Quote: 

"A rigid economy of the public contributions and absolute interdiction of all useless expenses will go far towards keeping the government honest and unoppressive." 

~ Thomas Jefferson, letter to Lafayette, 1823 

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Thursday 3-4pm "America's Black Shield" - Ted Hayes and Terrance Lang

On April 27th Senator Pat Toomey will help us cut through the left's hysterical rhetoric on the debt ceiling, be sure to save the date. The facts are clear, and the Obama administration is wrong. America will not default because the federal government would have more than enough revenue coming in to pay the interest on our nation's debt. Join us to get the facts before Members of Congress rush through any more "emergency" measures that come at the expense of our children and grandchildren. Senator Toomey will be joined by J.D. Foster of The Heritage Foundation for what is sure to be an informative evening. Let us know to expect you by submitting your RSVP via our event page on Facebook, or through the heritageaction.comevent page.

Please RSVP through only one site only so we can keep an accurate count. This event starts promptly at 7:00pm and will take place at the Fort Washington Holiday Inn.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Leo Knepper

State Director, Pennsylvania

Heritage Action for America

202.412.9526 (c)

www.heritageaction.com

Cutting through the Debt Hysteria with Senator Pat Toomey

Wednesday, April 27 Ft. Washington, PA

Senator Pat Toomey will help us cut through the left's hysterical rhetoric on the debt ceiling. The facts are clear; The Obama administration is wrong. America will not default because the federal government would have more than enough revenue coming in to pay the interest on our nation's debt.

Join us to get the facts before. Members of Congress rush through any more "emergency" measures that come at the expense of our children and grandchildren.

In addition to Senator Toomy, guests will include Rick Hellberg (Congressional candidate in 2010 in Philly), J.D. Foster from the Heritage Foundation.

This event is a joint project of The Kitchen Table Patriots, Heritage Action for America, Lehigh Valley Project 9-12 Tea Party Group, Thomas Jefferson Club, 9/12 Patriots of Lower Bucks County and The Loyal Opposition

Facebook Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165686890153727

Holiday Greetings! 
 

We pause from our normal email schedule to extend warm holiday greetings to those of you celebrating Passover and Easter this week.

 To our Christian friends, we wish you a blessed Easter!

 

 

West: Obama slaps Israel in the face...on Passover.

By Congressman Alan West

Barack Obama seems to think that attending a Passover seder once a year will fool Jews into thinking he likes them.

Forget that he gave massive financial support - not to mention weekly attendance - to a church whose pastor, Jeremiah Wright, delivers anti-Semitic jabs on a regular basis. Forget that his first phone call from the Oval Office after his inauguration was to Mahmoud Abbas, and that his first formal TV interview as President was with al-Arabiya. Forget that one of his top advisers is Samantha Power, an inveterate Israel-hater who recently said that the U.S. should be prepared to send in our military to subjugate the Jewish state and facilitate its takeover by the Arabs. Forget that whereas Obama bowed to the Saudi king, he treated Prime Minister Netanyahu like something the cat dragged in.

We're supposed to forget Obama's unrelenting disparagement and undermining of the Jewish state because... he attends a Passover seder. That, he...

Read the whole entry »

Abrams: "The demise of Asad would mean a tremendous setback for the ayatollahs, "

Elliott Abrams, complained in Our Incoherence in the Face of Brutality that

The administration that said Ben Ali must go, then said Mubarak must go, and keeps saying Qaddafi must go cannot find a basis for saying that Asad must go.

 

and then pointed out

Beyond human rights, we have significant national-security interests in the demise of the Asad regime. It remains Iran's only Arab ally, able and willing to trans-ship arms to Hezbollah and through Hezbollah control Lebanon and give Iran a border with Israel. The demise of Asad would mean a tremendous setback for the ayatollahs, and second only to the fall of the Islamic Republic would be a great gain for the United States in the Middle East. The sense throughout the Middle East that Iran has been growing in influence in the last decade, and that the "Arab Spring" brought it more opportunities, would be erased by the fall of Iran's allies in Damascus.

So the United States should be more than "very...

Read the whole entry »

U.S. Middle-East Policy in Disarray

By Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker, AMERICAN THINKER

Apparently Washington, D.C. has only recently come to realize that U.S.-Middle East policy is in tatters. The degree of disarray still seems to be hidden from those charged with administering such a policy: the State Department. Neither the State Department nor any of our intelligence agencies seem to have had any inkling of an idea that the forces of revolt and revolution would break out in Arab North Africa and the Middle East. Each successive revolt caught our government by surprise: first in Tunisia, then in Egypt, and finally in Libya. After these revolutions, we again were taken by surprise at revolts in Yemen, Bahrain, and now Syria. All of these revolts follow some eighteen months after the smothered youth revolt in Iran, where our government did almost nothing to aid the young Iranians attempting to remove the tyrannical clerical rule of the Islamic extremist regime.

When it came to the revolt in Egypt, after some waffling,...

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


Obama's Polls Sinking

On Monday, President Obama conducted interviews with local reporters from three key swing states. Yesterday, he gave a speech in the swing state of Virginia. Today, he is in California for a Facebook town hall and a series of fundraisers. Next, he'll head to Nevada, another swing state.

There is a reason Barack Obama is on a PR blitz right now -- his poll numbers are falling. I want to mention a caveat about polls -- they are only a snapshot in time. Moreover, polls by liberal news organizations tend to produce left-leaning results. No surprise there. One poll should be taken with a grain of salt. But several polls in recent weeks have all confirmed the trend -- Obama's numbers are dropping.

A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in late March pegged the president's approval rating at 42%. A recent Gallup poll found that just 41% of Americans approved of Obama's job performance. Among independent voters, it was down to 35%.

