Sunday, August 31, 2008
The Left Attacks Palin
The announcement had barely been made when the left began its smear campaign on Gov. Sarah Palin
Thinking of "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer", I decided to check out some lefty blogs
The vitriol, gossip and smears was amazing, although I don't know why I was surprised as this is what we have come to expect from the left
Everything to the Palin's youngest child was not theirs, but their daughter's, Todd Palin infidelity, and the McCain team flying to Alaska to check out the "Troopergate" allegations against Gov. Palin
In the interest of providing the FACTS about this case I am cross posting from Alaskan conservative blog It's a Kwazy life
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Troopergate: The Facts on Palin and Trooper Wooten
Here is a copy on an investigation that was conducted on Trooper Wooten. The internet is filled with rumors and innuendo on this subject. The fact is, Trooper Wotten had a previous record of misconduct and for all opinions, should not have been kept on the force.
His misconduct goes back to 2001
Andrew Halcro had got a tip and spoke with Trooper Wooten about it. What Halcro did not do is, check all of the bases. I have written about Halcro HERE
What isn't being discussed is the fact, Branchflower who was chosen to investigate Palin, has a wife who was a Trooper that conducted an interview on a alleged sexual abuser who fled Alaska.
The Alaska Supreme Court case can be found
HERE
During Walt Monegan's tenure as APD chief, the following took place. A grand jury indicted Gonzales on sexual abuse and tapes of the interview of Gonzales were lost. The Alaska Supreme Court never placed a time on when the tapes where lost, but an indictment was handed down when Monegan was APD chief. So the question is what happened during his tenure. Notably Mayor Mark Begich let Monegan go too.
The question should be asked are we dealing with Chief of Police who is not fit to manage?
Gonzales returned to Alaska in December of 2001. When Anchorage Police Detective Kristie Neddeau learned that Gonzales was residing in Alaska, she resumed the investigation. In September 2002, the grand jury indicted Gonzales for four counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, two counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor, and one count of attempted first-degree sexual abuse of a minor,1 based on Gonzaless alleged abuseof A.D. during 1991 and 1992.
In addition, the grand jury indicted Gonzales on three counts of distribution of child pornography and seven counts of possession of child pornography,based on conduct in 2002.2 (...)
During the ten-year delay between the beginning of the Gonzales investigation and the indictment against him, the police lost video and audio tapes of interviews Branchflower had conducted with several witnesses. The police lost tapes of interviews Branchflower had conducted in 1992 with A.D., M.D. (A.D.s younger brother), Gonzales, D.D. (A.D.s mother), Art Costa(Gonzaless ex-father-in-law), Deolinda Gonzales (Gonzaless ex-wife), Andrew Gonzales Jr. (Gonzaless son) and K.G. (a self-professed second victim).
Some of the tapes were audio and somewere video, and Branchflower interviewed some witnesses twice. However, the Stateprovided Gonzales with transcripts of all interviews except the interview with Gonzales himself. Apparently, that tape was never transcribed.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
The Most Popular Governor
The Most Popular Governor
Alaska's Sarah Palin is the GOP's newest star.
by Fred Barnes
07/16/2007, Volume 012, Issue 41
Juneau
The wipeout in the 2006 election left Republicans in such a state of dejection that they've overlooked the one shining victory in which a Republican star was born. The triumph came in Alaska where Sarah Palin, a politician of eye-popping integrity, was elected governor. She is now the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating in the 90s, and probably the most popular public official in any state.
Her rise is a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle--especially to transparency and accountability in government--can produce political success. And by the way, Palin is a conservative who only last month vetoed 13 percent of the state's proposed budget for capital projects. The cuts, the Anchorage Daily News said, "may be the biggest single-year line-item veto total in state history."
As recently as last year, Palin (pronounced pale-in) was a political outcast. She resigned in January 2004 as head of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission after complaining to the office of Governor Frank Murkowski and to state Attorney General Gregg Renkes about ethical violations by another commissioner, Randy Ruedrich, who was also Republican state chairman.
State law barred Palin from speaking out publicly about ethical violations and corruption. But she was vindicated later in 2004 when Ruedrich, who'd been reconfirmed as state chairman, agreed to pay a $12,000 fine for breaking state ethics laws. She became a hero in the eyes of the public and the press, and the bane of Republican leaders.
In 2005, she continued to take on the Republican establishment by joining Eric Croft, a Democrat, in lodging an ethics complaint against Renkes, who was not only attorney general but also a long-time adviser and campaign manager for Murkowski. The governor reprimanded Renkes and said the case was closed. It wasn't. Renkes resigned a few weeks later, and Palin was again hailed as a hero.
Palin, 43, the mother of four, passed up a chance to challenge Republican senator Lisa Murkowski, the then-governor's daughter, in 2004. She endorsed another candidate in the primary, but Murkowski won and was reelected. Palin said then that her 14-year-old son talked her out of running, though it's doubtful that was the sole reason.
In 2006, she didn't hesitate. She ran against Gov. Murkowski, who was seeking a second term despite sagging poll ratings, in the Republican primary. In a three-way race, Palin captured 51 percent and won in a landslide. She defeated former Democratic governor Tony Knowles in the general election, 49 percent to 41 percent. She was one of the few Republicans anywhere in the country to perform above expectations in 2006, an overwhelmingly Democratic year. Palin is unabashedly pro life.
With her emphasis on ethics and openness in government, "it turned out Palin caught the temper of the times perfectly," wrote Tom Kizzia of the Anchorage Daily News. She was also lucky. News broke of an FBI investigation of corruption by legislators between the primary and general elections. So far, three legislators have been indicted.
In the roughly three years since she quit as the state's chief regulator of the oil industry, Palin has crushed the Republican hierarchy (virtually all male) and nearly every other foe or critic. Political analysts in Alaska refer to the "body count" of Palin's rivals. "The landscape is littered with the bodies of those who crossed Sarah," says pollster Dave Dittman, who worked for her gubernatorial campaign. It includes Ruedrich, Renkes, Murkowski, gubernatorial contenders John Binkley and Andrew Halcro, the three big oil companies in Alaska, and a section of the Daily News called "Voice of the Times," which was highly critical of Palin and is now defunct.
One of her first acts as governor was to fire the Alaska Board of Agriculture. Her ultimate target was the state Creamery Board, which has been marketing the products of Alaska dairy farmers for 71 years and wanted to close down after receiving $600,000 from the state. "You don't just close your doors and walk away," Palin told me. She discovered she lacked the power to fire the Creamery Board. Only the board of agriculture had that authority. So Palin replaced the agriculture board, which appointed a new creamery board, which has rescinded the plan to shut down.
In preserving support for dairy farmers, Palin exhibited a kind of Alaskan chauvinism. She came to the state as an infant, making her practically a native. And she is eager to keep Alaska free from domination by oil companies or from reliance on cruise lines whose ships bring thousands of tourists to the state.
"She's as Alaskan as you can get," says Dan Fagan, an Anchorage radio talk show host. "She's a hockey mom, she lives on a lake, she ice fishes, she snowmobiles, she hunts, she's an NRA member, she has a float plane, and her husband works for BP on the North Slope," Fagan says. Todd Palin, her high school sweetheart, is a three-time winner of the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race from Wasilla to Nome to Fairbanks. It's the world's longest snowmobile race.
