton.
Illegal Aliens Taxpayer Giveaway Poll
Should Americans continue to fork over $68 BILLION every year
to cover the costs of emergency medical care, schooling and
government services for relatives of illegal alien lawbreakers?
Yes 0% No 100%Home Undecided 0%
Should taxpayers in such states as Illinois continue to
provide free medical care for relatives of illegal aliens?
Yes 0% No 99.5% Undecided 0.5%
Should our politicians grant amnesty to the 12-20 million
illegal aliens who have, by definition, already broken the law
to enter our country?
Yes 0% No 100% Undecided 0%
Is it right that illegal aliens reap the benefits of America,
while you and I pay the price?
Yes 0% No 99.5% Undecided 0.5%
|
Marion Barry for Treasury Secretary? |
February 13, 2009 |
Digg This |
IF TIMOTHY GEITHNER QUITS AS TREASURY
SECRETARY, WHY NOT REPLACE HIM WITH MARION BARRY?
"D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) has again failed
to file his tax returns.
"The former District mayor has not submitted federal or city
tax forms for 2007 – the second instance in which he has not
filed required returns while on probation for tax offenses, said
two sources familiar with the situation.
"Two years ago, federal prosecutors failed to convince a
federal judge that Barry should be jailed for violating the
terms of his probation, which was ordered in 2006, because he
did not file 2005 tax returns. The probation expires in March. …
"Barry’s current trouble stems from a guilty plea in 2005 to
two misdemeanor tax charges. He admitted not filing federal or
D.C. tax returns from 1999 through 2004 and said that he did not
pay most of the taxes he owed on more than $500,000 in income.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson sentenced him to three
years of probation in March 2006.
"In less than a year, federal prosecutors returned to court
and asked Robinson to revoke Barry’s probation and send him to
jail because he had failed to file 2005 returns. Prosecutors
said at the time that the judge should send Barry to jail to
make ‘clear to this defendant that he is not above the law.’"
Source: The Washington Post, 1/29/09, p. B4, Del Quentin
Wilber and Nikita Stewart
|
Obama's Socialized Medicine May Kill You |
February 12, 2009 |
Digg This |
OBAMA STIMULUS THREATENS THE ELDERLY
"Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack
Obama’s stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and
cash infusions to jump-start the economy.
"Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the
health provisions slipped in without discussion. These
provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently
the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.
"Senators should read these provisions and vote against them
because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer
to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version). …
"One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of
Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to
make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government
deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce
costs and ‘guide’ your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These
provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to
what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, ‘Critical: What We Can
Do About the Health-Care Crisis.’ According to Daschle, doctors
have to give up autonomy and ‘learn to operate less like solo
practitioners.’…
"Hospitals and doctors that are not ‘meaningful users’ of
the new system will face penalties. ‘Meaningful user’ isn’t
defined in the bill. That will be left to the HHS secretary, who
will be empowered to impose ‘more stringent measures of
meaningful use over time’ (511, 518, 540-541)
"What penalties will deter your doctor from going beyond the
electronically delivered protocols when your condition is
atypical or you need an experimental treatment? The vagueness is
intentional. In his book, Daschle proposed an appointed body
with vast powers to make the ‘tough’ decisions elected
politicians won’t make.
"The stimulus bill does that, and calls it the Federal
Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research
(190-192). The goal, Daschle’s book explained, is to slow the
development and use of new medications and technologies because
they are driving up costs. He praises Europeans for being
more willing to accept ‘hopeless diagnoses’ and ‘forgo
experimental treatments,’ and he chastises Americans for
expecting too much from the health-care system. …
AGE-RELATED ILLNESS COULD/SHOULD GO UNTREATED
"Daschle says health-care reform ‘will not be pain free.’
Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come
with age instead of treating them. That means the elderly will
bear the brunt.
"Medicare now pays for treatments deemed safe and effective.
The stimulus bill would change that and apply a cost-
effectiveness standard set by the Federal Council (464).
