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Is the Department of Homeland Security Obama's Gestapo?
When Adolf Hitler made his rise to power, he established the Secret State Police in 1934, headed by Heinrich Himmler. The German name for them is Geheime Staatspolizei. Taking the bolded and underlined letters from the newly formed entity you get the more familiar term, Gestapo.
The role of the Gestapo was to spy on the German people and identify any and all opposition to Hitler's Third Reich. They were given full authority to investigate and report or suspect cases of criminal attacks against the Nazi Party along with cases of sabotage, espionage and treason. What made them so deadly and sinister was that they were also given authority to act without any judicial oversight. They became the prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner of anyone that stood in Hitler's way.
The Gestapo was given a sizeable budget and access to all the weapons, ammunitions and spying devices they wanted. Once they established their dark reputation, they used all of those devices and weapons far too frequently. Within a few years, no one dared to say or do anything that might be considered critical of the Nazi Party and its leaders. If they did, the Gestapo or its sister agency, the SS (Security Service) moved in and took care of the alleged problem.
Eighty years later, Barak Obama talks about creating a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, strong and as well-funded as the US military. In 2008, Obama talked about his desire to create his civilian army, but many of the references to that speech have mysteriously disappeared. However, WND posted the following clip of Obama's admission:
Islam is now the fastest growing religion in America, verifying President Barack Obama's claim that the United States is "no longer a Judeo-Christian country."
A Tribute to Ronald Reagan "The Gipper" Happy Birthday! Expose, videos, pictures and facts.
Posted by Darla Dawald on February 5, 2013 at 10:25pm
Happy Birthday President Reagan, no one has ever been able to replace you and I fear no one will ever take the helm that has your strength and resolve. We loved you and miss you greatly! You sir were a great man! May God Bless America again with a leader like you!
Darla Dawald
From the Desk of: Steve Elliott, Grassfire
Dear Patriot,
One-hundred-and-two years ago today, Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, and the world has been a better place ever since.
Today, in honor of the Gipper's birthday, Grassfire is releasing a special video tribute that highlights a little-known fact about Reagan's journey to the White House.
13 States, and Counting, with Bills to Nullify Federal Gun "Laws
Calling all Patriots!
We have a man in Harrisburg (Daryl Metcalfe) who has the backbone to write the legislation we need and he has done this! Please note which Reps. have NOT signed on as co-sponsors of HB 357. Please use the link below to enter the Tenth Amendment Center and click on Representative Metcalfe's link, SIGN his petition, PRINT his petition for friends & family and then CALL your Rep. to either thank them or encourage them to sign on as CO-Sponsors! This is IMPORTANT! Let's support a man who is supporting us!!!
Petition to Montgomery County Sheriff. "PLEASE CLICK LINK BELOW AND SIGN!"
We, the undersigned residents of Montgomery County, implore our Sheriff to publicly pledge to honor her sworn oath to protect and preserve our guaranteed right to bear arms in defense of ourselves and the State under both the Pennsylvania and Federal Constitutions and to intercede on our behalf against any incursion by Federal or local law enforcement. Our PA Constitution is clearly stated in Article 1: Section 21- "The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned."
... In response to unconstitutional actions by the President, on .223, February 23, 2013 the American people will stand together in solidarity to protect the right that protects ALL of our rights, the 2nd Amendment! This is a pro-2nd Amendment rally along with other liberties that they are trying to take away. This is more than just about gun rights, this rally is a battle cry in support of ALL our Constitutional & god-given rights that are being flushed down the toilet PIECE by PIECE! People are organizing locally and banding together neighbor to neighbor to reassert our community's right to determine our own destiny! This is NOT a Republican thing, this is NOT a Democrat thing, this is an American thing. Join today by RSVPing!
[When] Saturday, February 23rd
[Where] Montgomery County Courthouse, 2 E Main St Norristown, PA 19401
2:00 - Rally Starts (feel free to come a little early if you want) 3:15 - Open Carry Walk
#Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CFLiberty Feel free call our voicemail & leave a message (215) 559-5000
Next meeting of CGOBC is scheduled for Tuesday February 19th from 7-9pm at VFW Post 6493, 645 Louis Dr. Warminster PA, 18974.
One- Day Storm Refiel Project
Hurricane Sandy Relief
Your opportunity to serve:
When? Saturday, February16, 2013 Where? New York Who? Adults & Teens (14-17)
Volunteers should be prepared for hard manual labor including debris removal and mudouts. Far beyond physical help you will extend to the homeowners, the spiritual and emotional support you offer is even more important. This is an exciting opportunity to love a community to Christ and impact lives forever.
Before you decide whether to join the team, Mark Driver suggests that you listen to Brandon Heath's song, "Give Me Your Eyes."
Contact Mark Driver to JOIN THE TEAM! 484-302-6336 mdriver404@gmail.com
What to wear Samaritan's Purse will provide a t-shirt upon arrival. Please wear long pants, sturdy work boots or shoes with thick soles. You will also want to bring rubber boots with you.
What to bring Work gloves, safety glasses and a hat. Samaritan's Purse provides all the tools needed for this site. If you choose to bring your own tools, please make sure your tools are well marked. Lunch You will need to bring a bagged lunch and water.
Metcalfe Seeks to Make Federal Gun-Grabbing A Criminal Offense in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG - State Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) today announced his legislation that would make any new federal gun control laws unenforceable within the Commonwealth.
"Passage of my legislation will send the message that there will never be additional gun control, anywhere in Pennsylvania," said Metcalfe. "Whether by White House executive orders, congressional fiat, or judicial activism, we will never allow the left to benefit from the wicked acts of murderers in order advance their senseless gun-grabbing agenda which would only succeed in replacing one of our most sacred personal liberties with the chains of government tyranny."
Similar to legislation most recently introduced in Wyoming and Texas, Metcalfe's Right to Bear Arms Protection Act (House Bill 357) would:
Prohibit enforcement of any new federal registration, restriction or prohibition requirement for privately owned firearms, magazines and ammunition.
Require the state of Pennsylvania, including the Office of Attorney General, to intercede on behalf of Commonwealth citizens against any federal attempt to register, restrict or ban the purchase or ownership of firearms and firearms accessories which are currently legal products.
Final enactment of Metcalfe's Right to Bear Arms Protection Act would mean that anyone - even federal agents - who try to enforce any type of gun control restriction within state borders would face arrest and being charged with a felony offense.
"The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned," said Metcalfe. "Article 1, Section 21 of the Pennsylvania Constitution makes it crystal clear that no level of government, especially the federal government, has any authority whatsoever to impose senseless restrictions on law-abiding firearms owners, or worse, the confiscation of legally owned firearms. The purpose of my legislation is to force any gun-grabbing federal official to count the costs of unconstitutionally disarming or denying Pennsylvania citizens their God-given right to keep and bear arms."
Metcalfe is also calling on all Pennsylvania citizens who support Constitutional liberty to attend Pennsylvania's annual Second Amendment Action Day on Tuesday, April 23, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the State Capitol Rotunda, and to sign the all-new Armed Pennsylvania: Say to No Gun Control petition by visiting RepMetcalfe.com.
Representative Daryl Metcalfe 12th District Pennsylvania House of Representatives Media Contact: Ty McCauslin 717.772.9979
The Warminster Township Republican Club Presents "Warminster GOP Winter Blast 2013" Sunday, February 10, 2013 - 2 to 6 pm VFW Post 6493 645 Louis Dr. Warminster, Pa 18974 Food- DJ Entertainment- Beer and Wine $30.00 per person in advance RSVP by February 4 For Tickets contact: Mark McKee- 267-688-2910 or Bill Rinier- 215-704-7691
Name_________________________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________________ ___________(# of tickets) Amount Enclosed: $________________
Please make checks payable to "Warminster Republican Club" No Corporate checks, please. Warminster Republican Club - PO Box 2313 - Warminster, PA 18974 Pay at the door $35
Hello Patriots on this Day!
We need to make daily calls to Washington to stop infringement on our 2nd Amendment rights!!
February 15 - March 27, 2013 - Debt Ceiling: Sometime in this date range we are expected to reach the debt ceiling (Technically we have already hit the debt ceiling, but this is the date range when we will reach a point where the Treasury can no longer implement "extraordinary measures" to meet our spending obligations.
February 28, 2013 - Sequestration: The "fiscal cliff" bill created a new manufactured crisis that will happen sometime at the end of February. This is when the sequestration can was kicked down the road.
March 31, 2013 - Continuing Resolution: The current Continuing Resolution that the government is operating under expires on March 31. This means that they will have to pass a CR between now and then.
April 15, 2013 - Budget Resolution: This is the date by law in which both Houses should have a budget resolution passed. We are already hearing that the President is late in submitting his budget, the House is reporting that they will not meet their deadline for a budget, and the Senate... well they haven't passed a budget in over 1,350 days.
Any questions, holler.
Lil
Rob Boysen Lil Boysen Bill Harper
Tea Party Patriots PA State Coordinator, S.E. Region Co-Coordinator Co-Coordinator
Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots Group Coordinator Communications Coordinator, Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots-Lower Bucks
We are pleased to announce that noted author, attorney, and Breitbart columnist, Ben Shapiro, will be headlining our March 3 program, On Defending the Second Amendment, to be held at the Independence Visitors Center Ballroom (details to follow). Please save the date!
Checkout the following Ben Shapiro v. Piers Morgan video and news article:
This event marks the Association's 4th Anniversary. (Our first Tea Party was held on February 28, 2009.) The program is part of an ongoing series commemorating the 225th Anniversary Year of the United States Constitution.
Also, this Saturday (February 9, 1 PM), we have been invited to participate in a Dom Giordano Workout at the AFC fitness center in Bala Cynwyd.
Dom encourages everyone to work-off any anger and hostility still lingering in the aftermath of the November election. Let's get this defeat out of our system once and for all!
An important reminder: This Friday (February 8, 10 AM) there will be a Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally at the New Jersey State Capitol in Trenton (see below).
As more than 20 bills restricting that right have been introduced in the New Jersey State Legislature, it is imperative that we rally Governor Christie and elected officials to our side.
Finally, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Salute Our Troops Live Broadcast and Luncheon has been cancelled. If you already bought tickets, WPHT will contact you regarding your refund.
1. Right to Keep & Bear Arms--A Peaceful Demonstration
When: Friday, February 8, 10 AM
Where: State Capitol, 125 West State Street, Trenton, NJ
Sponsored by the New Jersey Second Amendment Society
2. Saturday Workout with Dom
When: Saturday, February 9, 1 PM
Where: AFC, 601 Righters Ferry Road, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Sponsored by WPHT 1210 AM and AFC
For more information, call 610.664.6464.
You're invited to check out AFC's state of the art equipment free of charge.
Everything from the pool, steam, sauna, Jacuzzi, pool, and basketball court wil be open to you. (One lucky winner will leave with an Apple iPad®!)
You can also challenge Dom to a work out using the MyZone® belt!
MyZone® monitors your heart rate while you challenge your friends based on effort, not fitness. No matter where you work out, My Zone® will help you
achieve your goal with a simple physical activity belt and online account.