Yesterday, a skewed Washington Post/ABC News poll had a somewhat better result, giving the president a 47% approval rating. But even after oversampling Democrats, the results were still down seven points since the start of the year. Even worse, the poll found that 57% of Americans disapprove (including 46% who strongly disapprove) of Obama's handling of the economy -- the most important issue for many voters when deciding whether the president deserves reelection. A Rasmussen poll today finds that just 22% of likely voters feel the country is headed in the right direction. Historically, numbers like that suggest the incumbent is in deep, deep trouble.

The media's coverage in reporting these polls exposes their bias. For example, the Washington Post headline read: "Economy Battering Obama." The Post is worried about Obama losing. Who cares what the rest of us are facing? But three years ago the headline would have been: "Bush Economic Policies Rejected -- Bush In Freefall."

Here's the bottom line: Obama is beatable. It won't be easy. He'll have more than enough money, not to mention a big assist from the media. But we can win if we nominate a consistent conservative who is confident and unapologetic about our values! It has to be both -- good conservative beliefs AND a strong presentation.


Liberals On The Attack

While Obama is on the campaign trail, his liberal allies are going on the attack to save him and their hold on power.

• Yesterday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched an ad blitz against 25 House Republicans (half of whom were endorsed by CWF) for voting in support of the Ryan plan to reduce government spending and promote private sector growth.
• Planned Parenthood launched another ad campaign this week against seven Republicans who voted to defund the pro-abortion group.
• This morning it was reported that a new liberal "Super PAC," created to return Nancy Pelosi to the Speaker's chair, is targeting 10 House Republicans with ads against the Ryan plan.

I'm telling you this just so you understand that the 2012 campaign is already well underway. Maybe you're not seeing it yet where you live. Maybe your congressman is not being attacked, but many good conservatives are already taking hostile fire.

Just like an attacking army will barrage enemy positions before an advance, the left is doing everything it can to undermine and weaken support for pro-family, pro-life, pro-growth conservatives in advance of the 2012 elections. Conservatives need to get in the fight to take our country back!


Egypt Embraces Iran

The folly and failure of President Obama's Middle East policy (or lack thereof) is becoming painfully obvious with each passing day.

For the past 30 years, one Arab country in the Middle East has served as a cornerstone of stability -- Egypt. After the Yom Kippur War, Egypt was the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel and establish full diplomatic recognition of the Jewish state. In recognizing Israel, Egypt signaled its willingness to embrace peace and modernity. It would take 15 years before another Arab country (Jordan) would follow Egypt's lead.

Under Hosni Mubarak, Egypt was generally an ally of the West. Mubarak fought Islamic fundamentalists. While his practices may have offended Western sensibilities at times, he kept the extremists under control. But when Obama threw Mubarak under the proverbial bus, the real enemies of freedom rejoiced.

The Muslim Brotherhood maneuvered for a snap election in the power vacuum that followed Mubarak's resignation. It won. Now the Islamists are on the march. Even so-called "moderates" campaigning for the presidency are openly calling for war with Israel.

U.S. intelligence is deeply concerned by evidence that Egypt is reaching out to Iran. After the Islamic revolution in Iran, the shah sought refuge in Egypt. And when Egypt recognized Israel, Iran cut off relations. Now the two nations are exchanging ambassadors.

In a clear sign that Egypt is abandoning the West, a foreign ministry spokesman recently said, "We are prepared to take a different view of Iran. The [Mubarak] regime used to see Iran as an enemy, but we don't." Indeed, Egypt's foreign minister recently expressed an interest in meeting with Hamas leaders in Gaza.

In another disturbing sign, Magdy Hussein, leader of the Islamist Labour Party who had been jailed by Mubarak, is now free and campaigning to become Egypt's next president. This week, Hussein is in Iran, meeting with Tehran's leaders. According to Hussein, the chaos that has engulfed Egypt is "inspired by the Islamic revolution" in Iran.

Thanks to President Barack Hussein Obama, the United States and Israel have lost a key ally and Iran has grown stronger. Furious with Obama for allowing this dramatic shift in the region's balance of power, the Saudis are now reaching out to Russia and China as potential new allies. No one in the Middle East sees Obama as a strong, reliable leader.


Nigeria Update

Here's an update on our report yesterday about Muslim violence in Nigeria. According to a report in today's Washington Post, government officials and aid groups "have hesitated to release casualty figures ... for fear of inciting reprisal attacks." In other words, the Muslim violence is so bad that some fear Christians may feel compelled to fight back.

As reports of more church burnings spread, a Nigerian evangelical leader, Rev. Habila Sunday, asked, "What brought together religion and politics? I want to know why, when politics happens, do they burn churches?" Of course, it's a rhetorical question. While the left frets about the "separation of church and state" and fears "intolerant fundamentalist Christians," fundamentalist Muslims tolerate no dissent as they ruthlessly merge mosque and state.

By the way, this report was buried on page A10 of today's Washington Post. But if there were reports of Christian mobs torching mosques and murdering Muslims, I don't doubt that the Post would make that example of religious extremism front page news.

 

 

Economics and Property Rights at Center of Supreme Court's Microsoft Case

This column by ACRU Senior Legal Analyst Ken Klukowski was published April 18 on The Washington Examiner website.

Property rights and economics are at the heart of a Microsoft case that pitted a top Bush lawyer against top Clinton and Obama lawyers in arguments before the Supreme Court yesterday.

Justices heard arguments in Microsoft Corp. v. i4i. At issue was whether i4i's patent was infringed upon by a feature in Microsoft Word (being used to write this column, ironically).

The case turns on Congress's language in the 1952 Patent Act, and what burden it places on parties challenging a patent. Although statutory interpretation arguments might not interest most readers, what is interesting are the lawyers involved and the government power at stake.