"The Federal Council is modeled after a U.K. board discussed
in Daschle’s book. This board approves or rejects treatments
using a formula that divides the cost of the treatment by the
number of years the patient is likely to benefit. Treatments for
younger patients are more often approved than treatments for
diseases that affect the elderly, such as osteoporosis.
"In 2006, a U.K. health board decreed that elderly
patients with macular degeneration had to wait until they went
blind in one eye before they could get a costly new drug to
save the other eye. It took almost three years of public
protests before the board reversed its decision. …
"If the Obama administration’s economic stimulus bill passes
the Senate in its current form, seniors in the U.S. will face
similar rationing. Defenders of the system say that individuals
benefit in younger years and sacrifice later.
"The stimulus bill will affect every part of health care,
from medical and nursing education, to how patients are treated
and how much hospitals get paid. The bill allocates more funding
for this bureaucracy than for the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air
Force combined (90-92, 174-177, 181).
"Hiding health legislation in a stimulus bill
is intentional. Daschle supported the Clinton
administration’s health-care overhaul in 1994, and attributed
its failure to debate and delay. A year ago, Daschle wrote that
the next president should act quickly before critics mount an
opposition. ‘If that means attaching a health-care plan to the
federal budget, so be it,’ he said. ‘The issue is too important
to be stalled by Senate protocol.’" Source: Bloomberg.com, Betsy
McCaughey, 2/9/09
|
Obama Kills More Babies |
February 12, 2009 |
Digg This |
OBAMA IS A PRO-ABORTION PRESIDENT
"President Obama yesterday lifted a ban on U.S. funding for
international health groups that perform abortions, promote
legalizing the procedure or provide counseling about terminating
pregnancies.
"Obama issued a memorandum rescinding the Mexico City Policy,
also known as the ‘global gag rule,’ which President Ronald
Reagan originally instituted in 1984, President Bill Clinton
reversed in 1993 and President George W. Bush revived in 2001.
"The memorandum revokes Bush’s order, calling the limitations
on funding ‘excessively broad’ and adding that ‘they have
undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary
family programs in foreign nations.’ In an accompanying
statement, Obama said he would also work with Congress to
restore U.S. funding support for the United Nations Population
Fund ‘to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and
children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning
assistance to women in 154 countries.’ " Source: Rob Stein and
Michael Shear, The Washington Post, 1/24/09, p. A3
|
Obama Gets YOUR Medical Records |
February 10, 2009 |
Digg This |
SOCIALIZED MEDICINE IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
– – AND YOUR PRIVACY
"A little-discussed provision in President Obama's economic
stimulus plan would demand that every American submit to a
government program for electronic
medical records without a
choice to opt out, and it has privacy advocates more than a
little alarmed.
"Patients might be alarmed, too, privacy advocates said, if
they realized information such as documentation on abortions,
mental health problems, impotence, being labeled as a
non-compliant patient, lawsuits against doctors and sexual
problems could be shared electronically with, perhaps, millions
of people.
"Sue A. Blevins, president of the Institute for Health
Freedom, said unless people have the right to decide ‘if and
when’ their health information is shared, there is no real
privacy.
" ‘President Obama has pledged to advance freedom,’ she said.
‘Therefore the freedom to choose not to participate in
a national electronic health-records system must be upheld.’
"Blevins' organization, one of the few raising the alarm at
this point, said the stimulus plan would impose an electronic
health records system on every person in the U.S. without any
provision for seeking patient consent or allowing them not to
participate.
" ‘Without those protections, Americans' electronic health
records could be shared – without their consent – with
over 600,000 covered entities through the forthcoming nationally
linked electronic health-records network,’
Blevins said. …
"According to the institute, the measure currently includes
plans for:
- An electronic health
record ‘for each person in the United States by 2014.’
- A national coordinator
to develop a ‘nationwide health information
technology infrastructure
that allows for the electronic use and exchange
of information.’