3.On Defending the Second Amendment with Ben Shapiro
When: Sunday, March 3, 2-4 PM
Where: Independence Visitors Center Ballroom, 6th and Market Streets
Sponsored by the Independence Hall Tea Party Association
More details to follow in the coming days!
We hope to see you!
On behalf of the Association Board of Directors,
Teri Adams
The Independence Hall Tea Party Association formed after historic February 28 and April 18, 2009 Tea Parties on Independence Mall. It is the oldest and largest independent grassroots Tea Party organization in the tri-state (DE, NJ, PA) region and encompasses the 5th leading media market in the United States.
June 19 - 21 we will convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC for our fourth annual National Conference & Legislative Briefing.
And here's some really great news: This year's registration fee is only $229! Register by April 15th and you'll receive our "Early Bird" rate of just $189!
We also offer again this year special benefits for Patriot Eagle and Patriot sponsors.
We have some exciting new wrinkles planned for this year's event, and our list of confirmed speakers already includes:
Steven Emerson - Journalist, author, and the Executive Editor of the Investigative Project on Terrorism. A. M. Rosenthal, late-managing editor of The New York Times, described Emerson as "one of the nation's best national security correspondents."
John Guandolo - Former FBI agent and one of America's leading authorities on the Muslim Brotherhood and its inner workings in America. Guandolo spoke at our conference in 2011 and received rave reviews from conference attendees!
Ezra Levant - Canadian lawyer, author, newspaper columnist with Sun Media, and former publisher of the Western Standard. Hauled before a Canadian "human rights commission" because he published the Danish cartoons that satirized Muhammad, Levant's personal account of a politically correct government inquisition is something you won't want to miss!
The National Conference & Legislative Briefing will begin on Wed. evening, June 19th, and conclude on Friday, June 21st at noon, with additional optional training sessions Friday afternoon.
It will again feature our very popular Capitol Hill Awards Luncheon and our signature gala banquet-and of course, our Legislative Briefing, where Members of Congress will brief you on various issues and answer your questions.
So make your plans now to join us in our nation's capital for what promises to be our best National Conference & Legislative Briefing ever!
More details to come!
January 30, 2013
ZOA: Senators Should Vote to Reject Hagel
More Horrific Hagel Statements - Israelis Keep "Palestinians Caged Up Like Animals," Iran Should Not Be Isolated, Supports Fatah/Hamas Merger
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has pointed to further, alarming statements made by President Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, and urged senators to vote against confirming him in that office.
The far-left J Street, which present itself as a pro-Israel group, has now released the video of Hagel's speech to its 2009 conference, in which Hagel said that he opposed isolating Iran through diplomacy and sanctions, saying, "How in the world do we think isolating someone is going to bring them around to your way of thinking?"
Hagel also subscribed to the discredited 'linkage' argument, which contends that the Middle East can be greatly tranquilized and U.S. relations with Arab states enhanced if the U.S. pressures Israel into a peace agreement with the Palestinians. Hagel said, "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is central, not peripheral, to U.S. vital security interests in combating terrorism, preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon, stability in the Middle East and U.S. and global energy security."
Echoing the views of hostile anti-Israel figures Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski, Hagel suggested imposing a peace agreement on Israel, saying, "I think we are getting close to the time where something has to be laid down here on this."
Hagel also called for a Fatah-Hamas merge, saying, "No peace will be possible nor sustainable as long as the Palestinians remain a house divided." He did not mention any conditions for Hamas
Also, Hagel seemed to refer, like Israel's Arab enemies, to Israel's capital being Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, when said, "It's always difficult for leaders to step forward, either in Ramallah, Tel Aviv, Riyadh or Cairo." ('Sen. Chuck Hagel at the first J Street Conference,' Youtube, January 29, 2012). Other than Tel Aviv, all the other cities named by Hagel are Arab capitals.
Additionally, a report in the Washington Free Beacon has unearthed a Hagel statement that appeared in a Nebraska newspaper, the Lincoln Journal Star, on January 12, 2003, in which Hagel said that Israel was "keep[ing] Palestinians caged up like animals" ('Hagel in 2003: Israel Keeps "Palestinians Caged Up Like Animals,"' Washington Free Beacon, January 9, 2013).
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, "These newly unearthed statements by Hagel simply reinforce the fact that Hagel has a virtually unrivaled record of hostility to Israel, bigotry towards Jews and gays, disbelief in the importance of a strong U.S. military, indulgence of Middle Eastern terrorist groups like Hizballah and Hamas, and antipathy towards any conceivable measure - economic or military - for preventing Iran becoming a nuclear power if negotiations fail.
"These statements afford further reasons for the Senate to vote against confirming Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary and we urge senators to do so."
Please continue to call both of your U.S. senators and respectfully ask that they oppose the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense. Please ask friends, relatives, colleagues and all of your electronic contacts to call as well.
Has Communist Ideology Overtaken America? Education is crucial. Today I want to share two very interesting lists with you, and rather than adding an extensive amount of my commentary, I want to give you the chance to examine the facts for yourself. It is my opinion that many communist goals have already been accomplished. I also believe that advancement has been made in other areas. But, you owe it to yourself to do your own research. I believe not only in the freedom of speech, but also in the responsibility of free thought. So please don't take my word for it. Examine the facts for yourself.
Again, I want to share two lists with you. The first is a list that was entered into 1963 Congressional Record. The second is the 10 planks of The Communist Manifesto.
If you can't see this happening in America, and a ton of progress being made, then I offer two potential explanations:
You are one of the "useful idiots" of communist teaching.
I am one of the "village idiots" that your Mama probably warned you about.
Some of these points will be open for debate and some will not. In some cases it is blatantly obvious that they have achieved their goals. It is even rumored that our own President has deep communist ties. You might want to check that out as well but I will withhold my opinion at this point. Let's just lay it out and you can interpret it.
This list was originally printed in "The Naked Communist" by Cleon Skousen. It was entered into Congressional Record in 1963 as the 45 goals of "The Communist Takeover of America."
If I Were the Devil - (BEST VERSION) by PAUL HARVEY audio restored
Individuals sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood's sinister agenda have infiltrated the Obama Administration.
Brainwashed by the Muslim Students Association and then propelled in to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the David Horowitz Freedom Center tracks the path of Huma Abedin and other Muslim sympathizers who have navigated their way into positions of great influence in the Obama Administration. Everything is revealed in the explosive new Freedom Center pamphlet, "The Muslim Brotherhood in the Obama Administration," written by Frank Gaffney, national security expert who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan.
The David Horowitz Freedom Center is committed to educating the public on the Muslim Brotherhood's sinister Agenda. That is why we are giving away this pamphlet for FREE.
Subject: Great Sources of information---Please keep in folder.
From a Fellow Patriot that was kind enough to put this together.
I spoke with someone recently regarding web sites/groups and subscriptions to information/news feeds. This is a listing of many such which may be of use to folks.
The number of emails can get overwhelming at times, so check out the sites and see what suits your need. I recommend, though to be sure to subscribe to at least #1 Tea Party Patriots and #2 Americans for Prosperity.
Groups/web sites for keeping up on issues, events, etc.
1. Tea Party Patriots (National) http://www.teapartypatriots.org Dot's note ► From this site, you can get to state and local group sites. Basically, this is our "Home page" for information on the national level. Great site to keep up with issues within the "realm" of the Tea Party's core values: Fiscal Responsibility, Free Markets and constitutionally limited Government. They have many citizen journalists who contribute. Also, information on events, etc.
From the site: ABOUT TEA PARTY PATRIOTS The Tea Party movement spontaneously formed in 2009 from the reaction of the American people to fiscally irresponsible actions of the federal government, misguided "stimulus" spending, bailouts and takeovers of private industry. Within the first few weeks of the movement, Tea Party Patriots formed to support the millions of Americans seeking to improve our great nation through renewed support for fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free market economic policies.
Tea Party Patriots is a national grassroots organization that exists to serve and support the thousands of local organizations and millions of grassroots Patriots throughout our nation. We provide logistical, educational, networking and other support to thousands of community-based tea party groups around the country. Tea Party Patriots state and national coordinators serve your local grassroots groups, support you with the tools and technology you need to address your local issues, listen to your voices, gather your ideas, and together help shape the overall direction of our national movement. Working in a truly grassroots fashion, we have already changed the political landscape of America. TEA PARTY PATRIOTS IS 100% GRASSROOTS, 100% OF THE TIME. Tea Party Patriots is made up of, and funded by, millions of regular Americans just like you, who believe there is a better way forward for America. We are a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization that does not support any political party nor do we endorse candidates. If you support fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free market economic policies, we encourage you to sign up for Tea Party Patriots today.
2. Americans for Prosperity (AFP) http://americansforprosperity.org/ Dot's note ► Great organization, super info. they sponsor/organize many events in the area and DC. Jennifer Stefano is the PA State Director. You've most likely seen her on Fox News Channel. From the web site: OUR MISSIONS Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is committed to educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens as advocates in the public policy process. AFP is an organization of grassroots leaders who engage citizens in the name of limited government and free markets on the local, state, and federal levels. AFP grassroots activists advocate for public policies that champion the principles of entrepreneurship and fiscal and regulatory restraint. To that end, AFP supports: Cutting taxes and government spending in order to halt the encroachment of government in the economic lives of citizens by fighting proposed tax increases and pointing out evidence of waste, fraud, and abuse. Removing unnecessary barriers to entrepreneurship and opportunity by sparking citizen involvement early in the regulatory process in order to reduce red tape. Restoring fairness to our judicial system. WHO WE ARE The heart and soul of AFP is our citizen activists. They organize events, write letters to the editor, and petition their lawmakers to uphold freedom and prosperity. Americans for Prosperity has more than 1,800,000 activists in all 50 states and 34 state chapters and affiliates. More than 90,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial contribution to AFP or our sister organization, AFP Foundation. WHAT WE DO AFP's network of organized and influential citizen leaders in a growing number of states throughout the country is working to change the nation one state at a time. AFP mobilizes citizens to effectively make their voices heard in public policy issue campaigns. AFP educates citizens about where their elected officials stand on our issues. AFP combines "best-in-class" capabilities built once at the national level with local knowledge from our state staff and on-the-ground grassroots to create economies of scale that win. AFP leverages our comparative advantages with those of other groups by building coalitions of local, state, and national grassroots organizations fighting for a common cause.
3. Freedom Connecter http://connect.freedomworks.org/ Dot's note ► A great site to connect with others. Register, then browse for folks who are near your residence or elsewhere who share your views. I have connections in CA, NY, NC, AL, TX, MO and FL.
4. FreedomWorks for America (FWFA) https://www.freedomworksforamerica.org/ From the web site: FreedomWorks for America (FWFA) is focused on spearheading bottom-up grassroots campaigns on behalf of candidates who will promote economic freedom. Unlike other PACs and organizations, FreedomWorks for America will aggressively support candidates who will defend freedom, even in political primaries against establishment or incumbent Republicans. And instead of spending funds on traditional methods like TV and radio advertisements, our financial resources will primarily be spent mobilizing our over a million-strong volunteer base to promote candidates who are champions of freedom. We are the only group with the grassroots base and the campaign expertise to make a real impact on the ground in races across the country. WHAT WE DO FreedomWorks for America utilizes its over a million-strong grassroots volunteer base to elect candidates who fight for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. WHY WE DO IT FreedomWorks for America believes individual liberty and the freedom to compete increases consumer choices and provides individuals with the greatest control over what they own and earn. FreedomWorks for America aims to elect real champions of freedom who will stand up for these principles in the face of Washington establishment pressure, and who will be standard bearers for the grassroots to rally behind. HOW WE DO IT FreedomWorks for America's aggressive, real-time campaigns activate a growing and permanent volunteer grassroots army to show up and demand that our elected officials stand up for freedom. Our decentralized approach means that we have the capability to directly impact elections across the country through citizen action on the local level.
