Quote: 

"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." 

~ Thomas Paine, The Crisis, no 1, 1776 

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If you've never heard of Pamela Geller, check out her website --> http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/ .  If you can't attend the presentation, you can still get some useful information from the article below.  -- Dave

Six Suicidal Assumptions about Islam

1. Islam is about Muslims - no, Islam is about everyone. Islam has rules about everything, and that includes non-Muslims. 61% of the Koran is about non-Muslims. It has rules about whether or not Muslims should befriend non-Muslims; about how to treat non-Muslims captured in war; about whether non-Muslim women can be raped; the attitude to take towards the possessions of non-Muslims. Most of these rules are unfavourable or hostile toward non-Muslims.

 READ MORE: 

American Government Knows Islam is not a Religion of Peace but squashes Internal report. Watch Vital Report by PJTV.

 SEE VIDEO HERE:

GO HERE FOR PART 2:

 NAVY SEALS TRIBUTE and to all the other Special Forces that "Get It Done!"

NAVY SEALS TRIBUTE

Lara Logan in Her Own Words

I just watched Lara Logan on CBS's Sixty Minutes. She was blonde, beautiful, brave, tearful, soft-spoken, strong, clear, eloquent, still obviously traumatized (who wouldn't be?) - and yet, although she has been praised for "breaking the silence" about the sexual violence that afflicts female or foreign journalists in the field, Logan was still careful not to use the words "Muslim" or "Islam." She still refused to characterize what happened to her as "barbaric."

In her own words: She said that two to three hundred pairs of hands, one after the other, grabbed at her breasts, crotch and behind, and kept raping her non-stop from the back and the front. The mob had torn off all her clothing and the more she screamed the more excited they became. When someone yelled that she was an "Israeli, a Jew," the frenzied mob turned murderous. They continued to beat her with flagpoles and sticks. They tried to tear her apart, limb from...

Read the whole entry »

Osama a casualty of the Arab revolt

By Spengler, ASIA TIMES

More surprising than the death of Osama bin Laden on Monday was the fact that he lived unmolested in a mansion in Abbottabad, about 65 kilometers north of the Pakistani capital Islamabad. How many Pakistani officials and others must have known about this? "America can do whatever we set out mind to," President Barack Obama intoned in his May 1 announcement of Bin Laden's death at the hands during a strike by Pakistani and American special forces.

Not, apparently, without a little help from its friends, and remarkably belated help at that.

Normally I do not speculate on operational matters; to solicit information on secret matters even from very good sources is like telling Pinocchio, "Lie to me." Some considerations here are obvious, though, even without the usual disinformation. It is hard to conclude otherwise that Bin Laden died this week because people who knew his whereabouts chose this particular moment to inform the US...

Read the whole entry »

Western intelligence: 7 m. Syrians in revolt can no longer be suppressed

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report April 30, 2011,

After shelling, tank assaults and siege left 100 protesters dead in the last 48 hours without quelling the unrest, Western intelligence sources believe it has careered beyond President Bashar Assad's ability to hold the menace to his regime at bay - and estimate shared by Ankara. It is likely to keep on spreading and evolve into armed rebellion. Those sources estimate the uprising as already encompassing 6-7 million Syrians (out of a population of 26 million) and a third of its area.

There are centers of dissent in the north, south and center, including the coastal strip. The outlying towns of Damascus the capital are in rebel hands. President Assad has thrown into the crackdown on the uprising every military asset he can spare without further jeopardizing his regime.

At the end of the week, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was worried enough to send a delegation of intelligence chiefs to Damascus to warn Assad that after...

Read the whole entry »

RedState Morning Briefing

For May 4, 2011

1. Inconvenient Facts About The Takedown of Osama bin Laden

We must pity the dilemma of the anti-war Left in facing the enormously popular and inarguably successful takedown of bin Laden.

To the mere Democratic partisan, there is no real conflict: as long as people like the results achieved under President Obama, his party wins. But the anti-war Left spent most of the Bush years shrieking to high heaven about Bush shredding the Constitution, staining the integrity of the nation, yadda yadda yadda. Everything he did in pursuing the War on Terror had to be the WORST THING EVER, and every effort made to argue that you were beyond the pale of civilization if you approved of the Iraq War, the detention of unlawful combatants at Guantanamo Bay or various secret CIA facilities, the use of "enhanced" coercive interrogation techniques (or for that matter any interrogation outside the Geneva Convention's name-rank-serial number questioning of traditional POWs), or the "assassination" of terrorists. This is the politics of outrage, the idea that you win arguments by being the angriest man in the room, that rather than argue that policies are not worth the costs and tradeoffs that come with every successful policy, they were inarguably wrong in every particular.

Consider the waterboarding debate. As it turns out, the CIA only waterboarded three men (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri), leading to the question of why the Left made such a colossal stink about it in the first place. Certainly, given those facts, nobody on the Right has argued that waterboarding or any other form of coercive interrogation should be the only or even the first recourse in interrogation (or even that they be used at all with criminal defendants or legitimate prisoners of war) - the argument is simply that these are sometimes-useful tools in an interrogator's toolkit and that, in some extreme hard cases, it can be justifiable to use those tools against the very worst hard-core senior terrorist leaders. But critics of waterboarding have mostly long since painted themselves into the corner of insisting that the tradeoffs involved don't need to be debated, because coercive interrogation never yields any information of any use in any situation.