Gov. Palin grew up in Wasilla, where as star of her high school basketball team she got the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" for her fierce competitiveness. She led her underdog team to the state basketball championship. Palin also won the Miss Wasilla beauty contest, in which she was named Miss Congeniality, and went on to compete in the Miss Alaska pageant.
At 32, she was elected mayor of Wasilla, a burgeoning bedroom community outside Anchorage. Though Alaskans tend to be ferociously anti-tax, she persuaded Wasilla voters to increase the local sales tax to pay for an indoor arena and convention center. The tax referendum won by 20 votes.
In 2002, Palin entered statewide politics, running for lieutenant governor. She finished a strong second in the Republican primary. That fall, she dutifully campaigned for Murkowski, who'd given up his Senate seat to run for governor. Afterwards, she turned down several job offers from Murkowski, finally accepting the oil and gas post. When she quit 11 months later, "that was her defining moment" in politics, says Fagan.
Her campaign for governor was bumpy. She missed enough campaign appearances to be tagged "No Show Sarah" by her opponents. She was criticized for being vague on issues. But she sold voters on the one product that mattered: herself.
Her Christian faith--Palin grew up attending nondenominational Bible churches--was a minor issue in the race. She told me her faith affects her politics this way: "I believe everything happens for a purpose. In my own personal life, if I dedicated back to my Creator what I'm trying to create for the good . . . everything will turn out fine." That same concept applies to her political career, she suggested.
The biggest issue in the campaign was the proposed natural gas pipeline from the North Slope that's crucial to the state's economy. Murkowski had made a deal with the three big oil companies--Exxon, BP, ConocoPhillips--which own the gas reserves to build the pipeline. But the legislature turned it down and Palin promised to create competition for the pipeline contract.
She made three other promises: to end corruption in state government, cut spending, and provide accountability. She's now redeeming those promises.
Palin describes herself as "pro-business and pro-development." She doesn't want the oil companies to sit on their energy reserves or environmental groups to block development of the state's resources. "I get frustrated with folks from outside Alaska who come up and say you shouldn't develop your resources," she says. Alaska needs to be self-sufficient, she says, instead of relying heavily on "federal dollars," as the state does today.
Her first major achievement as governor was lopsided passage by the legislature of the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, which is designed to attract pipeline proposals this summer. The state is offering $500 million in incentives, but the developer must meet strict requirements. The oil companies have said they won't join the competition.
Palin's tough spending cuts drew criticism from Republican legislators whose pet projects were vetoed. But her popularity doesn't appear threatened. "It's not just that she's pretty and young," says Dittman. "She's really smart. And there's no guile. She says her favorite meal is moose stew or mooseburgers. It wouldn't shock people if that were true."
Fred Barnes is executive editor of THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Brilliant Choice
For all the right reasons, woman, (disgruntled Hillary voters) young, attractive mother of five, conservative, ethical (fought established corruption),pro-life, NRA member, counter point to old establishment Biden, pork barrel fighter, ANWAR and extremely popular in own state and one tough cookie!
Karl Rove describes her as a "gun packing hockey player!"
Kudos to the McCain campaign as this has given conservatives something to get excited about and to really get on board!
And congratulations to Governor Palin!
Some info on Palin
HERE
Just in....Palin is McCain VP Pick!
Yeah!!!
McCain's Pick?
My favorite from McCain's short list has been Alaska's (the ANWAR state) Govenor Sarah Palin.
First off, she is a woman (for disgruntled Hillary's supporters), she is ethical, young, attractive mother of five, extremely popular in her home state and relatively unknown, which is a counterpoint plus to Barry's pick of old establishment Biden
However the majority of those who voted in my poll picked Romney.
I'll post as soon as I know...
My Analysis of Barry's Speech
I will create a utopia in 10 years on your dime....a whole bunch of lies...same old tired socialist rhetoric on parade.....lots of "I"....the end
Sorry but its hard to be serious about his speech and I just don't have the desire to go line by line pointing out the fallacies. However if you do, the full text is HERE .
Although what is serious to me is, that there seems to be a whole lot of unquestioning people who are buying this hook, line and sinker. It's alarming that there are so many people willing to abdicate their own will to be "taken care of" by another.
That is the real point of Obama's speech....chilling
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Audacity Of Socialism
Barack Obama's Stealth Socialism
Part 1
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Election '08:
Before friendly audiences, Barack Obama speaks passionately about something called "economic justice." He uses the term obliquely, though, speaking in code — socialist code.
During his NAACP speech earlier this month, Sen. Obama repeated the term at least four times. "I've been working my entire adult life to help build an America where economic justice is being served," he said at the group's 99th annual convention in Cincinnati. And as president, "we'll ensure that economic justice is served," he asserted. "That's what this election is about." Obama never spelled out the meaning of the term, but he didn't have to. His audience knew what he meant, judging from its thumping approval.
It's the rest of the public that remains in the dark, which is why we're launching this special educational series. "Economic justice" simply means punishing the successful and redistributing their wealth by government fiat. It's a euphemism for socialism.
In the past, such rhetoric was just that — rhetoric. But Obama's positioning himself with alarming stealth to put that rhetoric into action on a scale not seen since the birth of the welfare state.
In his latest memoir he shares that he'd like to "recast" the welfare net that FDR and LBJ cast while rolling back what he derisively calls the "winner-take-all" market economy that Ronald Reagan reignited (with record gains in living standards for all).
Obama also talks about "restoring fairness to the economy," code for soaking the "rich" — a segment of society he fails to understand that includes mom-and-pop businesses filing individual tax returns.
It's clear from a close reading of his two books that he's a firm believer in class envy. He assumes the economy is a fixed pie, whereby the successful only get rich at the expense of the poor.
Following this discredited Marxist model, he believes government must step in and redistribute pieces of the pie. That requires massive transfers of wealth through government taxing and spending, a return to the entitlement days of old.
Of course, Obama is too smart to try to smuggle such hoary collectivist garbage through the front door. He's disguising the wealth transfers as "investments" — "to make America more competitive," he says, or "that give us a fighting chance," whatever that means.
Among his proposed "investments":
• "Universal," "guaranteed" health care.
• "Free" college tuition.
• "Universal national service" (a la Havana).
• "Universal 401(k)s" (in which the government would match contributions made by "low- and moderate-income families").
• "Free" job training (even for criminals).
• "Wage insurance" (to supplement dislocated union workers' old income levels).
• "Free" child care and "universal" preschool.
• More subsidized public housing.
• A fatter earned income tax credit for "working poor."
• And even a Global Poverty Act that amounts to a Marshall Plan for the Third World, first and foremost Africa.
His new New Deal also guarantees a "living wage," with a $10 minimum wage indexed to inflation; and "fair trade" and "fair labor practices," with breaks for "patriot employers" who cow-tow to unions, and sticks for "nonpatriot" companies that don't.
That's just for starters — first-term stuff.
Obama doesn't stop with socialized health care. He wants to socialize your entire human resources department — from payrolls to pensions. His social-microengineering even extends to mandating all employers provide seven paid sick days per year to salary and hourly workers alike.
