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912 Patriots of Lower Bucks - Your Daily Updates ALL in ONE Place!
March 12, 2013
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Quote:
"In the first place, it is to be remembered, that the general government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws. Its jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects, which concern all the members of the republic, but which are not to be attained by the separate provisions of any."
~ James Madison, Federalist Paper XIV, 1787
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If you see a story that you believe would be useful and important to our readers, simply respond to this email with a link and a brief description of why it is important. (Even if it may be obvious)
If you wish to unsubscribe (and we hope you don't) please click the "safe unsubscribe" link.
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Schakowsky: Assault Weapons Ban 'Just the Beginning'
by Joel B. Pollak
11 Mar 2013
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a member of the Democratic Party's leadership in the House of Representatives, suggested to Jason Mattera at a Feb. 13 women's rights rally that plans for an assault weapons ban and private-sales background checks were only the beginning of a broader gun control agenda extending to handguns as well.
Schakowsky evidently did not recognize Mattera, a conservative video journalist and senior investigative reporter for Talk Radio Network, who infamously confronted Vice President Joe Biden in the Capitol. (Mattera introduced himself to Schakowsky by name but did not indicate that he was filming or that he is conservative.) She spoke to Mattera as if he were a fellow gun control enthusiast--and Mattera played along, eliciting answers about Schakowsky's enthusiasm for gun control.
Read more and see video here:
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 Tech Companies are Developing TV's that Watch You Dec 10th, 2012 
The new generation of HDTV's and cable receivers sold to the public contain features that are not very publicized by tech companies: Cameras, mics and sensors that have the ability of recording everything that is happening in the living room. Not unlike the telescreens in George Orwell's novel 1984, TV's will soon be able to watch and even thoroughly analyze everyone present in the devices' vicinity. The cable company Verizon has recently filed a patent for a system that contain audio and video sensors coupled with facial and profile recognition software. That would allow the company to obtain information such as the number people in the room, their sex, their race, what they are doing and even what they are consuming while watching TV. The goal of such a system is to broadcast "targeted advertising" but crossing the line to outright spying on people is only footstep away. Here's an article on Verizon's patent.
Picture this: You're having an argument with your partner while watching television, and suddenly an advertisement comes on for marriage counseling. Or maybe you're doing some weightlifting while a movie plays in the background, and ads for health food pop up on the screen.
In the past, it would have been mere coincidence. But in the future, things look set to change, thanks to Verizon's "gesture recognition technology."
The company has filed a patent, published last week, for a system designed to be used in the home to target advertisements at people. Using a combination of image and audio sensors, it would detect actions in your living room while you were watching TV. These sensors, deploying facial and profile recognition, would pick up "physical attributes" like skin color, facial features, and even hair length, and also detect "voice attributes" to help determine the tone of your voice, your accent, and the language you speak. Inanimate objects aren't off-limits-the technology could also spot beer cans and wall art.
Read more:
Verizon Patent application:
Smart meters:
This is much like Smart Meters being installed by PECO which monitor your usage. There are BIG concerns with these meters, aside from privacy issues, they have been known to cause electrical fires & expose folks to microwave radiation.
They say that some bills have increased after these meters are installed.
I wonder if that was the problem a couple of years ago when Juan & I weren't here for a full month, but ended up with a usage rate twice what it was the year before when we were home. The only answer I got when I questioned this was that the meters are accurate. Unfortunately, I didn't pursue it any further.
Info on these meters: http://stopsmartmeters.org/why-stop-smart-meters/
Installation of the meters is mandated from a law passed in 2008 - text at this site:.
http://www.puc.pa.gov/electric/pdf/Act129/HB2200-Act129_Bill.pdf
Info from the state PUC site: http://www.puc.pa.gov/filing_resources/issues_laws_regulations/act_129_information.aspx
There are 3 bills in the PA state assembly to stop mandatory installation and allow folks to opt out or have the meters that were installed to be removed:
HB 899 repeal a mandate to install smart meter technology on the buildings of their customershttp://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=11277 HB 902 Consumer"Opt-Out" of Smart Meter Usage http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=11278
HB 906 Consumer Consent to Share Smart Meter Information
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=11279
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CSCOPE
For those that are actively fighting Common Core or if you know people that are fighting CC please click here for an OPT OUT OF CC form. I think we need to start using this form all over the country. If anyone attempts to use the form in order to exclude their children from Common Core please let me know. PLEASE spread the word.
We need to stand up and start getting serious about taking matters into our own hands.
Karen Bracken - I WILL NOT COMPLY - WILL YOU?
americadontforget.com
215-692-2147 (cell)
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What Is the Constitutional Role of the County Sheriff?
Citizens for Constitutional Government (CCG) is holding a
Constitutional Sheriffs forum on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 6:30 p.m., at the Quakertown Free Library
located at 401 W. Mill Street, Quakertown. The keynote speaker will be William Reill, an expert on the Pennsylvania Constitution and founder of the Sheriff Brigades of Pennsylvania. Sheriffs from Bucks, Berks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh and Montgomery Counties have been invited to attend and share their perspective on their role as a County Sheriff. Any candidate for the office of County Sheriff is invited and will be given the opportunity to make a brief statement of his platform. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information on CCG, see www.CCG-PA.org or on the constitutional role of the sheriff, see http://www.sheriffbrigadesofpenn.com/.
PLEASE SAVE THIS DATE AND INVITE YOUR COUNTY SHERIFF TO THIS FORUM. We want to meet and hear from as many sheriffs from surrounding counties as possible so please call or visit yours to invite him/her personally (contact info below). And ask your friends to visit with you or call on their own; the more constituents ask the sheriff to come, the more likely he'll show up. HE NEEDS TO HEAR what the Constitution says about his role and YOU NEED TO HEAR FROM HIM to know whether he'll protect your Constitutional rights (like the right to bear arms). Suggestions for your conversation with your Sheriff are at the end of this email.
Note: Be sure to let your sheriff know that, if he desires it, we will give him 5-10 minutes to speak to his constituents about his perspective on his role and authority. Please let me know if and when you have contacted your sheriff and his/her response. I need to know asap which sheriffs are coming. thanks, Jaime
TO CONTACT YOUR SHERIFF (a visit is best but a phone call will do)......
BUCKS COUNTY Sheriff Duke Donnelly, Bucks Courthouse, 1st floor, 55 E. Court St, Doylestown 215-348-6124
MONTGOMERY COUNTY Sheriff Eileen Behr, Montgomery Courthouse, 1st floor, E. Airy and Swede Streets, Norristown 610-278-3331 sheriffoffice@montcopa.org
LEHIGH COUNTY Sheriff Ronald Rossi, Lehigh Courthouse, Room 253, 455 W. Hamilton St., Allentown, 215-782-3175
BERKS COUNTY Sheriff Erik Weaknecht, Berks Courthouse, 3rd floor, 633 Court St., Reading 610-478-6240 sheriff@countyofberks.com
DELAWARE COUNTY Sheriff Joseph McGinn, Delaware Courthouse, Room 101, 201 W. Front St, Media 610-891-4296
CHESTER COUNTY Sheriff Bunny Welsh, 201 W. Market St, West Chester 610-388-0240 sheriffbunny@comcast.net [Interested but will be out of town that day]
"This is about good government and accountability. The Sheriff answers to the people. This job exists because of the Constitution and I answer to the citizens who elected me."- Sheriff Bunny Welsh
SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR VISIT WITH YOUR SHERIFF
- Provide information re. the constitutional role of the sheriff from www.sheriffbrigadesofpenn.com
- Recommend the Sheriff Brigades of Pennsylvania website
- Ask your Sheriff to join the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association
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- Invite your Sheriff to attend our March 12 CCG Constitutional Sheriffs Forum and speak briefly about his perspective on his role
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'Early Bird' Registration Rates Expire Saturday
Updated PA Leadership Conference Agenda Released
(Harrisburg, PA) - 'Early Bird' registration rates for the 2013 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference will expire at midnight this Saturday, March 16th. After that regular registration rates will go in effect through the start of the conference which will be held April 19-20, 2013 at the Radisson Penn Harris Convention Center in Camp Hill (Harrisburg), PA.
When registering, be sure and enter the promo code (which appears at the top of the registration page) to secure your 'Early Bird" rate. Registration includes admission to all conference functions EXCEPT the pre-dinner reception. Registration DOES include the Friday evening dinner with speaker Steve Hayes of Fox News/The Weekly Standard (do not register separately for the dinner); the Saturday breakfast with John Gizzi and Saturday lunch with pollster/commentator Scott Rasmussen. It also includes all panels, workshops and speakers. The only function NOT included in the registration fee is the pre-dinner reception with Steve Hayes, which is priced separately.
To register, go to www.paleadershipconference.org
Here is an updated tentative schedule of events. Please note we will be announcing several additional featured speakers in the coming weeks.
2013 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference
Tentative Agenda
Friday, April 19, 2013
9:00 A.M. Workshop A: Using Social Media
Presented by the Franklin Center
Workshop B: The 10th Amendment and States' Rights
Presented by the Constitutional Organization
of Liberty
Mike Folmer, State Senator
Louis Petolicchio, COOL
12 NOON BREAK (Lunch on Own)
1:00 P.M. Remarks: Mr. Frederick W. Anton, III
Chairman, Pennsylvania Leadership Council
1:15 P.M. Speaker: U. S. Senator Patrick J. Toomey
Introduction &
Comments: U.S. Representative Keith Rothfus
1:45 P.M. Speaker: Deneen Borelli, Fox News Contributor
Introduction: TBA
2:15 P.M. PANEL: Broadening the Conservative Coalition
MODERATOR: Colin Hanna, Let Freedom Ring, USA
PANELISTS: Ana Puig, FreedomWorks
Michael Geer, PA Family Institute
Tom Borelli, Freedom Works
Eli Evankovich, State Representative
Mike Armstrong, Leadership Institute
3:15 P.M. Speaker: U.S. Representative Scott Perry
Introduction: TBA
3:45 P.M. PANEL: Unleashing the Economic Potential of Penn's Woods
MODERATOR: Kevin Shivers, PA NFIB
PANELISTS: Phil English, Arent, Fox
Charlie Gerow, Quantum Communications
Lori Joint, Manufacturers and Business Association
Brian Ellis, State Representative
Kim Ward, State Senator
5:00 P.M. Pre-Dinner Reception with Steve Hayes
6:30 P.M. Liberty Dinner
M.C.: R.J. Harris, WHP Radio
National Anthem: Carol Sexton
Invocation: TBA
Speaker: Confirmed and To Be Announced
Featured Speaker: Steve Hayes, Fox News/The Weekly Standard
Saturday, April 20, 2013
7:00 A.M. Freedom Breakfast
M.C.: TBA
Speaker: John Gizzi, Human Events
Speakers: Confirmed and To Be Announced
8:00 A.M. KEYNOTE PANEL: Freedom to Work
MODERATOR: Jennifer Stefano, Americans for Prosperity
PANELISTS: Rob Reeves, E. Allen Reeves Company
Matt Brouillette, Commonwealth Foundation
Heidi Adsett, Stop Teacher Strikes
Leo Knepper, Citizens Alliance of PA
Bryan Cutler, State Representative
9:00 A.M. Speaker: Confirmed and To Be Announced
Introduction: TBA
9:30 A.M. Speaker: John Fund, National Review
Introduction: TBA
10:00 A.M. MINI PANEL: State Issues Roundtable
MODERATOR: David Madera, Talk Show Host
Daryl Metcalfe, State Representative
Stephen Bloom, State Representative
10:30 A.M. Speaker: Ann McElhenney. Producer of FrackNation
Introduction: Greg Wrightstone, PA Coalition for
Responsible Government
11:00 A.M. Break
12 NOON Leadership Luncheon
M.C. David Taylor, PA Manufacturers Association
National Anthem: Tegan Ritchey
Straw Poll Results: Scott Davis
Speaker: Scott Rasmussen, Rasmussen Reports
Speaker: TBA
2:00 P.M. Workshop: Citizen Lobbying
Robert Arnakis, Leadership Institute
5:00 P.M. CONFERENCE CONCLUDES
Registration for the 2013 Pennsylvania Leadership Conferenceis now open at www.paleadershipconference.org.
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Fellow Conservatives,
Have you registered for CPAC 2013, the 40th annual political action conference March 14-16, 2013, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center? Grab your friends, spread the word, and don't miss your chance to be present and be involved in making a difference for our country's future! Register TODAY at conservative.org/cpac2013.
With a renewed focus on engaging our country's youth and empowering this next generation of shining conservative stars, you won't want to miss this historic event! You, too, can join national and regional conservative leaders, including Governors Scott Walker and Jeb Bush, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, and U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, along with thousands of patriots and conservatives from across the country. This must-attend event offers three full days of blockbuster speeches, policy discussions and networking opportunities - all celebrating the shared principles of smaller government, a strong national defense and traditional American values.