Read the Entire Column 

University of Iowa Professor Tells College Republicans to "F" Off

• Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 0:01

 READ MORE:

  No  one has been able to explain to me why young men and women serve in  the U.S. Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting  freedom, and only get 50% of their pay in retirement. While politicians hold their  political positions in the safe confines of the capital, protected by  these same men and women, and receive a "full pay retirement" after  serving one term. It just does not make any sense.
   
  Monday  on Fox news they learned that the staffers of Congress family members  are exempt from having to pay back student loans. This will get  national attention if other news networks will broadcast it. When you  add this to the below, just where will all of it stop?
   
  35  States file lawsuit against the Federal  Government 
   
  Governors  of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for  imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50)  States to convene a Constitutional Convention. 
   
  The following will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass  it on.
   
  This is an idea that we should address.
   
  For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress.  Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with  the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted  themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being  exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while  ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt  themselves from the Healthcare Reform... in all of its forms. Somehow,  that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the  law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican,  Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
   
  If  each person that receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in  three days, most people in The United States of America will have the  message.. This is one proposal that really should be passed  around.
   
  Proposed  28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make  no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not  apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress  shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives  that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United  States ."
   
  You  are one of my 20.

 

Chronicle · April 20, 2011

The Foundation

"A Constitution is not the act of a Government, but of a people constituting a government, and a government without a constitution is a power without right." --Thomas Paine

Editorial Exegesis

Obama bows to the Third World

"On a campaign fundraising trip to Chicago, Mr. Obama quipped that under the proposed Republican budget plan, 'we would be a nation of potholes, and our airports would be worse than places that we thought -- that we used to call the Third World, but who are now investing in infrastructure.' He failed to elaborate on which developing countries he thinks should be models for the United States, but his policies have secured America's status as part of the declining world. ... During the president's trip to India in November 2010, he said that for most of his lifetime, 'the U.S. was such an enormously dominant economic power ... that we always met the rest of the world economically on our terms.' In his view, however, Mr. Obama is overseeing the end times for U.S. economic dominance. Rising economies in China, India, Russia, Brazil and elsewhere will, he says, 'keep America on its toes.' Meanwhile, these same countries just finished a conference in China exploring new ways to put America flat on its back. ... The debt accrued on Mr. Obama's watch is the centerpiece of the forces that are driving the United States to global pauperhood. In 2008, gross public debt was 69 percent of the gross domestic product. This year it will pass 100 percent. Mr. Obama's debt has stifled economic productivity and has driven the country to the point where only 66 percent of men had jobs last year, the lowest figure on record. Were it not for Mr. Obama's drunken-sailor-style spending, facilitated by Democratic supermajorities in both houses of Congress during his first two years, the United States wouldn't be in this fix. Still, the president's answer to economic crisis is to heap on more debt. It's this crippling tax-and-spend Obama creed that's bringing America to the brink of Third World inferiority." --The Washington Times

Upright

"[E]ven confiscating all the income of the rich cannot sufficiently fund the reduction in deficits. Nor can slight-of-hand waste, fraud and abuse savings in the entitlements cover the gap. Ultimately, the Democrats either will not in fact deal with the deficit or they will have to do so by very highly taxing the middle class (either way, they want to keep spending, but they will try to hide those alternative realities). ... Politics is about to get much uglier -- but possibly more productive." --columnist Tony Blankley

"Barack Obama is a politician who likes to follow through on long-term strategies and avoid making course corrections. That's how he believes he won in 2008 and since then he's shown that he's not much into details. So he was happy to let congressional appropriators fill in the blanks in the 2009 stimulus package, and to let congressional leaders know he would be happy whether there was or wasn't a public option in the 2010 health insurance legislation. Whatever. In the long run the big things would work out his way. Except right now they aren't. And his partisan and petulant speech last Wednesday is unlikely to move things in the direction he wants." --political analyst Michael Barone

"It doesn't matter whether Mr. Obama and his wise men, so called, agree with S&P['s lowered credit outlook for the U.S.]. Like it or not, the highly regarded S&P credit assessment is out there, and when Wall Street talks a lot of money can walk. Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the Republican majority leader in the House, calls the S&P assessment 'a wake-up call' for those who want to raise the U.S. debt limit without 'meaningful fiscal reforms that immediately reduce federal spending and stop our nation from digging itself further into debt.' ... [T]he public is fully awake now, with neither appetite nor tolerance for drowsy addicts of the Big Sleep." --Washington Times editor emeritus Wesley Pruden

"When Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence 'all men are created equal,' he knew this wasn't literally true. He knew we are tall and short, fat and thin, smart and stupid, industrious and lazy, rich and poor, male and female, black and white, brown, yellow and red. What Mr. Jefferson meant is that we are entitled to equal justice under law. Equality before the law has been the cornerstone of our democracy. But maybe not for much longer. The Department of Health and Human Services has so far granted hundreds of waivers to Obamacare. ... The law Congress passed contains no language authorizing anyone in the executive branch to grant waivers. The Obama administration claims the authority is implied by the broad powers the legislation grants to the HHS secretary. The Founding Fathers beg to differ." --columnist Jack Kelly

"It's peculiar how the left embraces choice when it comes to aborting children, but opposes it for children languishing in failing public schools. These substandard schools virtually guarantee their students a life of poverty, teen pregnancy, near illiteracy and welfare dependence. ... By what moral standard do people embrace 'choice' when it comes to destroying a life, but oppose choice when it comes to saving one by way of a quality education? Liberal Democrats who favor 'choice' on abortion and oppose it on education are wrong on both counts." --columnist Cal Thomas

Patriots' Day Campaign Final Update

Thanks to all of the readers who graciously supported our Patriots' Day campaign. We have nearly met our goal of raising $75,000 to keep The Patriot Post coming with its critical analysis each and every week!