You can see why Obama was ranked, hands-down, the most liberal member of the Senate by the National Journal. Some, including colleague and presidential challenger John McCain, think he's the most liberal member in Congress. But could he really be "more left," as McCain recently remarked, than self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (for whom Obama has openly campaigned, even making a special trip to Vermont to rally voters)?
Obama's voting record, going back to his days in the Illinois statehouse, says yes. His career path — and those who guided it — leads to the same unsettling conclusion.
The seeds of his far-left ideology were planted in his formative years as a teenager in Hawaii — and they were far more radical than any biography or profile in the media has portrayed.
A careful reading of Obama's first memoir, "Dreams From My Father," reveals that his childhood mentor up to age 18 — a man he cryptically refers to as "Frank" — was none other than the late communist Frank Marshall Davis, who fled Chicago after the FBI and Congress opened investigations into his "subversive," "un-American activities."
As Obama was preparing to head off to college, he sat at Davis' feet in his Waikiki bungalow for nightly bull sessions. Davis plied his impressionable guest with liberal doses of whiskey and advice, including: Never trust the white establishment. "They'll train you so good," he said, "you'll start believing what they tell you about equal opportunity and the American way and all that sh**."
After college, where he palled around with Marxist professors and took in socialist conferences "for inspiration," Obama followed in Davis' footsteps, becoming a "community organizer" in Chicago. His boss there was Gerald Kellman, whose identity Obama also tries to hide in his book. Turns out Kellman's a disciple of the late Saul "The Red" Alinsky, a hard-boiled Chicago socialist who wrote the "Rules for Radicals" and agitated for social revolution in America.
The Chicago-based Woods Fund provided Kellman with his original $25,000 to hire Obama. In turn, Obama would later serve on the Woods board with terrorist Bill Ayers of the Weather Underground. Ayers was one of Obama's early political supporters.
After three years agitating with marginal success for more welfare programs in South Side Chicago, Obama decided he would need to study law to "bring about real change" — on a large scale.
While at Harvard Law School, he still found time to hone his organizing skills. For example, he spent eight days in Los Angeles taking a national training course taught by Alinsky's Industrial Areas Foundation. With his newly minted law degree, he returned to Chicago to reapply — as well as teach — Alinsky's "agitation" tactics.
(A video-streamed bio on Obama's Web site includes a photo of him teaching in a University of Chicago classroom. If you freeze the frame and look closely at the blackboard Obama is writing on, you can make out the words "Power Analysis" and "Relationships Built on Self Interest" — terms right out of Alinsky's rule book.)
Amid all this, Obama reunited with his late father's communist tribe in Kenya, the Luo, during trips to Africa. As a Nairobi bureaucrat, Barack Hussein Obama Sr., a Harvard-educated economist, grew to challenge the ruling pro-Western government for not being socialist enough. In an eight-page scholarly paper published in 1965, he argued for eliminating private farming and nationalizing businesses "owned by Asians and Europeans."
His ideas for communist-style expropriation didn't stop there. He also proposed massive taxes on the rich to "redistribute our economic gains to the benefit of all."
"Theoretically, there is nothing that can stop the government from taxing 100% of income so long as the people get benefits from the government commensurate with their income which is taxed," Obama Sr. wrote. "I do not see why the government cannot tax those who have more and syphon some of these revenues into savings which can be utilized in investment for future development."
Taxes and "investment" . . . the fruit truly does not fall far from the vine.
(Voters might also be interested to know that Obama, the supposed straight shooter, does not once mention his father's communist leanings in an entire book dedicated to his memory.)
In Kenya's recent civil unrest, Obama privately phoned the leader of the opposition Luo tribe, Raila Odinga, to voice his support. Odinga is so committed to communism he named his oldest son after Fidel Castro.
With his African identity sewn up, Obama returned to Chicago and fell under the spell of an Afrocentric pastor. It was a natural attraction. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright preaches a Marxist version of Christianity called "black liberation theology" and has supported the communists in Cuba, Nicaragua and elsewhere.
Obama joined Wright's militant church, pledging allegiance to a system of "black values" that demonizes white "middle classness" and other mainstream pursuits. (Obama in his first book, published in 1995, calls such values "sensible." There's no mention of them in his new book.)
With the large church behind him, Obama decided to run for political office, where he could organize for "change" more effectively. "As an elected official," he said, "I could bring church and community leaders together easier than I could as a community organizer or lawyer."
He could also exercise real, top-down power, the kind that grass-roots activists lack. Alinsky would be proud.
Throughout his career, Obama has worked closely with a network of stone-cold socialists and full-blown communists striving for "economic justice."
He's been traveling in an orbit of collectivism that runs from Nairobi to Honolulu, and on through Chicago to Washington.
Yet a recent AP poll found that only 6% of Americans would describe Obama as "liberal," let alone socialist. Public opinion polls usually reflect media opinion, and the media by and large have portrayed Obama as a moderate "outsider" (the No. 1 term survey respondents associate him with) who will bring a "breath of fresh air" to Washington.
The few who have drilled down on his radical roots have tended to downplay or pooh-pooh them. Even skeptics have failed to connect the dots for fear of being called the dreaded "r" word.
But too much is at stake in this election to continue mincing words.
Both a historic banking crisis and 1970s-style stagflation loom over the economy. Democrats, who already control Congress, now threaten to filibuster-proof the Senate in what could be a watershed election for them — at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
A perfect storm of statism is forming, and our economic freedoms are at serious risk. Those who care less about looking politically correct than preserving the free-market individualism that's made this country great have to start calling things by their proper name to avert long-term disaster.
Monday, August 25, 2008
"Hallmark" Homosexuality
Yup that's right.
According to their website, corporate emails, and in response to phone calls, to the news, Hallmark is telling those who contact the company it will carry “cards that use specific language and images appropriate for same-sex wedding ceremonies.”
Same sex marriage is not recognized in 48 states, but Hallmark has chosen to become a corporate advocate in advancing homosexual marriage.
However, some local Hallmark store owners are refusing to carry them. Earlier this week, Jordan's Hallmark, which owns seven Hallmark Gold Crown stores in Idaho, announced its stores will not carry gay marriage cards in their stores.
Well good for Jordan's! Yup its free country, you are free to make greeting cards to celebrate abnormal immoral behavior and store owners are free to refuse to carry them and people are free to not purchase Hallmark greeting cards.
AMERICAN GREETING CARDS have no intention of selling same sex marriage cards. So if and when I buy greeting cards it will be American Greeting cards nor will I accept Hallmark greeting cards.
And if you agree with me you can urge your local Hallmark store owner to join others in refusing to carry Hallmark same-sex marriage cards in their stores.