This is poor ground to make a stand on.

Initial reports on the extensive detective work that led to cornering bin Laden have indicated a couple of things that are terribly inconvenient for these arguments.

2. The Winter of Republican Discontent

Republicans are unhappy with the present crop of candidates for the White House. Over last weekend, while overshadowed by bigger news, Republicans gathered at an NRA event, a Heritage Foundation event, an AFP event, and a few other gatherings. Grassroots activists lamented together about the current crop.

Certainly each candidate has their acolytes, but largely the field is uninspiring. Republicans are on the verge of a self-fulfilling prophecy that their nominee will suck and not beat Barack Obama.

For all the Republicans and Democrats either lamenting or celebrating the invulnerability of Barack Obama, I am reminded more and more of 1991. In fact, I venture to say that 2011 is to Republicans as 1991 was to Democrats.

And as it was, it remains "The Economy, Stupid."

3. Obama vs. Panetta In The Kill Obama Decision?

I don't stand by what follows because I don't know the author or the website. It also falls into the "too good to check" category.

But read and decide for yourself which has a greater ring of truth: the cool, analytical Obama of the developing White House hagiography (or to quote the notorious catchfart Howard Fineman, "President Barack Obama just proved himself - vividly, in almost Biblical terms - to be an effective commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the United States")? or this story describing the indecisive, goofy wuss whom we've come to know over the previous painful 29 months?

4. 'Why does my gas cost $4.00 per gallon?'

Everybody is asking that question these days. The average nationwide price for all grades this week is $3.96/gallon; Californians are paying on average $4.26, the highest in the nation.

Why does it cost so much, especially considering that the price was below $2.00/gallon just within the last couple of years?

Nearly seventy percent of the price of a gallon of retail gasoline is the price of the crude oil it is refined from. Two graphs from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) make that point. The first shows the price of a gallon of gasoline (left axis) plotted against the price of a gallon of crude oil (right axis). The two move in virtual lock-step; if you know the crude oil price per gallon, add $1.00 and you'll know the price of gasoline within a few cents. (At $105 per 42-gallon barrel, the per-gallon price of crude is $2.50; add a buck, and you get a gasoline price around $3.50.) 

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for May 4, 2011 

U.S. presses Pakistan for information on Osama bin Laden compound
The Washington Post

Rising gas prices shift energy debate
The Washington Post

Congress vs. the NLRB
The Wall Street Journal

Massive Intelligence Haul
The Wall Street Journal

Canada Tories to follow tax-cut, pro-business agenda
Reuters

Rejoicing in Justice Done
FirstThings.com

Latest Heritage Research:

Backgrounder
Sixteen Steps to Comprehensive Missile Defense: What the FY 2012 Budget Should Fund

Commentary
The bin Laden Aftermath: The U.S. and Pakistan are still Stuck with Each Other

You are looking at a staged photo op for a tough-on-defense commander-in-chief in the situation room for his re-election campaign in 2012.........taken before basketball and after golf and vacations and fund-raisers

And remember, when they feel your genitals, make you take off your jacket, sweater, hat and shoes, empty your pockets and frisk your g-children at the airport, we are not at war with muslims........allahu ahkbar, my fellow Americans

From Gene

Pakistan accused of playing bin Laden 'double game'

'It's hard to imagine that the military or police did not have any ideas what was going on' at compound, Sen. Levin says

msnbc.com news services
updated 2 hours 11 minutes ago

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42873092/ns/world_news-death_of_bin_laden/


Incredulous lawmakers are pressing Pakistan for answers to two simple questions: What did its army and intelligence agents know of Osama bin Laden's whereabouts and when did they know it?

The al-Qaida terrorist leader behind the Sept. 11 attacks lived and died in a massive, fortified compound built in 2005 and located on the outskirts of Abbottabad, some 60 miles from the capital of Islamabad. It stood just a half-mile from the Kakul Military Academy, Pakistan's equivalent of West Point, and close to various army regiments.

Story: Bin Laden hideout location challenges Pakistan credibility

According to the U.S. account, the assault team came away with hard drives, DVDs, documents and more that might tip U.S. intelligence to al-Qaida's operational details and perhaps lead the manhunt to the presumed next-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri. The CIA is already going over the material.

White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan told NBC's TODAY on Tuesday that U.S officials hoped to build on the killing of bin Laden. Brennan said the administration was determined "to pummel the rest of al-Qaida."

Obama, who approved the extraordinarily risky operation by Navy SEALs against bin Laden's Pakistan redoubt and witnessed its progression from the White House Situation Room, his face heavy with tension, reaped accolades from world leaders he'd kept in the dark as well as from political opponents at home.