Insight

"One must bear in mind that the expansion of federal activity is a form of eating for politicians." --American author and commentator William F. Buckley (1925-2008)

"Your attitude about who you are and what you have is a very little thing that makes a very big difference." --president Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

The Demo-gogues

Chutzpah: "Now, you know we just had Tax Day so nobody wants to pay taxes. Let me tell ya, I looked at my Tax Reform and I thought, 'hmm...' Ya know there was a moment there where you look at the figure you're paying and you say, 'Wow, let me think about my position on taxing the wealthy here.' I understand that. Nobody volunteers and says 'Boy, I'm just wild to pay more taxes.' But it's a matter of values and what we prioritize. And I certainly don't think my taxes should be even lower!" --Barack Obama

You can't make it up: "You know, if you've got to drive to work every day and you don't have an option, in terms of the car that you're driving, and it's taking more and more out of your budget, that's a problem. Now, one good thing that we did was in December, an example of compromise that a lot of people didn't think was going to be possible, with Republicans -- we were able to pass a package of tax cuts that has helped to buffer some of that strain on families. So the total amount of tax cuts that we passed to boost the economy this year will probably be higher than the additional gas costs." --Barack Obama claiming that the Bush-era tax rate extension will offset the cost of rising fuel prices

Wishful thinking: "I think I can make that case, and I think that, in the debates that take place over the next 18 months, the American people will feel that I deserve a second term." --Barack Obama

Technology is terrible: "A few short weeks ago I came to the House floor after having purchased an iPad and said that I happened to believe, Mr. Speaker, that at some point in time this new device, which is now probably responsible for eliminating thousands of American jobs. Now Borders is closing stores because, why do you need to go to Borders anymore? Why do you need to go to Barnes & Noble? Buy an iPad and download your newspaper, download your book, download your magazine." --Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL)

"America pays its bills. I hope Majority Leader Cantor and those in Congress seizing upon debt ceiling pressure as a 'leverage opportunity' are listening to the markets today and thinking twice about their risky strategy." --Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) recklessly demanding a new infusion of cash for government overspending by boosting the debt limit

Dezinformatsia

Class warfare: "I believe that budgets are moral documents. ... And I'm not so sure that this is not anything more than an immoral document where the poor are concerned. [The budget negotiations] effectively locked out the American people, namely, the poor. ... I don't understand why it is in this town that every debate about money always begins and ends with how we can further reward the rich and more punish the poor. I don't get that." --PBS's Tavis Smiley

"Why do these rich people need another tax cut? I mean, they're already rich. They seem to be doing pretty well as it is now. Why cut their taxes some more? ... I guess the part that I don't quite understand -- and I take your proposal to be a serious one -- but the part I don't understand is if the country is going bankrupt, if the country needs to borrow 40 cents of every dollar that it spends, how do you help that by reducing the amount of taxes that the richest people in the country pay? It would be seem to me that's where you get revenue." --CBS anchorhead Bob Schieffer

Hammering the Tea Party: "In playing to the Tea Party, the potential candidates also will have a challenge. Recent polls show 47% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the movement. So candidates looking for Tea Party votes have to be careful not to alienate moderates." --CBS legal reporter Jan Crawford

Newspulper Headlines:

Wow, What a Scoop!: "Obama Exclusive: I Was Born in Hawaii and I Don't 'Have Horns'" --ABCNews.com

News of the Tautological: "Obama's Speech Was a Waste of Breath" --TheAtlantic.com

Too Much Information: "Sen. Tom Coburn on Budget Battle: 'We Need Senators With Gonads'" --ABCNews.com

Questions Nobody Is Asking: "Is Trump Hype Over Obama Birth Newsworthy?" --USA Today

Answers to Questions Nobody Is Asking: "The Problem With Giving Condoms to 11-Year-Olds" --FoxNews.com

(Thanks to The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto)

Village Idiots

Debt is great: "I don't think we should make too much out of that [credit rating hit]. What Standard and Poor's is doing is making a political judgment and it is one that we don't agree with." --Austen Goosbee, Barack Obama's "top" economist

"We shouldn't be playing chicken with our economy by linking the raising of the debt ceiling to anything." --White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

From the government and here to help: "We're not going to let money compromise safety. If safety is our number one priority and it takes additional controllers to get to the kind of zero tolerance that we want, that's what we will do. We will always find the money to make sure that safety is the number one priority for the flying public." --Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood

Woman of the people: "What we have to do in this country is remember who we are and that's the reason why I like to travel and to get out because, look, no matter what people say, when they see you they're excited and they're proud and you know, everybody, everybody has their detractors and that's part of what the political process is all about. I want to embrace the country that I love. The country that I know is positive and fair and there's so much of that out there, that it's very easy to kind of push the other stuff aside and not take it in. It's easier than you'd imagine." --First Lady Michelle Obama

 Tea Party Top Stories
for Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Congress in Recess
during Passover and Holy Week.

We wish all who observe the Holidays a
Happy Passover
and a Blessed Holy Week and Easter

and to all Americans
a thoughtful time to consider
the future of our country
for ourselves and our children

Otter Signs Order Banning Health Care Reform

Order Prohibits State From Receiving Federal Funds

BOISE, Idaho -- The so-called "nullification bill" Republican state legislators worked so hard to pass is now dead.

Gulf Oil Spill, One Year Later

• Posted by Asst Natl Dir Mellie B on April 20, 2011
• This is an email I received from the Heritage Foundation. ~ Mellie

 READ MORE:

Year After Oil Spill, Obama Energy Policy Endangers Economy

In 1348, the Black Death arrived in Italy on a boat coming from the Islamic world ( http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/plague.htm ).  Today, history is repeating itself, except that this time the disease is ideological rather than physical.