5. Constitutional Organization of Liberty (COOL) http://reclaimliberty.com/ Dot's note ► Great educational offerings. Sign up for email. Ruth & I bumped into each other at one of these events: From the web site: Liberty Breakfast The Liberty Breakfast is a new presentation format that allows participants to enjoy a casual meal with other like-minded individuals, and then engage in an interactive review and discussion of a specific topic related to the Constitution, the Founding Fathers or relevant historic documents. The Liberty Breakfast is held on a rotating basis across Pennsylvania, and topics and instructors may vary from location to location. Participants are responsible for the cost of their meal. (Duration: 2-3 HR) A Project Of The Alexander Hamilton Institute For Constitutional Studies Education is the critical service that COOL provides to participants in order to develop a more well rounded understanding of the documents critical to the founding of this nation. Currently, COOL offers a variety of different fee-based courses and is constantly seeking out new material for presentation. Mark Thomas, Chairman, P.O. Box 822, Lebanon, PA 17042 reclaimliberty@verizon.net 1-717-228-7524
6. The Blaze http://www.theblaze.com/ Dot's note ► Glenn Beck's media corporation. This is news site. They send reporters out and get some good videos. Sign up for emails. From the web site: The Blaze is a news, information and opinion site brought to you by a dedicated team of writers, journalists & video producers. Our goal is to post, report and analyze stories of interest on a wide range of topics from politics and culture to faith and family. Email: contact@theblaze.com
7. PJTV http://www.pjtv.com/ Dot's note ► Some really good interviews From the web site: About PJTV PJTV launched at the 2008 Republican National Convention, where it was the first online news organization accorded a full television booth along with the old media networks. Since then it has evolved into the premier center-right online news and commentary television network, broadcasting over the Internet from its headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. PJTV studios are also located in Washington, DC, New York City, Knoxville, TN & Denver, CO. Besides covering the political and economic issues of the day, PJTV has been covering the Tea Party movement from its inception. PJTV viewers have found a new voice in the media via opinion commentators like Glenn Reynolds, Bill Whittle, Tony Katz, Allen Barton, Joe Hicks, Andrew Klavan, Alfonzo Rachel, Al Sonja Schmidt, Stephen Kruiser, Scott Ott, Stephen Green and others. PJTV is under the direction of PJ Media CEO Roger L. Simon.
8. The Heritage Foundation http://www.heritage.org/ Dot's note ► Great resource for information on and analysis of issues. From the web site: Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institution-a think tank-whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
9. Glenn Beck http://www.glennbeck.com/ Dot's note ► Audio of radio shows and commentary. Other programs require a paid subscription.
10. National Center for Policy Analysis http://www.ncpa.org/ From the web site: Daily Policy Digest - NCPA's Daily Policy Digest brings you the most wide-ranging public policy findings five times a week at no charge. 12770 Coit Road, Suite 800 Dallas, TX 75251-1339 1-972.386.6272
11. PoliticsPA www.politicspa.com From the web site: Online political community features news briefs, editorials, and links to sites of interest to Pennsylvania voters. 900 19th Street NW, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20006
12. PAIndependent http://paindependent.com/ Dot's note ► great news of PA From the web site: Pennsylvania Independent is a public interest journalism project dedicated to promoting open, transparent, and accountable state government by reporting on the activities of agencies, bureaucracies, and politicians in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 225 State Street, Suite 300 Harrisburg, PA 17101 Phone 717.350.0963
13. 912 Patriots of Lower Bucks http://patriotsoflowerbucks.com Dot's note ► MUCHO information from multiple sources! From the web site: Your Daily Updates ALL in ONE Place PO Box 2122 Warminster, PA 18974 215-274-5415
14. Rasmussen Reports http://www.rasmussenreports.com/ Dot's note ► also commentary regarding what's in the news. From the web site: "If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003". 625 Cookman Avenue Asbury Park, NJ 07712
15. Town Hall http://townhall.com/http://townhall.com/columnists/ Dot's note ► you'll recognize many of these conservative columnists. Sign up for Town Hall daily and you get, again, MUCHO commentary. From the web site: Townhall is the top source for conservative news, political cartoons, breaking news, election news and commentary on politics and the media culture. Townhall Spotlight 1901 N. Moore St - Suite 701 Arlington, VA 22209
16. Tea Party Nation http://www.teapartynation.com/ Dot's note ► Great discussions on numerous issues. From the web site: A HOME FOR CONSERVATIVES!!! Tea Party Nation is a user-driven group of like-minded people who desire our God-given individual freedoms written out by the Founding Fathers. We believe in Limited Government, Free Speech, the 2nd Amendment, our Military, Secure Borders and our Country. Judson Phillips
17. Daily Caller http://dailycaller.com/http://dailycaller.com/wp-login.php?action=register Dot's note ► Several editions including: The DC Morning and The DC Links. From the web site: Daily Caller is a news and opinion website based in Washington, D.C., United States, with a focus on politics, original reporting and breaking news, founded by journalist and political pundit Tucker Carlson and politician Neil Patel.
18. Cowboybyte http://cowboybyte.com/ Dot's note ► Cowboybyte has a BITE to it as well. Most entries link to original information/articles. I really like it! From the web site: Ronald Reagan... John Wayne... Charlton Heston... These men were rugged individualists, conservatives, and patriotic Americans - the very qualities that make up a true Cowboy. CowboyByte.com is dedicated to bringing the cowboy out in all of us. While the mainstream media is lying to you and covering up the truth, CowboyByte.com will inspire and inform you. At CowboyByte.com, you'll be the first to know about any threats to our Constitutional right to bear arms. We'll tell you about the effects of bills introduced and passed regarding our air, water, and food supply. You have the right to know how your government is affecting you and our family. That's why CowboyByte.com will be there to tell you what is really going on behind the scenes.
19. Conservative Daily http://conservative-daily.com/ Dot's note ► Good articles and links. A big part is their "action alerts". They also charge for sending faxes to Congress. From the web site: Conservatives Daily Alerts
20. Conservative Daily News - (different than the one above) www.conservativedailynews.com/ From the web site: "News for the People, By the People" - CITIZEN JOURNALISTS. Rich Mitchell - Managing Editor Conservative Daily News PO Box 42 Bahama, North Carolina 27503
22. Atlas Shrugs http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/ Dot's note ► Pamela Geller pulls no punches on this site. Some somewhat incendiary articles. Pam was a speaker in DC at the Independence Hall Tea Party Association Independence Day event.
The group who was having a statewide tour selling the Agenda 21 "Smart Towns" concept... http://www.strongtowns.org/
"Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all economic growth in the United States."
-- Ronald Reagan
Retirement Savings Accounts Draw U.S. Consumer Bureau Attention
By Carter Dougherty - Jan 18, 2013 12:01 AM ET
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is weighing whether it should take on a role in helping Americans manage the $19.4 trillion they have put into retirement savings, a move that would be the agency's first foray into consumer investments.
"That's one of the things we've been exploring and are interested in in terms of whether and what authority we have,"bureau director Richard Cordray said in an interview. He didn't provide additional details.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray said, "You know if you lose your home because the rest of your block is foreclosed on, your credit history is affected."
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray said, "You know if you lose your home because the rest of your block is foreclosed on, your credit history is affected." Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
The bureau's core concern is that many Americans, notably those from the retiring Baby Boom generation, may fall prey to financial scams, according to three people briefed on the CFPB's deliberations who asked not to be named because the matter is still under discussion.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Labor are the main regulators of U.S. retirement savings vehicles and funds. However, the consumer bureau -- established by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act -- sees itself as a potential catalyst for promoting a coherent policy across the government, the people said.
"[W]hen all government ... shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another." --Thomas Jefferson
Editorial Exegesis
"The latest Congressional Budget Office calls the lie on President Obama's claim that the nation's debt crisis can be solved with just a few trims to spending and a bit more taxes on the rich. Obama lately has acted as though most of the work has already been done to get the debt problem under control. ... But the latest CBO report shows that the country is far from out of the woods. In fact, despite the supposed budget cuts and the $620 billion in tax hikes Obama brags about, deficits start climbing every year after 2015, reaching back up to $978 billion by 2023. Debt, too, starts expanding again as a share of GDP, climbing to 77% by 2023, with no end in sight. Even that grim outlook is unrealistic. The CBO's forecast assumes, for example, that Congress will let scheduled huge cuts in Medicare payments to doctors go through, even though they haven't done so for years. It assumes ObamaCare's costs don't explode, despite increasing evidence to the contrary. And it assumes there's no recession anytime in the next decade and that interest rates remain reasonably low. The CBO also makes it abundantly clear that the cause of this crisis is out-of-control spending, not insufficient tax revenues. ... The report is also clear that entitlements -- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and now ObamaCare -- are to blame for the continued growth in spending. ... The CBO adds that 'unless the laws governing those programs are changed, debt will rise sharply relative to GDP after 2023.' So what is Obama doing in the face of this still-looming crisis? Instead of confronting spending and entitlements, he's focused on meaningless side issues like gun control and scoring short-term political points against Republicans. Given the scale of the nation's fiscal crisis, this is hardly the leadership we need right now. But unless something changes, it's the leadership we're stuck with for the next four years." --Investor's Business Daily
This column by ACRU Senior Legal Analyst Ken Klukowski was published February 3, 2013 on
Breitbart.com. Obamacare's HHS Mandate lost yet again in a federal appeals court last Thursday, and then lost in a second case on Friday. These cases continue on the long road to the Supreme Court, and President Obama's new "accommodation" of religious employers will do nothing to stop them.
There are now at least 12 HHS Mandate cases in the federal courts of appeals, all challenging Kathleen Sebelius' deeply-unpopular Obamacare regulation that all employers with 50 or more employees must offer healthcare plans that cover birth control, sterilization, and abortion-related services.
This column by ACRU Senior Legal Analyst Ken Klukowski was published February 1, 2013 on Breitbart.com.
Discussing gun control, CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday told a Utah sheriff that if Barack Obama issues an executive order, that order is the law and the sheriff must obey. However, jurisprudence on this topic reveals exactly the opposite.
As the head of the executive branch of the federal government, a president can issue executive orders only to employees of the federal government--and only regarding implementing federal laws or programs. A governor can likewise issue executive orders to employees of his state government regarding the laws or programs of that state.
A Federal Court Slaps Down President Obama's Aggressive Abuse of Executive Power
This column by ACRU General Counsel and Senior Fellow for the Carleson Center for Public Policy (CCPP) Peter Ferrara was published January 31, 2013 on Forbes.com.