Republican and Democratic leaders alike gave him a standing ovation at an evening White House meeting that was planned before the assault but became a celebration of it, and an occasion to step away from the fractious political climate. Obama plans to visit New York on Thursday.

Amid the high praise Monday for the successful U.S. military operation, congressional Republicans and Democrats questioned whether bin Laden was hiding in plain sight, with Pakistani military and intelligence operatives either totally unaware of his location or willfully ignoring his presence to protect him.

It was more than a rhetorical question as lawmakers raised the possibility of imposing conditions on the billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars that flow to Pakistan, largely economic aid to back an unsteady government.

"I think this tells us once again that, unfortunately, Pakistan at times is playing a double game," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a Senate Armed Services Committee member who indicated that Congress could put limits on funds for Pakistan.

Fragile relationship
Bin Laden's death and questions about Pakistan's eagerness in the fight against terrorism come as the tenuous U.S.-Pakistan relationship seems even more fragile. In recent weeks, CIA contractor Raymond Davis' killing of two Pakistanis and stepped-up drone attacks have further strained ties between the two countries.

Different factions within Pakistan itself complicate its role as a U.S. ally. What state officials and those in the military may have known about bin Laden could be quite different from what tribes and even families in the region knew or, more to the point, were willing to say about the Abbottabad compound and its occupants.

Early last month, CIA Director Leon Panetta met with Pakistan's intelligence chief, Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, a meeting Washington officials saw as make or break. The Obama administration said it was negotiating a possible reduction in U.S. intelligence operatives and special operations officers in Pakistan as they sought to ease Pakistani concerns about spy activity.

Prior to the raid on the compound, U.S. officials say, they didn't inform Pakistan of its plans. Unaware and unnerved Pakistanis scrambled their aircraft in the wake of the U.S. military intervention.

Publicly, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton thanked Pakistan for its cooperation and said the country "has contributed greatly to our efforts to dismantle al-Qaida." She said that "in fact, cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound in which he was hiding."

Brennan told TODAY that "clearly there was some kind of support network" for bin However, he declined to blame the Pakistani government for that, calling Islamabad "a strong counterterrorism partner."

But he also said the Pakistani government was conducting its own investigation into how bin Laden dodged authorities for so long. Brennan said it is "unknown at this point" whether individuals inside the Pakistani government were helping bin Laden.

Based on the location of the compound and its proximity to army regiments, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said Pakistan's intelligence service and army has "got a lot of explaining to do."

Levin acknowledged Clinton's assessment, but he said he stood by his questions, citing the size of the compound compared with surrounding buildings and the fact that residents took the unusual step of burning all their garbage and avoiding any collection.

"It's hard to imagine that the military or police did not have any ideas what was going on inside of that," Levin told reporters in a conference call.

Said Collins, "It is very difficult for me to understand how this huge compound could be built in a city just an hour north of the capital of the Pakistan, in a city that contained military installations, including the Pakistani military academy, and that it did not arouse tremendous suspicions."

In an essay published Monday by The Washington Post, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari denied suggestions his country's security forces may have sheltered Osama bin Laden, and said their cooperation with the United States helped pinpoint bin Laden.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., who has traveled extensively to Pakistan and even worked as an intermediary to get Davis released, said candid conversations with the Pakistanis were necessary.

However, Kerry said it would be a mistake to forget "we've had people on the ground tracking this. There's some degree of assistance and cooperation of the Pakistanis."

Meanwhile, the administration weighed whether to release photos of bin Laden's corpse and video of his swift burial at sea. Officials were reluctant to inflame Islamic sentiment by showing graphic images of the body. But they were also eager to address the mythology already building in Pakistan and beyond that bin Laden was somehow still alive.

The only information about what occurred inside the compound has come from American officials, much of it provided under condition of anonymity.

(READ REST OF ARTICLE HERE) 

  

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


Bush's Triumph

When President Barack Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden to the nation Sunday night, he was very liberal in congratulating ... himself! Midway through the speech, the teleprompter seemed to have gotten stuck on the words "I" and "my." For example:

"I directed Leon Panetta ... to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority... I met repeatedly with my ... team ... I determined that we had enough intelligence ... Today, at my direction..."

I fully expected the next sentence was going to be "Then I flew the helicopter to Pakistan, where I shot bin Laden in the head."

Here is the truth that Obama will never admit and that big media is unlikely to tell the American people: Bin Laden was finally dispatched in part because of policies put in place by President Bush that Barack Obama fought against as a senator, campaigned against in 2008 and desperately tried to reverse once he was president.

We now know that a trusted bin Laden courier inadvertently provided the U.S. with the information necessary to find the terrorist. The U.S. first learned about the courier in 2003, when George Bush was president. (In 2003, Barack Obama was in the state legislature of Illinois voting "present.") It took four years, until 2007, for jihadist detainees at Guantanamo Bay and in secret prisons around the world, who were subjected to "enhanced interrogation" techniques, including waterboarding, to start giving us details about the identity of the courier.