This year, on CPAC's 40th anniversary, we are placing a renewed focus on engaging our country's youth and empowering the next generation of shining conservative stars. The CPAC 2013 theme, America's Future: The Next Generation of Conservatives, and tagline, New Challenges, Timeless Principles, reflects a bright outlook for growth in our movement.
Recognizing CPAC as America's largest gathering of conservative leaders and activists, ACU is also pleased to announce some exciting opportunities to help you enjoy your time at CPAC even more this year!
- For the first time in our 40 years, we will be offering a free shuttle bus service to and from CPAC.
- Stay tuned for the cutting-edge CPAC App, sponsored by The Washington Examiner. At your fingertips you will have the latest speaker updates, straw poll results and more.
For more information about CPAC 2013 and our other confirmed speakers, please visit our website at conservative.org/cpac2013, or check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/CPACNews or Twitter at @cpacnews and #CPAC2013.
Don't forget, register TODAY by logging on to conservative.org/CPAC2013. We look forward to seeing you in March!
The American Conservative Union
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FIREARMS LAW SEMINAR
UNITEPA Co-Sponsor
When
Saturday, March 23, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Registration Required
by March 14th (register early - full house expected)
Guest Speaker
Attorney Joshua Prince, Esq.
Firearms Industry Consulting Group
A division of Prince Law Offices, P.C.
www.firearmsindustryconsultinggroup.com/
www.PrinceLaw.com
Cost per Person
$10.00 (Portion of funds donated to NRA-ILA & GOA)
Includes refreshments.
Location
425 Locust Street, Denver, Pa 17517
(5 min from PA turnpike and Rt. 222)
On the corner of 5th and Locust in Denver.
SEMINAR
For any new gun owner, anyone interested in owning a gun, even longtime
gun owners or even just curious non-gun owners. This is a four hour seminar
with Attorney Joshua Prince concerning firearm liability and responsibility
within the Commonwealth. He will cover a a wide range of legal issues, including:
use, possession and ownership of firearms and legal recourse in self-defense
scenarios in PA. Virtually all aspects of legally handling your Firearms will
be discussed including Gun Trusts and Estate Firearm Transfers. Q & A
session to follow presentation.
________________________________
SEND CHECK TO JIM DENLINGER
308 DUKE ST. Ephrata, Pa. 17522
717-733-1894 WITH QUESTIONS
OFFICAL REGISTRATION FORM - click here
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Call To Action
Historic March for Marriage
On March 26th, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Perry case, which will determine if Proposition 8 - the citizens initiative approved by the people of California in 2008 to protect marriage - is constitutional or not. More importantly, the question of same-sex "marriage" and the right of Americans to protect marriage will be decided.
It is imperative that political leaders, the media, and the culture see that we care about protecting marriage enough to stand up and march for it.
The Pennsylvania Family Council is sponsoring a bus to travel from Lancaster the morning of the march. For more details and to sign up, click here.
The March is being organized by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) alongside a broad coalition of pro-family organization, state partners, African-American, Latino, Catholic and Protestant leaders. Speakers include Gary Bauer (American Values), Bishop Harry Jackson, Dr. Robert George (Manhattan Declaration), Penny Nance (Concerned Women for America) and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.
Here's the schedule of events for the March on Tuesday, March 26th:
- 8:30am - Gather at the National Mall location between 10th Street and 12th Street NW & between Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive SW
- 9:30am - March to Supreme Court and then return to the National Mall location.
- 11:00am - 1:00pm - Rally begins at National Mall location.
Please consider the following:
- Attend the Marriage March on the 26th.
- To sign up for the Lancaster bus, click here. For details, contact us at 717-545-0600.
- If you're able to put together another group/bus to attend the march, let us know how we may be able to help in your effort.
- If you're unable to attend, consider passing the invitation along to others who may be able to.
- Pray for the Supreme Court hearing on the definition of marriage and for those planning to attend the march.
Month of March for Marriage
Protecting families to preserve the future.
www.pafamily.org
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ACTION CENTER
Tell lawmakers not to double down on broken Medicaid system!
Take Action (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=duLQIaMQLhJUL9N4E&s=euIXKaPOIgLNL9MSIqF&m=mvJ0KdOYIiIUImI)
Thank Governor Corbett for also opposing the expansion!
Take Action (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=elKSKdNUIiI1J9N0F&s=euIXKaPOIgLNL9MSIqF&m=mvJ0KdOYIiIUImI)
Seating is very limited, but as of now there are about 80 spots left. When inviting people, keep in mind that we want the most active and involved people to attend. This is a training event, so we want to train the best, brightest, and most dedicated to become Citizen Watchdogs!
In Liberty,
Matthew M. Hissey
(267) 838 2380
Grassroots Director
Americans For Prosperity Pennsylvania
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$25 OFF Bus if you register before April 22
$25 OFF Participation if you register before April 22
SAVE THE DATE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 22
CALL US (212) 481-1500
SIGN UP: http://tinyurl.com/zoa-dc-mission
EMAIL US: dcmission@zoa.org
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 Glenn: Help us get in millions of home
Why should you support the "Get TheBlaze" movement to get TheBlaze in millions of homes across the country? For starters, how about a network that will cancel out the damage Al-Jazeera will be doing in America as it replaces Current in your lineup? Check out Glenn's "why" in this exclusive letter HERE.
Ready to take action? Click here to contact your TV provider and urge them to add TheBlaze.
 ATTENTION: Are you a Verizon FiOS Subscriber?
They've created a new form for you to fill out to request TheBlaze! You can complete the form HERE. And don't forget to make your request public by posting on their Facebook page. Thank you for supporting us! |
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Announcing the 2013 National Conference
& Legislative Briefing!
June 19 - 21 we will convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC for our fourth annual National Conference & Legislative Briefing.
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Important Announcement from SFL
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You're probably wondering why you've been getting more emails from me and Sustainable Freedom Lab after having had next to none for quite some time.
Well, the truth is that I've been very busy. As always, I spend enormous amounts of my time researching, writing, and speaking to the public about the threats of Agenda 21 and Regionalism.
I've also been working on important projects behind the scenes.
Now I'm finally ready to reveal the first of these "secret" projects: The DVD version of "Stopping Agenda 21 in Your Community".
Like the title suggests, this DVD program offers step-by-step training on how you can fight back against those who would bring Agenda 21 into your community. The test audience who saw this program during the limited streaming we held last Fall felt it was critical viewing for anyone concerned about the erosion of our property rights.
Click here to read my blog post on the SFL website about our first DVD.
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Helping you fight back,
John
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If you've been wanting an interesting, clearly written, how-to-manual for identifying and fighting UN Agenda 21, here it is. Agenda 21--All the information you need to understand what is happening in your town, why it's happening, who is behind it, and what you can do to stop it. BEHIND THE GREEN MASK: U.N. Agenda 21 is 172 pages of truth. Part history, part current events, part hand-to-hand combat, and part blueprint for keeping your freedom, this is one book that you'll put to work immediately. Boots on the ground and all hands on deck is the order of the day. Awareness is the first step in the Resistance.
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Awareness about Agenda 21 is finally spreading throughout the country, due in no small part to your efforts. But knowing it is there isn't enough. Now we need to educate ourselves on how to combat it. That's where you come in.
 American Policy Center has recently released a booklet that explains everything you need to know to start fighting back against sustainable programs both locally and nationally. The booklet is called Special Report: Agenda 21 and How to Stop It and is available in the APC store for only $5.95.
I wrote this 35 page booklet in order to give activists a succinct resource they can refer to if they suspect Agenda 21 or Sustainable Development is being implemented in their area. It includes my own research coupled with incredibly helpful graphics created by Carroll County, Maryland Commissioner Richard Rothschild.
In the booklet you will find answers to several roadblocks that grassroots anti-Agenda 21 activists often face, including a definition of property rights and "Resolution to Protect Citizens' Property Rights," which many concerned citizens are already using to tie the hands of power hungry politicians.
This booklet is a great resource for anyone interested in preserving their property rights. It includes all the information to put up a first line of defense and step by step instructions for how to proceed from there. If you face Agenda 21 or Sustainable development in your area or are simply concerned with the national fight this booklet is a must read.
Click here to order your booklet now!
In Liberty,
Tom DeWeese
President - American Policy Center
P.S. - The American Policy Center store has recently updated our inventory to include everything you need to fight back against Agenda 21. The revamped catalogue includes the "Stop Agenda 21 Action Kit", which provides users with everything they need to know about Agenda 21 in their own living room, as well as ways to share it with other concerned activists and critical knowledge on how to fight back. The store also offers DVDs of past successful conferences and symposiums, books and articles that deal with the issues of sustainability and Agenda 21 and individually packaged manuals and workbooks to aid you in your activism. You don't need to look any farther than the American Policy Center Store for everything you need to combat Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development in your area.
View our online store
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How to Raise an American Patriot: Making it Okay for Our Kids to Be Proud to Be American
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Parents are the number one people to teach this to their kids.
This historic book will give parents the talking points they need to teach their kids why it's good to love our country and understand why it's so important to fight for our freedom and their rights.
We will lay the foundation for our next "greatest" generation.
I interviewed 13 American patriots, all with different backgrounds and upbringings - several you have heard of and several you haven't heard of but you should.
- Ed Meese, former Attorney General and staff member under President Reagan.
- Jackie Gingrich Cushman, syndicated columnist, daughter of Newt Gingrich.
- Eric Erickson, editor of RedState.com, radio host, CNN contributor and author of the current best-seller "Red State Uprising."
- Rachel Campos-Duffy, fill-in voice of The View, author, wife of Sean Duffy.
- Kevin Jackson, political pundit, bloggor and author of "The BIG Black Lie.
- Reverend Steven Craft, pastor, author, former prison chaplain and national speaker.
- Charlie Rhoads, former military officer, CEO of Joe Foss Institute.
- Rick Green, former Texas legislator, author and national speaker for Wallbuilders.
- Cathy Gillespie, political and philanthropic activist, co-founder of Constituting America, wife of former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie.
- Janine Turner, actress, author, speaker, founder of Constituting America and radio talk show host, The Janine Turner Show. on Talk Radio 570 KLIF.
- Dr. Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, the premier educational institute for constitutional principles.
- Seth Swirsky, award-winning songwriter, singer, artist, film maker and musician.
- Debbie Lee, Gold Star mom and founder of America's Mighty Warriors.
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NEW: Land of Pilgrim's Pride
 In the New York Times bestseller, Sweet Land of Liberty, Ellis the Elephant sets off on a quest to find out how America became a free and exceptional nation. Now Ellis is back and ready to learn about the birth of our great nation in Land of the Pilgrims' Pride.
Written and illustrated by Callista Gingrich and Susan Arciero, Ellis once again educates and entertains as he discovers America's thirteen original colonies. Starting in Virginia, Ellis journeys through each of the colonies and learns about their unique characteristics. From Pocahantas to Benjamin Franklin, Ellis experiences life in Colonial America.
Perfect for children ages 4-8, Land of the Pilgrims' Pride will delight young and adult readers alike while exploring how America began. |
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NEW: Sweet Land of Liberty
 In Sweet Land of Liberty, Ellis the Elephant sets off on a quest to find out.
Through an amazing afternoon at the library, Ellis travels through time and discovers the pivotal moments that have shaped our nation's unique history, including,- the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving
- the Boston Tea Party
- George Washington crossing the Delaware
- pioneers settling the great frontier
- the first man on the moon
...and many more of the astounding events and people whose dreams, courage, and hard work have made America great.
With its vivid illustrations and charming rhymes, Sweet Land of Liberty is a must read for children and parents alike who want to explore our nation's great history-and discover why America is a free and exceptional nation. |
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One Nation Under God - A Book for Little Patriots
|  From "One Nation Under God' through "Ten Amendments in the Bill of Rights," this is the perfect book to teach little patriots about the basics of America.
One Nation Under God: A Book for Little Patriots guides children through the building blocks of America in a fun and engaging way. Beautiful full-color illustrations by Anthony Resto.
A book every Conservative parent should read to thier children!
Specifications: Paperback book; 24 beautiful, fully-illustrated pages
Take a peek inside...  |
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Please Note: All sale pricing and discount codes are eligible for new orders and cannot be applied to previously placed orders or orders placed after expiration dates have expired. Unless otherwise specified, special pricing expires three days after original date of advertisement. In order to process shipments as quickly as possible and to ensure accuracy, orders submitted separately cannot be combined nor additional items added once submitted. Orders receiving free shipping will ship via our choice of shipping method. Free Shipping offers apply to the 48 U.S. contiguous states and will not apply to HI/AK/ International orders unless otherwise specified. Please review our Shipping and Return policies prior to placing order, as submitting your order indicates agreement to all stated information provided in these policies. Utilizing our convenient website, available 24/7, allows payment via credit/debit card, check/money order or Paypal. Please submit your order fully through our webstore and verify accuracy to ensure correct addressing and processing. Thank you for your support! Your business is valued and appreciated. We look forward to providing an exceptional experience. Please share any concern or suggestion you may have for us through the Contact Form on our website.