Can the President make "recess appointments," which do not require Senate confirmation, when the Senate is not in recess? No President in American history had ever tried to do that before. But President Obama tried to do exactly that in January, 2012, trying to bypass the constitutional requirement for Senate confirmation of principal U.S. officers.
Article 2, Section 2, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution, known as the Appointment's Clause, states,
"[The President] shall nominate, and, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments."
This column by ACRU Policy Board Member and Professor of Economics Dr. Walter E. Williams was published January 30, 2013 on Townhall.com.
Let's expose presidential prevarication. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama warned that Social Security checks will be delayed if Congress fails to increase the government's borrowing authority by raising the debt ceiling. However, there's an issue with this warning. According to the 2012 Social Security trustees report, assets in Social Security's trust funds totaled $2.7 trillion, and Social Security expenditures totaled $773 billion. Therefore, regardless of what Congress does about the debt limit, Social Security recipients are guaranteed their checks. Just take the money from the $2.7 trillion assets held in trust.
This column by ACRU General Counsel and Senior Fellow for the Carleson Center for Public Policy (CCPP) Peter Ferrara was published January 30, 2013 on The American Spectator website.
Conservatives are still glum about the election, and the upper hand President Obama seems to have over Republicans. But the political stage has been framed far worse for conservatives and Republicans in the past.
In 1964, conservatives and Republicans were annihilated when the conservative leader Barry Goldwater was crushed in the election by more than 20 points. Democrats held 295 House seats to 140 for the Republicans, and in the Senate, Democrats held a filibuster-proof 67 seats, to 33 for the Republicans. This just 19 years after FDR had dominated American politics for a generation. The Republicans seemed dead, and conservatives were a disfavored minority within the Republican Party, distrusted as sure losers.
There is no permanence in politics. Democrats patting themselves on the back at a job well done will at some point be drowning their sorrows in beer as Republicans again talk about their ridiculous fantasy of a permanent Republican majority (this time without steel tariffs).
People shift over time. Pendulums swing. And in the age of instantly lame ducked Presidents upon their swearing in for a second term, discord has ways of getting the best of any political party.
Conservatives who rallied to George W. Bush through No Child Left Behind, steel tariffs, Medicare Part D, Harriet Miers, etc. stood with him until the end. Many held on through TARP and the auto bailout and immigration, unable to see the fractures or trying to will them away. Now the GOP is dealing with the fall out of that legacy.
Consider the suspicion conservative groups have of Bush's architect, Karl Rove, starting a new group supposedly to support "the most electable conservative". Conservatives are still trying to work their way back out of the Republican Party and stand up on their own again.
With the 22nd amendment, a President's second term is about securing his legacy. His party has no chance to throw him out in a third term primary. So the party rallies to make the best of it and help him secure his legacy. It happened with Reagan and Clinton and the second Bush. It is happening now with Barack Obama.
2. Southern Poverty Law Center Inspires Floyd Lee Corkins' Attempted Mass Shooting
When Congresswoman Giffords and several others were shot in Arizona by Jared Loughner, the left went into overdrive blaming Sarah Palin for a map that had a list of political targets on it.
After the fact, we learned that Lochner was a-political and he clearly had not used Sarah Palin's map of political targets. That did not stop the left from blaming the right. In fact, I was on CNN with an overwrought Cornell Belcher shortly after the shooting who was outraged. He said we could not equate anything on the left with the violence of the tea party despite evidence to the contrary.
In fact, most networks spent a lot of time on the subject of hate, Sarah Palin's political target map, and political violence.
I'm willing to bet the media will ignore today's news.
Floyd Lee Corkins, II, who shot a security guard at the Family Research Center as he attempted to shoot up the organization was directly inspired to take action by a list of supposed "hate groups" on the Southern Poverty Law Center's website.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3.Peeking Into the Legal Immigration Numbers
We've spent a lot of time focusing on illegal immigration policy, both from an enforcement standpoint and from a welfare perspective.It's also important to delve into our current legal immigration process in preparation for any wholesale reforms of our broader system.
From listening to proponents of open borders, you would get the impression that we barely admit any new legal immigrants, and as such, the only practical way for people to come here is by breaking our laws.The reality is just the opposite.We have granted more people permanent legal resident status over the past 15 years than in any other period in American history, including the turn of the 20th century when the country was still relatively young and growing.Moreover, a massive share of the recent immigration has been from developing or third world countries, particularly the very native countries of most illegal immigrants. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
4.It's the Messaging, Stupid. It's the Stupid Messaging.
As many have already discussed, Karl Rove has launched an organization, the Conservative Victory Group, that purports to work on behalf of conservative candidates to shore up our numbers in Congress and bring our party into the 21st century.
Like many others, I viewed this as the political equivalent of declaring war on the grassroots.
The New York Times' Jeff Zeleny set off the fireworks with his opening paragraph introducing the world to Rove's group, writing that it will work "to recruit seasoned candidates and protect Senate incumbents from challenges by far-right conservatives and Tea Party enthusiasts who Republican leaders worry could complicate the party's efforts to win control of the Senate."
He then quoted American Crossroads' President, Steven J. Law, as saying that we are losing candidates because the "wrong candidates were selected." An astoundingly astute observation supported by the fact that we lost. One can only assume that Law is referring to Mitt Romney as well. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
Assassin in Chief? Herbert W. Titus and William J. Olson We are on the brink of the Senate giving the president of the United States the power to kill whomever he wants. More
A Sleepy Compliance with Tyranny Daren Jonescu The progressive ethic deifies subjective feelings, attitudes, and "values," in particular those which glorify the collective and debase the individual. "You didn't build that" is the resentfully anti-individual sentiment of a perfect dupe. More
'Skeeterism' and Obama's Columbia Years Jason Kissner Liberal media outlets are very uncharacteristically applying a reasonable standard in determining whether Obama skeet-shoots "all the time." What if they used that standard "all the time"? More
Why Liberals Hate Inequality Christopher Chantrill Reality doesn't matter. What matters is finding a justification for more government force. More
Judicial Bias against Israel Michael Curtis To the surprise of none except the most naïve, the UNHRC report enjoined Israel to stop expanding settlements and called on the Israeli government to withdraw all Israeli settlers from the disputed areas of the West Bank. More
Armed Citizens are Responsible Citizens William A. Levinson It is quite reasonable for those of us who are sheep dogs, or sheep dogs at need, to ask the sheep politely but firmly to refrain from demanding that we become like them. More
If the Constitution Doesn't Matter... Gary Henderson If the Constitution no longer matters to the president, the Congress, or the Supreme Court, then it no longer matters. To anyone. More
Posted byDaniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog
Groundhog Day is the long eternal tragedy of Islam, which always sees its shadow and always ends up with six weeks, six months or six hundred years of more winter. That hopeful time when the bitter cold of winter begins its slow transition into the warmth and renewal of spring never comes for Islam.
In a reversal of the cycle of season, the Arab Spring led to the Islamic Winter, but that is the endless pattern of Islamic attempts at reform and rejuvenation, which rather than finding renewal in their attempts at transformation only go on perpetuating the same cycle of violence, tyranny and oppression.
There is a peculiar tragedy to a religion which cannot escape its own destructive nature, each time it reaches for some form of redemption, its hands come up dripping with blood and it all ends in more bodies and petty tyrannies.
The film Groundhog Day showed us a man who was doomed to repeat the same day over and over again until he learned to use his time to become a better person. Islam has been stuck in its own form of that cycle, repeating the same few decades over and over again, moving from religious ecstasy to holy war, seeking redemption through religious tyranny and Jihad, and finding that there was no escaping the internal decay and instability in the veins of the religion.
Islam's only redemption is in establishing a theocracy. Its commitment to power and the indulgence of the earthly and heavenly paradise of loot, slaves and violence, led to its own degeneration over and over again. Having no other spiritual form than the exercise of power, it has corrupted itself each time, and then attempted to exorcise the corruption through more of the same.
The Islamic leaders of one generation endorse the tyrants whom the Islamic leaders of another generation strive to overthrow. Hardly had Mohammed kicked the bucket than his nearest and dearest were fighting a civil war over supreme rulership. The origins of the Shiite-Sunni split lay not in theology, but in a vulgar power play between Mohammed's son in law and his father in law's clan. That greedy infighting has hardened into theological variations, but the real split is what Muslim wars are always really about, money and power.
They add that if the capping provision is sustained, making millions of illegal immigrants eligible for Obamacare could also result in a benefit cut of approximately $1,100 annually for the average American ...
The one thing that Hagel, Kerry and Brennan all have in common, besides being Washington insiders, is that they all agree that terrorism is basically a misunderstanding.
For the first time in American history we are providing a sanctuary to a doctrine that seeks our demise. There are now over 2000 mosques funded by Saudi Arabian oil money throughout the United States.
It would also help to publicly acknowledge that the real obstacle to stopping the horrors in North Korea is, by now, not a lack of information, but a lack of will to act.
Islam is now the fastest growing religion in America, verifying President Barack Obama's claim that the United States is "no longer a Judeo-Christian country."
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." ~ Ronald Reagan
Family Security Foundation, Inc. 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., #298 Washington, D.C. 20006
The Wrong Man for Defense Secretary
February 6, 2013
by Phyllis Schlafly
Americans who are concerned about traditional freedoms and the Second Amendment have no difficulty understanding the message of the popular bumper strip: "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." It should be just as easy to grasp the corollary: If nukes are outlawed, only terrorist countries will have nukes.
A secret, 16-page Justice Department memo summarizes legal opinion given the White House for carrying out drone strikes against U.S. citizens abroad, leading to their immediate death without arrest, interrogation, or concerns for their constitutional rights. Pause for a moment and ask what the liberal community and the political Left would be saying if such a memo had been released during the administration of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
An incensed defense team complained at Guantanamo that, while being transported from his cell to the courtroom, accused USS Cole bombing mastermind Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri got red marks on his wrist. Victims who got a chance at the microphone after the lawyers' news conference made clear they've had enough with al-Nashiri being treated as the victim.
No longer content with preaching Sharia in the mosque, some British Muslims are now attempting to impose Islamic law on the streets. In videos posted on YouTube, self-described "Muslim patrols" have filmed themselves berating young women for being inappropriately dressed, seizing cans of beer from men, and burning posters advertising women's underwear.
Life being complex, many simple principles turn out on examination to be not as simple as at first thought. For example, everyone knows, or thinks that he knows, that prevention is better than cure. But is it always? It is often very difficult to say with certainty. And nobody wants to talk about the lethal consequences of the misdiagnosis.
Canada's Boy Scouts Warn BSA Of Homosexual Infiltration
by Bradlee Dean | posted on February 6, 2013
"The notion that we need to protect homosexuals more than we need to protect children...has been a disturbing trend." Brian Rushfeldt, president, Canada Family Action
As you may know, the radical homosexual lobby is using totalitarian methods in an attempt to bully the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) into submission by changing their long-standing policy of banning homosexuals from admission into the BSA.
It would do well for the American people to look across the border to Canada and see the disastrous consequences of such a decision.
In 1998, Canadian Scouts (CS) decided to allow females, atheists, agnostics, homosexuals, bisexuals, and transsexuals to join the CS. In 1999, they approved the establishment of an all-homosexual troop, which now marches in Canada's "gay pride" parades. Within five years, scouting membership dropped over 50 percent, many scouting camps and offices were closed, and staff was laid off.