"The institute said the medical privacy rule established
under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
1996 already allows personal health information to be passed
along without patient consent for treatment,
payment
and ‘oversight.’ The recipients of such information could be any
of the people in the 600,000 organizations in the industry."
Source: WorldNetDaily, 1/27/09, Bob Unruh
|
Accountability |
February 10, 2009 |
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EXECUTIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE
ULTIMATELY ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PRESIDENT
A core principle of Presidential accountability is that the
Executive Branch and its employees should be accountable to the
Chief Executive so that he, in turn, can be accountable to the
people and the states which chose him.
That’s why one of the good things the Bush Administration did
was rejecting potential employees linked to Democratic and
Left-wing organizations instead, wherever possible, favoring
conservative applicants.
"Senior Justice Department officials broke civil service
laws by rejecting scores of young applicants who had links to
Democrats or liberal organizations, according to a biting
report issued yesterday.
"The report by the Justice Department inspector general and
the Office of Professional Responsibility concluded that a pair
of high-ranking political appointees who are no longer with the
department had violated department policy and the Civil Service
Reform Act by using ideological reasons to scuttle the candidacy
of lawyers who applied to the elite honors and summer intern
programs." Source: Carrie Johnson, The Washington Post,
6/25/08, p. A11
|
More on Geithner |
February 9, 2009 |
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GEITHNER IS A
PENALTY-FREE KISSINGER PROTEGE
"He failed to pay self-employment taxes for money he earned
2001 to 2004 while working for the IMF, according to materials
released by the Senate committee. In 2006, the IRS notified him
that he owed $14,847 in self-employment taxes and $1,885 in
interest from 2003 and 2004, which he paid after an audit.
The IRS waived penalties for those tax years.
"Transition officials discovered last fall that Geithner also
had not paid the taxes in 2001 or 2002. He paid $19,176 in back
taxes and $6,794 in interest for 2001 and 2002 several days
before Obama announced his choice, the committee documents
showed. All told, Geithner had failed to pay $34,023 in
self-employment taxes for the years 2001 to 2004.
"No penalties, of course. For you or me, penalties. But
not for him.
"Initially, he told the committee that he had messed up
because he used TurboTax. …
"Under questioning, he was unable to show how TurboTax caused
this error. This is reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's inability
to produce evidence of exactly how she made $100,000 by trading
cattle futures. Nobody pressed the issue with her, then or now.
…
"This is a man who was paid $398,000 a year at the New
York Federal Reserve, the man who will officially be in
charge of the Internal Revenue Service.
" ‘Nice work if you can get it, and if you get it, tell me
how.’ Of course, I know how. As soon as he was out of grad
school, he went to work for Kissinger and Associates."
Source: Gary North’s Reality Check, 1/23/09
|
Marching Orders for Sen. Gillibrand |
February 9, 2009 |
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MEDIA ELITISTS TRANSMIT THEIR INSTRUCTIONS TO
THE NEW U.S. SENATOR FOR THE EMPIRE STATE
The New York Times
Editorial Board has wasted no time in giving its marching orders
to the new U.S. Senator from New York State, Kirsten Gillibrand.
In a January 31 Editorial, here is what the Times had
to say from its heights on Mount Olympus:
"What we have seen so far adds up to the same riddle she
posed when Gov. David Paterson picked her: Can she represent a
constituency beyond the narrow politics of her district, where
she has been a bullet-headed opponent of gun control, proudly
basking in the extremist affections of the National Rifle
Association?
"It’s not that Ms. Gillibrand is never willing to step out on
a limb as a Democrat from a rural, Republican district. She has
been a stout defender of women’s rights. And there was the
speed, startling to say the least, with which she came around to
embrace gay marriage. …
"Ms. Gillibrand’s House votes on immigration amounted to a
repudiation of New York’s special gift to America. She allied
herself solidly with expulsionist Republicans, who reject
assimilation in favor of locking down the border, deporting 12
million illegal immigrants and enshrining English as America’s
one true tongue. She has favored enforcement rigidity over
common sense; she was one of the first to denounce former Gov.