You can find your local Hallmark store HERE
While your at it you call a Jordan's Hallmark in Idaho
Jordan's Hallmark
(208) 376-2210
Boise, ID
and thank them for standing up not only for traditional marriage but for placing principle above dollars and refusing to give in to the homosexual agenda
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Shenanigans in Denver
RightMichigan
Well the Democrat convention is shaping up nicely, should be interesting. Seems that lots of the mutinous liberal natives are restless, those who believe that the nomination was stolen from their goddess Hillary
Via a post on Politio I stumbled upon this, P.U.M.A stands for "People United Means Action!" PAC is going to do its best to make sure its heard by protesting and holding a Celebration of Hillary Clinton’s Historic Presidential Campaign which includes I kid you not,
"the lighting of candles to pay tribute to Hillary and all of her achievements, while also symbolically reigniting the flame of America’s great Democracy and Lady Liberty’s torch. Candles will Rise as participants at Cheesman Park and communities across the nation will recognize Senator Clinton’s achievements in one harmonious gesture of celebration."*
Checking their blog so you do not have to, this is well organized with headquarters in Denver. Hmm wonder where the $$$ is coming from? The recent posts from this P.U.M.A blog receive from 210-900 replies. Moreover, they claim they are 18 million strong! Sure are lots of ticked off Hillary supporters!
This PAC is so hated by their fellow Democrats there was even a plan underfoot to kill it
Plan to kill the PUMA.
Step 1 - join PUMA, send an email to join@pumapac.com
Step 2 - When you start receiving prowl info,
take note of the contact info and message
Step 3 - Contact the people they are contacting and
tell them that PUMA is a GOP swiftboat and
tell them to ignore the PUMA’s emails
Below is the Politico post, which sums up the P.U.M.A Pac mission;
Fellow Democrats: Don't be tricked by Obama and the DNC! Hillary was cheated out of the nomination during the spring. All of Hillary's votes were not counted. We are protesting the 2008 Presidential election because we refuse to support a nominee who was selected by the leadership rather than elected by the voters. Now, Obama has slapped and spit on Hillary in the face by not being gracious enough to make her even VP. Join PUMA today! We are protesting Obama's illegitimate nomination! We will NEVER forget what Obama has done to our party. The arrogant interloper has gotten the DNC to insert himself into the Democratic nominating process, even by calling Bill Clinton a racist! What lies!!!!! I am so furious at that stupid teleprompter-reading idiot!! Go Hillary 2008. Our goal: HIllary's votes must be counted! She is the REAL nominee!
Arrogant interloper?
Slapped and spit?
Stupid teleprompter-reading idiot?
Well those are certainly fighting words...we're mad as hell and they are are gonna take it anymore!
Wait there's more!
There will be no unity in the Democratic Party until the voices of the 18 million voters who support Hillary Clinton are heard and heeded. Until the voices of Pumas are once again listened to by the leadership of the Democratic party, we will be guided by that defiance. We will treat insult with uprightness and will meet disdain with disdain. (eye for an eye!)We will not be bullied, brainwashed, or bossed into falling in line.
We will have signs, buttons, stickers, t-shirts, and other PUMA Gear for you to take with you on your travels through Denver and beyond....
*MONDAY, AUGUST 25th CHEESMAN PARK - East 8th Avenue
4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Beautiful Protest and Rise at Cheesman Park... A (The candle lightening) Celebration of Hillary Clinton’s Historic Presidential Campaign.....
THURSDAY, AUGUST 28th
Celebrate our achievements and plan for November.
A plan for November? Hmmmm
Well I say you go P.U.M.A! I only hope that the networks give you a fair lion's share of TV face time!
Puma PAC (is a political action committee organized in June 2008. We are registered as a non-affiliated Political Action Committee (PAC) with the Federal Election Commission and have organized as a 527 Organization with the Internal Revenue Service.
http://www.pumapac.org
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Barry Picks a Running Mate
Just to jog the memory some tidbits from Biden's past presidential campaigns;
In 1987, Joe Biden ran as a Democratic presidential candidate...Then in September 1987, the campaign ran into serious trouble when he was accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party.[26] Though Biden had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one where he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video; the New York Times reported "Senator Biden began his remarks by saying the ideas had come to him spontaneously on the way to the debate."[26][27]
Within days, it was also discovered that as a first-year law student at Syracuse Law School, Biden had plagiarized a law review article in a class paper he wrote. Though the dean of the law school in 1988 as well as Biden's former professor played down the incident of plagiarism, they did find that Biden drew "chunks of heavy legal prose directly from" the article in question. Biden said the act was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and Biden was permitted to retake the course after receiving a grade of F, which was subsequently dropped from his record.[28] Biden also released his undergraduate grades, which started off poorly andaccording to E. J. Dionne, remained unexceptional.[28]
Further, when questioned by a New Hampshire resident about his law school, Biden misstated being in the "top half" of his class, (when he actually graduated 76th in a class of 85) that he had attended on a full scholarship, and had received three degrees when in fact he received two majors, History and Political Science, and a half scholarship from Syracuse and a grant from the Higher Education Scholarship Fund of the state of Delaware (he didn't pay any tuition).
[29] In response to the questions and criticism, he said: "However trivial, I certainly believe these are legitimate questions of press inquiry. And I will be as responsive to these and other inquiries as I possibly can."[29]
Faced with these revelations, Biden withdrew from the nomination race on September 23, 1987,
Biden declared his candidacy for president on January 31, 2007, although he had discussed running for months prior...
Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen as saying that Biden's candidacy might be endangered by his "manic-obsessive running of the mouth."[35]
This foreshadowed Biden's January 31 remark on fellow Democratic candidate and Senator Barack Obama, frequently transcribed as, "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, I mean, that's a storybook, man."[36]
However, several linguists and political analysts stated that the correct transcription includes a comma after the word "African-American", which "would significantly change the meaning (and the degree of offensiveness) of Biden's comment".[37]
Still, his comments took second place on Time magazine's list of Top 10 Campaign Gaffes for 2007.[38]
Wikipedia
In May 2004 on “Meet the Press, Joe Biden said “I think John McCain would be a great candidate for vice president,”
Soooo nice quote for a McCain campaign ad don't ya think?
Hmm I guess Obama thought it would be a great idea to have a running mate that was a McCain's peer in age and race?
Conventional wisdom is Biden has the foreign policy experience that Obama lacks.
But Joe Biden is a target rich elitist that McCain can capitalize on. On the other hand, Biden being a long time Congress critter knows which closets McCain's skeletons are in and will use the information. Look for the 2008 campaign to get real ugly from here to November
Bottom line, Obama screwed up,big time, he should have picked Hillary. He should have at least feted her
McCain scores on this one, and he didn't even need to shoot
Friday, August 22, 2008
Yes Virginia, there are Reps who really Do Care
We hear so many stories of politicians who do not seem to care about their constituents they are supposed to serve that I want to share a personal story that is a refreshing departure from that image.
When the now famous revolt on the House floor by Republicans against Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to adjourn the House of Representatives without allowing a up or down vote on off shore drilling was breaking, I immediately started e-mailed my congratulations and encouragement to the Republican "ring leaders". One of those was Michigan's own Congressman Thaddeus McCotter,(11th district) Chairman of the Republican House Policy Committee and a Member of the House Financial Services Committee
So I send my message and that was that, or so I thought.
This week I received a surprise package in the mail, from none other than Congressman McCotter.
It included a handwritten note thanking me for my encouragement and in turn, encouraging me to "keep up the good work" on my blog as "we need your voice" Of course, that is not just for me but all my fellow bloggers, we can and do make a difference!
Congressman McCotter also included a gift of a CD of patriotic songs.
Oh btw, he isn't even my rep!
However, the thanks really belongs to representative McCotter for uttering the words," This is the people's house. This is NOT Pelosi's politiburo"
And for giving conservatives something to really cheer about!