Under Obamacare, 7 Million Will Lose Their Employer-Based Health Insurance
Thanks to Obamacare, a CBO-estimated 7 million people will lose their employer-based health insurance, nearly twice the estimate that was released last year in August. How's that for universal health care? And what happened to being able to keep the plan you've got if you like it? That's what Obama promised a few years ago in July:
"No matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what."
The Affordable Care Act is expensive and will continue to contribute to rising health care costs. Many businesses will not be able to afford to comply with Obamacare's mandates and will instead pay the less expensive penalties. This will leave many uninsured. On the bright side, all the penalties being paid by these businesses will help to raise revenue for the feds:
"CBO said that this year's tax cuts have changed the incentives for businesses and made it less attractive to pay for insurance, meaning fewer will decide to do so. Instead, they'll choose to pay a penalty to the government, totaling $13 billion in higher fees over the next decade."
This has been the plan all along. The government has created an economic environment that will continue to force people out of their private insurance plans and into a single payer system. And it won't be Obama's fault. He'll claim that these people still had the "freedom of choice" to have their private insurance, but those greedy businesses chose not to provide coverage for their employees and instead opted to "maximize their profits." It's all the free market's fault.
Ben Shapiro on Hannity: "We've Reached the End of Bipartisanship. We've Reached the End of Civility
I have enclosed two very important petitions and I'm asking you to sign them right way.
My organization, the American Policy Center (APC), is in the thick of a battle to stop a dangerous call for a Constitutional Convention - or a "Con Con" as it's called.
I urgently need your help to slam the door on this insanity once and for all.
Let me explain.
More and more state legislatures are considering resolutions to call for a Con Con in order to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment.
These resolutions are coming from conservative Republicans.
They are not part of some diabolical left wing conspiracy.
These legislators are genuinely concerned with the spending orgy taking place in Washington, DC over the bailouts and other connected programs. They simply want to do something to stop it.
I certainly understand and agree with their concerns.
So, why am I so opposed to a Con Con?
Because I believe that a Con Con would be used as a tool to totally destroy our precious Constitution - not improve it.
Obama Lost His US Citizenship Posted On America's Conservative News
Retired US Army Captain Pamela Barnett speaks out and claims the Occupier of the United States, who couldn't pass a background check for most jobs in America, should never be allowed within ten feet of any classified information.
There Are Leadership Opportunities That Don't Involve Children
Obama: Boy Scouts Should Expose Homosexuals to Opportunities By Susan Jones CNSNews.com
One day after President Obama said "yes," he thinks the Boy Scouts of America should admit homosexuals--to expose them to "opportunities and leadership"--dozens of conservative groups are running a newspaper ad, urging the Boy Scouts to "show courage" and "stand for timeless values."
You Keep Using That Word 'Violence'--I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means ...
Anti-Violence Law Blasted For Doing ... Violence By Alyssa Farah WorldNetDaily
Scientists and victim-advocate groups are calling for immediate congressional reform of the Violence Against Women Act, which is currently up for reauthorization, because of the violence the law itself does.
North Korean Video: A 'New York City' In Ruins After Missile Attack By Alexandra Ward Newsmax.com
North Korea released a bizarre YouTube video over the weekend depicting a missile attack on a city that closely resembles New York City--all part of what's assumed to be a public relations stunt to gear up for yet another nuclear test.
Video: Does Obama Have The Power To Kill Indiscriminately?
Feb 06, 2013 01:37 pm
According to a new memo from the Department of Justice, it sure seems that way. Judge Andrew Napolitano sounds off. Related posts: Drones Spying On Americans? "The Judge" Andrew Napolitano explains here why none of us... Napolitano: Obama Wants To Go Beyond Current Gun Control Proposals Last night on Fox News' Special Report, Judge Andrew [...]
Is The Department Of Homeland Security Obama's Gestapo?
Feb 06, 2013 01:33 pm When Adolf Hitler made his rise to power, he established the Secret State Police in 1934, headed by Heinrich Himmler. The German name for them is Geheime Staatspolizei. Taking the bolded and underlined letters from the newly formed entity you get the more familiar term, Gestapo. The role of the Gestapo was to spy on [...]
Republicans Are Content To Be The Liberals' Lackeys And Judas Goats
Feb 06, 2013 01:30 pm Republicans have become the Democrats' lackeys and Judas goats, whose main job is to lead unwitting Republican voters into the liberals' slaughter pens. Given reports that Eric Cantor wants the Republican rank and file to see that "Government Can Be Good, Too," Karl Rove has announced his intention to pick our candidates; and state level [...]
The anti-war President, who promised to bring the troops home, close Guantanamo, and who was very critical of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, has authorized drone strikes against US citizens without due process. I'm sorry, what? And other than former Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, where is the left condemning this? They are not OK with water boarding, [...]
Feb 06, 2013 01:24 pm I've been a citizen on patrol for over 20 years. My stomping grounds are often Southern inner-cities where I grew up and currently reside. I also walk business districts where the very poor and very well off warily pass by each other and give food to the homeless planted there. This places me well to [...]
It is heartening to learn how many awesome patriots are supporting Linda Jordan and her plight to raise funds to help defray Washington State's punitive sanction of nearly $13k for merely challenging Mr. Obama's constitutional right to hold office. Related posts: Obama Failed E-Verify: Linda Jordan Fined For Challenging Obama's Identity Fraud Here is the [...]
Feb 06, 2013 01:02 pm An electronic system used by more than 70 percent of school districts in Texas has recently come under attack by the state's Senate Education Committee for promoting socialism and criticizing American values. The curriculum management system known as CSCOPE is used by teachers in 875 districts to manage their lesson plans while allowing them to [...]
According to this Fox News report, IRS audits of nonprofits are up dramatically under Obama. Related posts: Jeremiah Wright On The Obamas: "Church Was Not Their Thing" I can't really say I am surprised. Are you? After... Who Really Gives The Most When It Comes To Charity? The mainstream media and liberals would have us [...]
Feb 06, 2013 12:49 pm What was it about the Dodge commercial, "God Made a Farmer," that stirred the souls of so many Americans during the Super Bowl? Maybe it was the imagery of the dirt and grit of real America, not the white-washed concrete meccas many of us call home. Maybe for just a moment, we were unplugged from [...]
Video: Top Dem Warns Against Using Term 'Illegal Immigrants'
Feb 06, 2013 12:42 pm
Michigan Democratic Congressman John Conyers has a stern warning at a Congressional hearing on immigration... Related posts: Obama's Amnesty Plan Would Let 99.5 Percent Of Illegal Immigrants Go Scot-Free Obama's new administrative amnesty program, which requires immigration officials to... Obama's Employment Plan For Illegal Immigrants Note: The editors do not agree with every word of...
Feb 06, 2013 12:38 pm The Invisible War is a 2012 documentary showing the shocking prevalence of sexual assault in the military, and worse, the cover-ups that tend to follow. The rate of assaults against women is completely unacceptable as it is. We should not put women in infantry and special forces where the risk will be even greater to [...]
Video: Obama's Chicago Won't Respond To 911 Calls Because Of Budget Cuts!!!!!!
Feb 06, 2013 12:28 pm
You know, I'm just going to put one of my "wacky" libertarian thoughts out there. Why can't the free market serve as an active substitute for 911? At least that way, there will be accountability when they fail to show up on time, instead of them getting off scott-free. What do you think? Related posts: [...]
Feb 06, 2013 12:16 pm Super Bowl Sunday was like any other. I prepared a variety of snack foods for everyone to munch on during the day so I didn't have to cook again. I sat down to finish an article that I had been struggling with for days. The pregame had ended, and players had been introduced. The rendition [...]
Video: Dem Rep: 2nd Amendment Leads To People Owning Nukes, Submarines
Feb 06, 2013 12:14 pm
Actually, I would agree (at least partially) with Democrat gun-grabber/Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin. There are absolutely no restrictions in the Second Amendment against citizens owning things like nukes, submarines, drones, and tanks. Of course, she talks about that like it's a bad thing; that's where she and I disagree. Related posts: Mayor Backs Second [...]
Feb 06, 2013 12:08 pm The Boy Scouts of America put off a decision Wednesday on whether to lift its ban on gay members and leaders, saying the question will be taken up at the organization's national meeting in May. "After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer [...]
Feb 06, 2013 12:08 pm The Boy Scouts of America put off a decision Wednesday on whether to lift its ban on gay members and leaders, saying the question will be taken up at the organization's national meeting in May. "After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer [...]
Video: @TheGame Twitter Followers Threaten To Kill Talk Host And Rape Cancer-stricken Wife
Feb 06, 2013 12:07 pm
The Second Amendment is about giving the citizens of the United States the means to defend themselves against a tyrannical government; not hunting, not even self-defense against violent crime - although those aspects, especially the latter, are important in this day and age. This fact was made plain to me once again recently when my [...]
Feb 06, 2013 12:05 pm The military is poised to extend some benefits to the same-sex partners of service members, U.S. officials said Tuesday, about 16 months after the Pentagon repealed its ban on openly gay service. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has not made a final decision on which benefits will be included, the officials said, but the Pentagon is [...]
Video: Black Flash Mobs Wreak Havoc In New York City
Feb 06, 2013 12:03 pm Where are the police here? Should the owners of these newsstands and convenience stores be allowed to arm themselves for protection? Related posts: Angry Flash Mobs, Brought To You By Obama by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown Some of the best... What Is Holding Back Obama's Flash Mobs? Your Guns by Ron Reale In a [...]
Feb 06, 2013 12:01 pm OLYMPIA, Wash. - The "Washington State Preservation of Liberty Act" introduced on Wednesday condemns and criminalizes the use of the 2012 NDAA's provision purportedly authorizing the indefinite detainment of U.S. citizens. After news of H.B. 1581's introduction caught wind, an Internet campaign went viral asking activists to contact their Washington state representatives to co-sponsor the legislation. It worked. In less [...]
Video: Breitbart's Shapiro: We've Reached The End Of Civility
Feb 06, 2013 11:34 am
Ben Shapiro was on with Sean Hannity the other night to discuss his new book "Bullies" and to list the top five progressive bullies in America today. As a final question, Hannity asked Ben how conservatives should counter the progressive bullies today. Related posts: Ben Shapiro On Obama's 'Orwellian' Inaugural Speech Ben Shapiro, editor-at-large of [...]
Ahmadinejad: Iran Already A Nuclear State, But Has No Intention Of Launching Attack On Israel
Feb 06, 2013 11:26 am Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says that while Iran is already a nuclear state, it has no intention of attacking Israel. Ahmadinejad was interviewed on the eve of his visit to Cairo, where he will attend the 12th Islamic Summit Conference, due to open there on Wednesday. Before his trip, he gave a long interview to [...]
Feb 06, 2013 11:07 am Apparently trying an end-run around an unaccommodating Congress, the financially struggling U.S. Postal Service says it will stop delivering mail on Saturdays but continue to disburse packages six days a week. In an announcement scheduled for later Wednesday, the service is expected to say the Saturday mail cutback would begin in August and could save [...]