Eliot Spitzer’s well-meaning effort to make sure illegal
immigrants drive with licenses and insurance.
"Ms. Gillibrand has not shown that she understands the
ineffectiveness and moral bankruptcy of enforcement-only
schemes. To take one example: The SAVE Act, which she
co-sponsored, was all about border fencing and requiring
everyone in America to prove legal status before being allowed
to work. Nothing in it required or allowed immigrants to come
forward and legalize. It was meant to seem tough, but was
actually a weak reassertion of the status quo, in which
undocumented immigrants are denied hope of legal status while
the government tries to make them so miserable that they go
home. That is a recipe for creating and exploiting a cheap,
docile underclass.
"Ms. Gillibrand does understand that the country needs to
increase and streamline legal immigration. But defending
immigration should be an absolute minimum qualification for a
political leader from this state. New Yorkers should expect much
more."
|
Another Reason to Oppose the Stimulus |
February 6, 2009 |
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WILL STIMULUS FUND ILLEGAL ALIENS?
"The $800
billion-plus economic stimulus measure making its way through
Congress could steer government checks to illegal immigrants, a
top Republican congressional official asserted Thursday.
"The legislation, which would send tax credits of $500 per
worker and $1,000 per couple, expressly disqualifies nonresident
aliens, but it would allow people who don't have Social
Security numbers to be eligible for the checks.
"Undocumented immigrants who are not eligible for a Social
Security number can file tax returns with an alternative number.
A House-passed version of the economic recovery bill and one
making its way through the Senate would allow anyone with such a
number, called an individual taxpayer identification number, to
qualify for the tax credits. …
"Republicans have already blasted the package for including
what they argue is wasteful spending and omitting tax cuts for
wealthier people and businesses they say are needed to
jump-start the anemic economy.
"Not a single Republican voted for an $819 billion version of
the plan when it passed the House on Wednesday." Source: Julie
Hirschfeld Davis, AP, 1/29/09
|
Meeting Gloria Swanson and the Kennedys |
February 6, 2009 |
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GLORIA SWANSON WAS STILL LOVELY WHEN I MET HER
30 YEARS AGO
Growing up in Boston, I had occasion to meet virtually all of
the Kennedy politicians, including "Founding Father" Joseph
Kennedy, who distinguished himself as an all-star athlete at
Harvard College before getting into the movie business, the
liquor business, and politics.
My recollection is that I briefly greeted Mr. Kennedy at a
Harvard football game when he was wheel-chair bound following a
massive stroke.
Kennedy served as Ambassador to the Court of St. James and
Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission under
President FDR.
During the 1960 Democratic Party Presidential primaries, he
humorously advised his son, Jack (JFK), not to win by too much
in West Virginia because Dad could not afford a landslide.
During his lifetime, Joe Kennedy’s great love was movie
actress Gloria Swanson, whom I had the opportunity to meet and
chat with about 30 years ago at a Conservative Political Action
Conference in Washington, D.C.
Although well along in years, Miss Swanson was still both
attractive and personable. Her explanation for her continuing
good health and beauty was her avoidance of "the whites" – – –
salt and sugar.
On all the policy issues which Miss Swanson and I discussed
she was a solid conservative.
Now there is a new book, "Joseph P. Kennedy Presents His
Hollywood Years" which makes reference to his relationship with
Gloria Swanson.
Here follow excerpts from a review in the February 1
Sunday New York Times:
"When Joseph P. Kennedy bought his son Jack a private plane
for presidential campaigning, he rationalized the expense with a
memory of having once ‘risked a million dollars . . . on an
adventure much less worthwhile.’
"Three decades before President Kennedy became his principal
production, the ill-fated ‘Queen Kelly’ and its silent star,
Gloria Swanson, had marked the culmination and comeuppance of
Joe Kennedy’s half-dozen years in Hollywood. ‘Joseph P. Kennedy
Presents,’ Cari Beauchamp’s smart if bean-counting new book,
suggests that nothing in Kennedy’s long career of banking, stock
manipulation and New Dealing prepared him for Presidential
politics the way his time in the picture business did.