Obama opposed the secret prisons. Obama opposed the Guantanamo prison. And he vehemently opposed waterboarding. Among Obama's first acts in office was his decision to issue an Executive Order to close Guantanamo Bay and end the use of "enhanced interrogation" of jihadist suspects. Meanwhile, our intelligence agencies, relying on the information gathered during the Bush presidency, were beginning to zero in on the courier.

In August 2010, we identified the compound north of Islamabad as the likely home of a senior Al Qaeda member. Between August and recent days, the evidence grew that bin Laden might be living at the compound, and Obama had a clear opportunity, which he took.

But in that triumphant moment, as our brave SEALs entered the compound, Obama had to shed his own left-wing positions. There was no lawyer for bin Laden, no one to read him his "rights" during the raid. There was no trial and no jury. All the nonsense President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder have spouted about our enemy having constitutional protections had to be disposed of in the reality of the moment.

Barack Obama, to his good fortune, was able to reap the benefits of the seeds planted by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, who played an important role in shaping our post-9/11 national security policy. Both men were demonized and harassed by the American left, including Barack Obama, for eight long years.


Bury This Nonsense

When I first heard that bin Laden was buried at sea, my reaction was, "Smart move!" The last thing we needed was for his burial site to become a shrine and symbol for his Islamic sympathizers. But now we know more details, and they are outrageous.

Bin Laden was given a full Muslim funeral on the USS Carl Vinson. In accordance with Islamic practice, his body was carefully washed and wrapped in a white sheet. A Muslim cleric reportedly read from the Koran. All of this, according to unnamed sources at the White House and Pentagon, was done to avoid outraging Muslims worldwide.

This is political correctness run amok! From the day he took office, President Obama and his top officials have insisted that Al Qaeda and the other jihadist organizations have nothing to do with authentic Islam. They insist that bin Laden is trying to hijack Islam, which is, they assure us, a religion of peace.

They have pointed out that bin Laden himself is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Muslims in terror attacks on mosques teaching a brand of Islam he rejects. Then the Obama Administration honors bin Laden by burying him in accordance with Islamic law! Why would they do so if he was hijacking Islam?

Many American families never received remains of their loved ones killed at Ground Zero. They did not have the opportunity to lovingly prepare the bodies of their dead for burial. Prisoners taken by Al Qaeda and their allies are not only brutally murdered, their bodies are routinely defiled.

We are not barbarians, and I am not suggesting that we treat dead jihadists the way they treat our dead. But it is disgusting to give a mass murderer like bin Laden a burial in accordance to the dictates of Islam. The Obama Administration is still clueless and continues its pandering to the "Muslim world."


Are They Paying Attention?

Last week, the terrorist organization Hamas announced plans to merge with the Palestinian Authority. Under current law, such a merger should end U.S. foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority, but the Obama Administration is sending mixed messages. According to the Associated Press, a spokesman for the State Department confirmed that "the U.S. was continuing its assistance programs for now." Meanwhile, the administration continues reaching out to the Muslim Brotherhood as it expands its influence throughout the Middle East.

As the White House and most Americans celebrated the death of Osama bin Laden, both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood condemned the killing of this mass murderer. Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas in Gaza, said "We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood. We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior."

In a statement released to Arab media, the Muslim Brotherhood condemned the assassination of "Sheikh Osama bin Laden" (note the title of honor), and suggested he should have been given a trial. It went on to embrace the "resistance" against occupation. In other words, it endorsed Al Qaeda's jihad against American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Middle East.

This administration, which constantly pressures Israel, has offended our European allies and reached out to Iran and other unsavory actors, seems to have trouble recognizing friend from foe. Perhaps these latest statements from Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood will get their attention.


The Political Impact

Several folks have emailed asking for my thoughts on the political significance of bin Laden's assassination. I know there are times to set partisanship aside, but since many left-wing pundits are already popping the champagne corks celebrating Obama's reelection, I'll offer my thoughts.

The Washington Post is already out with a poll showing Obama's approval rating up by nine points among the general population (not likely voters). By the end of the week, we'll know if this is an aberration or a trend, but I do expect the president will get a bounce. I also believe it will quickly fade away.

Of course, the Obama campaign will produce ads taking full credit. But the economy is dominating everyone's mind right now and will likely remain the biggest issue. And the Post poll also found that only 40% of Americans approve of Obama's handling of the economy. As this column notes, the 1991 Gulf War victory did not save George H.W. Bush in 1992. And George W. Bush managed only a narrow victory in 2004 after Saddam Hussein was captured in 2003.

While President Obama was right to take out bin Laden, his death is not going to solve the unemployment problem, which many analysts say will remain high for years to come. It won't lower gas prices, and the national average may well hit $4 a gallon this weekend! Nor will it end the threat posed by Islamic terrorism. In fact, most experts agree that we are probably at greater risk for an attack in the short term as the jihadists seek revenge.

Make no mistake: yesterday was a good day for America. But we will continue working hard to make Election Day 2012 a good day for America as well.