White House, Congress Square Off Over Justice Dept. Rules For Drone Strikes
Feb 06, 2013 10:41 am Lawmakers squared off with the Obama administration Tuesday after the inadvertent leak of a sensitive Justice Department memorandum defending the White House's right to order armed drone strikes potentially against U.S. citizens. Lawmakers went on the offensive shortly after details of the memo became public, demanding Department of Justice (DOJ) officials disclose additional information on [...]
Feb 06, 2013 10:28 am President Barack Obama on Wednesday will nominate business executive and former engineer Sally Jewell to lead the Interior Department, an administration official said. Jewell is the president and chief executive officer at the outdoors company Recreational Equipment, Inc., known as REI, which sells clothing and gear for outdoor adventures with more than 100 stores across [...]
Oscars Excitement Won't Include "2016: Obama's America"
Feb 06, 2013 09:52 am February 24th will mark the 85th Anniversary of the Academy Awards and Hollywood will be festive and totally consumed with it's annual star-studded tradition that day. Hotels throughout Beverly Hills and the Westside of Los Angeles are all largely booked, and restaurant reservations at Spago, CUT and The Ivy cannot be found for those not [...]
Decision Delayed! Urge AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson to resign his post with Boy Scouts
Use social media tools to make your voice heard!
February 6, 2013
Dear ##FirstName[AFA Supporter]##,
The Boy Scouts of America have just announced it will not make any decision on its membership policy until its annual meeting in May. One of those leading the charge to change the policy to allow homosexuals as leaders is AT&T CEO Randall STephenson.
It seems Stephenson's mission is to destroy the Boy Scouts of America from within. As an executive board member, he is using his corporate influence to bully the BSA into gay assimilation. Now...
It is time for Stephenson to resign from the BSA board.
AT&T has already cut funding to the BSA, a direct personal conflict of interest for Stephenson.
It's reasonable to expect members of the BSA board to lead in a way that exemplifies the very basic values that made the BSA successful. Stephenson has shown he doesn't. It is time for Stephenson to resign from the BSA board.
The BSA doesn't need his leadership. The BSA doesn't need his company's money...especially with the strings he has attached to it.
At present, Stephenson is set to become the chairman of the BSA board in 2014. Unless he is out, you can expect he will push even harder to force the gay agenda.
It is time for Stephenson to resign from the BSA board.
Shortly after last weekend's shootings, the sister of the accused killer told a 911 operator that her brother had come to her house and confessed to killing two people and was �psychotic.� Listen to the frantic recordingHERE.
Early Monday morning, a 72-year-old Las Vegas man heard several intruders attempting to gain entry into his home. The man immediately retrieved his handgun. When the criminals entered his bedroom, he opened fire. One intruder learned a deadly lesson. See what happened to the others HERE.
As Rep. Joe Courtney watched the Oscar-nominated �Lincoln� over the weekend, something didn�t seem right to him. What is the big mistake caught by Courtney and what does the Connecticut Democrat want done about it? Find outHERE.
Ever hear of Lynsi Torres? No? Don�t worry, you�re not alone. A lot of people have never heard of the 30-year-old billionaire owner and president of In-N-Out Burger. And it�s a real shame, because as far as we can tell, she sounds exciting. See our coverage of Ms. Torres and her very full lifeHERE.
BBC Television�s global hit �Top Gear� is a show that spotlights some of the best, fastest, and most luxurious cars in the world. The show recently featured a road test with the world's smallest car being driven by host Jeremy Clarkson - a man who stands 6ft-5in tall. Watch the clipHERE.
During a taping of the CBS hit show �Undercover Boss,� a reality program where top execs and CEOs go undercover to see what it�s like to work for their company, a supervisor at a Duluth, Ga., Boston Market decided to tell his �co-worker� all about his deep-seated hatred of customers. The response from the undercover boss was immediate. Was it appropriate? Get the detailsHERE.
Glenn Beck -- The Dangers of Technology - when your handheld device can read your mind. The Glenn Beck Program at 5pm ET or on-demand on TheBlaze TV.
Real News from TheBlaze -- Will Cain leads a discussion on the politics of drones. Tune in to Real News tonight for the answers -- 6pm ET or on-demand on TheBlaze TV.
In a compilation video uploaded to YouTube on Sunday, a toddler named Titus can be seen making impressive off-the-wall trick shots, sinking baskets on 3 ft to 7 ft rims and even draining buckets laying on his back. Watch the clip HERE.
CNN�s Gary Tuchman recently spent some quality time with Peter Larson, a family man who has a normal neighborhood home with a mountain view. But a short drive away into the mountains is where Larson has created a 50-foot long, 10-foot in diameter bunker that resides 20 feet under ground. Take a tour of the fully stocked bunkerHERE.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee received the results of a national poll last week that indicates support for Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense collapses when voters are aware his positions on the issues, Breitbart News has learned. The poll was conducted prior to the hearing on Jan. 31, when the former Republican senator struggled to answer questions about his positions on a range of defense-related issues.
The poll (below) was leaked to Breitbart News, which confirmed its authenticity with the poll's sponsor, SecureAmericaNow.org, a national security PAC. Pollster Pat Caddell, a FOX News contributor and former aide to President Jimmy Carter, acknowledged that the poll had been provided to Senators prior to the hearing, though he expressed surprise that it had been leaked. Supporters and opponents of Hagel's confirmation have engaged in a war of information behind the scenes as they attempt to woo support from both parties.
Republicans have become the Democrats' lackeys and Judas goats whose main job is to lead unwitting Republican voters into the liberals' slaughter pens Seeing reports that Eric Cantor wants the Republican rank and file to see that "Government Can Be Good, Too"; Karl Rove has announced his intention to pick our candidates and state level Republicans have run away from any hint of changing the Electoral College vote distribution in their states makes it clear that Republicans cannot be trusted with our future.
These people are more concerned with what the New York Times and Debbie Wasserman Schultz has to say about them then the wellbeing of the suckers that elect them. Elected and celebrated Republicans have become indistinguishable from the nice little old church lady who uses her position as the bookkeeper to steal money from the weekly collections. When we hear these stories we are trust in her is shattered ... Continue Reading:Republicans are content to be the liberals' lackeys and Judas goats
The Boy Scouts of America said today that it is delaying its decision on whether to admit homosexuals as scouts or scoutmasters. Facing pressure from both sides of this debate, the Scouts will not vote on gay membership until the group's annual meeting in May. The delay is an indication that your phone calls and emails are having an impact as well as ads like the one we cosponsored in USA Today.
About 70% of Scout units are sponsored by churches, most of which are conservative. The Scouts have experienced a slight drop in the number of boys participating in scouting over the last decade. Expect that number to drop even more if the Scouts decide to give in to the left and admit open homosexuals.
The Mount Rushmore of Regulation
Remember President Obama's promise when he was selling Obamacare that if you like the insurance you have you will be able to keep it? Well, we've got more confirmation that that was a lie. According to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office, Obamacare will push 7 million people out of their job-based insurance plans. That's nearly twice the original estimate.
The CBO estimates that many businesses won't buy insurance for their employees, and will instead pay the penalty, which will total $13 billion in higher fees over the next 10 years.
Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner reports that a new House study estimates that complying with all the new Obamacare rules and regulations will cost American businesses and families 127 million hours annually. The House report states that that's enough time to carve out another 1,039 Mount Rushmores, which took 14 years to complete. "This is valuable time that could be used to run businesses, create jobs and grow the economy," said Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Fred Upton.
Obama's biggest admirers say he deserves a place on Mount Rushmore. I agree-the Mount Rushmore of Regulation.
More Trouble For Hagel
Sadly, Democrats continue to march in lock step behind Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. This is in spite of his inept performance at his confirmation hearings that left even liberals shaking their heads.
Hagel may still be in trouble. The online news site BuzzFeed is reporting that Hagel informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that he will not provide information on the foreign sources of money provided to groups he worked for since he left the Senate in 2009. There is concern in Congress about whether the sources of those funds could compromise him at the Department of Defense. This is unacceptable. Is there even one Democrat Senator willing to publicly call for President Obama to retract the nomination?
Happy Birthday, Mr. President!
Today's the president's birthday. No not our current president's, but the one I wish were still in the Oval Office. Ronald Reagan was born on this day in 1911. Reagan enthusiasts, wherever they are today, will raise a glass in honor of "the Gipper." We will recall all that he did to restore American confidence and remind us we were meant to be "a shining city upon a hill." We miss you, Mr. President.
Speak Up For Saeed Abedini, Mr. President.
Barack Obama has never been shy about speaking up for causes he's passionate about. In the last week we've heard from the president on everything from gun rights and immigration amnesty to head injuries in football.
But there is one cause for which Obama's words could make a world of difference but about which he has so far not found his voice: the case of Saeed Abedini.
Abedini is a Christian pastor who last week was sentenced to eight years in prison by an Iranian court. Abedini's alleged crime? Preaching the gospel in Iran. Read more about Adedini's story in my Human Events column.
The Republicans' primary problem
Having just lost an election, many Republicans are anxious to remake our party in the image of Democrats. The theory seems to be that whatever we're doing isn't working, so we better change everything.
But in fact, whatever Republicans did in 2012 - other than an overly long primary fight - worked amazingly well, given the circumstances.
What has the world come to? Now the Communist Party USA is actually endorsing a REPUBLICAN -- and a famous one at that, who's been at the top of the headlines in recent days. Take one guess who gets this "honor."
With black-mob violence reaching epidemic levels, even the prosecutor at trial cautioned the jury: "I need to warn you that the video you're going to see in this case contains graphic disturbing footage of possibly the most prolonged and brutal assault that you have ever, or will ever, see." We've got the story, and the video.
There's been a lot of chatter about whether Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell might be vulnerable to a challenge in next year's election, especially if he was challenged by the telegenic Ashley Judd. But I'm guessing Judd might think twice about the idea when she takes on board this prototype ad from American Crossroads:
Today is Ronald Reagan's 102nd birthday, and the usual observances are under way at good places everywhere. I know that since November I and many others have drawn our attention to Reagan's 1977 CPAC speech on "A New Republican Party," which holds up fairly well in the current circumstances. But it is also worth having a look at the article Reagan wrote in the December 1, 1964 issue of National Review-the first issue after the Goldwater wipeout. Much of it is applicable to the current scene, and also holds up well. A few excerpts (I've underlined a couple of highlights especially applicable to now):
By now a new cliché has been added to the time-worn lit, but I know of no other way of comment on the election than to open with the by now familiar - "Well, it's over and we lost."
Yes, we did; we lost a battle in the continuing war for freedom, but our position is not untenable. . .
Are reinforcements available? The answer is an unhesitating - "Yes!" They are to be found in the millions of so-called Republican defectors - those people who didn't really want LBJ, but who were scared of what they thought we represented. Read that sentence very carefully because in my opinion it tells the story. All of the landslide majority did not vote against the conservative philosophy; they voted against a false image our Liberal opponents successfully mounted. Indeed it was a double false image. Not only did they portray us as advancing a kind of radical departure from the status quo, but they took for themselves a costume of comfortable conservatism. Read again their campaign fiction and you will find their normal flamboyant Liberalism hidden under the protective coloration of "the great society," or as Hubert Horatio Humphrey (who can't ask what time it is without conducting a filibuster) put it: "We don't want a planned society - we want society planning."