© 2011 Vision to America, LLC
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IS IT?
http://vimeo.com/52009124
The Agenda
Please watch and share
If you want to understand what is happening to our beloved country please watch this important movie. Please share it with everyone.
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Posted on February 1, 2013 by Dean Garrison
 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."
Read More . . .
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Introduction: How to Think About American History
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Colonial Settlement
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Enlightenment and Natural Rights
Terrence Moore Lecture Available March 11
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Paul Rahe Lecture Available March 25
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The Crisis of the Union
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Paul Moreno Lecture Available April 15
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America as a World Power
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The Reagan Revolution
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Tell Senators to Defund ObamaCare in CR!
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Take Action!
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March 11, 2013
This week, the Senate will be debating the Continuing Resolution (H.R. 933) passed by the House of Representatives last week. Unfortunately, despite an attempt by House conservatives Tim Huelskamp of Kansas and Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma, to add an amendment to defund the aspects of ObamaCare that are funded by discretionary spending, as passed the House bill continues to fund all aspects of ObamaCare at current levels.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas will offer an amendment on the Senate side that defunds discretionary ObamaCare spending (which is all the Continuing Resolution governs).
We are hearing from our colleagues on Capitol Hill that the cries to defund ObamaCare have died down, and liberal legislators are translating that silence as support for ObamaCare. We must let them know that the grassroots still want ObamaCare overturned. It is still possible, we just have to keep fighting at every turn.
Take Action
We need you to take a moment to call your Senators, whether they are liberal or conservative, and tell them to vote for Senator Cruz's amendment to defund ObamaCare in the Continuing Resolution. Even if you think your Senators would never vote for such an amendment, they need to hear from their constituents who oppose ObamaCare!
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
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RedState Morning Briefing
For March 12, 2013
1. Fight Club vs. the Weenie Brigade
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) is doing what needs to be done in the House. He is proposing voting against all rules for legislation that increase the size of government or have a majority of Republicans opposing the underlying legislation. "Rules" are the instructions dictating how much time will be spent on debate of legislation, how many amendments can be offered, etc. The minority party typically votes against the rules, which means if enough conservatives also vote against the rules, the underlying legislation can either be killed or opened to lots of amendments.
This is a needed and worthy goal that I have been calling for, for some time. Rep. Dave Schweikert (R-AZ) is joining Rep. Salmon in this.
I hope you will consider calling their offices and thanking them. Let them know you support them. You can reach Rep. Salmon's office here and reach Rep. Schweikert's office here. Tell them thank you. Maybe if they hear from enough of you other congressmen will know it is safe to join them.
These gentlemen and the conservative fight club in the House stand in stark contrast to the weenie brigade lording over the GOP in Congress.
Byron York has a piece at the Washington Examiner that exposes just how timid some of the Republicans are becoming.
2. The drive to defund ObamaCare: doomed, but useful
[T]he drive to defend ObamaCare is not an exercise in futility. For starters, it's the right thing to do, and it is appropriate for the Republicans to insist on it. What chance do they have to bring Americans around to their way of thinking, if they insist on compromising with ruin, because they need another half-dozen Senators to help them find their convictions? Sometimes there is value in choosing political values carefully, but refusing to engage in any doomed vote until reinforcements arrive via ballot box is a formula for dejected submission. That doesn't make voters eager to put more Republicans in Congress; it makes them wonder why they bothered voting for the ones who are already sitting there.
It is also appropriate for congressional Republicans to keep Democrats on the defensive when it comes to ObamaCare. Don't meekly accept the program as an immutable fact of life, an argument Americans lost forever in 2009; make the Democrats defend it, over and over again, even as they wail about the unbearable agony of sequestration "cuts" that stack up to five percent of ObamaCare's budget bloat. Make the Democrats explain to the American people why they can't have air-traffic controllers, meat inspectors, or firemen, but they have to spent twenty times as much to fund a health-care boondoggle they hate. Help the public understand why there is no reason to take any ObamaCare supporter seriously on the topic of "deficit reduction." The political price paid by Democrats for ramming ObamaCare down our throats in 2010 was a tiny down payment on the price that should be extracted from them forever. It was a horrible mistake to refrain from collecting another big installment in the 2012 election, and that's something Rep. Ryan's running mate needs to answer for. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3. Bloomberg's 16 ounce enforcement shows ignorance about measurements
New York City's ban on select beverages larger than 16 ounces struck many of us as a progressive nanny state running its due course. It was a senseless blow to liberty, expanding government in a pointless way, that also happened to affect less-wealthy New Yorkers disproportionately.
But as the city turns toward enforcement of the ban, which a court threw out yesterday only to see New York promptly appeal the ruling, new developments in city government point to a disturbing revelation: New York City's health department knows nothing about science, about testing, or about how to use calibrated instrumentation to make accurate measurements in restaurants.
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March 12, 2013
Today's Articles:
The Obama Credo
Stella Paul
I believe that government should keep its "Hands off my body," with the one exception of ObamaCare's 160 new government agencies that control my medical care. More
If I Were a Lefty Strongman
Christopher Chantrill
Capitalism says: give up the dog-in-a-manger guild mentality and I will cover you with riches. But most people choose to hang on like grim death to their paltry privileges. More
Obama to Nominate Sharia Supporter, Illegal Immigrant Advocate as Labor Secretary
Matthew Vadum
President Obama reportedly intends to nominate in-your-face radical leftist lawyer Thomas Perez as his next Secretary of Labor. More
Eugenics and the Closing of the Popular Mind
Timothy Gordon
Yahoo offers a glimpse into the abyss: a peek into the blood-soaked crucible of befuddled popular opinion in the fifth decade of Roe v. Wade. More
Gaining Hispanic Voters
Michael Bargo Jr.
Hispanics are suffering in Democratic-run cities, creating an opportunity for GOP strategists to begin a campaign to pull Hispanics away from the Democrats.. More
Pretend-gun Fingers and Plop-Tarts
Jeannie DeAngelis
Is this why the Department of Education has bought a hundred million mancure kits? More
Beppe Grillo, Just the Wacko We Don't Know
Selwyn Duke
The fact is that the Western world is teetering. And within the context of this distressing reality, should we really worry that Italians may choose a different species of wacko than what's de rigueur? More
American Thinker BlogDeepwater Horizon -- Another Holder Coverup?
March 12, 2013
Is there anything that Eric Holder won't hide from public view to advance the political interests of the Obama Administration? More The World's most Dangerous Gas
March 12, 2013
Amazing what a trace amount will do. More Mr. President: Instead of harming the troops, cut here instead
March 12, 2013
Senator Tom Coburn has a wealth of mind-bogglingly wasteful programs the government could cut before pinching our troops. More World's First Nanoassault Rifle
March 12, 2013
This one goes on the banned list. More West Point and the Sequester
March 12, 2013
Obama assures that it hurts. More Young Moroccan 'Apostate' on The Arab Spring and Islam
March 11, 2013
Brutally honest insights on the Arab Spring, and Islam. More Why Obama will be dead weight for Democrats in 2014
March 11, 2013
Dems keeping their distance from the president. More Gun control efforts dying in Congress
March 11, 2013
Not with bang, but a whimper. More North Korea nullifies armistice (updated)
March 11, 2013
More symbolic than real? More Will the next Pope be an American?
March 11, 2013
Not impossible - but not likely. More Christians protest in Pakistan against Muslim violence
March 11, 2013
Crimes against Christians go unpunished. More In Texas, a wrongly convicted man relies on God and church
March 11, 2013
Michael Morton survived prison with faith -- and found love thanks to his church More
 | | Feinstein :Legal to Hunt Humans |
 | | Confusing Question of the Day - Obama Pardons The Sequester |
March 8, 2013 Foreign Lottery Scam Costs 81-Year-Old Nearly Half A Million Dollars
Read more:
 | | Shad Olson Reports: The Great Drone Debate.mpg |
March 8, 2013 Pro-Life Abortion Law Survives in Arkansas Despite Governor's Veto
Read more:
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Read FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor J. Christian Adams' SHOCKING new book! Buy it here
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by LT. COLONEL JAMES G. ZUMWALT, USMC (RET)
Park knew she had to make the moral one. She realized directness was needed in her dealings with Pyongyang. Park understood the South had to champion human rights for those lacking a voice to do so.
Today, new teachers remain in our profession an average of just 4.5 years, and many of them list "issues with parents" as one of their reasons for throwing in the towel.
by STAR PARKER
How can we stop horrors like this from occurring? We've got to stop criminals and nut cases from getting their hands on guns.
by DR. WALID PHARES
Political leaders are positioning Abu Ghaith's capture as a great strategic victory for the US counterterrorism community and declaring that al-Qaeda's core is being devastated. But is that true?
Following a failed bid to become secretary of state, a senior Obama administration official told Fox News this weekend.
by LLOYD MARCUS
Since the presidential election, discouraged patriots have been saying we have lost the country. Obama holds all the cards.
by DAVID ISAAC
The episode underscores the worldwide no-holds-barred attack on Israel's legitimacy and how little push-back this meets from Israel herself.
by ASHRAF RAMELAH
I can't call what has been going on in Egypt for two years a revolution, but I can call such an event an uprising.
by MICHELLE MALKIN
While many Americans worry about government drones in the sky spying on our private lives, Washington meddlers are already on the ground and in our schools gathering intimate data on children and families.
by THE EDITORS
There's no excuse for reversal on the policy to ban knives from the aircraft cabin.
Satire by EDWARD CLINE
How would the New York Times cover the hypothetical death of Barack Obama? The same way it has covered the death of Venezuela's dictator, Hugo Chavez?
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By Daniel Greenfield
How a Soviet mole in FDR's inner circle triggered Pearl Harbor - and its dire relevancy to our conflict today.
By Mark Tapson
Andrew Klavan's latest thriller delivers.
By Frontpagemag.com
All-star panel at the West Coast Retreat discusses the urgent need for conservative action in Hollywood and beyond.
By Arnold Ahlert
Leftist silence on the genocidal race hatred of the Marxist government they once supported.
By Bosch Fawstin
No matter how bad things get, the Golfer-in-Chief plays on.
By Frontpagemag.com
Bob Zeidman, Larry Greenfield and Howard Hyde shed light on the Left's love affair with enemy tyrants.
By Bruce Bawer
A Muslim assassination attempt survivor learns his ordeal is far from over.
By Walid and Theodore Shoebat
Unveiling the horrifying edicts that come from the highest authority of Islamic jurisprudence.
By Ben Shapiro
A case study in how the Right can get results.
By Danielle Avel
CODEPINK comes out of the Jihadist closet.
By Frontpagemag.com
Congressman lays into the Obama administration over its decision to leave four Americans to die.
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More to read:
Rand Paul Fights for Conservative Principles - And Wins
When the New Left Shilled for North Korea
American Foreign Policy and the Tyranny of Old Ideas
How Obama Turned America into Venezuela
Inside the Iron Tower: The Life of Conservatives in Academia
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Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog
At the end of last week we were consumed by the question of whether the President of the United States can order a drone strike on an American in the United States. But why ask that question only about a drone? Suppose that Obama decides that he wants Rush Limbaugh gone once and for all. He gives the order and B-52s from the 11th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana are dispatched to put an end to the talk show host once and for all. The B-52s arrive over Rush Limbaugh's Palm Beach compound in under two hours and begin to pound away at his 2 acre estate dropping 2,000 pound bombs until absolutely nothing is left standing. Every building has been destroyed, the staff is dead, the golf courses are wrecked and there is no sign of life. The 11th returns to base and receives a congratulatory call from Obama on a job well done. Why can't this happen? For one thing it doesn't make much sense. If Obama ever gets that determined to take down Rush, Team O will put together some ex-Feds turned private investigators to plant evidence of a Federal offense and then bring in the FBI. It's a lot cheaper and less likely to make even Obama's most loyal lapdogs balk at wrecking Palm Beach. Federal prosecutors have nearly as good a track record at getting their man, innocent or guilty, as drones do. And they raise a lot fewer questions. Even mad dictators in totalitarian states aren't known for sending air strikes to take out individual critics. Not unless they have no control over the territory that they are in. So why not send in the B-52s to get rid of Rush Limbaugh?
Read more:
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SPLC Letter To DOJ & DHS: Patriot Groups Pose Domestic Terror Threat
The Southern Poverty Law Center(SPLC), an organization that claims to teach tolerance while attacking certain groups and people with whom they disagree, has sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging them to investigate alleged domestic terror threats posed by the likes of organizations and individuals such as the Constitution Party, Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America, columnist Devvy Kidd, the Tyranny Response Team, and Oath Keepers. These thousands of people and organizations that the SPLC spews its hatred against by declaring them to be those that hate are, for the most part, people who simply are Americans who see a growing tyrannical Federal government and want to halt it in its tracks.