 

Imagine how the left would react if the President the United States (or Israel)  carried out a targeted assassination in a country that is ostensibly an American ally, without knowledge of that country's President, military or intelligence service service,  killed women and children in the process,  identified the location of the target from testimony of those who were subject to  enhanced interrogation techniques in Guantanamo and other countries, and the raid was carried out by a special forces squad that was once called Dick Cheney's assassination team. 

Richard Baehr, American Thinker

READ MORE: 

It is not only Hamas, but the military wing of Fatah, that is grieving the loss of Osama Bin Laden. Why exactly is the United States funding these monsters, and pressuring Israel to give them more territory and a state?  Does anyone think it odd that the moderate political party has a military wing?   Kudos to Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey who has joined the list of those questioning the continuation of U.S aid to the P.A.   It would be a welcome development if more of the Democrats in Congress were willing to break with the Administration on the continuation of aid to the P.A.  The P.A made its choice-peace with Hamas was more important than peace with Israel.  Lawfare against Israel at the U.N was more important that negotiating with Israel. As Nicholas Kristof might say of the Palestinians- we are all Hamas now.   Richard Baehr, American Thinker

Jewish philanthropists looking for a way to make more meaningful gifts to colleges and universities have big problems. Some Hillels have an open door policy allowing in groups that want to destroy Israel.  And some Jewish Studies professors might as well be part of CAIR.  

Bloomberg: U.S. Should Make All New Immigrants Live in Detroit

Published May 01, 2011

FoxNews.com

 

Tea Party Top Stories
for Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011  

 

NRA's LaPierre Calls for AG Holder to Resign Over ATF Sting Fiasco

 SEE NEWSMAX VIDEO HERE:

34,448 Illegal Immigrants Spared Deportation

A response to Cal Thomas's endorsement of the ATLAS SHRUGGED movie and its attack on Caesar

By Gary Moore

Founder, The Financial Seminary

Cal Thomas has famously disagreed with the worst excesses of the religious right, as have I. That may be why his recommendation of the new movie ATLAS SHRUGGED PART 1 cut like a knife.

In my mid-nineties book Ten Golden Rules for Financial Success, I noted that Rush Limbaugh had just published a cartoon of a character labeled "the religious left" bowing down to a statue of Karl Marx. I said that as funny but ungracious as that might have been, there are times the thought of Marx probably unduly influences the thinking of some leaders of mainline Christianity. Yet I also wrote that evangelical leaders too often experience a similar problem, which theologians call syncretism: mixing the teachings of Ayn Rand with our thinking as Christians. I now believe Cal's endorsement of the movie based on Rand's tome Atlas Shrugged suggests we've reached the point where our thinking and her teachings are virtually indistinguishable, at least in matters of political-economy.  That's most unfortunate as it likely suggests The Economist was correct in 1999 when it published "An Obituary for Jesus" on Easter.

Theologians from Martin Marty on the left to Chuck Colson on the right have recently written that Rand turned the Bible upside down. She was a disciple of Nietzsche's elitism so it's understandable she wanted to be remembered as "the greatest enemy of religion ever." Jesus told us to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's" and Paul said to "honor and respect government" as it was instituted by God (Romans 13). But, Rand told us there is no God and we'd have utopia on earth when we rid ourselves of government. That's hardly conservative; and indeed, Rand was a self-described "radical." Jesus taught the interests of our neighbors must be lovingly elevated to the level of our own interests. Rand taught selfishness is a virtue and charity toward neighbor should only be practiced in "emergency situations."

READ MORE: 

Despite the new Republican Majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, gun owners have good cause to be wary of what's going on in Congress.

Early this spring, House Republicans tried to force a re-authorization of the badly mis-named Patriot Act through Congress. Claiming the mantle of "national security" House leadership attempted to steamroll freshmen legislators with a consent calendar vote on the Patriot Act.

Pro-gun Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) and Paul Broun (R-GA) helped the National Association for Gun Rights to expose this attempt to green-light anti-freedom legislation using a legislative trick normally reserved for non-controversial legislation.

After I sounded the alarm, National Association for Gun Rights members responded with a wave of phone calls and e-mails into Congressional offices.

Due to the decisive activism taken by National Association for Gun Rights' members, the consent calendar vote failed to receive the two-thirds needed to pass. While this was deeply embarrassing to the House leadership and the anti-gunners supporting the re-authorization of the Patriot Act, the legislation wasn't dead.

House Leadership repeatedly placed the Patriot Act on the calendar, only to yank it off as floods of grassroots activists' phone calls started hitting Congressional offices. After much arm twisting a one year extension of the Patriot Act passed the House with bi-partisan opposition.

Similarly, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to sneak the Patriot Act through the Senate without a vote at all. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), a friend of the National Association for Gun Rights, used every parliamentary tactic available to him to stall the effort.

In the end, the Senate passed and the House concurred with a 90 day extension of the Patriot Act. That means this summer the National Association for Gun Rights and gun owners across the country must take up the fight again against the re-authorization of the badly mis-named Patriot Act.

During the debate this summer, every issue related to the mis-named Patriot Act is sure to be on the table. The top bargaining chip is virtually certain to be the length of re-authorization, with many Big Government supporters pushing for a permanent extension of the bill, while others have proposed one, three and five year extensions as a compromise.