Unfortunately, human nature resists change and goes over backward to avoid radical change. It's a head shaker, I know, but the whole Liberal apparatus which can be quoted ad infinitum on "the wave of the future, the need for new approaches to old problems, adopt new rules for complex new problems, forget the Constitution," was able to campaign in a last-year's model, singing, "The old songs - the old songs are good enough for me."
A couple of obvious comments: Indeed, there were probably enough voters who didn't really want Obama but who bought the Democratic attack (and were repelled by GOP self-inflicted wounds like Todd Akin) to have made the difference. And Reagan's line about liberals wanting to "forget the Constitution" has been made explicit in recent weeks, as noted before, by Prof. Seidman.
Chuck Hagel has told the Senate Armed Services that he will not provide foreign financial details for the corporate and nonprofit organizations he has been affiliated with since he left the Senate in 2009. He claims he cannot do so because of confidentiality agreements with the groups in question.
Hagel can, of course, ask the foreign groups in question to waive any confidentiality agreement he entered into. It's not clear whether Hagel has made such a request.
If Hagel truly cannot disclose the foreigners who have paid him, then he is to be admired for living up to his agreement not to do so. However, I don't see how the Senate can confirm as Secretary of Defense a man who has been receiving money from foreigners whose identities we are unable to learn. Would the government even grant a security clearance to a mid-level operative in these circumstances?
The foreigners suspected to be in questions aren't necessarily disinterested parties in defense related matters. A Senate aide says:
Committee members have specific concerns with regard to foreign contributions to the Atlantic Council by Saad Hariri (or the Hariri family), Dinu Patriciu, Kazakhstan, Bidzina Ivanishvili (his supporters/network) - and the nexus between Chevron's investments in Kazakhstan and their involvement with Hagel at the Atlantic Council.
The aide adds:
He is basically telling Senators they have no right to know if he has been unduly influenced by foreign governments or foreign agents over the last five years. What is he hiding?
In light of Hagel's unwillingness to provide basic information about who has been paying him, Republicans should do everything possible to block this nomination, including through a filibuster if necessary. Normally, a president is entitled to an up-or-down vote on a cabinet nominee. But not when the Senate lacks basic information pertaining to the sources of the nominees income and the extent to which those sources are foreign players in matters relating to defense policy.
Federal prosecutors have urged a judge to sentence Amish bishop Samuel Mullet to life in prison for his role in a series of beard-cutting attacks on victims who shunned the bishop and his teachings. According to the feds, "There is no doubt that Mullet Sr. wanted, agreed with and encouraged all of these attacks."
I assume that's true. It also true that the bishop, Samuel Mullett, is a bad guy. There is evidence that he censored his followers' mail, had sex with married women under the guise of marital counseling, endorsed bizarre punishments such as confinement in chicken coops and spankings, and laughed at the attacks, which were driven by a crusade to punish those who spurned his teachings. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, these facts can be considered in sentencing.
But how do they translate into asking for life imprisonment for beard-cuttings?
Bill Otis, at Crime and Consequences, does the translating:
This seems to be a part of the present administration's snarling hostility to religion. And one must admit the defendant makes a politically apt target. This "bishop" sounds like a first-class thug, and he heads a splinter group in what is itself a very small, conservative, insular religion that must seem to Eric Holder to be ripe for the pickin'. But this is taking liberal detestation of religion to an absurd extreme. What happened to government neutrality? Could a sentencing recommendation this far off the wall possibly have come about without at least an element of anti-religious bigotry?
What we have here is a 67 year-old man with no prior record (so far as I know or is reported in the story) who organized, and then (apparently) laughed at, beard cuttings. It's only when viewed in the funhouse mirror of Holder's Very Politically Correct DOJ that this could be seen as an LWOP offense.
Does the "bishop" deserve jailtime? You bet, and I hope he gets it. But life in the slammer? DOJ's action would be a joke if, on account of its menacing, if only shadowy, political and cultural motivations, it weren't so dangerous.
Samuel Mullett isn't the only fanatic in this story. The Holder Justice Department sits alongside him.
As we noted, per the questioning of Ted Cruz, Chuck Hagel had not, at the time he testified, provided the Senate Armed Services Committee with all of the speeches he has delivered over the last five years, including the identity of who paid him for them. I suggested that there should be no up-or-down vote on Hagel by the Committee until he is more forthcoming.
Apparently, Hagel still has not provided the information, missing a Monday deadline imposed by the Committee Chairman Carl Levin (a Democrat). Thus, two senior Republicans on the Committee (said to be Sens. Sessions and Inhofe) have said they won't consent to a vote on Hagel's nomination at this time.
Good for them.
Sessions also cites the need for more information into allegations of sexual harassment by a former Hagel staffer against a more senior Hagel staffer. Importantly, the allegations are not made against Hagel himself.
I guess I see nothing wrong with the Senate obtaining more information about this matter, but it doesn't appear to cast negative light on Hagel, much less affect how Senators should vote on his nomination. Lou Ann Linehan, Hagel's chief of staff at the time, says she handled the matter without calling it to the Senator's attention, and that the two staffers continued to work together without further incident.
Unless there is much more to the story, Senators should move on, or rather move back to the hugely significant issues raised by the Hagel nomination.
Bruce Willis says he's against new gun control laws that could infringe on Second Amendment rights. The "Die Hard" star also dismisses any link between Hollywood shootouts and real-life gun violence.
"I think that you can't start to pick apart anything out of the Bill of Rights without...(more)
"You will take my ability to protect my Victoria from my cold dead hands" In testimony that was universally ignored by the mainstream media, Newtown father Bill Stevens blasted ...(more)
Republican Bolling sides with Democrats on Voter ID Measure - Bolling broke a 20-20 tie, on a preliminary vote, opposing a measure that would remove several forms of identification the state added last year to the list of IDs accepted at the polls. The measure returns to the floor Tuesday.
Legislation on the Move*
CONGRESS
Internet Registration Bill, HR 289 was referred to the House Committee on Administration by Rep. James Moran (D-VA). The "Value Our Time Elections Act" amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to modernize State voting systems by allowing for increased use of the internet in voter registration, and for other purposes. The bill currently has a 3% chance of reporting out of committee, 1% chance of enactment. OPPOSE
Same Day Registration Bill, HR 280 was referred to the House Committee on Administration by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN). This bill would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require states to provide for same day registration. The bill currently has a 3% chance of reporting out of committee, 1% chance of enactment. OPPOSE
Anti-Voter Identification Bill, HR 281 was referred to the House Committee on Administration by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN). To prohibit election officials from requiring individuals to provide photo identification as a condition of obtaining or casting a ballot in anelection for federal office or registering to vote in elections for Federal office, and for other purposes. The bill currently has a 1% chance of reporting out of committee, 0% chance of enactment. OPPOSE
Federal Vote by Mail Bill, HR 376 was referred to the House Committee on House Administration. This bill would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to allow all eligible voters to vote by mail in federal elections. OPPOSE
Today would have been the 102nd birthday of President Ronald Reagan. His legacy should be remembered for many reasons, especially his determined commitment to our military power and his confidence in America's virtues.
Reagan shared with millions of Americans a confidence that the United States has inherently good intentions in the world. Moreover, he believed a free and stable world requires a strong American military that promotes freedom and democracy. As Heritage Foundation expert Baker Spring explains, "strength [is] necessary to preserving security, stability, and ultimately peace in the world."
Today, though, President Obama has a different view, Spring explains:
The presidency is in the hands of one of the foremost leaders of the forces of moral self-doubt. President Obama first ran for President in 2008 by appealing to constituencies that labeled President George W. Bush a war criminal, asserted that the U.S. undertook Operation Iraqi Freedom in order to confiscate Iraqi oil, and derided the policy for constructing a defense of the U.S. against missile attack.
Following the 2008 election, President Obama undertook an apology tour. Now, with his re-election campaign behind him, President Obama is setting about the task of shrinking and weakening the military.
Reagan, Spring says, would not approve: "President Reagan, if he were here today, would recognize both how wrong-headed President Obama's foreign and defense policies are and what drives these policies. He would fight them tooth and nail. As he did in the late 1970s and 1980s, he would argue that the U.S. is a force for good in the world and that a robust military force would lead to security, stability, and peace."
Speaking today at The Heritage Foundation, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called for Congress to reassert itself in foreign policy.
"Since the Korean War, Congress has ignored its responsibility to restrain the President," Paul explained to a packed crowd in Heritage's Allison Auditorium. "Congress has abdicated its role in declaring war."
He outlined his vision of America's role in the world:
What the United States needs now is a foreign policy that finds a middle path. A policy that is not rash or reckless. A foreign policy that is reluctant, restrained by Constitutional checks and balances but does not appease.
Paul also explained the link between our foreign and domestic policies. The runaway debt poses a threat to our national security, he said. And, he added, "The looming debt crisis will force us to reassess our role in the world."
Last Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced narrow exceptions to its mandate that employer-provided insurance cover contraceptives, abortofacient drugs and sterilization for all employees.
These new "accommodations" exempt houses of worship from the anti-conscience mandate. Unfortunately, as The Heritage Foundation's Sarah Torre explains, other employers remain affected, regardless of the religious conviction of their owners.
Instead of "accommodating" these religious Americans, the Obama administration's mandate punishes the non-compliant with outrageous fines. How much is too much when it comes to the government bureaucracies carving out politically-expedient exceptions to onerous, arbitrary rules?
February 4 has come and gone without a budget proposal from President Obama. This is the fourth time and the third straight year that the president has missed this legal deadline.
What's the hold up? When asked, Press Secretary Jay Carney just shrugged his shoulders and said that the administration favors "substance over deadlines."
However, Obama's budget request is something worth seeing, because it shows his priorities-namely how he proposes to solve our twin crises of spending and debt. Now Americans may have to wait until March to see the President's plan.
The Senate hasn't passed a budget since 2009. The American people need a balanced budget, and it's up to the President to push them in the right direction.
This week, The Heritage Foundation announced our newest initiative: America's Opportunity for All. It outlines Heritage's bold reforms that meet the demands of the moment and addresses the magnitude of the challenges before us. We will fight wherever possible, constantly point out the failures of liberalism, be ready with conservative alternatives at every turn, and lay the ground for change to come.
And we will take our arguments to all Americans: to middle-class families struggling in a bad economy, to young people worried about their prospects, to those who are stuck in poverty and reaching out for the ladder of opportunity, to retirees worried about their grandchildren, to entrepreneurs and job creators seeking to expand prosperity. To read more about our bold new initiative, click here.
The Obama administration is the most lawless administration in recent history, Heritage's Ed Meese told National Journal. That's because "He's shown almost a willingness to disregard the Constitution by ordering departments not to follow the law, or when he has created so-called recess appointment when there is no recess," said Meese, who served as Ronald Reagan's attorney general.
In Other News
The Obama administration is under new scrutiny for a legal memorandum authorizing the killing of American citizens overseas if they are believed to be part of al Qaeda.
It may be back to the beginning for the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The agency, under the direction of Richard Cordray, had just built up a full head of steam, releasing some 16 regulations in the past year. But a court decision on January 25 may not only stop this train, but send it back to the station. Such a reversal would be good news for consumers, and possibly lead to welcome reform of this ill-considered agency.