My package also included Congressman McCotter's
“Speaking Democrat:” A Primer
For those needing a translation of Democrat Double-Talk
(enjoy :-)
Speaking “Local Democrat”
“PROGRESSIVE” = “REGRESSIVE”
“Democrats are progressive.”
Translation: “Democrats are regressive.”
“CHANGE” = “THE 1970s”
“Democrats will bring you change.”
Translation: “Democrats will bring you the 1970s.”
“GOVERNMENT” = “SOCIALISM”
“Democrats support proactive government.”
Translation: “Democrats support proactive socialism.”
“ENHANCE REVENUES” = “RAISE TAXES”
“Democrats will enhance revenues.”
Translation: “Democrats will raise taxes.”
“THE RICH” = “YOU”
“Democrats will only tax the rich.”
Translation: “Democrats will only tax you.”
“INVEST” = “WASTE”
“Democrats will invest your money.”
Translation: “Democrats will waste your money.”
“ENERGY” = “LETHARGY”
“Democrats have an energy policy.”
Translation: “Democrats have a lethargy policy.”
“GREEN COLLAR JOBS” = “UNEMPLOYMENT”
“Democrats will replace your blue collar jobs with green collar jobs.”
Translation: “Democrats will replace your blue collar jobs with unemployment.”
Speaking “Global Democrat”
“DIPLOMACY” = “MAGIC”
“Democrats will protect America from Iranian nukes through tough, principled diplomacy.”
Translation: “Democrats will protect America from Iranian nukes through tough, principled magic.”
“ENGAGE” = “APPEASE”
“Democrats will engage America’ enemies.”
Translation: “Democrats will appease America’s enemies.”
“END” = “LOSE”
“Democrats will end the Iraq War.”
Translation: “Democrats will lose the Iraq War.”
Contextually Construing “Electoral Democrat”
(i.e. Walking the Party Plank)
“As a progressive party, Democrats will bring you change by using government to enhance revenues from the rich to invest in the production of energy and green collar jobs; and by using diplomacy to engage America’s enemies and end the Iraq War.”
Translation: “As a regressive party, Democrats will bring you the 1970s by using socialism to raise taxes from you to waste in the production of lethargy and unemployment; and by using magic to appease America’s enemies and lose the Iraq War.”
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
McCain in the News
As speculation grows around who John McCain will select as his vice presidential running mate next week, Republican National Committee officials said Tuesday that McCain is no longer considering former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge... Conservative commentator David Limbaugh went even further Tuesday, labeling a McCain-Ridge ticket “political suicide.” “If McCain picks a pro-abortionist, he will forfeit his moral authority and political advantage on the issue and might very well be conceding the election to Obama,” Limbaugh wrote.
Evidently cooler and wiser heads prevailed (and e-mails from the base) as McCain has backed off the thought of choosing a pro-abort VP
And...
Fox News
National polls show John McCain and Barack Obama on nearly even footing as they prepare to announce their running mates and attend their respective conventions in the next two weeks.... Surveys consistently show McCain holding Obama to a narrow lead since Obama returned from his high-profile trip abroad last month.
It appears that most Americans don't cotton to a presidential candidate "campaigning" in Europe. Add to that the fact that the emotional " messiah" mentality can not be maintained except by the most rabid Bush haters that make up the core base of "the messiah's" voters
And add to that, the facts that continue to expose Obama for what he is..a inexperienced empty suite controlled by his leftist owners and handlers.
However, Obama states, "I don't intend to lose" so hang on to your seats as this campaign is about to become real ugly with the ugliness coming from the left as it struggles to prop up its candidate, Barack Hussein Obama, aka,"the messiah" aka Barry Soeroto
12:00
Just in...
Reuters/Zogby Poll: McCain Makes a Move, Takes 5-Point Lead Over Obama
Obama loses ground among Dems, women, Catholics & even younger voters http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1541
McCain leads Obama by a 46% to 41% margin.
And McCain not only enjoys a five-point edge in a two-way race against Obama, but also in a four-way contest including liberal independent candidate Ralph Nader and Libertarian Bob Barr, the poll reveals. In the four-way contest, McCain wins 44% support, Obama 39%, Barr 3% and Nader 2%.
This latest Reuters/Zogby poll is a dramatic reversal from the identical survey taken last month – in the July 9-13 Reuters/Zogby survey, Obama led McCain, 47% to 40%. In the four-way race last month, Obama held a 10-point lead over McCain.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Unreported: "Shacking up" and Divorce make Big Impact on Foreclosures
Oh I could sell my house, if I wanted to give it away but I don't so I wait. So while I wait for a bottom I pay attention to the real estate market, visiting some blogs dedicated to the current real estate correction, which is historical in its scope and size.
While visiting HousinDoom I ran across a poster discussing a factor contributing to foreclosures that I have yet to see in any reporting about the housing market.
And that is how shacking up and divorce have a huge impact on foreclosures. The poster states;
The situation will continue to worsen if the increase in cohabitation continues.
This line of thinking is supported by an interesting paper “Mortgage Default among Rural, Low-Income Borrowers” printed in the Journal of Housing Research in 1995 and [ironically] apparently funded by Fannie Mae.
It is quite an old paper and may not be entirely relevant. But I think it is indicative that potential changes in lifestyle have not been factored in sufficiently to lenders’ thinking. It includes: “On average change in marital status increases the risk of default 4.5 times”.
This is supported further by other research, “Why have a rising number of Americans defaulted on their mortgage payments in recent years?
When economist Darryl E. Getter of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development set out to answer this question, he discovered that the problem was often not chiefly financial, but rather marital: many of the American homeowners who fall behind in their mortgage payments are experiencing the economic distress occasioned by divorce or separation from a spouse ....
Whether looking at all households or just at those with “normal and unusually high” incomes, Getter finds unusually high default rates for home mortgages among Americans who are divorced/separated ……… (Source: Darryl E. Getter, “Contributing to the Delinquency of Borrowers,” The Journal of Consumer Affairs 37.1 [2003]: 86-100.)
In “Research Into Mortgage Default and Affordable Housing: A Primer”, [2002] Charles A. Capone, Jr., Ph.D, Congressional Budget Office, Center for Home Ownership, Local Initiatives Support Corporation writes, “….. statistical results are reported as multiplier ratios. These ratios give the relative strength of various influencing factors on incentives to default. Deviations from a value of one (1.0) tell direction and strength of effects. For example, the ratio reported for marital problems is 4.48. That means the incentive to default is 4.48 times as high for families experiencing marital problems than for those without such difficulties.
This is not quite the same as saying probabilities of default will be 4.48 times as high, but it is close.”
Cohabiting couples break up at a much faster rate than married ones. The situation is unlikely to improve until this is understood by both borrowers and lenders.
And what happens to the children of the divorced and/or separated cohabitators?
Why does the liberal media ignore this very real destructive outcome of the cultural decline of morality in America?
I don't see any Dateline, Nightline, John Stossel reports on this very real contributor to forclosure rates
I think we all know the answer, don't we?