I am committed to fighting any length of extension of the anti-gun Patriot Act.

While many on the anti-gun Left will try to confuse gun owners about how the mis-named Patriot Act affects gun owners, the evidence is clear.

Some of the worst provisions include:

• Roving, warrant-less wiretaps of virtually ALL forms of electronic communications by U.S. citizens.

• Secret federal searches without warrants OR knowledge of the resident.

• Blanket warrants for the search and seizure of all library records, without naming individual suspects or providing probable cause.

• Judicial warrants replaced with "National Security Letters" signed by unaccountable bureaucrats. Also makes provision to gag anyone served with a "National Security Letter" from disclosing them.

• Drastic expansion of the definition of "domestic terrorism," which is sure to include gun owners.

• Expands asset seizure to permit the taking of assets from anyone "suspected" of terrorism, even if that person is NEVER charged or sent to trial.

• Lone wolf provisions which allow the government to spy on ANYONE even if they're not associated with a terrorist organization or foreign national, without due process or notification.

Many liberty-minded scholars believe that a gesture as simple as placing a pro-gun bumper sticker on your car, or supporting a pro-gun candidate makes you a potential "domestic terrorist" under provisions of the Patriot Act and definitions set by the Department of Homeland Security.

Capitol Hill insiders believe that continued grassroots pressure may be the only way to defeat the re-authorization of this anti-gun Patriot Act.

I will continue to keep you updated about any developments and how you can help push back against this encroachment on your freedom.


For liberty,

Dudley Brown
Executive Director
National Association for Gun Rights


P.S. The National Association for Gun Rights can't fight the Patriot Act alone. Click here to chip in $15 or $20 to help protect your liberties.

Donate to the National Association for Gun Rights!

DEFUND LA RAZA.... $5 MILLION IN 2010... TAX DOLLARS FOR COMMUNIST ACTIVITIES.... PROMOTE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, RACIALLY DIVISIVE ACTIONS, ANTI-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES, SUBVERT EDUCATION. 

 
Tens of millions of Americans filed their taxes last week. But few of them are aware that millions of their tax dollars fund the activities and agenda of a radical, racially-divisive organization that uses those funds against their values.

The National Council of La Raza - literally "The Race" - opposes commonsense immigration enforcement against illegal aliens, or even to secure the borders. They oppose efforts to stop illegal aliens from voting, or receiving driver's licenses, or welfare. Even though more than 75% of Americans disagree with La Raza on those issues, those same taxpayers FUND La Raza's activities - more than $5 million alone in the last year they filed a tax return.

But perhaps the most disturbing activities La Raza engages in is to support racially-divisive charter schools in nearly half the states of our nation. These schools utilize so-called "La Raza Studies", which teach the almost exclusively Hispanic students that American laws and culture are racist, and that the American Southwest was STOLEN from Mexico, and must one day be "reconquered" by Hispanics.

THIS MUST END. Defund La Raza is launching a major advertising and social media effort to expose La Raza to the vast majority of Americans who do not know their own taxes fund this radical group against their own interests and values.

-------------------------------------------

Republicans Set to Take Another Step to Address Soaring Gas Prices, Help Economy Create Jobs

May 02, 2011

Help Gov. Corbett Reduce Government Spending, Increase Job Growth

Big Labor and their allies are in attack mode over state budget

Pennsylvanians deserve a budget that lives within its means.  After all, the rest of us have had to do the same, and the state is facing a $4 billion budget deficit and an economy that could still use a shot in the arm.

Gov. Tom Corbett is meeting the crisis head-on, proposing a budget that seeks to rein in spending that has increased beyond inflation and taxpayers' ability to pay, and bolster private-sector job growth. The final details are now being worked out, but the governor made it clear: pass a fiscally responsible budget!

As expected, Big Labor and its allies are in attack mode - more concerned about protecting their piece of the pie and partisan politics than the future of the citizens of the Commonwealth.

These "tax-and-spend" groups want to increase taxes on Pennsylvania job creators and families when they can least afford it.

That's the wrong prescription for Pennsylvania.  Please click here today to email your state legislators to tell them to support the governor's call for fiscal restraint and NO new taxes.

We must change direction from the past eight years of runaway spending and borrowing.

How bad is the crisis?  Well, according to a Harrisburg public policy research group:

From 2002 through 2010, total outstanding state general obligation debt increased 39 percent, from $6.8 billion to $10.4 billion. State spending has grown faster than personal income over the past 40 years. Under Gov. Ed Rendell, total operating spending grew almost $21 billion, a 45 percent increase, or more than double the rate of inflation, and General Fund spending increased more than $8 billion over eight years.

Pennsylvanians can no longer afford this failed path.

Please email your state legislators today to urge them to restore fiscal responsibility to the state budget.

Taxpayers simply cannot continue to sustain unbridled government growth - and Pennsylvania businesses cannot afford tax increases that threaten their ability to grow and create new jobs.

Please help our efforts by emailing your state legislators today.