The letter was signed by J. Richard Cohen of the SPLC. While Mr. Cohen attempted to appeal to writing to then Attorney Janet Reno six months before the Oklahoma City bombing to warn of growing domestic terrorism, he really doesn't make his case for a second letter. In fact, many questions still surround the Oklahoma City bombing to this day, including why the agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) were not in the building at the time of the detonation or why many were told to stay away. Several other reports and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's own dispatch logs indicated other bombs inside the building after the explosion. With the way the Clinton administration handled Ruby Ridge and the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, I'm not too sure I would put anything past them and so the SPLC's opening line falls a bit flat and has no connection to the number of patriots or patriot groups in America.
Read more:
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News from The Hill:
Congress blocked Kerry from offering Egypt more aid
By Julian Pecquet
Secretary of State John Kerry had hoped to offer considerably more aid to Egypt than the $250 million he announced during his trip to Cairo but was blocked by Congress, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said.
"This is not the aid package that the administration wanted to announce," Royce told The Hill. The administration wanted to release a "larger sum," but bowed to the wishes of Royce's committee as well as congressional appropriators, he said.
Read the story here.
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Obama Will Push Targeted Military Cuts in Capitol Hill Visit
Monday, 11 Mar 2013
By Lisa Barron
With the Pentagon facing $46 billion in mandatory spending cuts, the White House may try to use the sequester to argue for deeper cuts in military programs it has long wanted to scale back. According to The New York Times, President Barack Obama will visit Capitol Hill Tuesday to push for a deficit reduction deal that would replace across-the-board cuts with more targeted ones. On the president's wish list, the Times reported, are base closings, further reductions in deployed nuclear weapons and weapons stockpiles, a restructuring of the military medical insurance program, and a scaling back of next-generation weapons programs, including the F-35 warplane. Programs that the administration reportedly believes will need more funding include drones, cyberweapons and special operations forces, the newspaper noted. Pentagon officials are also beginning to look at ways to avoid indiscriminate cuts. "What we've learned in the past year is that the politics of dumb cuts is easy, because no one has to think through the implications of slicing everything by 8 percent," one senior defense official told the Times. Last week, a group of five Pentagon officials called for a "bottom up" review of every major military program and weapons system to reassess their need, the newspaper noted. The problem for the president and Pentagon, however, is that some of the areas where deeper cuts would reap the biggest, most immediate budget benefits, such as cutting the size of active-duty forces, involve programs that have the staunchest defenders in Congress.
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com
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Don't Worry. It's A G-Rated And Fitting Tribute...
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[Video] The Gorgeous Women Of Fox News: A Video Tribute
The women of Fox News are officially memorialized. Country-music singer and songwriter Austin Cunningham has produced a music video immortalizing the beautiful women of Fox News...
Watch The Video
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Obama Identity Fraud Allegations Not Going Away...
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[Video] Judge: Obama Identity Fraud Case Not Frivolous
Justice Richard Sanders, a former Supreme Court justice from Washington state, tells Carl Gallups that the Obama identity fraud case is not frivolous...
Watch The Video
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And Guess Who She Voted For...
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Nun Charged With Voter Fraud
(Cincinnati.com) Three people - including a nun and a longtime poll worker - are facing charges related to improper voting...
Read The Full Story
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He Said What? ...
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[Video] Did Rep. Louie Gohmert Calls McCain "Numb-Nuts?"
Gohmert talks to PolitiChick Ann-Marie Murrell about Benghazi and the stonewalling coming out of the White House.
Watch The Video
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Former TSA Screener: "Job Does Little To Keep Fliers Safe"
Mar 11, 2013 02:38 pm
It is perhaps America's most unsafe airport. Despite being the launching point for one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 - Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania - Newark Airport has had numerous security violations since. The latest: a fake bomb that made it past Transportation Security Administration officers. Here, a Newark TSA screener who [...] Read More and Comment: Former TSA Screener: "Job Does Little To Keep Fliers Safe"
Video: Ignorant Support Obama, WhateverMar 11, 2013 01:28 pm
The ignorant, the low information voter, the uninformed, the mentally incompetent, whatever you call them, they support Obama without question and without knowledge of why. The voters questioned in this video explain why America is at risk when we let the foolish vote. Related posts: Obama's Dismal Early Primary Vote Support Down Over 50% As [...] Watch the Video and Comment: Video: Ignorant Support Obama, Whatever
Obamacare Tax Increases Will Impact Us AllMar 11, 2013 12:45 pm
The trillion dollars in tax increases from the Affordable Care Act have the potential to hinder small business and investment, and further set back a struggling economy. The Joint Committee on Taxation recently released a 96 page report on the tax provisions associated with Affordable Care Act. The report describes the 21 tax increases included [...] Read More and Comment: Obamacare Tax Increases Will Impact Us All
Video: Has There Ever Been A Bigger Moron Than John McCain?Mar 11, 2013 12:37 pm
Mark Levin has become one of our favorite radio hosts because of his willingness to criticize Republicans like John McCain. No related posts. Watch the Video and Comment: Video: Has There Ever Been A Bigger Moron Than John McCain?
Utah Fights For 2nd Amendment...Sort OfMar 11, 2013 12:33 pm
Can state lawmakers legally fine federal officials, even toss them in jail should they attempt to impose Barack Obama's agenda of gun bans and confiscation on the American people? Many remember video of lawless New Orleans police as they traveled door to door in the aftermath of Katrina, throwing law abiding citizens to the ground, [...] Read More and Comment: Utah Fights For 2nd Amendment...Sort Of
Tides Uses Tax Dollars To Turn America To The LeftMar 11, 2013 12:31 pm
At the center of Washington, D.C., politics, a powerful group of left-wing activists has leveraged big money, high-level White House access and tax-code loopholes to create a lobbying organization dressed up as an educational nonprofit with the benign name of a laundry detergent. The Tides Foundation is a favorite charity of such big-name liberal donors [...] Read More and Comment: Tides Uses Tax Dollars To Turn America To The Left
Shock Video: NBC Says Obama's Words Don't Match ActionsMar 11, 2013 12:30 pm
We have said from the beginning that Obama's words rarely match his actions. In this shocking video NBC finally says it. We never thought we would see this in the liberal media. Related posts: Cartoon Of The Day: Words Vs. Actions ... Continue to Post... New Ad: "Words" Actions speak louder than words. Are you [...] Watch the Video and Comment: Shock Video: NBC Says Obama's Words Don't Match Actions
Does Taking An Oath On The Constitution Count For Anything?Mar 11, 2013 12:26 pm
News stories are making their way around that newly sworn-in CIA Director John Brennan took the oath of office on the 1787 draft version of the Constitution. "There's one piece of this that I wanted to note for you," spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at their daily briefing. "Director Brennan was sworn in with his [...] Read More and Comment: Does Taking An Oath On The Constitution Count For Anything?
Muslims Burn Over 150 Christian Homes And 2 ChurchesMar 11, 2013 12:21 pm
Islam, the supposed religion of peace, has developed a hair trigger when it comes to the slightest hint of blasphemy against their prophet Muhammad. It doesn't matter if the claims of blasphemy are true or not, as just the suggestion that someone said anything negative about Muhammad is enough to insight a violent reaction. One [...] Read More and Comment: Muslims Burn Over 150 Christian Homes And 2 Churches
Media Silence On Race Makes Things WorseMar 11, 2013 12:20 pm
Photo credit: wstera2 (Creative Commons) Since America is more than seventy percent White, an honest media would present lots of stories about minorities, especially Blacks victimizing Whites even as they demand more money from them; but of course they don't. The media doesn't concern itself with the truth about Black on White crime. It has [...] Read More and Comment: Media Silence On Race Makes Things Worse
"Nero" Starring Barry SoetoroMar 11, 2013 12:16 pm
David Limbaugh has written persuasively that Barack Obama is a malignant narcissist. When we see the 'president-in-name-only' preening in the mirror, refusing to take any responsibility for anything, and constantly blaming everyone else for each and every failure, the diagnosis sticks. When the fawning media worship at his throne, the dictator receives homage, then denigrates [...] Read More and Comment: "Nero" Starring Barry Soetoro
One Man With Courage Makes A MajorityMar 11, 2013 12:04 pm
"One man with courage makes a majority," penned Thomas Jefferson. When that courage is armed with principle and backed by constitutional precepts, it's formidable. Such was the case this week when Kentucky's Junior Senator, Rand Paul, took to the floor of the senate in a one-man filibuster, reminiscent of the 1939 "Mr. Smith Goes to [...] Read More and Comment: One Man With Courage Makes A Majority
Video: Sheriff Speaks Out Against Democrat ThreatsMar 11, 2013 12:00 pm
This is intimidation by the left, pure and simple. On 740 AM KVOR radio Friday morning Sheriff Terry Maketa stated, in short, that the Sheriffs of Colorado are being threatened, extorted and blackmailed for speaking up for our 2nd amendment rights. According to the sheriff, the threats are being initiated by the Democratic party. Related [...] Watch the Video and Comment: Video: Sheriff Speaks Out Against Democrat Threats
America's Distrust And GridlockMar 11, 2013 11:57 am
Watching the round table discussion on ABC Sunday mornings is instructive. George Will always provides unique insight couched in history. He made the essential point this morning that the two political parties are so far apart; any compromise on financial issues appears unlikely. Along with Sen. Johnson this morning, Will's input was routinely constructive, oriented [...] Read More and Comment: America's Distrust And Gridlock
The Tea Party Isn't White Folks OnlyMar 11, 2013 11:50 am
News flash: The Tea Party isn't WFO ( White Folks Only! ). In politics I've found a healthy skepticism to be equivalent to the caged canary miners used to detect invisible poison gases. This skepticism greeted the first time I heard of the Tea Party. Unlike liberal Blacks and even ( shhh! ) some conservatives [...] Read More and Comment: The Tea Party Isn't White Folks Only
Video: Congresswoman Admits That A Handgun Ban Is NextMar 11, 2013 11:40 am
In this interview by Jason Mattera, Rep. Jan Schakowsky admits that this is just the start of the gun grabbers agenda and a handgun ban is next. These leftists are really devious the way they hide there goals until they have the votes to push forward in their "change" agenda. Related posts: Congresswoman Denies 'Promoting [...] Watch the Video and Comment: Video: Congresswoman Admits That A Handgun Ban Is Next
Video: Jesse Jackson Compares Hugo Chavez To Founding FathersMar 09, 2013 08:10 pm
"Well, you know, democracies mature, Our first 15 presidents owned people. They owned slaves. Democracies mature." Related posts: Actor Compares Obama To Hugo Chavez Actor Jon Voight says that Obama has taken over the... Jesse Jackson On Race Relations And Trayvon Martin The Black Panthers, the ambulance chasing civil rights leaders, and... Read More and Comment: Video: Jesse Jackson Compares Hugo Chavez To Founding Fathers
Obama Abusing The DeclarationMar 09, 2013 08:09 pm
"We the People are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but the men who pervert the Constitution." - Abraham Lincoln In response to being called out on the carpet for his tyrannical methods, Obama stated publicly, "I am not a dictator." Whatever Obama says, you can rest [...] Read More and Comment: Obama Abusing The Declaration
Video: Food Stamp Use Hits Record LevelsMar 09, 2013 07:58 pm
Since Obama took office, the country has seen the largest rise of people on food stamps ever. Related posts: Obama: The Food Stamp President The Obama administration has a rather relaxed policy for qualifying... Food Stamp Use Reaches Record 46.7 Million People This is just sad. We need to reverse this by... Watch the Video and Comment: Video: Food Stamp Use Hits Record Levels
John McCain: Hero Or Whore?Mar 09, 2013 07:57 pm
I was raised to honor the sacrifices of veterans, especially combat ones. For that reason, US Senator John McCain has gotten a break from me (and even my vote in 2008.) But, I'm not questioning his Vietnam service record. My current inquiry has a much more recent vintage. While US Senator Rand Paul undertook his [...] Read More and Comment: John McCain: Hero Or Whore?
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Monday, March 11, 2013
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
"Stoke And Scare"
Last week the media were gushing about Obama's dinner with Republican senators. Obama was praised for once again reaching out to his political opponents, while our media elites waited with bated breath wondering if the recalcitrant Republicans would dare reject him one more time. It was good political theater.
But as former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan noted in a weekend Wall Street Journal op-ed, while Obama put on a good show for the cameras, his political operation evidently did not get the memo. It was still in campaign mode, bashing the GOP and churning out more horror stories about the sequester. Consider this excerpt from Noonan's column:
"It is interesting that almost at the same time as the dinner the president's people had once again begun warning of doom. A blast email from Organizing for Action, signed by Stephanie Cutter, used these words: 'Devastating,' 'obstructionism,' 'destructive,' 'this is real.' It claimed 100,000 'teaching jobs' will be cut, along with '70,000 spots for preschoolers in Head Start, $43 million for food programs for seniors, $35 million for local fire departments,' and nutritional assistance for 'over half a million women and their families.' ...