North African immigrants straining Europe's unity

By DON MELVIN

The Associated Press

updated 4/18/2011 3:44:53 PM ET2011-04-18T19:44:53

BRUSSELS - A bitter dispute over a flood of North African immigrants is widening divisions among some of Europe's most powerful nations and adding to strains on the long-held dream of a united Europe.

Since January an estimated 26,000 Tunisians have fled unrest in their country for the shores of Italy, where officials say the burden of caring for these immigrants should be shared by the 27-nation European Union.

The Italians have taken the unusual step of issuing many of the Tunisians temporary residence permits and say that those papers allow the immigrants to go anywhere in a 25-nation zone that permits legal European residents to cross borders without a visa.

The Italian stance has infuriated Germany and France, the former colonial power where many of the Tunisians want to reunite with relatives, friends and co-workers.

Neither side is backing down, tensions are rising, and on Sunday French police stopped a train carrying Tunisian immigrants from Italy at the border. It was an unprecedented affront to Europe's cherished vision of visa-free travel in a united continent where in many places there is nothing to indicate a national border beyond a roadside welcome sign.

There was a large French border police presence on the Italian frontier Monday and officers were checking the passports of all Tunisians passing through, and their ability to support themselves.

In Germany, separated from Italy by Austria and Switzerland, Interior Ministry spokesman Jens Teschke said there would be "more intensive observation" of people entering the country, though he would not give specifics. He said there were still no formal controls on borders that have been visa-free.

The state interior ministry in Bavaria, which contains all of Germany's border with Austria, said that a system of spot checks near the borders that has been in place since the visa-free zone started has been stepped up somewhat, leading to more checks on roads, train stations within some 20 miles of the border.

"It's a bit easy for Italy to be generous with other people's territory," said Christian Estrosi, the mayor of the French city of Nice, near the Italian border, and a prominent member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party. "What are the consequences of this? Italy, in the name of the EU, has made an incredible offer of hope" to North African immigrants. "This is not acceptable."

A host of other disputes are simultaneously threatening the grand project of European unity: On the same day the French stopped the train at the Italian border of Ventimiglia, a party that opposes the EU and financial bailouts for struggling countries made significant electoral gains in Finnish elections.

The True Finns may well play a role in a new Finnish government, jeopardizing the effort to stabilize the common euro currencyby bailing out Portugal and other nations - perhaps the single most visible symbol of European unity.

In any event, political wrangling in Portugal may endanger its ability to negotiate the bailout that it says it needs. And in Greece, calls are growing louder for the country to ignore the financial strictures imposed on it by the EU and default on its debts instead.

While no single issue will sever the strong, deep ties between the nations of the EU, many observers see significant long-term damage to the idea of uniting vastly dissimilar cultures and economies in a single confederation.

France said it was justified in halting the train from Italy because there were pro-immigration activists on the train who threatened public order. In any event, French officials said, it would honor the Italian residence permits only if the immigrants could show they had enough money to support themselves.

The town of Ventimiglia said Sunday that it would find temporary shelter for the Tunisians who were aboard the train. It was not immediately clear Monday if all were still in the town, returning to other places in Italy or trying to get to France by other means.

Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the immigrants should be allowed to travel throughout the Schengen area.

"We have given the migrants travel documents, and we gave everything that is needed," Maroni said in an interview on Italy's Sky TG24 TV.

But Michele Cercone, a European Union spokesman, said the French appeared to be within their rights under the Schengen agreement to refuse entry to the immigrants. A temporary residence permit, Cercone said, is neither an EU passport nor and EU visa and does not grant people the right to move freely in the borderless Schengen area - the group of 25 European countries to which both Italy and France belong.

Cercone also said the Schengen agreement allows police checks along borders, so long as they are not systematic and do not amount to border controls. And people can be prevented from crossing a border for reasons of public security, he said.

Also driving the immigration dispute is a clash between two political leaders, both with strong anti-immigrant credentials, and both in political trouble. Italian Premier Silvo Berlusconi is on trial for several alleged offenses, including, prosecutors say, paying an underage girl for sex. He has announced he might not run for re-election in 2013 - often a sign that a politician fears being forced to leave even before the end of his term.

And Sarkozy is riding low in the polls - behind Marine Le Pen, leader of the anti-immigrant National Front.

"A huge comedy is being played between France and Italy regarding the Tunisian migrants," said Pierre Henry, general director of France Terre d'Asile, an immigrants rights group. "Each time there is a migrant crisis in the EU, everyone sends to one another the responsibility of solving the crisis."

____

Angela Charlton in Paris, Alessandra Rizzo in Rome and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Click here: Burqa bungle   

Senate Passes Bill for Military Burials at Washington Crossing Cemetery

The Senate approved legislation last week that would allow formal military burials for veterans at Washington Crossing National Cemetery in Bucks County.

Current law does not provide for honor guard burial details at Washington Crossing National Cemetery because it is a new cemetery.  Only Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Lebanon County and National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Washington County are authorized for such burials. Senate Bill 264 expands the authority of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to provide this honor and burial allowance to veterans buried at Washington Crossing.

The Washington Crossing National Cemetery will provide Bucks County families with a way to provide a lasting tribute to some of our bravest citizens and allow families greater opportunities to pay their respects to loved ones.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Firefighter Cancer Legislation Advances

Legislation to include cancer as part of the list of occupational diseases for firefighters in the state Worker's Compensation Act was approved by the Senate last Tuesday.

SB 654 would provide compensation for firefighters with service of four years or more who suffer from cancer and who can establish direct exposure to a carcinogen. During the 2009-2010 Session, Governor Rendell vetoed legislation similar to SB 654.  Senate Bill 654 represents a recent compromise that was reached by local municipal officials and groups representing the firefighters throughout the state.