Sincerely,

Citizens to Protect PA Jobs

Winning the Long War on Terror

Four men and one woman lay dead-among them, Osama bin Laden. The operation, which was planned for months, came after years of searching and intelligence gathering. In the end, it was America's use of "hard power" and the strategic interrogations of detainees that brought about an end to the terrorist mastermind. But make no mistake, the long war against terrorism is not over. 

Recent Entries 

DOMA: Honor and the Limits of Politics

Russia Fighting to Save Arms Sales to the Middle East

PODCAST: Osama bin Laden

Another Good Swing At Defunding Obamacare-But Not A Hit

In Pictures: 2011 Budget Chart Book Illustrates Our Fiscal Future

QUICK HITS

Officials in the United States, Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe are watching for potential retaliation from Islamist terrorists following bin Laden's death.

Bin Laden lived in the Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound for five to six years, leading some to question how Pakistan officials could not have known he was mere miles from their capital.

The emotions in New York City on Monday following news of bin Laden's death ranged from honking horns to prayer; cheering crowds to quiet relief.

As Congress returned to work this week, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner extended the absolute deadline for U.S. default on the debt to August 2.

The House plans to take another whack at defunding Obamacare today. Read about it on Foundry.org.

	New Common Sense Applying First Principles to the Issues of Today

Taxation Without Representation, Obama-Style

America was founded on the idea that government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed. The rallying cry of the Revolution was "no taxation without representation," because Parliament was imposing taxes on American colonists without their legislative approval. Yet, in his April 13, 2011 speech at George Washington University, President Obama proposed exactly that: unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats could cut spending and impose taxes on the American people without a vote of Congress.

Obama proposed what he calls a "Debt Failsafe." It is a mechanism that triggers across-the-board spending reductions-both in direct spending and "spending through the tax code"-if the projected ratio of debt-to-GDP is not stabilized and declining by 2014. Obama presented this plan as a commonsensical mechanism to hold Washington accountable and to reduce the deficit: "If, by 2014, our debt is not projected to fall as a share of the economy-if we haven't hit our targets, if Congress has failed to act-then my plan will require us to come together and make up the additional savings with more spending cuts and more spending reductions in the tax code." At first glance, this mechanism seems to be a great idea: after all, what is better than cutting spending and getting serious about controlling the deficit?

But here's the catch: the mechanism actually enables bureaucrats to raise taxes without the consent of Congress.

"Spending reductions in the tax code" refers to raising taxes by eliminating deductions Americans take on their returns. It is therefore a tax increase. This is only considered a spending reduction if one assumes that deductions Americas take when filling out their taxes are dollars that belong to the federal government. Under this theory, individuals do not own their own wealth, and it does not matter if an elected representative or an unelected bureaucrat decides how much money to take or how to spend it.

There are various versions of a "Debt Failsafe" by which bureaucrats may cut spending or raise taxes without Congress, but the differences between them pertain to which bureaucrats receive the task or which entitlement programs are exempt from automatic spending cuts. For instance, one plan would empower the Treasury Department to raise tax rates without a specific authorization from Congress through either a surtax on income taxes or removing deductions from the tax code.

Clearly, a $14.3 trillion national debt and an estimated $1.5 trillion debt for 2011 alone is a big problem. But, taxation without representation can't be the solution. The American people deliberate on spending issues through their representatives in Congress. Under Article I, Section 7, Clause 1, the Constitution explicitly allocates the power to raise revenue-an essential part of the power of the purse-to the House of Representatives, the legislative body closest to the people. The idea of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats having the power to raise taxes is incompatible with the Constitution and republican government.

If the Debt Failsafe idea gets traction in Congress during the budget debate and is included in the final budget, then the result would be an unconstitutional delegation of power by the legislative branch. Congress would pretend to make the tough spending choices and wring their hands about high taxes, when in reality they would have delegated their responsibility (and punted the tough decisions) to administrative bureaucrats.

The idea of taxation by bureaucracy aligns perfectly with the Progressives' vision of the administrative state. The Progressives replaced the Founders' system of limited government, the separation of powers, and the consent of the governed with one that encouraged delegations of power, combination of functions, and the insulation of administration from the full measure of political and legal control. Under this new system, government can grow without bounds to meet the problems of the times.  Administrative experts would run the government and wield the power to fix any problem. Whether the challenge is poverty, hunger, or health care, there are always experts to rule us. Allowing the taxing power to be absorbed by unelected bureaucrats is the next step towards administrative despotism.

Today's Headlines:  Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Bin Laden's Death Prompts Fresh Calls for Afghanistan Pullout

You Got Bin Laden, Now Get Out of the Region, Islamists Tell U.S.