Friday, August 15, 2008
Granholm, Democrats & environmentalists hope to charge MI residents $8 billion to create 365 jobs
Thank you to Sen. Cameron S. Brown of the 16th District who posted this heads up information on his Blog
Sen. Brown chairs the Homeland Security and Emerging Technologies Committee. He also serves as the vice chair of both the Campaigns and Elections Committee, and the Energy Policy Committee. A member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Brown serves as chair of the subcommittee on agriculture.
For the better part of two years, Gov. Granholm has been pressuring the Legislature to pass a mandate that the State of Michigan receive 10% of its energy from renewable sources by 2015.
In campaigning for this Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) mandate, the Governor has repeatedly touted the "thousands" of jobs that would be created as the renewable energy industry flocks to Michigan. Unfortunately, it appears this claim is nothing more than an attempt to win support for an $8 billion rate increase by preying on Michigan residents' desire to turn around our stagnant economy and put people back to work.
Let's take a closer look at the numbers.
As the most cost effective renewable energy, wind is expected to make up the majority of an RPS mandate. In order to meet a 10% RPS, it is estimated that the state would require 3,680 megawatts of wind energy.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, described as the nation's primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, estimates that a community can expect between two and five new full-time jobs to be created with a 50-100 megawatt wind farm.
Assuming approximately 73 50-megawatt wind farms would be necessary to meet the proposed mandate, Michigan residents can expect roughly 365 new, full-time jobs to be created.
And how much will it cost electric customers to create these 365 new jobs? The Democrat House sponsor of the RPS legislation pegged the cost over 20 years at $8 billion, meaning Michigan residents will be paying an astounding $20 million per new job!
As the RPS bill approaches a final resolution, it's time we get the truth out about the erroneous claims the Governor, Democrats, and environmentalists continue to make about this mandate.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
McCain Says He’d Consider Pro-Choice VP
Cross posted on RightMichigan
FOX NEWS
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Wednesday floated the prospect of picking a running mate who supports abortion rights and cited former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge as someone worth considering.
I think that the pro-life position is one of the important aspects or fundamentals of the Republican Party,” McCain said in an interview with The Weekly Standard.
“And also I feel that — and I’m not trying to equivocate here — that Americans want us to work together,” McCain added...
Ridge, McCain told the magazine, would be more palatable to social conservatives who make up the base of the Republican Party.
“I think it’s a fundamental tenet of our party to be pro-life but that does not mean we exclude people from our party that are pro-choice,” McCain said....
I think someone needs to buy McCain a clue. Social conservatives are the party base? Those are called Libertarians, Senator
Evangelical Christians and conservatives are your party base. President Bush could not have won in 2000 without them and you certainly can't today!
Furthermore, your "hands across the aisle" stance will continue to alienate from your base who don't want kumbya with liberals but the triumph of conservative ideals and polices over liberalism!
Good Grief!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Michigan Blogger "Makes" Malkin
"Pelosi, showing in her financial disclosures that in May of 2007, she purchased (on the opening public offering apparently) a substantial amount of T. Boone Pickens clean energy fuels corp, CLNE. CLNE apparently is funding a proposal in California? ..ahh the shenanigans begin!"
Once again a "mere" blogger is doing the work "p"msnbc, ABC, CBS, and various print media SHOULD be doing.
But we all know where is no media bias right? /sarcasm
However I am sure this is just the tip of the Pelosi iceberg...stay tuned and kudos to Jason!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Putin Tries to Depose a Neighbor
By Richard Holbrooke
Friday, August 8, 2008;
8:57 PM
In this opinion column, originally published Nov. 27, 2006, Richard Holbrooke wrote about Vladimir Putin's efforts to overthrow Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili -- and what's at stake. Yesterday, tensions between Russia and Georgia escalated, with troops clashing over the separatist province of South Ossetia.
TBILISI, Georgia -- While the United States is otherwise preoccupied, this small former Soviet republic has become the stage for a blatant effort at regime change, Russian-style. Vladimir Putin is going all out to undermine and get rid of Georgia's young, pro-American, pro-democracy president, Mikheil Saakashvili. Putin is assuming that the United States, overwhelmed by Iraq and needing Moscow's support on North Korea and Iran, will not make Georgia a "red-line" issue and that the European Union, fearful of endangering energy supplies from Russia, will similarly play it down.
Much is at stake: Putin's long-term strategic goal is to create a sphere of Russian dominance and hegemony in the vast area the Soviet Union and the czars once ruled. If he succeeds in bringing down the most independent and pro-Western leader in the former Soviet space outside the Baltics, he will have gone a long way toward his goal. Also at stake: President Bush's "freedom agenda," stability in the Caucasus and the European Union's attitude toward a small European country on the edge of the world's most volatile region.
Putin's methods are brutal. He has expelled at least 1,700 Georgians since October, cracked down on Georgian-owned businesses, made repeated statements about preserving the Russian market for real Russians and demonized Georgians as a criminal class. He has doubled natural gas prices two years running and cut off all direct rail, air, road, sea and postal links between the two countries. Russia has also waged an aggressive international disinformation campaign to raise doubts about Saakashvili -- I have heard astonishing, wholly undocumented charges about his alleged corruption and his "hot-headed" style in Berlin, Brussels and even Washington. In Tbilisi today, you can hear an ugly word for this that rises out of the depths of 19th-century Russian history: pogrom.
In fact, the 38-year-old Saakashvili represents almost everything the United States and the European Union should support. He led the peaceful 2003 Rose Revolution that overthrew the corrupt regime of Eduard Shevardnadze. He then opened the country to Western investment, presided over a dramatic turnaround in a once-hopeless economy, and instituted massive reforms of the police and civil service.
While these efforts have not been perfect -- Freedom House and other nongovernmental organizations have expressed concern about an overly cozy relationship between the government and the main media, for example -- Georgia has climbed further up the World Bank's latest annual reform survey than any other country.
In 2004 Saakashvili peacefully seized control of Ajaria, one of the three areas that, with Moscow's encouragement, refused to accept Georgian rule after the crackup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Ajaria, which lies on the Black Sea, has since become a booming tourist center. Now Saakashvili has his eye on regaining two remaining "frozen conflict" areas in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where impoverished breakaway regimes, heavily backed by Moscow and Russian troops, claim to be independent countries.
Despite international resolutions that affirm the territorial integrity of Georgia, it will be difficult for Saakashvili to regain Abkhazia and South Ossetia, especially without strong Western support. Putin would be happy to fight for them again if necessary and to overthrow Saakashvili if possible.
This is not just a strategic issue. It is also deeply personal: Saakashvili as David and Putin as Goliath. Their face-to-face meetings have been electric with anger. When President Bush brought Georgia up with Putin on the margins of the Asian-Pacific summit in Hanoi last weekend, Putin went into a rant, as he does every time the subject arises. His tirades may be designed to discourage further discussion, but for the most part it is, according to people who have heard Putin, real, irrational anger.
Bush's visit to Tbilisi last year was a triumph; today the main road from the airport into the city is proudly named President George W. Bush Street. Bush and Saakashvili genuinely like each other, and there is hardly a country left in the world where Bush is still so popular. Saakashvili's best American friends are Sen. John McCain, who has made support of democracy in the former Soviet Union a major theme, and George Soros, who helped pay salaries for the bankrupt Georgian civil service system in 2004. This cannot please Putin.