SB 654 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. 

Municipal Online Auction Bills Approved

The Senate approved a group of bills last Wednesday that would permit local governments to sell surplus items by on-line auction. Currently, only Second Class Townships are permitted to use on-line auctions. The bills in this legislative package include: Senate Bill 357 - amends the Borough Code; Senate Bill 358 - amends the First Class Township Code; Senate Bill 359 - incorporated towns; and, Senate Bill 360 - amends the Third Class City Code.

The bills now go to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Lawsuit Abuse Reform Measure Now Before Senate Judiciary Committee

The House passed a lawsuit abuse reform measure last week and the bill is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.

House Bill 1, "The Fair Share Act," eliminates joint liability for defendants in civil cases found to be less than 60 percent liable and implements a system of comparative responsibility in which a defendant is responsible for paying only his fair share of the damages. That means if a party is responsible for 10 percent of the fault, that party would be accountable for paying only 10 percent of the total award.

Under current law, the doctrine of joint and several liability establishes that a defendant in a multi-defendant civil case may be required to pay damages associated with the actions of its co-defendants.

Pennsylvania is one of only nine states which has not modified or abolished the system of joint liability.
 

---

 I'm afraid the gun control nightmare I warned you about a few weeks ago is coming true.

In the wake of the Arizona tragedy, anti-gun groups and politicians have been falling all over themselves to "cash in" with radical new gun control schemes.

And without your action today, I'm afraid their assault WILL SUCCEED.

That's why I've drafted up petitions to your Congressman and Senators, urging them to vote NO on the Gun-Grabbers' Magazine Ban Bill (H.R. 308) -- or any other similar bill.

But before I give you the link, I want you to know just how important this really is.

If passed, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy's Magazine Ban Bill would outlaw the sale or transfer of firearm magazines with a capacity of more than ten rounds.

Already own a handgun, rifle or shotgun with a magazine that holds more than ten rounds?

You're "legal" for now.  But you can't ever sell it, give it away or pass it down to your kids.

In fact, Congresswoman McCarthy's bill would turn widows into instant FELONS if their late husbands possessed a 12-round magazine!

Of course, all this is bad enough.  But it's not even close to the end of it.

News reports are that President Obama recently met with House Republicans where he likely made whatever promises he had to in order to pass H.R. 308 with as little publicity as possible.

His goal is simply to "get the camel's nose under the tent."

Then, once H.R. 308 goes to the Senate, the White House is preparing to launch an all-out WAR on our Second Amendment freedoms!

That's why I need you to sign this petition IMMEDIATELY.

If we don't stop him now, we risk losing even more of our rights.

In fact, once the bill reaches the Senate floor, my inside sources are telling me dozens of amendments are already in the works, including:

*** Mandatory waiting periods, and expensive, drawn-out "psychological screenings" designed to force ALL law-abiding citizens to get government approval before purchasing a firearm;

*** A TOTAL ban on all private sales under the guise of "closing the gun-show loophole";

*** A new so-called "Assault Weapons" Ban, targeting ALL semi-automatic rifles and shotguns -- which, unlike the Clinton ban, will NEVER expire;

*** A National Concealed Carry "Standard" -- designed to make it even more difficult for law-abiding citizens to carry a gun to protect themselves and their families from murderers like Jared Loughner.

Don't get tricked by this one -- this "standard" is nothing more than the feds forcing states to slow down the approval of concealed carry permits, and make the remaining permits null-and-void in most areas!

And with the full backing of the White House and the anti-gun media, you and I can't take anything for granted.

After all, just their efforts alone will be difficult enough to overcome.

But what if -- God forbid -- there's another criminal rampage?

You and I both know President Obama and his anti-gun pals will rush to exploit it.

That's why you and I must strangle this monster in its crib NOW before it's too late.

But don't think for a second this fight will be easy.

As I told you in my last letter, prominent Republicans (actually, they are RINO's) like U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, former Vice President Dick Cheney and Homeland Security Chairman Peter King have already voiced support for additional gun controls.

Frankly, it was enough to make my stomach churn.

They talk about how they support "reasonable restrictions" on law-abiding citizens' gun rights -- seconds before compromising you and me into complete and utter DEFEAT.

Well, I don't know about you, but I believe "shall not be infringed" MEANS WHAT IT SAYS.

And I believe the LAST thing pro-gun folks should be doing is cozying up to the anti-gun crowd and cutting deals -- especially with President Obama in the White House.

Instead, you and I must do everything we can to DEFEAT THE GUN-GRABBERS.

But I can't do it without your help.

That's why your signed petitions to your Congressman and Senators are so important -- and why I hope you'll rush me your most generous EMERGENCY contribution as well.

With your emergency contribution, I'll launch the National Association for Gun Rights three-part plan to fight back, including:

1) Contacting ten million Americans through U.S. mail, email and our state-of-the-art telemarketing campaign;

2) Launching an all-out public relations campaign to include op-eds, blogs, talk radio briefings, press conferences and media interviews where I'll gladly lock horns with anti-gun extremists in defense of our Second Amendment rights;

3) An all-out media blitz to include hard-hitting internet and radio ads calling on KEY Congressmen and Senators to vote NO on H.R. 308 or any similar bill.

I knew you'd want to be involved, so I've already begun contacting millions of Americans.

But I -- and my staff -- am working furiously to generate opposition to these gun controls.  To keep this nationwide mobilization program firing on all cylinders, though, I need you to be involved.

So in addition to your signed petitions, won't you agree to a generous $30 contribution?

If that's too much, can you contribute $20 or even $10 TODAY?
 

Whatever you can do, I hope you'll agree to contribute generously -- and IMMEDIATELY.

I'll put every dollar you decide to send to immediate use.