"Even as a bumptious Boston arriviste — ‘America’s
youngest bank president,’ who avoided the draft in World War I
by running a shipyard for the government…Will Hays, the
industry czar, welcomed Kennedy’s acquisition of FBO. …
"FBO churned out horse operas and family fare, but Kennedy
still managed to bring a bit of Harvard to Hollywood, and
vice versa: in 1927, he organized a series of lectures by
film-industry leaders, starting with himself, at the
university’s business school. The attendant publicity, as
Kennedy wanted, was mostly personal. Other studio bosses might
fly beneath the radar, but Kennedy continually puffed and
polished his own story, cultivating and bullying profile
writers until their philandering subject looked like a family
man and all the ink in his books ran a deeper shade of
black. …
"Louella Parsons declared Kennedy "the Napoleon of
the movies." Within days of adding First National to his
empire, he fired more than a score of executives and producers.
When he turned his green eyeshades toward the actors, Loretta
Young got to stay; Mary Astor did not.
"Wherever he operated, Kennedy delegated authority to a posse
of loyalists he’d met long ago back East. (Chief among them was
Edward Moore, for whom Kennedy’s one surviving son is named.)
The boss favored coded cables and the telephone, over which
business could be conducted more quickly — and less bindingly —
than it might on paper. …
"Kennedy’s successes could be big and even visionary: he knew
early on that sound pictures would transform the industry and
that its scattered studios would have to undergo, in Beauchamp’s
words, ‘Darwinian consolidations.’ But his retreat from the
business occurred as fast as his entry. Before the ’20s
ended, Kennedy was outmaneuvered by David Sarnoff, with whose
RCA he had merged FBO in order to create RKO. He also lost
control of First National to Warner Brothers. Soon he was
selling off everything — for millions, to be sure — except for
Pathé, and left himself to concentrate on the only Hollywood
obsession he’d ever had besides the grosses: Gloria Swanson.
"In 1927, once they were brought together by the independent
producer Robert Kane, Kennedy began to ease as well as exploit
the actress’s financial problems. Swanson had just finished
making ‘Sadie Thompson’ and was heavily obligated to the I.R.S.,
United Artists and her own flotilla of fluffers. Kennedy got
everyone paid, took control of the star’s purse strings and then
pounced on her in a Palm Beach hotel room while Eddie Moore took
her husband, a French marquis, deep-sea fishing.
"According to Beauchamp, Swanson ‘genuinely liked’ Kennedy,
but found the security he provided more refreshing than the sex.
Over the next few years she sent Christmas gifts to the Kennedy
children, made a visit to Hyannis Port and spent time in London
and Paris with both Joe and Rose Kennedy as well as her own
husband — whose affair with Constance Bennett troubled Swanson
much more than Joe and Gloria bothered Rose. Kennedy’s wife
waited things out, just as she and the children had always
waited out Joe’s long Hollywood absences from the family homes
in Massachusetts and New York.