But why the relatively muted international response to Putin's outrageous behavior? The main reason is Washington's weakened state as a result of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea. This is Putin's moment, especially with oil prices high. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, Washington needs Moscow more than Moscow needs Washington.
During the 1990s President Bill Clinton used America's undisputed primacy to enlarge NATO (Saakashvili wants membership, of course) and conduct successful military actions in Bosnia and Kosovo over Russian objections.
Today, by contrast, Russia has threatened to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution that would give Kosovo independence and has spuriously linked Kosovo's status to that of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The European Union and the United States must make the continued freedom and independence of Georgia a test case of the Western relationship with Russia. Putin must learn that we will not sacrifice the interests of a small country that has put its faith in Western values for the sake of energy supplies or U.N. votes.
If Bush's freedom rhetoric has any meaning, let him prove it in Georgia, not just with polite calls for mutual restraint, but with real pressure on Moscow and the assembling of a united front with the European Union to make clear to Putin that he must cease his attempts to destabilize Georgia and overthrow Saakashvili. In the age of Iraq we must show that our nation can continue to have influence elsewhere in the world and that we will not abandon our friends or our values.
Friday, August 8, 2008
BREAKING-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick charged with two felonies
It was just yesterday (because of the growing national headlines)Governor Job Killer Granholm decided something needs to be about this disgrace however the Detroit's City Council voted 5-4 in May to ask Granholm to remove Kilpatrick from office because of his handling of an $8.4-million police whistle-blower lawsuit settlement.
I demand the trial be broadcast to the people of Detroit if not Michigan!
After Action Report: Operation Protest Pelosi
After some mis-steps in finding my way, I hooked up with follower blogger Shell of The Conservatrarian her husband, daughter and Jean of Addison Township who I met via RightMichigan
We all piled into Shell's van with sign and flags and headed downtown. When we arrived, there was already some of Saul Anuzis's crew from Lansing. We took our position across the street from Borders Bookstore.
People made some great signs, including "I can't afford my Gas or your Book", "Liberate our Oil, my FBI-type wanted sign charging Pelosi with Obstructionist Tactics, Failure to Lead, Refusal to allow a straight up-or-down vote for off shore drilling, several signs with a take on the not so popular Pelosi book, "Abuse Your Power" and Knowing Your Failure", and a large gas can shaped sign saying, "Pitstop Pelosi, Pain the Ga$$".
More people arrived, some from the Ann Arbor area who were very happy to be in the company of fellow conservatives.
A don't-know-where-they-stand group who had a large IMPEACH sign also joined us and a man dressed in an Uncle Sam type costume who wanted to impeach everyone, Pelosi, President Bush etc. Saul said, I told them we don't want to impeach her; we just want her to bring Congress back to vote! One of them yelled back at me and said "Bush, dummy"...I said "oh"? "That's Saul, folks!"
And because this is Ann Arbor, the "usual suspects" who show up for every protest, the Israel-haters and the Impeach Bush loons were there, although small in number, four at most.
However, they were no match for our 30+ who were "loud and proud"
One woman who seemed to have just happened by, starting shouting something. However, the only thing understood was she was an Obama supporter. So I lead a "No Obama" chorus and she just went away when she realized she was no match for us.
Suddenly ominous looking grey clouds rolled in, chain lightening appeared in the sky(Nancy arriving?) However, withstanding the rainstorm, we shouted, "Drop the book, go back to work, Nancy" "Peace, Love and Gasoline", "What do we need...Oil...When do we need it...Now!" "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" And singing while swaying back and forth, "All we are saying is give oil a chance..."
Meanwhile upstairs in Borders, as I later learned from a reporter who interviewed me for the Ann Arbor News Ms. Pelosi was giving a speech and taking canned questions from her adoring minions.
I asked her how many were in an attendance and she said about 200. There were 400 hundred tickets available.
Kudos to my companions who braved the storm, the traffic and stood 2 1/2 hours on an Ann Arbor street, putting Nancy Pelosi on notice.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
ACTION ALERT PELOSI PROTEST-JOIN US!
I will meeting up with others,including some bloggers at 5:30pm in front of JCPenney at the Briarwood Mall (100 Briarwood Cir, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 for map Goggle/Yahoo map directions)in Ann Arbor. Will proceed downtown to Borders bookstore (612 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104) and joined by Saul & Co. at 6;30 on the Corner of Liberty & Maynard, Downtown Ann Arbor, MI (Across from Borders)
Please bring signs, American flags etc
I have a couple of doozies! Sneak preview below
Check back later this evening for an After Action Report right here and on RightMichigan
Looking forward to meeting you all!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
ACTION ALERT!
The White House has rejected calls from House Republicans that it convenes a special session of Congress on energy, saying it wouldn’t make difference.
“We don't have plans to call Congress into session -- it won't make a difference if Democratic leaders are unwilling to bring up a bill for an up-down vote,” said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.
Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) asked President Bush to convene the special session in an Aug. 1 letter. The same day, House Republicans launched an unusual protest on the House floor urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to call Congress back to work.
"Since Speaker Pelosi has decided not to keep the House in session to allow this vote to take place, we urge you to use the power vested in you by the Constitution to convene an immediate energy special session of Congress,” the letter said.
This is a no brainer! The President has a perfect opportunity to
continue to expose Pelosi and the liberal controlled Congress for what they are, obstructionists paid for by the loony environmentalists unconcerned by the wishes or best interest of the American people! Now is not the time to back down but press in! The President should be over this, so should McCain and so should we!
The President may, under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States of America, compel the House of Representatives and Senate to convene in special session.
Call the President at 202-456-1111 and tell him to recall the Congress to Washington to vote on expanding domestic oil production.
Alternatively, go HERE, to send an e-mail to the President to recall Pelosi back to work!
Moreover, here is a link to House Republicans John Boehner's live blog
Monday, August 4, 2008
After Action Report: My Army of One Obama Protest
I parked about a block from the Lansing Center so I could walk the length of the Lansing Center holding my double-sided sign on my way to the meet up spot. The side showing to those lined up to see the "messiah" said, "NO OBAMA
Typical White Person, Will Drive an SUV, Eating as Much as I Want, Keeping My Home at 72 Degrees, Bitterly clinging to Guns and Religion The flip side said, NO OBAMA God Bless America, NOT God D*** America!
For the most part, I was greeted with disgust, puzzled or shocked looks from the faithful who couldn't believe I had the nerve to exercise my Constitutional rights!
What immediately impressed me was the lack of the "messiah's" faithful as you can see by the picture of myself in front of the Lansing Center.
Despite what you will probably hear, there were maybe a thousand attendees. Not a good showing for the "Anointed One"
On a strange side note, as I approached the Lansing Center, I saw a police cruiser on fire, completely engulfed in flames. Hmmm over excited Osama followers? The aura of the messiah himself, unable to be contained by a mere edifice?
I took up my corner sentry by the Osama trinkets stand. And was joined by one other patriot. I noticed that the were NOT doing much business. One person who seemed more interested in just talking than in the messiah's appearance approached me. In addition, I got a very caustic passing comment from a young girl wearing a peace sign T-shirt, "You're the only one! I reminded her that it's what happens in November that counts
After realizing there was not going to be a "meet up" I decided to walk back and position myself directly in front of the entrance to the Lansing Center were I was approached and interviewed by several media outlets.