"They aren't dropping the Frighten Everyone strategy. Their whole approach is still stoke and scare -- stoke resentment and scare the vulnerable into pressuring Republicans."
Obama realized the public was blaming him for gridlock in Washington, so he went into damage control. Yet, while he was playing patty-cake with Republican senators, his political juggernaut was in high gear with its "stoke and scare" tactics.
About Those Sequester Cuts...
The White House made headlines when it announced that the sequester cuts had forced it to shut down the popular White House tours. The news has disappointed schoolchildren and parents all over the country. Last week I received a message from a concerned grandmother telling me that her granddaughter's scheduled visit to the White House had been cancelled.
One sixth grade class at St. Paul's Lutheran School in Waverly, Iowa, is fighting back. It has launched a Facebook campaign to pressure the White House into keeping the doors open. Their message is simple: "The White House is our house. Please let us visit!"
I applaud their activism. But according to Bloomberg News, shutting down the popular tours are the only cuts the White House has made so far.
Meanwhile, Politico writes that the Obamas are making plans for their fourth expensive summer vacation to Martha's Vineyard. But wait...there's more!
While American kids are being kicked out, it has been reported that the White House is already planning a lavish party for Michelle Obama's 50th birthday -- which is next year! According to someone familiar with the planning, "America's first lady will be holding a huge celebrity-packed party for her birthday at the White House next year and, as she adores Adele and Beyoncé, she has asked them both to sing."
The Next Pope
The leaders of the Catholic Church are gathered in Rome this week to select the next pope. Some of my fellow evangelicals may be inclined to feel that they do not have a horse in this race, or some may be dwelling on the doctrinal differences between Catholics and Evangelicals. But I am praying that the cardinals have great success.
Western Civilization is in grave danger. It is under attack from radical secularism and from radical Islam. I think that anyone who cares about Christendom should pray that this selection is done with God-given wisdom and that the next pope will continue to aggressively defend Judeo-Christian civilization as the last two popes have done.
Mary Eberstadt, of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, argues that the next pope should be "ready to play offense." Eberstadt writes that "Christianity Lite" has been embraced by our elites, including many mainline Protestant denominations. But a faith that rejects orthodoxy in exchange for the whims of popular opinion has failed to draw in large crowds. Meanwhile, radical secularism is gutting the West.
Mrs. Eberstadt put it better than I could have when she wrote:
"Unprecedented numbers of fatherless homes, burgeoning levels of depression and anxiety, a sexual ethos so freakishly jejune that parents of every stripe fear it -- these are just some of the specters now stalking the secular West. Then there are the crushing burdens outside the West that traditional teaching also addresses: the women around the world who suffer genuine oppression, like sex trafficking; the millions of believers persecuted for believing; the many other human beings unwanted by anyone else and upon whose intrinsic dignity Christianity -- and sometimes, only Christianity -- insists.
"The best defense remains a good offense, and the riven secular world itself, however inadvertently, hands the next pope plenty of moral ammunition. He just has to be willing to use it."
"Morning In America"
This morning I had the opportunity to join my old friend Bill Bennett on his radio show, "Morning In America." Of course, that was Ronald Reagan's 1984 campaign slogan, and Bill and I had the great honor of serving together in the Reagan Administration -- I was Under Secretary of Education when Bill Bennett was Reagan's Secretary of Education.
This morning, we had a great conversation about a host of issues making headlines -- Rand Paul's filibuster, drones, marriage, the Boy Scouts, etc. Click here to listen to my segment on Bill's show.
If you want to get a good overview of what conservatives are thinking and talking about as the day begins, Bill Bennett's radio show is the best place to start.
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| Monday, March 11 |  |
| Schakowsky: Assault Weapons Ban 'Just the Beginning' |
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by Joel B Pollak
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a member of the Democratic Party's leadership in the House of Representatives, suggested to Jason Mattera at a Feb. 13 women's rights rally that plans for an assault weapons ban and private-sales background checks were only the beginning of a broader gun control agenda extending to handguns as well.
Schakowsky evidently did not recognize Mattera, a conservative video journalist and senior investigative reporter for Talk Radio Network, who infamously confronted Vice President Joe Biden in the Capitol. (Mattera introduced himself to Schakowsky by name but did not indicate that he was filming or that he is conservative.) She spoke to Mattera as if he were a fellow gun control enthusiast--and Mattera played along, eliciting answers about Schakowsky's enthusiasm for gun control.
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Big Peace
Mexican Officer: Military at War with Cartels in Nuevo Laredo More
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| | | | | | | NY Times Claims Gun Ownership Is Dropping Dramatically - Is It? | | | | | | According to a report in the New York Times, gun ownership in U.S. homes has allegedly declined dramatically over the past four decades. Considering the existence of other reports of record setting gun purchases in the last four years, TheBlaze wondered if the Times story was 100% accurate. We dig deeper into the data HERE. | | | | | |
Comedian Adam Carolla blasted the Huffington Post for trying to stir up a racial storm over an interview he had with California Lieutenant Gov. Gavin Newsom involving black and hispanic success. While Carolla's rant is powerful and accurate in its defense of his interview and point of view, we would advise that you refrain from listening over the loudspeakers in you office environment. Listen at your own riskHERE.
On ABC's �This Week�, liberal economist Paul Krugman, frequently known for his scathing attacks on Republicans, accused Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) of peddling �non-facts.� The attack followed a scathing back and forth between Senator Johnson and Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz over the state of negotiations regarding entitlement spending between the White House and Republicans in Congress. Watch the segmentHERE.
Seventy-five years after the Nazi invasion and occupation of Austria, a newspaper in that country has asked citizens about their opinion of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi annexation during World War II. Jewish leaders who have been raising the alarms about anti-Semitism in Austria say the results were not surprising. See what the Austrians think about Adolf HitlerHERE.
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Three goals will dominate President Barack Obama�s upcoming visit to Israel, his first as President: Convincing Israel and its leadership he means what he says about stopping Iran from building a nuclear weapon, mending a deeply-troubled relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, in return, enticing Israel back to negotiations with the Palestinians. Read how the President will accomplish these goalsHERE.
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| | | | | | | | | | | | On March 13th, The Restoration Of Journalism Begins | | | | | | For The Record is an investigative news magazine with no political agenda and nothing to lose. Probing, fair, but unforgiving. Journalism the way it used to be. Don't miss the premiere episode, as For The Record investigates how the NSA turned America into a surveillance state. See a previewHERE. | | | | | | READ THIS | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Could an obscure military regulation really have led to the infamous Fort Hood shooter, Major Nidal Hasan, being not just promoted, but awarded the medal of honor? There are some people that certainly think so, given the existence of a new viral rumor to precisely that effect. What is worse is that there appears to be at least one military news site substantiating the rumor. Learn what we discovered about this rumorHERE.
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From TheBlaze TV | | | | | |
- Glenn Beck -- Glenn is connecting the dots between something that happened in our political history and last week's Rand Paul filibuster on the Senate floor -- The Glenn Beck Program at 5pm ET or on-demand on TheBlaze TV.
TheBlaze Radio Network A fan participating in a basketball tournament�s halftime shot contest might have made a layup, free-throw and the difficult half-court shot, but it�s what he missed that kept a $50,000 prize from him. Watch the videoHERE. | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | Yikes! A Crazy Critter Crashed A Soccer Match - Bites A Player | | | | | |
Sunday, during a soccer match in Switzerland between Thun and Zurich, a furry little animal called a marten decided to crash the party and have his way on the soccer field. The speedy creature evaded capture on several occasions. However, when he finally was nabbed, he expressed his displeasure with being restrained by biting one of the players. Watch the videoHERE.
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| NEW ON PJ MEDIA | |
Al Gore was apparently the hot ticket at SXSW (South by Southwest) over the weekend. The website's report on the colloquy concludes with a portentous statement from the former veep, which is getting a fair amount of play: "We need to move everything to the Internet as quickly as we possibly can. If we do that, the future will belong to a well-informed citizenry." Let's leave aside for a moment all our preconceptions about Gore and examine this Internet millennialism.
It is not easy to ruin the American economy; doing nothing usually means it repairs itself and soon is healthier than before a recession. But don't despair: there are plenty of ways to slow down even an inherently strong economy. There are certain commonalities in contemporary models about why and how they fail. Let's review some of them. | | | | TOP STORIES ON PJ MEDIA | |
We Republicans have to cure ourselves of the illusion that we can engineer the happiness of other cultures with an inherent antipathy to Western-style democracy. Where the Muslim world is concerned, optimism is cowardice. And we have to persuade the American people that selective, limited military action against Iran will not draw the United States into a new land war.
The pointless negativity from some conservative friends has me wondering if that attitude isn't a big part of our problem on the right. There are good reasons to be down since November, I'm not saying that there aren't. But how does getting down on every last little thing serve any useful purpose? How should we expect anyone to see our point of view past any of us acting like we just sucked a lemon? | | | | MORE FROM PJ MEDIA | |
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Utah steps up to prevent federal encroachment on 2nd Amendment rights...sort of
Mar 11, 2013 06:13 am | Coach Collins
by Doug Book, staff writer
Can state lawmakers legally fine federal officials, even toss them in jail should they attempt to impose Barack Obama's agenda of gun bans and confiscation on the American people?
Many remember video of lawless New Orleans police as they travelled door to door in the aftermath of Katrina, throwing law abiding citizens to the ground, confiscating their firearms and rendering individuals defenseless at a time when self-defense was all that would separate honest citizens from roving bands of thugs and looters. Such was the outrage of the American public that one year later, the State of Louisiana joined federal lawmakers in banning the confiscation of firearms during declared "emergencies." (1)
Today, more than a dozen states have "...proposed legislation to either jail federal officials who violate the second amendment or to nullify federal laws to control guns within state borders." The list of states joining these efforts continues to grow. ... Continue Reading:Utah steps up to prevent federal encroachment on 2nd Amendment rights...sort of
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Monday Brief
The Firearms Equality Movement
March 11, 2013
The Foundation
"[T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people." --Tench Coxe
Inspiration
 "[A] growing number of firearm companies have suspended the sale of guns to states, counties, cities and municipalities that restrict their citizens' rights to own them. In just two weeks, the number of companies participating in what has been named the 'Firearms Equality Movement,' has more than tripled from 34 companies to 118. The Police Loophole lists every company and links to the statements that each has released regarding their new policies. Wilson Combat, a custom pistol manufacturer located in Berryville, Arkansas, joined the movement on February 28 stating the following: 'Wilson Combat will no longer provide any products or services to any State Government imposing legislation that infringes on the second amendment rights of its law abiding citizens. This includes any Law Enforcement Department, Law Enforcement Officers, or any State Government Entity or Employee of such an entity. This also applies to any local municipality imposing such infringements. ... Wilson Combat will in NO way support the government of these states or their anti-gun agenda that only limits the rights of law-abiding citizens. Wilson Combat will continue to supply any product and/or service they can legally sell in these states to all non-government affiliated citizens.'" --CNS News' Gregory Gwyn-Williams Jr.
Re: The Left
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ObamaDon'tCare
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Last Chance to Repair Mr. Roberts' Obamacare Error
This column by ACRU Senior Fellow Robert Knight was published March 11, 2013 on The Washington Times website.
In 1919, back when the United States was a constitutional republic, Congress passed a child-labor law imposing a 10 percent excise tax on companies that violated it.
A North Carolina furniture maker challenged the law and won. In 1922, the Supreme Court ruled in Bailey v. Drexel Furniture that although child-labor laws have a noble purpose, the means -- Congress using taxing power as a penalty -- was unconstitutional.
Read the Entire Column
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President Obama's War on Women and Minorities
This column by ACRU General Counsel and Senior Fellow for the Carleson Center for Public Policy (CCPP) Peter Ferrara was published March 10, 2013 on Forbes.com.
The 2012 election featured the bottom feeding charge of a Republican War on Women. The grounds for such a charge were less than zero. But with the Democrat Party outright controlling so much of the national media, every Democrat talking point takes on added weight.
Is opposition to abortion indicative of a "war on women?" That would overlook the fact that at least half of babies aborted are female. Maybe it is a liberal war on women.
Read the Entire Column
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Rand Paul and Osama bin Laden's Spokesperson
This column by ACRU Senior Legal Analyst Ken Klukowski was published March 8 2013 on Breitbart.com.
Supporters of national security and the Constitution are rightly outraged about learning that Sulaiman Abu Ghaith--the al Qaeda spokesman who is also Osama bin Laden's son-in-law--appeared today in federal court in New York City. And it raises the next stage in the critical debate that started with Sen. Rand Paul's filibuster earlier this week.
Suddenly, the public learned that a senior member of al Qaeda--who furthermore is a member of bin Laden's immediate family--is right here in the United States. He was brought before a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on charges of conspiracy, essentially being put on the hook for the deaths of almost 3,000 American citizens on 9/11. And he pleaded not guilty.