"What kept Kennedy and Swanson together was ‘Queen Kelly,’ a
celluloid calamity resulting from the only time he ‘went
"creative."’ Kennedy had always approached the film business
with what he called ‘the viewpoint of a banker,’ but when it
came to ‘Queen Kelly’ he was a cinéaste smitten with a star. The
earliest version of the plot, suggested by the director Erich
von Stroheim, involved — in Beauchamp’s heroic attempt at
summary — a Catholic maiden whose ‘chance meeting with the
prince of a European kingdom leads to a fire at her convent and
then a night at the castle where the lovers are discovered by
the queen, who whips Kelly and orders the prince arrested. Kelly
attempts suicide before returning to the convent, where she
learns she has inherited her aunt’s brothel in Africa.’ The
production’s delays, overruns and contemplated mixture of
silence and sound were so messy as to make the plot seem
Aristotelian. Kennedy eventually broke down in front of Swanson,
stunned to hear himself saying, ‘I’ve never had a failure in my
life.’ Stroheim was replaced; the production was shelved,
revived, and then at last abandoned. Kennedy sold Pathé and left
Hollywood in April 1930. …
"His real achievement in the film business was a quick
‘tenfold’ increase in personal wealth. That was something, but
not, Kennedy seemed to understand, all that much. If he wanted
to keep crowing like Pathé’s trademark rooster, he knew that he
should start concentrating on his own brood back East." Source:
The New York Times Book Review, 2/1/09, p. 13, Thomas
Mallon
|
Baby Killing 4 the GOP |
February 5, 2009 |
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FOUR GOP SENATORS VOTE TO KILL MORE BABIES
Senator Susan Collins of
Maine, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Senator
Olympia Snowe of Maine and Senator Arlen Specter of
Pennsylvania voted against a proposal by Florida Senator Mel
Martinez to reinstate Ronald Reagan’s Mexico City policy
limiting the assignment of U.S. taxpayer dollars to groups which
perform or promote abortions overseas.
Fifty-four Democrats and two independents (Lieberman and
Sanders) joined these four Republican pro-aborts in defeating
the Martinez proposal on a 60 to 37 vote.
Shame on them. Let’s hope that Murkowski and Specter are
trampled in next year’s elections when they may face some
serious Republican primary opposition.
|
Anti-Family Pelosi |
February 5, 2009 |
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OBAMA EMBARRASSED BY PELOSI COMMENTS
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
defended contraceptive funding by saying it is good for the
economy to have fewer new lives, i.e., children.
Even President Obama concluded that her anti-family
bigotry was bad politics, if not bad policy.
"Shortly after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to defend
family planning services as beneficial to the economy, President
Obama has appealed to Democrats to strike $200 million in
funding for contraceptives from his proposed $825 billion
economic stimulus package.
" ‘While [Obama] agrees that greater access to family
planning is good policy,’ said White House Press Secretary
Robert Gibbs, ‘the president believes that the funding for it
does not belong in the economic recovery and reinvestment
plan.’"
CONTRACEPTION IS PART OF PELOSI’S STIMULUS
"If the funding added by congressional Democrats last week
and targeted through Medicaid to help organizations like Planned
Parenthood provide contraception remains in the stimulus
package, Republicans warn of a backlash.
" ‘Regardless of where anyone stands on taxpayer funding for
contraceptives and the abortion industry,’ House Republican
Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, told LifeSiteNews, ‘there is no
doubt that this once little-known provision in the congressional
Democrats' spending plan has nothing to do with stimulating the
economy and creating more American jobs.’
"Instead, Boehner argued, the congressional Democrats were
trying ‘to force taxpayers to subsidize contraception and the
abortion industry.’
"Boehner continued, ‘How you can spend hundreds of millions
of dollars on contraceptives – how does that stimulate the
economy? You can go through a whole host of issues that have
nothing to do with growing jobs in America and helping people
keep their jobs.’
"As WND reported, two days after congressional Democrats
added the family planning spending to the stimulus package,
ABC's George Stephanopoulos grilled Pelosi, D-Calif., on the
connection between contraception and boosting the economy.
" ‘Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning
services,’ Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi, ‘how is that stimulus?’
FEWER BABIES, LESS WELFARE
" ‘Well, the family planning services reduce cost,’ Pelosi
answered. ‘They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal
budget
crises now and part of what we do for children's health,
education and some of those elements are to help the states meet
their financial needs. One of those – one of the initiatives you
mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states
and to the federal government.’
"Pelosi's comments immediately came under fire from several
sources.
" ‘That's not going to help grow the economy,’ Susan Fani,
director of communications for the Catholic League, told
OneNewsNow. ‘It's quite shocking, actually, that the Speaker of
the House – who claims to be Catholic – would go on national
television
and claim that contraception would reduce the cost to the
government.’