Since President Obama was first sworn in, you and I have defied the odds and have beaten back every one of the gun-grabbers' schemes.

But this Magazine Ban scheme could prove to be our toughest test yet.

So please rush me your signed petitions along with your most generous contribution of $30, $20 or even $10 IMMEDIATELY.

For liberty,

Dudley Brown
Executive Director
National Association for Gun Rights

P.S. The gun-grabbers' goal is to sneak the Magazine Ban Bill (H.R. 308) through the U.S. House with as little fanfare as possible and then load it down with anti-gun amendments once it reaches the Senate.

And now news reports show many supposedly pro-gun Republicans and even "gun rights groups" are considering backing the scheme!

That's why it's vital you help me fight back by signing this petition -- along with your most generous contribution of $30, $20 or even $10 IMMEDIATELY.

RedState Morning Briefing

For April 21, 2011

1. Barack Obama's Re-Election Campaign Theme Won't Be Hope and Change, Just Scoured Earth and Fear

Gas prices have more than doubled since Barack Obama took office. His deficit spending makes George Bush look like a rank amateur. 78% of Americans recognize inflation is on the rise. One dollar bill buys less and less. We're a little bit more pregnant in Libya, but just barely. Our foreign policy is rudderless and often against our best interests.

Today comes news that for the first time since the Great Depression, more Americans get government money than give the government money. Americans are dependent on Washington for the livelihoods.

Also out late yesterday, CNS News reports that we will hit the legal limit on the national debt in less than a week. This is surprising news to pretty much everyone. But the data comes from the Treasury Department itself.

This is no way to enter a re-election campaign. Barack Obama cannot run on hope or change. Instead, he is going to run on fear. It is abundantly apparent and confirmed to me by several Democrats who'd know. Barack Obama's re-election strategy will be a scorched earth campaign.

2. President Obama's Debt Failsafe Trigger Explained

What is President Barack Obama's "debt failsafe" trigger? It is a means for liberals in Washington to increase taxes on you in the name of deficit reduction and avoids specific consent of the governed for these tax increases. If a mechanism to automatically increase taxes is raised by the "Gang of Six," a bipartisan group working to reduce the deficit, or the President's bipartisan bicameral negotiating team on reducing the debt, then conservatives should push back against this terrible, and possibly unconstitutional, idea.

3. Cantor, Kyl, and NO OTHER REPUBLICANS to deficit panel.

The AP doesn't really explain the significance of the fact that the GOP is sending just House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl to the President's much-ballyhooed deficit reduction panel, so let me do it.

When the President set up this thing in the first place, he told the four party leaders in Congress - Speaker Boehner (R) and Minority Leader Pelosi (D) in the House; Majority Leader Reid (D) and Minority Leader McConnell (R) in the Senate - to each send four Congressmen to it, for a total of sixteen. That effectively translates to "President Obama's deficit reduction panel was intended to be ineffectual:" you generally cannot get sixteen people to agree on anything. While Congressional Democrats theoretically were taking this panel more seriously - well. The Senate Democratic picks are Inouye and Baucus, which as the NYT notes are both hostile to the idea of deficit talks. Pelosi picked Van Hollen and Clyburn, which are described as obedient mouthpieces for the former Speaker (who herself hates the idea of deficit reduction) by that noted right-wing shill The Huffington Post. So that's the Democratic side.

And on the Republican side? Neither Cantor nor Kyl are recognized as being particularly fiscal policy players: they're there because they're second-in-command to Boehner and McConnell, respectively.

4. Third Parties, Third Ways, the Tea Party, and the GOP

This morning I wrote, "If the Republican Party will not aggressively fight for real cuts and real reform in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, if at all, it very much will be time for a third party in this country."

The level of hand wringing and disgust from some was predictable. From others, it was downright humorous, if not a bit annoying. For seven years now I have written that third parties are not the way to shift this country. In fact, there is a whole chapter in my book about how third parties are not the answer.

So, I'm advocating a third party and not advocating a third party? It presents a WTF moment and I don't mean "winning the future."

5. AFSCME Boss Explains California's Suicidal Tendencies...

For a state that had so much going for it, California is sinking into the depths of its own self-made depression. Businesses are fleeing in droves (including 70 more since January), the state has a projected $42 billion budget gap and is already awash in unfunded liabilities (the teachers' pension fund alone is $56 billion underfunded), and human kind has taken backseat to the survival of a tiny fish which has turned the San Joaquin Valley into a dust bowl.

Now, to make matters worse (as if they could be), California has given more incentive for businesses to continue fleeing to Texas and other friendlier locales-a huge increase in energy costs coming down the road.

6. Counting Our Hot Buttons: Abortion Numbers in Perspective

With the recent debate over federal taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood bringing the abortion debate back to the surface, it is sometimes useful to look at the numbers to get a little perspective on why this issue is such a large one. (All of these are estimates, and sources vary, but there's no serious debate as to the scale of the numbers).

7. BP's Macondo Disaster, One Year Later

On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire on the Transocean drilling rig Deepwater Horizon caused the deaths of 11 rig workers. The subsequent blowout flowed uncontrolled to the Gulf of Mexico, ultimately spilling an estimated 5 million barrels of crude oil over the next 100 days. The regulatory aftermath continues to this day.

"Vladimir" wrote dozens of diaries at RedState on the engineering, environmental, economic and political aspects of the spill and its aftermath. The first was "Please Pray for the Missing Eleven" published a year ago tomorrow. It was soon followed by "Why Was BP Drilling in 5,000 ft of Water?" which looked at the disconnect between our voracious appetite for hydrocarbons, and our relative lack of concern as to its source (as long as it's available and affordable). Vlad's diary "The Pro-Environment Anti-Environmentalist" recapped several earlier diaries, highlighting the contrast between the predictions of scientific doomsayers and journalistic hysterics on one hand, versus a solitary blogger with a smattering of knowledge of earth science on the other.