A young mother and her two children carrying McCain signs joined me. Republicans in training. Her son was approached by a media person and he was asked why he came. Out of the mouths of babes came a great quote
"To be honest I don't know a lot about McCain but I know enough about Obama!"
A middle-aged black woman wearing some "Obamaware" then approached me. I had to explain to her that my sign was a take on actually Obama quotes. I got a blank look back. Which explained the puzzled looks I received earlier, that the majority of the "messiah" followers do not know much about the person they are willing to entrust the leadership of the United State to.
My continued conversation only confirmed my opinion. She said, "Obama was for change and we need change." I asked her "what change?" She was fuzzy. So I asked her how Osama was going to implement this nebulous change. Again fuzzy so she said, "Well what is McCain going to change?" I replied I asked you first, YOU tell me what Obama will change."
Blank. I replied, "You can't say because you do not know, yet you are going to vote for someone for president and you don't even know where he stands on the issues?
She then uttered the words that send a chill down my spine, "I am willing to take a chance!" Aghast, I answered; Well, I am NOT willing to take a chance with the leadership of America."
This is who will must deal with, the unconcerned, uninformed persons willing to take a chance with our country! God help us!
It has been said before but...Now is the time for all good Conservatives to come to the aid of their country!
First pray that the Lord have mercy on America and get busy!
Cross posted http://www.rightmichigan.com/section/news
Saturday, August 2, 2008
House GOP revolts over gas prices
By: Patrick O'Connor
August 1, 2008 09:28 PM EST
At the stroke of 5 on Friday afternoon, House Republicans ended their half-day protest on the darkened chamber floor with a round of “God Bless America.”
That capped a wild day in the chamber, where Republicans, aides and tourists broke all manner of House rules to protest the Democrats’ decision to leave Washington for the five-week August recess without voting on a measure to open new land to domestic oil and gas exploration.
The uproar began shortly before noon, after members cast their votes along party lines on the question of whether or not to adjourn for the day.
A small band of Republicans, protesting the decision to adjourn without an oil vote, started to speak from the well—even though the lights weren’t on, the microphones were turned off and most of their colleagues were scrambling to catch flights out of town.
An empty floor is one thing when TV cameras are there, but C-Span’s cameras, which typically broadcast every word uttered on the floor of both chambers, were not allowed to broadcast the revolt since the chamber was officially closed for business.
So this small band of rank-and-file Republicans, led by Georgia Rep. Tom Price and Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, shouted their criticisms of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the liberal Democrat who stuck around to watch the first few speakers, and a collection of tourists in the gallery.
Reporters were asked to clear the Speaker’s Lobby that adjoins the floor and after relocating to a press gallery directly above it, were notified they might soon be asked to leave so the gallery could be closed since the House was no longer in session.
Republican Congressmen, eager to keep the press present, headed up to the gallery one at a time, each relieving the last, to keep it from closing.
The substance of the speeches was of a piece with the summer-long move by Republicans to hammer Democratic leaders in both chambers for failing to allow a vote on measures that would open more acres—most notably in Alaska and in the Outer Continental Shelf—to domestic oil and gas exploration by private companies—a proposal whose popularity with voters has shot up along with the price of oil.
It’s a vote Democratic leaders have thus far successfully avoided.
Republican Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and his number two, party Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri, both appeared at the protest—a public acknowledgment that they approved of this step.
Republicans shouted their remarks from the well of the House until Arizona Rep. John Shadegg fumbled with the public address system and finally found the correct access code that allowed him to turn on the microphone.
When he did, members cheered.
In fact, members did a lot of cheering Friday.
They cheered when the lights came on. They cheered when the lights went off again. They even cheered when the crowd in the galleries applauded their remarks.
In between, they shouted, “Work! Work! Work!”
When Capitol Police closed the tourist galleries, the members invited visitors down to the chamber floor—a rare privilege made possible because the House was not officially in session, so the regular rules did not apply.
Members noted these irregularities in their remarks all afternoon, and Republican staff scrambled to get members and aides onto the floor to keep the momentum building. At one point, leadership aides sent out an all-points-bulletin to Republican staff asking for a bullhorn to help members broadcast their remarks to those in the chamber. Many lawmakers canceled their flights to make remarks on the floor.
Texas Rep. Kevin Brady even wheeled his suitcase onto the House floor.
In total, 48 Republicans spoke on the floor Friday, offering remarks ranging from the impassioned to the plainly partisan. Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter declared, “This is the People’s House. This is not Pelosi’s Politburo.” He later pretended to be a Democrat, walking to their side of the floor to announce all the votes they had prevented.
The party has taken many lumps since losing control of the House and Senate in 2006, and members clearly relished their chance to be partisan pranksters.
California Rep. Devin Nunes and others paraded on the floor with a poster of a Volkswagen Bug with a sail attached—claiming that was the Democrats’ answer to rising fuel prices.
Texas Rep. John Culberson was feeding updates to his personal Twitter site from a cell phone that recorded the entire day.
This, of course, is not the first time members of the minority have stayed in the chamber after the House closed for official business; in 1995, when Republicans were in control, Democrats pulled a similar stunt. During that protest, they put a photo in the speaker’s chair of then-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) wearing a diaper.
The protest occurred after the Democrats crafted an adjournment rule preventing Republicans from making a series of five-minute speeches to bash the majority party for declining to vote on off-shore drilling.
More than 75 members had signed up to offer a brief speech when the House approved an adjournment resolution largely along party lines that shut the chamber immediately after the last vote.
As news of the protest spread over the Internet, the assembled Republicans eventually convened a news conference right off Statuary Hall.
This gaggle of reporters and cameras was the largest such crowd many of these members had attracted to a press conference since assuming the minority early last year.
Price, the energetic ringleader, told the throng, “What we did today was give voice to the American people on the biggest issue they face today: the high price of gasoline.”
Through the afternoon, Democrats were silent on the protest.
Afterward, Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said Democrats have "offered real solutions to bring down energy costs, promote renewable fuels and energy efficiency and promote oil production right here in America."
Citing a litany of modest measures to address commodity speculation and unused drilling permits, among other smaller legislation, Elshami argued "a majority of congressional Republicans have voted 'no' each time. They should go home to their districts and explain their record of obstructing common-sense proposals to address the pain at the pump."
During the press conference, at least three members announced their intent to stay in Washington—if not on the floor—until Pelosi brought lawmakers back from break to vote on an energy package. Pence even asked President Bush to command Congress to return to session.
But minutes later, this band of partisan pranksters went back to the floor, where Price told the crowd that the Republicans were wrapping up their protest to end an afternoon of rarities in the Capitol.
He and his band high-fived and exchanged hugs as they left the floor to chants of “USA! USA! USA!”
-John Bresnahan and Daniel W. Reilly contributed reporting to this article
All I can say it RIGHT ON and ABOUT TIME!
Pursuant to Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States of America, the President can compel the House of Representatives and Senate to convene in special session.
The President can force the Democrats to either vote on energy legislation or not.
Normally the American people are better served when Congress is not in session. At this time, however, the President should call the Democrats' bluff.
Call the President at 202-456-1111 and tell him to recall the Congress to Washington to vote on expanding domestic oil production.