" ‘We have reached a new low,’ said Catholic League President
Bill Donohue, ‘when high-ranking public office holders in the
federal government cast children as the enemy.’
"An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal presented a
detailed argument against Pelosi's reasoning from an economic
standpoint.
" ‘The age and growth rate of a nation help determine its
economic prosperity,’ argued the editorial. ‘A smaller workforce
can result in less overall economic output. Without enough
younger workers to replace retirees, health and pension costs
can become debilitating. And when domestic markets shrink, so
does capital investment. Whatever one's views on taxpayer
subsidies for contraception, as economic stimulus the idea is
loopy.’" Source: WorldNetDaily, 1/28/09, Drew Zahn
|
11 Courageous Democrats |
February 4, 2009 |
Digg This |
ELEVEN DEMOCRATS BUCK BARACK
The House voted 244 to 188 to back Obama’s stimulus package.
All Republican House members, to their credit, voted "nay".
The eleven Democrats who courageously bucked Obama were: F.
Allen Boyd (Fla.), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Brad
Ellsworth (Ind.), Parker Griffith (Ala.), Paul Kanjorski
(Penn.), Frank Kratovil (Md.), Walt Minnick (Idaho), Collin
Peterson (Minn.), Heath Shuler (N.C.), and Gene Taylor (Miss.).
|
"Re-Education" for Sen. Gillibrand |
February 4, 2009 |
Digg This |
SENATOR GILLIBRAND UNDER PRESSURE TO DROP HER
ANTI-AMNESTY STANCE
" ‘What are the chances that New York's new senator,
Kirsten Gillibrand, will maintain her support for immigration
enforcement after being rushed by a massive line of
illegal-alien advocates and other members of the liberal elite?’
Heather Mac Donald writes at National Review Online (www.nationalreview.com).
" ‘Gillibrand is said to harbor ambitions for much higher
office. If she holds onto her immigration principles despite the
intended sacking, she will have distinguished herself early on
as a unique politician worthy of further attention,’ the writer
said.
" ‘Gillibrand seems to have backed just about every
measure to strengthen the immigration rule of law during her
single term in Congress representing an Albany area district.
She opposed amnesty and driver's licenses for illegal aliens;
she supported using local police to enforce immigration laws.
She co-sponsored the SAVE Act, which would have required
employers to verify the legal status of their employees,
expedited deportation of illegals, and boosted border technology.
She wanted to protect employers who require their workers to
speak English from being sued as civil rights violators.
" ‘Needless to say, these positions are anathema to the
open-borders lobby, so earlier this week, the New York Times
published what was virtually a set of serial press releases from
that lobby denouncing her. "Borders on xenophobia," "extremist,"
a "slap to immigrant New Yorkers," and a "disappointing choice"
were among the predictable jabs from New York City politicians,
Spanish-language newspapers and advocates.
" ‘Particularly amusing was the charge from the executive
director of the New York Immigration Coalition that Gillibrand's
"past positions are pretty much out of line with the rest of New
York State." Tell that to Eliot Spitzer, whose plan to give
driver's licenses to illegal aliens, which Gillibrand opposed,
went up in flames just a little bit before he did himself.
" ‘The New York Times, however, buttresses the conceit that
Gillibrand represents just a small and irrelevant portion of New
Yorkers, noting that she comes from an "overwhelmingly white
district along New York's eastern fringe," as if only white New
Yorkers support the rule of law.
" ‘The advocates know just what is needed: re-education. "I
think she needs to be educated, frankly," says the past
president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, who
is optimistic that she will "modify" her immigration positions
now that she is in the Senate.’" Source: The Washington Times,
Inside Politics, Greg Pierce. 1/30/09, p. A7
|
Oath to the Fuhrer |
February 3, 2009 |
Digg This |
OATH TO THE FUHRER
In Nazi Germany, soldiers gave their oath of allegiance and
obeisance to Adolph Hitler. In all of the history of the United
States, our soldiers have pledged an oath to the U.S.