The anniversary is an opportunity to look back on what we've learned. For if a failure is to be anything other than pure tragedy, we must learn the lessons it conveys.

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for Thursday, April 21, 2011 

$6 Gas? Could Happen if Dollar Keeps Getting Weaker

CNBC

'Quagmire Of Bureaucracy' Stifles Gulf Spill Research

NPR

US to give Libyan rebels non-lethal aid

AP
 

The end for Assad

Washington Times

Coming soon on Facebook and Twitter: terror threats from Homeland Security

Christian Science Monitor

Wis challenger files for recount

POLITICO

GOP escalates demands on debt limit

POLITICO

Latest Heritage Research:

Green Jobs and Red Tape: Assessing Efforts to Encourage Employment

Job Creation and Carbon Dioxide Regulation

The Defense of Marriage Act: A Measure for Children and Families

More Public School Funding Does Not Close Racial Achievement Gaps

 04/20/2011

Gulf Oil Spill, One Year Later

A year ago today, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico cost the lives of 11 men and threatened untold damage to the ecosystem. It was an unprecedented disaster, and the tragic loss of life it entailed made it all the more imperative that such an accident never repeat itself. 

Recent Entries 

VIDEO: Obama's Anti-Drilling Agenda Endangers Gulf Coast Economy

Solar Power on the Taxpayers' Dime

Global Warming Advocates Receive a Chilly Reception from the Supreme Court

Marriage Gets a Defense in Court

Conscience Rights: The New Frontline in the Culture War

QUICK HITS

France and Italy will send military advisers to Libya to assist rebel forces, joining a team of about a dozen British military advisers.

President Obama is holding a summit on immigration reform, but border state governors Jan Brewer (R-AZ) and Rick Perry (R-TX) weren't invited.

U.S. taxpayers stand to lose $11 billion on their bailout of General Motors. The U.S. government plans to sell a significant share of its stake in GM this summer.

Will the Pentagon be able to stave off more defense cuts? Watch a special Heritage event with Under Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter today at 11 AM ET.

Global warming advocates received a chilly reception from the Supreme Court yesterday. Read our analysis on Foundry.org.

 If you are gay,

always refer to your proclivity fondly as "my perversion"-or better still, when among your fellow gays, "Our perversion." Few things rile a liberal more than when a designated "victim" refuses to play identity politics.

April 21, 2011 

On Today's Program 

Obama solves asthma mystery

The exact cause of asthma is unknown - until now, that is! At a town hall gathering the President trumped the entire global medical community and declared that coal is the evil villain causing asthma. "The challenge with coal is that although it's very cheap, it's also dirty. And it can create the kinds of air pollution that not only is contributing to climate change but is also creating asthma for kids nearby," the President said. And he knows a thing or two about medicine - like how those greedy doctors are needlessly pulling out tonsils and amputating the feet of children for monetary gain. Glenn has more on Obama's latest town hall tour on radio today.

Grassroots? Lib protesters show off band, choreographed dance moves

Nancy Pelosi famously derided the Tea Party as 'astroturf' claiming the entire movement was nothing but a bogus special interest group. Surely she will once again speak out against the leftists protesting against the banks - who 'spontaneously' get a crowd of people to start singing and dancing in protest against the evil bank. Strangely, the suddenly upset people who 'joined in' the protest already knew all the choreographed dance moves. Check out the full video of the protest at The Blaze and find out why Glenn thinks the bank worker seen in the video shouldn't be so quick to laugh these protests off HERE.

Here's a flashmob you actually want to be a part of

Glenn has been sounding the alarm on the difficult times he sees America heading for, trying to get people to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. But Glenn has also been saying it's time to become a lifeboat for others - be the solution to America's problems. Because if you aren't -- guess who will be? Big government! What can you do to be the solution? Here's one great idea: join the Flashmob of Kindness that's happening TOMORROW all around the country. Be a force for GOOD. Get up off the couch and help someone in need! And make sure to send us stories, pictures and even videos from your flashmob of kindness to kindness@glennbeck.com! 

Government job solution: give them CAPES!

A state employment office in Florida actually used taxpayer money ($14,000) on 6,000 red capes as part of its 'Cape-A-Bility' challenge to make the unemployed feel like they are worthy of taking on 'Dr. Evil Unemployment.' One would think, with the many different levels of bureaucracy, that this would have crossed the desk of someone, anyone who thought 'hey, maybe this isn't really a valuable use of resources?' - but obviously it did not. And now 6,000 Floridians are unemployed and only have a cape to show for it. Nothing quite says 'hire me' like a cape. Glenn goes off on radio today...WATCH.

Speaking of bad investments: Gov to lose $11b on GM

The Cape-A-Bility project shouldn't come as a surprise - $14k in the world of government is mere pittance. They'll waste far more than that! The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the U.S. government will sell most of its remaining stake in Government Motors despite the fact it will mean a loss of approximately $11 billion. How bad are things about to get for GM if the government isn't willing to stay in it for the long haul and would rather cut their losses now? Get the full story HERE. 

Yawn: Another anti-Palin book is coming out

This one is supposedly all about the 'lies' and Palin's relentless quest to gain power. Glenn says he's met a lot of people who want nothing but power and Sarah Palin is definitely NOT one of them. The media just can't stop obsessing about Sarah Palin - even though she's a mom with a Facebook account - but they just keep on trying to outdo themselves with the latest Sarah Palin expose! What will they uncover next? Find out how evil Sarah Palin is, tonight at 11! Glenn has reaction to the latest claims HERE.

Think Obama will get this guy's vote? Get the story in Stu's latest blog.