Read the Entire Column
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6 Things the Next U.S. Budget Should Do
It's time for Congress to make a real budget-and not just any budget.
It's been four years since the U.S. had a real budget. While the House of Representatives has passed budgets, the Senate has stopped each one. Instead, the Senate under Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has done short-term, stopgap measures to keep the government funded year after year.
But this year, Reid and others have said they are going to step up and do their job.
The President's budget is already late-by two months-and will not appear until early April, according to the White House. To get things started, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will unveil his fiscal year 2014 budget tomorrow.
Heritage's Alison Acosta Fraser and Patrick Louis Knudsen, the Grover M. Hermann Senior Fellow in Federal Budgetary Affairs, have a blueprint for what that budget should look like if we are to have any hope of reclaiming economic growth and digging out of the hole we're in. They make the case that the budget should do six things.
1. Balance. Achieve balance within 10 years, and stay in balance.
Why? Put simply, we can't keep spending more money than we take in. Anyone who has paid a credit card bill knows that that bill just keeps getting larger and larger until you start living within your income. If we as a country don't get our budget into balance within the next 10 years, government is going to swallow nearly all of the economy-leaving us all with a disaster, but especially today's children.
2. Defend America. Fully fund national defense.
Why? The Pentagon has waste and inefficiencies like every other government agency, and these should be ferreted out. But President Obama has already been shrinking our military capabilities, and this can't continue if we are going to defend ourselves. North Korea's recent nuclear threats are a reminder that our forces must be modernized and ready at all times.
3. Reform Entitlements. Reform the major entitlement programs (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security) with real policy changes that improve the programs, eliminate their shortcomings, and make them affordable.
Why? The major entitlements are the primary reason America has a budget problem. They are growing every year, and this growth is unsustainable. The levels of benefits will have to be cut abruptly if these programs are not reformed to keep them around for the next generation.
4. Repeal Obamacare.
Why? We haven't begun to see the real impact of Obamacare's new spending, because many of its largest provisions go into effect in 2014. Obamacare spends $1.8 trillion just in the next 10 years. All of these costs, and Obamacare isn't going to improve patient care-it's only going to make things worse.
5. Cut Spending. Reduce non-defense discretionary spending.
Why? The federal government has overreached into every area of Americans' lives. Functions like transportation and education need to be returned to the states and localities so that the people closest to the services can have more say in how they are run.
6. Reform Taxes. Adopt growth-oriented tax reform capped at the historical level of taxation.
Why? Economic growth is the goal. A better economy means people are employed, they are advancing, and they are making more money. That's why the government actually takes in more in taxes when times are good-people make more money and pay more taxes. Tax reform does not mean closing tax preferences ("loopholes") to raise revenue. True tax reform is revenue neutral. Any revenue raised by eliminating tax preferences should be offset by lowering tax rates. The code should encourage saving and investment, the essential elements of sustainable, long-term growth.
All of these things are possible. The Heritage Foundation has laid out the way to accomplish them in the Saving the American Dream plan.
FOR MORE DETAILS:
What the FY 2014 Budget Should Do
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The Cost of Non-Teaching School Staff to Taxpayers
By Lindsey Burke
The U.S. public education system has seen an enormous increase in staff over the past few decades. But unlike private companies, which base staffing decisions on product demand, the number of school staff positions has increased rapidly without a commensurate increase in the number of students served by the system.
This is the type of staffing surge that, if reversed, could save some $24 billion annually, according to estimates from a new report by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.
States should consider cutting costs in areas that are long overdue for reform and should refrain from continuing to increase the number of non-teaching staff in public schools. As the Friedman report concludes: "The policy of increasing public school staffing does not appear to improve student achievement-despite its massive and on-going cost to taxpayers."
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What To
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Roughly Half of States Considering School Choice Proposals
State legislators across the nation are considering options to expand private, charter and online school choice.
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Number of the Week
55 Percent
of voters in the state of Maine support school vouchers, according to a new survey by the Friedman Foundation for Education Choice.
On top of that, 62 percent of Maine voters support charter schools, and the same number support tax-credit scholarships.
See Maine K-12 & School Choice Survey
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Quote of the Week
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"In order to give the children of Texas a better education and a brighter future we must focus on creating more choices for parents including charter, online learning, and the ability for parents to find the right school for their child."
-State Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston)
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About The Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute -- 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.
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| VOL. 15, NO. 2 | March 8, 2013 |  | |
Back to the Basics:
Straightening Up America, II:
Rejecting Supremacist Judges
"How far can you make a man bend over backwards before he breaks?" This anguished cry was heard in one of the most widely acclaimed musical productions of the Twentieth Century, "Fiddler on the Roof." And it is the thought with which we began our last Court Watch Briefing. We then asked, "Has America bent over backwards too far in its spiritual, moral, and constitutional life - too far from our Constitution and its Judeo-Christian roots?" Are we, like Tevye, on the verge of breaking - at least in the sense of losing our internal vigor and our global power - and in sore need of "a fundamental straightening up process"?
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| Gabby Giffords's Husband Buys AR-15
Mark E. Kelly, gun-control proponent and husband to former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, recently purchased an AR-15 (an "assault weapon," he called it)-which he now says he intended as an illustration of the need for more stringent gun laws ... (more) |
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Jaw-dropping admission by America's top cop
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It was one of the biggest exposures of massive corruption in recent history, all revealed by WND.
And now, in a stunning admission, the top law-enforcement man in America explains why there are certain times you just don't prosecute.
You won't believe the reason (or maybe you will, with this guy) ...
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Read the latest now on WND.com.
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Feds buying 100 YEARS worth of ammo
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OK, now it's getting serious.
The federal government just can't stop buying ammunition -- so much so, it could reportedly last a century.
Why on Earth is this taking place?
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Read the latest now on WND.com.
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Are THESE PEOPLE really to blame for gun violence?
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Everyone has his own idea about who's to blame for outbreaks of gun violence.
But we've unearthed some politically incorrect comments from one of Barack Obama's top henchmen that might embarrass some people.
Let's just see if the president's Minion Media will report this ...
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Read the latest now on WND.com.
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Look what the feds did to this couple's land
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The Rio Grande River was 25 miles away, but that didn't stop the federal government from seeing water where there wasn't any.
Look what the homeowners had to do to wrestle back control of their land.
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Read the latest now on WND.com.
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Christians tried for 'action against national security'
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Some are calling it an all-out effort to stop the spread of Christianity.
Now five believers arrested in October for "action against national security" are now going on trial.
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Read the latest now on WND.com
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Plus!
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Something major has just happened to the gorgeous women of Fox News.
It's something you'll never hear reported by the likes of CNN or MSNBC.
But here's the story, video and plenty of mesmerizing photos.
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Click here for details
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Veterans forced to prove they're worthy of GUN rights
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Why on Earth are those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces being told the 2nd Amendment no longer applies to them?
Is the federal government really serious?
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Read the latest now on WND.com.
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Is THIS the secret weapon that blew up Iran's nuke plant?
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Barack Obama doesn't want to admit this (not like he enjoys admitting anything truthful).
But all the reports about a blast at Iran's secret nuke planet have now been confirmed.
And THIS could be the clever weapon used to bring it down ...
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Read the latest now on WND.com.
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Suburbs secede from major U.S. city ...
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It has begun.
Residents fed up with government incompetence, corruption and scandals are breaking away from one of the biggest cities in America.
Is this just the tip of the iceberg?
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Read the latest now on WND.com.
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In a little spanish town, t'was on a night like this
Posted: 11 Mar 2013 03:15 PM PDT
(Paul Mirengoff)
The Spanish town of Ribadavia is preparing to hold its first Passover Seder since 1492. The event has been organized by the municipality's tourism department in partnership with the Center for Medieval Studies, an organization that researches the history of Iberian Jews prior to their expulsion during the Spanish Inquisition that began in 1492.
The project is aimed at increasing tourism to Ribadavia and "breathing new life into its old Jewish quarter." These days, only two Jewish families live in the town.
I've visited the Jewish quarter of several Spanish cities and towns. I always get the same impression - that Spain's expulsion of Jews left a huge hole in the country. Has the hole ever been completely filled?
Whether this sentiment reflects mere chauvanism on my part is a question I'll leave to scholars like those at the aforementioned Center for Medieval Studies. Either way, I'm happy that Ribadavia is bringing to life the ditty/parody my mother used to sing around this time of year:
In a little Spanish town, t'was on a night like this;
All the Jews were eating Matzohs and gefilte fish.
Sadly, though, gefilte fish may not be on the menu, as this undoubtedly will be a Sephardic Seder.
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Mac Owens: Locklear's list
Posted: 11 Mar 2013 12:29 PM PDT
(Scott Johnson)
Mackubin Thomas Owens served as an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. He now serves on the faculty of the Naval War College while also also serving as the editor of Orbis, the quarterly journal of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He is a scholar of civil-military relations, as evidenced his book, US Civil-Military Relations After 9/11: Renegotiating the Civil-Military Bargain. I asked Mac to comment on Admiral Lockyear's list of national security threats in the Pacific, the foremost of which was climate change. Mac writes:
On the one hand, strategic thinking requires us to consider the possibility of a number of alternative future security environments. The possible effects resulting from climate change is thus a legitimate question for strategists to consider. For instance, the Navy is very interested in the possibility that a warmer climate will make the Arctic Ocean navigable for longer periods of the year. But unfortunately, much of the Navy's leadership has embraced the more alarmist versions of climate change.
As your Power Line post indicates, there are far more critical security issues facing the country. I sometimes think that senior military leaders feel the need to be politically correct on issues such as climate change.
The same goes for energy. A year ago, the Naval War College's annual Current Strategy Forum, sponsored by the Secretary of the Navy, was dedicated to the topic of energy, with much of it being of the "green" sort. Now clearly, there are many practical things the military services can do to save energy and many of these have operational impacts, but the main speaker was Amory Lovins, which confirmed that the focus was not operational. It was about that time that Michael Rameriz ran a cartoon mocking the Navy's green energy push. It showed the new green naval vessel, which was, of course, a sailing ship. Priceless.
Ironically, I have seen very little discussion on the part of the Navy's senior leadership regarding a real strategic issue related to energy: the possibility that as a result of new fracking technologies, the United States is on the verge of becoming a major energy exporter, which means that the Persian Gulf in particular and the Greater Middle East in general will be less important to the United States. What does that mean for American grand strategy and the US Navy?
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President Obama, the Democrats' big 2014 obstacle
Posted: 11 Mar 2013 09:17 AM PDT
(Paul Mirengoff)
By now, I think it's clear to everyone who follows politics that President Obama's domestic policies are fixed around one objective. That objective is gaining control of the House of Representatives in the 2014 election so that his final two years at the White House will bring a bang, not a whimper.
Flush with his success in November, Obama initially believed he could achieve this goal via the same means through which he secured that success - by demonizing Republicans as tools of the wealthy. Hence his approach, with road show included, to the fiscal cliff and sequestration.
But this approach manifestly hasn't worked. Obama's approval number has tumbled. Even in New York State, it dropped by 10 points (from 66 percent to 56 percent) in the past month. And 60 percent of New York voters now believe the country is on the wrong track.
But it's not just voters who are disillusioned with Obama's performance. According to Politico, "Democratic candidates and operatives in the districts on which control of the House will hinge [say] that the message and issues Obama has emphasized since the election are creating a difficult political headwind for them."
For example, Jim Graves, the Democratic candidate who gave Michele Bachmann a very tough race in 2012 and plans to have another go in 2014, complained that "the tone coming out of the White House. . .could probably be more conciliatory." Graves added: "There's no question - Obama has taken a fairly liberal tack in his second term. But I'm not here for the president. I'm here for the people of the 6th Congressional District."
The political math confirms the concern of Graves and similarly situated Democrats. As Politico points out, to net 17 seats and flip the chamber, Democrats have to win predominantly on GOP turf, in districts that Mitt Romney won and where Obama and his agenda are unpopular. If class warfare were effective in these districts, Obama would have carried them. So too, more likely than not, would the Democratic candidate for the House.
This reality, by the way, should ease (though certainly not eliminate) the concern expressed by Newt Gingrich and others that the Democrats may be able to approach their vastly impressive 2012 turnout numbers in 2014. Even the 2012 turnout numbers weren't good enough in the districts the Dems need to gain control of the House.
The headwind Obama creates for Democrats in swing congressional districts isn't just the product of his non-conciliatory stance on the fiscal cliff and sequestration. Politico cites the issues of gun control, immigration, and gay marriage. Significant gun control legislation isn't going to happen in the Congress, so the Dems can probably dodge that bullet, so to speak. The gay marriage issue will be fought primarily in the courts during the next year-and-a-half. Thus, Obama's stance on this issues most likely will not be significant in local congressional elections.