Constitution. But now we are told that President Obama
reportedly wants to change that and require military personnel
to pledge allegiance to the "Office of the President" rather
than to the Constitution of the United States. Supposedly, this
change would be brought forth around the Fourth of July.
|
ACORN's Seed Money |
February 3, 2009 |
Digg This |
WILL CONGRESS STIMULATE ACORN?
"Stimulus: The group that pushed banks into the risky
loans that brought the economy down is now eligible for a huge
chunk of stimulus cash. The stimulus plan does create jobs – for
community activists. …
"Yet in this package is a $4 billion pot for community groups
like ACORN to draw upon for what are called ‘neighborhood
stabilization activities’ ….
"The problem for activists is the money was limited to state
and local governments, where presumably there is greater
transparency on how it is spent, and some measure of
accountability.
"Community groups like the Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now felt left out.
"So their Democratic patrons in Congress have included
language to expand the eligible recipients of up to $4 billion
in assistance to include ‘nonprofit entities or consortia of
nonprofit entities,’ which translates into groups such as
ACORN." Source: Editorial, Investor’s Business Daily,
1/28/09, p. A10
|
Obama and Abortion |
February 2, 2009 |
Digg This |
IS BABY KILLING MANDATORY?
"President Obama's nominee for
deputy secretary of state contends American taxpayers are
required to pay for abortions, a position that contradicts the
U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution.
"James B. Steinberg's written testimony to the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee was highlighted by Sen. Jim DeMint, a
pro-life Republican serving South Carolina.
"In a written response to DeMint's questions, Steinberg said
the Mexico City policy -- the newly overturned policy that
forbade taxpayer subsidization of abortions overseas – ‘is an
unnecessary restriction that, if applied to organizations based
in this country, would be an unconstitutional limitation on free
speech.’…
"DeMint had asked: ‘For more than 30 years the Hyde
amendments, which prohibit federal funding for abortion
services, have been supported by Republican and Democrat
administrations and Congresses. Unfortunately, while this is the
domestic policy of the United States, President Obama has vowed
to reverse our foreign policy by repealing the Mexico City
policy and use the federal taxpayer dollars to fund abortion
services overseas. Do you support President Obama's efforts to
lift the Mexico City restrictions? Do you believe our foreign
policy should contradict long held domestic policies?’
"Steinberg's complete response was, ‘President Obama has
supported repeal of the Mexico City policy, as has Secretary
Clinton. Longstanding law, authored by Senator Jesse Helms,
expressly prohibits the use of U.S. funds [for] abortion. The
Mexico City policy is an unnecessary restriction that, if
applied to organizations based in this country, would be an
unconstitutional limitation on free speech.’
"Just days ago, Obama imposed an executive order repealing
the Mexico City policy that during President Bush's tenure
protected Americans from being required to fund groups that
promote and pay for abortions around the globe.
"The plan was originated by President Reagan in 1984. It
prohibited non-governmental organizations that receive federal
funds from providing or promoting abortions in other nations.
President Clinton rescinded the rule Jan. 22, 1993, calling it
‘excessively broad’ and ‘unwarranted.’…
"International Planned Parenthood Federation and other
abortion groups refused to conform to the ban. They continued to
provide and promote abortions and, consequently, were denied
access to funding from U.S. taxpayers.
"A Jan. 16 letter from 77 members of Congress posted by Life
News had urged Obama to continue the ban.
" ‘[T]his policy is important because it establishes a bright
line between family planning activities and abortion, therefore
ensuring that United States family planning funds are not
co-opted by groups who promote abortion as a method of family
planning,’ the letter stated. ‘Such activities would send a
wrong message overseas that the United States promotes
abortion.’
"Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council told the
Washington Post, ‘President Obama issued executive orders
banning the torture of terrorists but ... signed an order that
exports the torture of unborn children around the world.’"
Source: WorldNetDaily, 1/27/09
|
Chavez to Continue Buying Support in U.S. |
January 27, 2009 |
Digg This |
|