When the United States was founded, South Carolina legislators were some of the country's most forceful advocates of free trade. By the 1980s, this record was reversed, as politicians attempted to protect the state's textile industry from international competition. But in recent years, South Carolina's congressional delegation has increasingly embraced the state's free trade roots.
The benefits that international trade and investment bring to South Carolina are overwhelming. Over 100,000 South Carolinians owe their jobs to foreign direct investment; 113,800 people make goods destined for foreign markets; 6,800 people work at the state's ports; and 198,837 people work where foreign goods are sold. South Carolina's delegates can best represent the interests of their state by rejecting protectionist policies that reward special interests at the expense of everyone else.
About The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is the nation's most broadly supported public policy organization. Heritage created the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies in 2001 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution, legal principles and how they affect public policy.
FEBRUARY 6, 2013
Standing for Marriage, and the United States Constitution
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the challenge to California's Proposition 8 on March 26 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on March 27.
With arguments fast approaching, the parties' briefs and amicus curiae briefs have started to trickle in-tackling the various issues raised in these cases: namely, who can defend these laws and whether the laws violate due process or equal protection.
The Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution bans the government from infringing a fundamental right unless it is necessary to further a compelling governmental interest. In a new Heritage Legal Memorandum, John Eastman notes that in Loving v. Virginia (a challenge to a state law criminalizing the marriage of interracial couples), the Supreme Court upheld the freedom to marry as "a fundamental freedom that could not be denied on so unsupportable a basis as a racial classification."
Eastman argues that marriage is fundamental to our very existence because it is rooted in "the formal recognition of the unique union through which children are produced." In Loving, the Court determined that skin color had nothing to do with that basic purpose of marriage (i.e., producing children). Therefore, the racial classification in Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute was invidious and unconstitutional. The same cannot be said for same-sex couples.
Equal protection requires that all "similarly situated" classes should be treated alike; thus, as a threshold matter, the Court is faced with deciding whether same-sex and opposite-sex relationships are similarly situated when it comes to marriage.
Eastman argues that if marriage were "only about the relationships adults form among themselves, it would undoubtedly violate Equal Protection for a state (or the U.S. Congress) not to recognize as marriage any adult relationship seeking that recognition." Eastman continues:
But marriage is and always has been about much more than the self-fulfillment of adult relationships, as history, common sense, [and] legal precedent...demonstrate. Because the institution of marriage is the principal manner in which society structures the critically important functions of procreation and the rearing of children, it has long been recognized as one of the cornerstones of our civilized society.
But if the Court finds that same-sex and opposite-sex relationships are similarly situated with respect to the central purpose of marriage, then the justices would need to determine the kind of classification and level of scrutiny involved and whether these laws survive that scrutiny.
With oral arguments scheduled for the end of March, we should expect the Court to hand down its decisions in Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor around the end of June.
Recently, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously struck down President Obama's alleged "recess" appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The appointments were made over a year ago, so the ruling potentially invalidates a number of actions taken by the NLRB since then... as the board cannot on issues without five legally appointed members.
The Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is the nation's most broadly supported public policy organization. Heritage created the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies in 2001 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution, legal principles and how they affect public policy.
Such planning may seem unusual in a second grader. But Pierre is lucky. He's attending a private school in the District of Columbia using funds from the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. That's opened his eyes to the possibilities that only a college education can provide.
His mother Patricia William says the program has taught her how to be a better parent and to be involved in her children's education. She insists she'll remain involved. "I try to stay focused and not get discouraged," William says. That matters for her children, and the other 1,600 benefiting from the scholarships.
This is just one American Dream - Pierre's dream. But every American should have the opportunity to pursue his own dream. This week, we are highlighting America's Opportunity for All, The Heritage Foundation's plan to help people secure these dreams.
Yet our modern, cradle-to-grave welfare state is structured in such a way that it hinders rather than boosts upward mobility. Despite a massive array of programs and colossal budgets, poverty rates remain high, our public education system is failing us, and the family - whose importance for the future well-being of children cannot be overstated - is falling apart among poor and low-income Americans.
President Obama made clear yesterday that he is more interested in additional tax increases than serious entitlement reforms. At the same time, the Congressional Budget Office was projecting that health care entitlement spending will be bigger than defense or even Social Security spending in just two years.
For some, the entitlement mentality of the welfare state breeds a culture of dependency. Conservatives propose a different approach, one based on empowering all Americans. We intend to encourage upward mobility for poor and low-income Americans. We intend to strengthen an anxious middle class. We intend to reduce concerns about health care and retirement security. And we intend to protect those throughout society who have earned success for themselves and their families.
For those who cannot care for themselves or who get knocked down from time to time, we believe in a society that provides a basic, temporary safety net formed with the active involvement and leadership of their fellow citizens, supplemented with public assistance at the appropriate level of government.
But in the end, we must restructure the welfare state to secure basic commitments, introduce private choice and market incentives for success, and focus on upward mobility.
America's Opportunity is our plan to:
End Obamacare and, instead, provide real health care solutions. Obamacare represents a huge step in the wrong direction. Instead, policymakers should restructure the tax treatment of health insurance to encourage competition and drive down costs.
Preserve Social Security as real insurance. President Obama spoke yesterday of a plan to balance the budget through "a balanced mix of spending cuts and more tax reform." But the real key to reducing future deficits is to reform Social Security so it becomes a true insurance program, guaranteeing that no senior citizen need fall into poverty, but not providing automatic benefits to wealthier retirees.
Make welfare work for the poor. The federal government spends nearly a trillion dollars each year on welfare. Yet the system isn't working. True welfare reform should include strong work requirements, should promote marriage, and should use loans - not grants - to help needy Americans.
Improve education by expanding options. Washington should issue fewer mandates and encourage more experimentation by states and local school districts. Also, policymakers should allow federal funding to follow a student to the school of the family's choice.
Strengthen immigration through common-sense reform. By attempting to pass "comprehensive" reform, Congress is setting itself up to fail. Instead, lawmakers should reform our legal immigration system and make it easier to work legally and temporarily in the U.S. They should also encourage high-skill immigration. And to be fair, the Administration should commit to enforcing existing immigration laws.
Revitalize marriage, family and civil society. These institutions are the building blocks of a healthy society. Social science proves that the intact married-parent family - husband, wife, and children living together - is the best setting for the optimal development of the child and provides the best insurance for the future welfare of the nation.
America's Opportunity for All relies on the premise that everyone must be free to vigorously pursue his or her own American Dream. Together, we can break the cycle of dependency, encourage upward mobility, and promote economic freedom for all.
Matthew Spalding, Ph.D., is Heritage's vice president for American Studies and director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics.
Karl Rove Is Not a Conservative By Terence P. Jeffrey With Karl Rove at his side, President George W. Bush not only failed to restrict the growth of programs initiated by previous liberal administrations that had overstepped the constitutional limits on federal authority, he expanded their reach and increased their cost.
Karl Rove Vs. the 'Far Right' By L. Brent Bozell III Karl Rove argues that Republican fortunes have been ruined by "far-right conservatives," but he's shamelessly calling his new entity the "Conservative Victory Project." In the end, this is not a fight between Democrats and Republicans. This is between the Reaganites and the same old moderate Republicans who insisted Ronald Reagan was far too extreme to be elected in 1976.
The Company Sen. Sleaze-Bob Menendez Keeps By Michelle Malkin The brewing scandal involving N.J. Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is not just a "sex scandal." It's a crony corruption scandal of sordid, soap operatic proportions.
PMs & J-School Students By Rich Galen Morocco is operating under a new Constitution -- only two years old -- that requires a minimum number of women to be elected to Parliament. That may sound like cheating, but this is an Islamic nation and requiring women be elected is a major step forward. Yesterday I had the great opportunity to meet with these women.
If you were holding out any hope that the illegal immigration problem would someday be resolved, you're not going to like this story. There is currently a push in Congress to stop using the word "illegal" when describing illegal aliens. Needless to say, the voracity with which Congress is dealing with the "illegal" immigration problem is highly questionable...and concerning. Glenn reacts on radio today.
Why isn't the drone memo the top story on every news outlet?
Short answer: because a Democrat is in the White House. If this story were breaking under George W. Bush there is no question that the media would be in complete meltdown mode. But since Barack Obama is in the Oval, the script is flipped and suddenly the "loving liberals" are all about blowing up American citizens without due process. Glenn has more on radio today.
Chris Kyle funeral details: Former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle's memorial service will be held in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. Get the details HERE, and find out how you can donate to Mercury One's Chris Kyle Memorial Fund HERE.
On Tuesday, February 12th, watch TheBlaze for live coverage of The State of the Union. Join Real News and Wilkow! as they discuss the state of our nation, the key topics the President will address and give their take on what the President should say. Get the truth before Washington & the mainstream media spin it. Live coverage begins at 6pm Eastern, only on TheBlaze.
Oh, North Korea...
Pat & Stu solve the mystery of where North Korea got the footage of NYC being blown up in their newest propaganda piece. WATCH
USPS no longer delivering mail on Saturdays
Apparently all of the stamp rate hikes by the United States Post Office haven't paid off. The struggling government mail delivery service has announced it will be doing away with Saturday deliveries. Surprisingly, none of the other big delivery outfits (UPS, FedEx, etc.) seem to be sharing these problems. Hmm, what's the difference? MORE
PC madness is officially out of control. Schools are now flipping out any time a student plays cops and robbers or does anything involving even the most obviously fake guns. Some kids have been suspended for making their fingers look like a gun - it's absolute madness. But is there a reason behind all of it? Glenn thinks so. WATCH
Best takedown of gun control nonsense ever
Glenn ripped the latest PC gun freakout at an American school by pointing out some blatant contradictions kids are being taught by authority figures, the media, and even at home. MORE
TheBlaze Radio Network is the only place where you can hear The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson, Glenn Beck, Pat & Stu and Jay Severin, all on one station! And all for FREE. Kick off your day with The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson at 6:00am ET and keep it on for a day full of the best radio hosts in the business! Listen online or on your mobile device with TheBlaze app or on iHeartRadio. Get the full schedule HERE.
The much cheaper Bionic Man
Everyone remembers the $6 million Bionic Man - well, today the idea of a bionic man isn't so far fetched...or nearly as expensive. Check out Rex, the bionic man with skin, a heart, AI, blood, and just about everything else a human has - and he only costs $1 million. What are the implications of this technology? STORY
Wrath and Righteousness has been described as "fast paced and exciting." "It reads like a blockbuster summer action flick." The reviews are in on Wrath and Righteousness, the gripping ten episode e-book series will keep you on the edge of your seat. Get the latest episode released in the series HERE, and download the previous 6 episodes HERE to catch up. Have a question or comment about the series? Visit our FAQ page.
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When Adolf Hitler made his rise to power, he established the Secret State Police in 1934, headed by Heinrich Himmler. The German name for them is Geheime Staatspolizei. Taking the bolded and underlined letters from the newly formed entity you get the more familiar term, Gestapo.
It seems Stephenson's mission is to destroy the Boy Scouts of America from within. As an executive board member, he is using his corporate influence to bully the BSA into gay assimilation. Now...
Congressman: Don't use the term illegals