But Congress will be front-and-center on the immigration front. If, as seems like to happen, Republican Senators join with Democrats to support amnesty for illegal immigrants, they will provide some cover to Democratic congressional candidates who support amnesty. If House Republicans fail to block what the Senate hatches, Democratic candidates will have received a "get out of jail card" on the issue. This is another reason why House Republicans should hold the line against comprehensive immigration reform.
These days, Republicans are preoccupied with trying to squeeze out a few extra percentage points from the Hispanic vote, which still constitutes a relatively small minority within the electorate. For purposes of the election of 2014, which will determine Obama's level of success in his quest to become "transformative," Republicans should focus more on how to hold, and expand upon, their margin among the cohort of voters - a majority of the electorate - that opposes amnesty and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
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Jihad lives
Posted: 11 Mar 2013 08:36 AM PDT
(Scott Johnson)
I wrote about the photograph of BBC Arabic editor Jihad Masharawi holding the shrouded body of his 11-month-old son, Omar, in posts here, here, here and here. The photograph depicted Masharawi outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City early in Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense. The young Masharawi's death was attributed to an Israeli air strike.
The photograph went viral on the second day of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, being featured on the Web and in newspapers around the world. One such among many was the Washington Post, which ran it at the top of page one. The photo is below.
Washington Post ombdudsman Patrick Pexton devoted a column to complaints about the photograph. Paul Mirengoff explicated the manifest animus in Pexton's column.
Everything Pexton asserted directly or indirectly as a matter of fact was wrong. When a major newspaper ombudsman is this utterly clueless, who ya gonna call? Not Ghostbusters. Power Line, I guess.
Paul Danahar is the BBC Middle East Bureau Chief and Masharawi's colleague. He spent much of the day at Masharawi's house on the day on the day Masharawi's son was killed, tweeting a photo of the hole in the roof of Masharawi's house. The house wasn't bombed, Pexton to the contrary notwithstanding. Danahar described the munition that did the damage as a "shell."
I tweeted Danahar to ask him on what basis he identified the munition as Israeli. I wrote at the time on Power Line that I doubted it was. I thought it was more likely to have been a Hamas rocket that failed to hit its intended target in Israel. (As I recall, something like 10 percent of the Hamas rockets landed in Gaza.) Danahar failed to respond to my tweet, although he relentlessly propagated the line that Israeli forces had killed Masharawi's son.
Everything about the photograph looked phony to me. Was Masharawi sobbing? His face doesn't even look like he has shed tears. Masharawi looks like he's enacting grief. I understand that Masharawi in fact lost his son as a result of the munition that hit his house, but I found the photo odd (as I did the other photos in the series of Masharawi parading around for the cameras).
I thought that Masharawi was engaging in an opportunistic bit of Terrorist Theater, the kind I wrote about in the Weekly Standard article "He didn't give at the office." The article demonstrates how news service stringers in Gaza work as an arm of the terrorist authorities on whom they purport to report. By the way, the staged photos of Arafat that I wrote about in the Standard article were the work of an AP stringer. The photo of Masharawi that the Post ran was credited to the AP.
Terrorist Theater is a function of the sinister authority wielded by terrorist forces in the areas where they hold sway. Gaza is of course under the thumb of Hamas, one such terrorist power.
We held that the death of Masharawi's son was a tragedy and offered our condolences to Masharawi on the loss of his son. We acknowledged that we didn't know to a certainty what had happened or who is responsible for the death, and therefore asked readers to keep an open mind.
I hope you will forgive me for rehearsing what must seem like ancient history, but it really is necessary to put this report in context, as they say: "UN clears Israel of charge it killed baby in Gaza." The Times of Israel has the story, based on this UN report:
United Nations report cleared Israel in the death of the infant son of a BBC employee during Operation Pillar of Defense in November, instead fingering a misfired Palestinian rocket for the tragedy.
The November 14 strike left 11-month-old Omar Jihad al-Mishrawi and Hiba Aadel Fadel al-Mishrawi, 19, dead. The death of Omar, the son of BBC Arabic journalist Jihad al-Mishrawi, garnered more than usual media attention and focused anger for the death on Israel, which was initially blamed for the death.
Rather, the report suggests, a 19-year-old woman and a baby were hit by shrapnel from a rocket fired by Palestinians that was aimed at Israel, but missed its mark.
Omar is dead, and Hamas killed him, but both Jihad and jihad live, and the BBC and the Washington Post among others are their willing tools.
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John Taylor on economic growth
Posted: 11 Mar 2013 08:14 AM PDT
(Paul Mirengoff)
John Taylor is the Mary and Robert Raymond Professor of Economics at Stanford University, and the George P. Shultz Senior Fellow in Economics at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. During George W. Bush's first term, he served as the Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. Taylor is perhaps best known for developing the Taylor Rule, a recommendation about how nominal interest rates should be determined that became a rough summary of how central banks actually do set them.
Clark Judge attended a recent talk by Taylor. At Richocet, Judge has posted the following notes from that talk. Here they are:
The Challenge:
- The great challenge in economic policy today is overcoming obstacles to growth.
- How can governments promote growth?
- Simple: Predictable policies regarding taxes, spending, regulation and money; rule of law; deference to markets and the incentives that markets provide; limited government.
- Over the last forty year the nation has gone through big economic policy swings.
- In the 1970's it failed on all the rules, and economic performance was horrible.
- In the 1980s and 1990s, from the Reagan tax cuts to the Fed's rules-based monetary policy to the Clinton welfare reforms, it adhered to the rules for growth, and we had steady, widely shared growth. This is a period that economists have come to call the Great Moderation, because when downturns came they were shallow and short-lived.
- Now the nation has reversed course: the stimulus programs, the explosive growth of monetary aggregates and the capricious regulatory intrusions are exactly the opposite of what the rules for growth would tell us to do.
- The result: the obstacles to growth are worse than ever, and there is blame on both left and right.
The Left:
- The Left is in the grip of a destructive mania to regulate entrepreneurs and is pushing for increasing government intervention in both the fiscal and monetary spheres.
- Every Economics 101 student learns how critical the rule of law is to economic growth, but in numerous ways we are undermining rule of law.
- The consequences? As an example, parts of California are suffering unemployment as high as 27 percent.
- In the 1970s the Council of Economic Advisors said that the natural rate of unemployment was4.0-4.9 percent. Now people are OK with much higher rates.
- We hear as an excuse that deep recessions bring slow recoveries. In the post-World War II period, the opposite has been true. Fast recoveries follow deep downturns.
The Right:
- On the Right, we are not talking enough about how and why pro-growth policies are good for the middle class.
- Lower taxes etc. are the ways to reduce unemployment and poverty. Even China is moving to reduce taxation for just that reason. But we don't make the case.
- The GOP is not speaking broadly enough in terms of the range of policies. It shouldn't just be talking about taxes. It should also be arguing for a return to normal budgeting.
- If Congressional Republicans cave in on the Sequester, things will get much worse.
A comparable talk by a leading leftist economist would, I suspect, have focused on "demand," a word that doesn't appear in Judge's notes from Taylor's talk. But Taylor's talk relates to demand because the pro-growth policies he discusses would produce non-artificial demand that would spur real economic growth.
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Spokesman: 'Senator Cruz is a U.S. Citizen By Birth'
Posted on March 11, 2013 byConservative Byte
In the past few days, there has been renewed buzz on the Internet about the presidential eligibility of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz has only been in the Senate for about 60 days and does not appear to be behind any of the talk. But he has certainly been in the news in recent days, and in response to a request for comment, his spokesman, Sean Rushton, sent me this note:
Sen. Cruz is a U.S. citizen by birth, having been born in Calgary to an American-born mother. He is focused entirely on his new role in the Senate, and on working every day to represent Texas and defend conservative principles in the Senate.
Any talk about Cruz follows years of discussion about birthplace and presidential eligibility involving President Obama, Sen. John McCain, and Sen. Marco Rubio. The bottom line in the case of Cruz, who was born in Canada in 1970, is that his father was an immigrant from Cuba and not a U.S. citizen at the time of young Cruz's birth, but his mother was born and raised in the United States. The law in effect then, and now, made Ted Cruz a U.S. citizen at birth. Although the drafters of the Constitution did not define what they meant when they required an American president to be a "natural born citizen," it is generally thought that "citizen by birth" is the best modern-day equivalent. On that basis, Cruz appears entirely eligible - if he ever chooses to pursue the White House.
Continue Reading on washingtonexaminer.com ...
Read more:
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Napolitano to Release Thousands More Illegal Aliens
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced her agency plans to release even more detained illegal aliens to address budget cuts mandated by sequestration.
Click here to read the full article.
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Senate Gang of Eight Debates Unskilled Guest Workers; Delays Introduction of Amnesty Bill
According to Senators within the Gang of Eight, the controversial issue of creating a new unskilled guest worker program is holding up their progress in drafting "comprehensive" immigration reform legislation.
Click here to read the article.
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House Gang of Eight Leaks Details of Amnesty Plan
Details of an amnesty bill being crafted by a group of eight Members of the House of Representatives were leaked recently to inside-the-beltway publication Roll Call. The House "Gang of Eight" includes Reps. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), John Yarmuth (D-KY), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Sam Johnson (R-TX), John Carter (R-TX), and Raul Labrador (R-ID).
Click here to read the full article.
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Administration Furloughs Border Patrol Agents
Last Thursday, the Obama Administration began sending furlough notices to thousands of agents at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under the guise of dealing with the sequester.
Click here to read the full article.
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Texas Introduces Legislation to Comply with ICE Detainers
Texas Representative Matt Krause introduced legislation that requires state law enforcement officials to verify an arrested person's immigration status through direct inquiry or use of the federal Secure Communities program.
Click here to read the full article.
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Morning Jolt - March 11, 2013
By Jim Geraghty
Good morning. Here's your Monday Morning Jolt.
Enjoy!
Jim
Is Judd-gment Day Coming this Spring?
So, actress Ashley Judd is preparing to run for Senate . . . or perhaps not.
Actress Ashley Judd, who has reportedly been exploring a Senate run since last December, will announce her candidacy in the spring, MSNBC's Howard Fineman reported Sunday. Her candidacy would pit her against Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.
The 44-year-old star of "Double Jeopardy" also has a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University and has been a women's rights activist for years. She had met with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., to talk about women running for office more than a year ago, Fineman reported.
In a statement to The Huffington Post, Judd denied that she was planning on making announcements any time soon.
"I am not sure who is saying this stuff, but it is not I!" Judd said to the website. "I'd prefer as a fan of your journalism that you stay accurate and credible. We told everyone who called us yesterday these stories are fabrications."
Are Washington Democrats suddenly nervous about Ashley Judd as their standard-bearer? A Louisville newspaper is reporting that's exactly the case:
LEO Weekly has learned from multiple Democratic sources that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is now applying the brakes to their once all-in support of Ashley Judd as the challenger of choice against Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2014. While not ready to abandon Judd, they are now taking a serious second look at recruiting Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.
The change of heart came after a recent poll the DSCC conducted, but not because it showed Judd was incapable of competing with McConnell, rather that Grimes performed better than Judd and gave Democrats the best chance at victory.
As late as last week, the wheels were already very much in motion at the DSCC in planning a Judd Senate candidacy. While those plans have not been scrapped, there is definitely a re-evaluation happening. Our sources tell LEO that while the DSCC felt that Judd could compete with McConnell, one of Judd's strongest assets would be her ability to raise money on par with McConnell and tie up Republican campaign spending (both McConnell's and the NRSC's) in that race. However, their recent polling suggests the 2014 race is very much winnable, with McConnell so vulnerable that Democrats need to make their priority finding the candidate with the best chance of winning.
For what it's worth, Guy Cecil, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, tweeted, "In my time with the DSCC, I think 85 percent of all recruitment theories and stories have been wrong. It'll make for a good story when I'm done next November."
A bit of DSCC caution makes sense, no? Kentucky Democrats are a different breed. With one interruption - Ernie Fletcher from 2003 to 2007 - Democrats have occupied the governor's mansion since 1971. But in the senatorial races, where national issues are more likely to predominate the campaigns, Republicans have won every race since 1992. Right now, five of the six U.S. House members from the state are Republicans. So you would think Democrats would want someone who could run the "I'm nothing like Obama"-type campaign that works for Democrats in places like West Virginia and Utah. One look at the American Crossroads Web ad knocking Judd and you know you're dealing with a potential candidate who will be extremely popular with Democrats outside of Kentucky . . . but inside the state, perhaps not so much.
Long-Form Artistic Journalism, and Our Modern Media World
Friday afternoon, my dander was up over a column by Mark Judge, a Georgetown professor and contributor to RealClearBooks:
Conservative journalism, which in many ways is stronger and better than it has ever been, is nonetheless missing something crucial. It is missing a literary voice.
This became clear when I was reading Athwart History: Half a Century of Polemics, Animadversions, and Illuminations, a William F. Buckley omnibus that collects some of the late conservative icon's best writing. Reconnecting with Buckley's wonderful prose revealed something quite clearly: conservative journalism has plenty of pit bulls, but it lacks show dogs. It needs some graceful writers.