Only A Few 9/11-Era al-Qaeda Leaders Remain at Large

What Did Pakistan Know About Bin Laden? Senator Presses Administration for Answers

Congressman Outraged That 3 Convicts in Terror-Related Cases Were Granted U.S. Citizenship

Bin Laden Raid: 'A Model of Seamless Collaboration Across Our Government'

Afghan President Karzai: Bin Laden 'Punished' for His Deeds; Taleban Should 'Learn a Lesson'

Bin Laden's Murderous 1998 'Fatwa': 'Comply With God's Order to Kill the Americans'

Senior Official on Bin Laden Compound: 'We Were Shocked By What We Saw'

Palin to Both Parties: Vote Against Raising Debt Ceiling

USDA Introduces Online Tool for Locating 'Food Deserts' in USA

Obama Traveling to Ground Zero Thursday; Mulls Release of Bin Laden Photo

States Reassess Marijuana Laws After Warnings From Federal Government

Syria Has Arrested 1,000 Since Saturday, Human Rights Group Says

 Scott Pelley Taking Over for Katie Couric As CBS Anchor

COMMENTARY:

Let's Blame Speculators
By Walter E. Williams

The Shot That Killed Bin Laden
By Rich Galen

NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP:

Ownership of TV sets falls in U.S.
U.S. may end up with the highest corporate tax rate in the world
Cheney says enhanced interrogation probably led to bin Laden's death
Obama gets praise for bold action
U.N. postponing $38 million Syrian aid plan
Deadline to raise the U.S. debt ceiling pushed to Aug. 2, Geithner says
States turn to work-arounds on health insurance exchanges
PG&E finds some SmartMeters misread electricity usage when too hot
Shell to submit new Arctic offshore drilling plan
Senate to vote on symbolic resolution marking bin Laden's death
In farewell speech to Senate, resigning Ensign apologizes for 'arrogance'
Nation's highest-paid federal workers include doctors, lawyers, dentists
89 arrested in Medicaid protest on Capitol Hill
ASU cites budget cuts in ending its golf-management program
Three DMV employees accused of taking payoffs for driver's licenses

May 4, 2011 

On Tuesday's Program 

One-eyed Osama pics coming soon...

After some deliberation, the Obama administration has made the decision to show the world photos of Osama bin Laden after he was introduced to the United States Navy SEALs. Like most people who encounter the SEALs and other American Special Ops teams, Osama didn't live to tell about it. The only memories left of the terrorist in the mansion next door are photos. How bad did the 6'4", world's most wanted terrorist look after his encounter with America's finest? We'll be able to see very soon. Glenn reacts to the news of the release HERE.

The View hosts: skip the 2012 election

Typical of progressives that they get a piece of good news and immediately the mantra is 'hey, let's skip the 2012 election' because Obama got Osama.  Barbara Walters said she'd hate to be a Republican who has to run against Obama now because you can't beat that! Really? So, the President gets one thing right and that's it? Apparently that is what the left believes, but will the death of OBL really seal the GOP's fate in 2012? Glenn has more on radio today.

Social Justice journalist: This was killer vs. killer

A progressive journalist made quite a revealing statement when asked by an interviewer about the killing of Osama bin Laden. After the obligatory -- 'yeah, he probably should have died and all,' he added that the killing of OBL amounted to nothing more than a killer being killed by another, bigger killer. "This was one killer killing another," said Allan Nairn on Democracy Now, explaining that it's the big bad countries like America who are just as bad as Bin Laden. WATCH

Yesterday's best OBL jokes - get them at The Blaze. 

Beautiful Democratic Revolution? The horrific Lara Logan story

'I didn't even know they were beating me with flagpoles and sticks' because the sexual assault was so brutal. In the middle of Tahrir Square, the celebration that the media declared a peaceful revolution, CBS reporter Lara Logan was mass raped, nearly killed and almost gave up. She questioned herself: is that all the fight I have? Fortunately, her answer to that was no. She has 2 very young children-- it was the thought of them that gave her the strength to fight on. Hear the horrific story on radio today.

POLL: Alarming numbers from Egypt

Think the Lara Logan rape was a fluke? Just a couple of bad apples? Perhaps these poll numbers will change your mind. Recent polls from Egypt reveal that the radical Muslim Brotherhood has a 75% approval rating, 62% want laws to 'strictly' follow the Koran, 54% want to annul the Israeli peace agreement, only 36% think it's important to allow Christians to freely 'practice' their religion in Egypt. That's not 1776 -- well, maybe Britain 1776 -- but certainly not America. Stu goes over the complete (and disturbing) poll numbers on radio today.

Collective Salvation ends in Collective damnation

There's a report out saying that OBL had started to lose influence. Why? Because kids are starting to realize they can overthrow dictators using Facebook. That's a lot more appealing than blowing yourself up - a little bit easier of a pitch to make. The point is THEIR idea is spreading. Fundamentally transform the world. Glenn strongly believes individuals will be the key - but we are heading towards the collective. How does small government win?  Their idea is growing. What's our idea? 1791? Are you growing or collapsing? Where are the big dreamers? Glenn has more on radio today.

Don Imus Radiothon Auction: The Imus Radiothon is currently auctioning off a number of great items that you can bid on to raise money for the Imus Ranch for Kids with Cancer, Tomorrows Children's Fund, and The CJ Foundation for SIDS. Items range from Caribbean Vacations to sport tickets to a morning spent at the Imus in the Morning studio! Check out all the items HERE.