Conservative journalists at places like Breitbart, the Weekly Standard and National Review -- the magazine Buckley founded -- are skilled at lawyerly argument, at performing surgery on the bias of the mainstream media. But they haven't developed their muscles for artistic long form journalism. S.E. Cupp is not Joan Didion, and Rich Lowry is not Tom Wolfe. Since the deaths of William F. Buckley, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Richard John Neuhaus, the conservative media is in desperate need of a journalistic poet -- an experienced Jonathan Franzen or a young Christopher Hitchens. Or another Whittaker Chambers, whose journalism ranks with some of the best of the 20th century.
Now, I could fume at a psychologically unhealthy length about how tired and cheap I find the "[modern figure] is not [beloved late figure]" critique of conservative journalism. I could point out that I don't think S. E. Cupp wants to be Joan Didion, nor does Rich Lowry want to be Tom Wolfe (although I haven't asked either of them about their long-term career goals). I could froth at the mouth a bit at how infuriating the "well, you're no William F. Buckley" criticism is for anybody at National Review, because no, none of us is WFB and none of us will be and most of us would be fools to try. It's like saying they don't make presidents like George Washington anymore, or they just aren't making basketball players like Michael Jordan these days. Go figure, unique talents turn out to be unique.
But instead of all that, let me point to two little anecdotes to illuminate the media environment that the great poetic long-form journalists of the past flourished, and the media environment of today.
Let John Podhoretz paint a picture of the media world of a few decades ago. He's discussing the world of weekly news magazines, but the resources and publishing schedule were probably comparable for most magazines (and remember, there was no Web then):
[In 1982], I began my professional career at Time Magazine as a reporter-researcher in the World section, which was devoted to international news. Generally speaking, the World section ran 12 pages in the magazine. Nation, devoted to news within our borders, ran about the same or a page shorter. Think of that-an American publication, marketed to millions, that devoted slightly more of its attention, and vastly more of its budget, to news about events outside the United States.
Time Inc., the parent company of Time, was flush then. Very, very, very flush. So flush that the first week I was there, the World section had a farewell lunch for a writer who was being sent to Paris to serve as bureau chief . . . at Lutece, the most expensive restaurant in Manhattan, for 50 people. So flush that if you stayed past 8, you could take a limousine home . . . and take it anywhere, including to the Hamptons if you had weekend plans there. So flush that if a writer who lived, say, in suburban Connecticut, stayed late writing his article that week, he could stay in town at a hotel of his choice. So flush that, when I turned in an expense account covering my first month with a $32 charge on it for two books I'd bought for research purposes, my boss closed her office door and told me never to submit a report asking for less than $300 back, because it would make everybody else look bad. So flush that when its editor-in-chief, the late Henry Grunwald, went to visit the facilities of a new publication called TV Cable Week that was based in White Plains, a 40 minute drive from the Time Life Building, he arrived by helicopter-and when he grew bored by the tour, he said to his aide, "Get me my helicopter."
Then there's this portrait of life over at Politico from 2010.
ARLINGTON, Va. - In most newsrooms, the joke would have been obvious.
It was April Fools' Day last year, and Politico's top two editors sent an e-mail message to their staff advising of a new 5 a.m. start time for all reporters.
"These pre-sunrise hours are often the best time to reach top officials or their aides," the editors wrote, adding that reporters should try to carve out personal time "if you need it," in the mid-afternoon when Internet traffic slows down.
But rather than laugh, more than a few reporters stared at the e-mail message in a panicked state of disbelief.
"There were several people who didn't think it was a joke. One girl actually cried," said Anne Schroeder Mullins, who wrote for Politico until May, when she left to start her own public relations firm. "I definitely had people coming up to me asking me if it was true."
Such is the state of the media business these days: frantic and fatigued. Young journalists who once dreamed of trotting the globe in pursuit of a story are instead shackled to their computers, where they try to eke out a fresh thought or be first to report even the smallest nugget of news - anything that will impress Google algorithms and draw readers their way.
Mind you, not every publication has the obsessive-compulsive workaholic culture of Politico, but the pace isn't terribly different at any Web-based publication.
A couple years ago, I met a distinguished columnist in a news network green room. This columnist is generally left-of-center, a Pulitzer winner, and the nicest guy you would ever want to meet. He seemed vaguely familiar with me as one of those blogger-types and as we were chatting, he said something like, "boy, I don't know how you do it. I have a hard enough time writing two 700-word columns per week."
Maybe he's being modest, but for perspective, the Morning Jolt is usually at least 1,500 words each morning, but can sometimes go as long as 2,000 to 2,500 words. Admittedly, I'm quoting and linking to other folks, and some days . . . eh, some days are better than others. But it was an amazing reflection of the old expectations of production from a big-name journalist. I suppose if all you have to produce in your full-time job is 1,400 words a week, they had better be 1,400 good ones.
So now I write this newsletter, blog at Campaign Spot, write other articles and conduct interviews for NRO, tape the Three Martini Lunch podcast, do the occasional television appearance and radio interview, work on that book project for Random House, and try to do most of it in between dropping off the boys at preschool and picking them up at the end of the day and the dinner's got to be heated up and I've got to get the food into them before 5:30 or they get cranky and oh, for pete's sake, no, you can not have another lox-and-cream-cheese-roll, you had one for breakfast and -
SLAP!
Sorry, I got carried away there.
Anyway, yes, it would be wonderful if more venues had the financial resources to let a writer work, for long stretches, on what Judge calls the "honest and poetic long form journalism of the type that Buckley practiced." But very few of them do, and even if there was, it's not clear that there's a sizable audience for that type of journalism anymore. Generally speaking, the audience's attention span is shrinking, and more and more of what we write is consumed on electronic screens and social media, not on paper.
Finally, what's that old saying? "Be the change you want to see in the world"?
More Clucking and Oinking about 'Wacko Bird' Republicans
Jeff Dobbs, over at The Voice In My Head, offers a pretty good visual to start the week.
As you probably heard, Senator John McCain isn't all that enamored with some of his younger Republican colleagues:
When I asked him if "these guys" - having just mentioned Amash, Cruz and Paul by name - are a "positive force" in the GOP, McCain paused for a full six seconds.
"They were elected, nobody believes that there was a corrupt election, anything else," McCain said. "But I also think that when, you know, it's always the wacko birds on right and left that get the media megaphone."
Plus, those "wacko birds" keep smashing down the little structures he built for the eggs:
McCain has a point - they go way too far on defense cuts, particularly their recommendation to replace our nuclear arsenal with a giant slingshot.
ADDENDUM: Mark your calendars for the biggest blowout bash of sequester season!
Having picked up an Oscar, Adele might have thought her incredible US adventure couldn't get much better.
But now I can reveal the Skyfall singer has landed the biggest gig of next year - singing for Michelle Obama during her 50th birthday party at the White House.
The 24-year-old star will join Beyonce at the bash on January 17 - proof she has been given the ultimate seal of approval in the US.
'America's First Lady will be holding a huge celebrity-packed party for her birthday at the White House next year and, as she adores Adele and Beyonce, she has asked them both to sing,' says a source.
Can't wait! I wonder if they'll invite any of those furloughed federal workers.
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Today's Headlines: Monday, March 11, 2013
Karzai: Taliban Suicide Bombings Serve American Interests
Al Gore: Al Jazeera Is 'Honest-to-Goodness News'
Ryan's Budget Assumes the Repeal of Obamacare
It is because of the generosity of readers like you that CNSNews.com is able to report THE TRUTH, seven days a week. Please make a gift today.
First Lady: 'Imagine' an America Where Kids Beg for 'More Fruits, Vegetables'
Krugman: 'Spending Growth Has Been Exceptionally Low Under Obama'
GOP Lawmakers Charge EPA Lacks Transparency, Seek DOJ Probe
Pelosi: In Washington, 'It's All About Courage'
COMMENTARY:
You Can't Spend What You Can't See
By Rich Galen
Although it hasn't made much news, what with the world missing a Pope, the Senate missing an on-the-floor bathroom, Venezuela missing a President, and President Hamid Karzai missing a press conference with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel; but President Barack Obama has missed the deadline for producing a budget document for the United States.
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 According to unnamed reliable sources, the White House is set to announce the formation of the Federal Bureau of "Quotations" to oversee media citations of all official White House announcements and denials of previous announcements. In future, all media citations must fit within strictly defined classifications: unnamed, well-placed, unnamed well-placed, un-quoted, official, unofficial, official unnamed, official un-quoted, official well-placed, reliable, unnamed reliable, well-placed reliable, official unnamed well-placed, and unofficial un-quoted unnamed well-placed reliable... MORE >>
Quotation Correction and Marketing is always a major industry under totalitarianism.
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March 11, 2013
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On Today's Program
 Starbucks - 1, Mayor Bloomberg - 0: Nanny Bloomberg dissed by judge; soda ban denied
Tomorrow Mayor Bloomberg's ban on 16oz sodas was set to go into effect, and despite his best efforts to try and explain the ridiculous regulation - a New York judge overturned the law this afternoon. Sorry Bloomberg. Despite sugary drinks not being "in NYC's best interest," the dictator-like attempts at "portion control" were ruled "illegal" and "capricious". STORY
This Wednesday, the restoration of journalism begins
For The Record is an investigative news magazine with no political agenda and nothing to lose. Probing, fair, but unforgiving. Journalism the way it used to be. Don't miss the premiere as For The Record investigates how the NSA turned America into a surveillance state. This Wednesday, March 13th @ 8pm ET - Only on TheBlaze TV.
Mercury Confidential: The head of Glenn's investigative documentary crew opens up to Glennbeck.com about the search for the truth. STORY
Adam Carolla goes on another blistering rant
When the Huffington Post insinuated Adam Carolla was a racist, he didn't just sit by and wait for the storm to blow over. The popular talk show host punched back with a rant of epic proportions. Carolla didn't hold back - his profanity laced rant ripped HuffPo apart and gave voice to how infuriating the MSM can be. Despite being a little rough around the edges, his words manage to feel justified and perhaps even appropriate. Check out the epic takedown HERE.
Tonight @ 5pm ET on The Glenn Beck Program: Glenn connects the dots between our political history and last week's incredible filibuster by Rand Paul. Didn't catch the show at 5? The show is available on demand on TheBlaze TV. Start a 14 day free trial to watch!
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Want the truth on the economy? Don't miss TheBlaze TV this week. Tonight @ 6pm ET, Real News breaks down the current Obama's economy. What is the flip side of last week's unemployment numbers and economic indicators? What has history taught us about these trends? At 7pm on Wilkow!, Andrew grants Chris Matthews's wish and gives credit where it's due on our economy...and it's safe to assume Andrew's analysis isn't exactly what the MSNBC host has in mind.
- TOMORROW @ 5pm ET: Glenn explains the job numbers, the stock market and more. Find out why our economy is in this situation. Watch live or on demand on TheBlaze TV. Start a 14 day FREE trail today.
Colorado sheriffs getting pressure to back new gun laws
Colorado has become ground zero for the gun control debate, and the latest efforts from the anti-Second Amendment crowd involve threats to halt pay increases for sheriffs who refuse to get out of their way. Glenn makes one sheriff an offer that includes a box of the best pro-gun t-shirts ever (get yours HERE), which Glenn brandished on radio today. WATCH
MRA Internship: Are you a college student looking for an internship? We may be the place for you... DETAILS
Al Gore: Time to mix spiders and goats
It's really amazing (and terrifying) to think that Al Gore was only a few hundred votes away from being President of the United States. He has turned out to be totally cray-cray. The latest evidence being his most recent rant on mixing spiders and goats - yes, spiders & goats. Why? So goats can excrete silk in their milk...obviously? Glenn has audio and reaction on radio today.
Hard work, passion and family are what the women of small business are all about. Learn the Constitution and have some fun with your family, all while supporting small business!
TSA Agent: We're not safe
An expose on the TSA confirms what we already knew instinctively: We are not safe. When the supervisors are most concerned about whether or not their screeners are chewing gum - a big no-no apparently - you know we've got issues. But that's not even the worst of it, there are felons getting jobs with the TSA. Brilliant. MORE
Want to hear Glenn Beck and all of your favorite hosts from TheBlaze Radio Network free & On-Demand? Now you can. You can now stream and download full episodes of Glenn Beck, Pat & Stu, Doc Thompson, Jay Severin and Buck Sexton and listen live HERE.
NOW AVAILABLE: Get the eighth episode of Wrath & Righteousness!
Glenn's e-book thriller series Wrath & Righteousness examines the eternal battle between Light and Darkness while asking one of the fundamental questions of our existence: what is mankind's relationship to the spiritual world? The eighth episode in the 10-part series is available HERE. Download the previous 7 episodes HERE to catch up. Have a question or comment about the series? Visit our FAQ page.
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