“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Obama to Rescind Bush Abortion Rule

President Barack Obama is moving to tilt the balance of power back to patients in the struggle over whether health care providers must provide controversial services, regardless of whether they violate religious or moral principles.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/WomensHealth/story?id=6977348&page=1

Whack-a-Mole Pelosi butts heads with Obama

Nancy Pelosi has this grin plastered on her face every time I see her that reminds me of The Joker most days. She is ecstatic that "she" won. Her Constitution killing agenda has been given wings and she is thrilled.

I've wondered as I watched the stimulus package zip into nightmare reality just who was pulling the strings, Obama or Pelosi and crew. It seems the power struggles between the Presidential office and Congress will continue in this administration.

Obama seems to be more centrist in some areas. However, where he is moderate, Pelosi and friends in Congress are not. Whacky Mole Pelosi is more than willing to cheerfully push through the initiatives of Obama's that she likes, usually with a few more tidbits to make his bad ideas worse. But in "exchange" for doing what she wanted to do in the first place, I'd guess she and Reid are exacting a price. Support for his agenda entails his support of her agenda.

Bottom line - we're screwed.

Pelosi butts heads with Obama

Nancy Pelosi repeatedly stood to applaud Barack Obama when he addressed a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. But in the days since, the speaker of the House has been standing up for herself — distancing herself from the president on Iraq, on tax cuts and on the prosecution of former Bush administration officials.

Pelosi’s aides say the speaker was comfortable playing the role of Obama’s shield during the stimulus fight — Republicans teed off on her rather than on the immensely popular new president — and that she remains strongly supportive of the administration on health care, energy and education reform.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19389.html

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Obama administration guns for assault weapons ban

The Obama administration's announcement that it will push to reinstate the assault weapons ban has stunned Capitol Hill and revived a debate that has been dormant for years. > Read More By Mike Soraghan

Obama's Plan Would Impose Salary Caps on Military, Federal Workers

Obama's Plan Would Impose Salary Caps on Military, Federal Workers Obama's budget would impose a 2 percent cap on pay raises for civilian federal workers and a 2.9 percent cap on pay raises for the military.

Karl Rove: Obama's Straw Men

As always, excellent insights and clarity from Karl Rove:

President Barack Obama reveres Abraham Lincoln. But among the glaring differences between the two men is that Lincoln offered careful, rigorous, sustained arguments to advance his aims and, when disagreeing with political opponents, rarely relied on the lazy rhetorical device of "straw men." Mr. Obama, on the other hand, routinely ascribes to others views they don't espouse and says opposition to his policies is grounded in views no one really advocates.

On Tuesday night, Mr. Obama told Congress and the nation, "I reject the view that . . . says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity." Who exactly has that view? Certainly not congressional Republicans, who believe that through reasonable tax cuts, fiscal restraint, and prudent monetary policies government contributes to prosperity...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123561484923478287.html?mod=djemEditorialPage

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

He Who Has Earmarks, Let Him Hear

And now, back to our regularly scheduled spending. One week after the shock of the $1.3 trillion stimulus hit home, President Obama and his party are back at it, promoting fiscal responsibility while exercising anything but. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), fresh from her taxpayer-funded vacation, lifted the veil on a $410 billion omnibus bill that fails to live up to the President's campaign promises of "earmark reform."

"[W]hen I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely," he told a crowd in Mississippi last year. Of course, the irony is that Congress introduced a bill with 9,000 earmarks on the same day that the President delivered a speech to economists on spending restraint. "[I]f we want to spend, we'll need to find somewhere to cut," the President suggested Monday, mere days after he signed the biggest spending bill in U.S. history. At the same meeting, Obama vowed to reduce the deficit by half in his first term, which would be a real feat considering that he has already expanded it by roughly a trillion dollars. Got vertigo yet?

Liberals claim the omnibus, now under review in the House, is pork-free. The evidence suggests otherwise. A portion of the $5 billion in earmarks is slated to fund: a "Tattoo Removal Violence Prevention Outreach Program" ($200,000); the creation of a "Ted Kennedy Institute for the Senate" ($5.8 million); the National Council of LaRaza ($473,000); "the promotion of astronomy in Hawaii" ($2 million); and the Las Vegas Natural History Museum ($143,000), where Sen. Harry Reid's son served as a board member.

The flagrant waste, while upsetting, is far less damaging to values voters than the shifts in social policy, which often go undetected in spending bills like this one. Of particular concern to FRC are the diminished pro-life "riders" attached to the legislation. (For a better understanding of the term "rider," check out the FRC Action Blog). Unfortunately, we learned yesterday that the President has reinstated $50 million for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA). For the first time in eight years, the U.S. will be knowingly subsidizing forced abortion and sterilization.

The President demanded $545 million ($88 million more than 2008) in contraceptives and other "family planning" activities that do not merit public support. In a major setback for the Community-Based Abstinence Education program, the White House asked for a $13 million reduction in CBAE grants, while increasing its funding for Title X birth control programs to $307 million. Another provision would give college health and abortion clinics the ability to purchase contraception and Plan B at a "nominal" price. (Keep in mind that leaders are proposing this while a network of California Planned Parenthood clinics is under investigation for fraudulently re-selling these same drugs at higher prices for profit.)

On the education front, the bill includes language that would eliminate the D.C. school voucher program and bars new students from participating in the program despite its documented success. In a subtle move, House liberals have also pushed for $1.2 billion in "anti-bullying programs." In the past, these funds have been used to introduce pro-homosexual curricula into the nation's public schools. Last, but by no means least, the report language launches a sneak attack on marriage by encouraging reconsideration of the ban on benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees.

Tonight, despite these assaults on American values, the President will address the nation with the familiar themes of hope, camaraderie, and optimism. But, as we have come to expect in Obama's first month, the rhetoric of this administration falls miserably short of reality.

Additional Resources Kitchen Table Blog: What Exactly are Pro-life Riders?

Tony Perkins
Family Research Council:
801 G Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
P: 202/393-2100 or 800/225-4008
W: frc.org

@Divapalooza, thought you'd appreciate the title of this one:

Pork-a-Palooza… Here is Some of What Obama’s Stimulus Bill Is Spending Your Tax Dollars On…
Posted: 23 Feb 2009 09:06 PM PST
Awesome stuff. I am just so happy to know that my tax dollars are going on the following extremely important stimulus items which are bound to stimulate economic growth…HT Michelle Hill staffer Tom Jones is going through the omnibus spending bill with a fine-tooth comb, and Twittering his earmark findings, including: * $200,000 for “Tattoo Removal [...]

Note: I'm gonna start calling the spending bill the porkapalooza! Above from PUMA. Divapalooza, you hafta post this one on your blog!

Geithner rolls the dice





















Stop the Bailouts Petiton

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law..."—Article 1, Section 9, the Federal Constitution.

http://stopbailouts.net/

Petition to the 111th Congress of the United States

Whereas, the United States Congress has otherwise appropriated, committed, borrowed, and printed some $10 trillion throughout 2008 and into 2009 over and above the regular budget, and

Whereas the bulk of these funds have been used to “bailout” or otherwise subsidize banks, financial firms, delinquent homeowners, and other institutions, and

Whereas, all of this record-setting expenditure has been borrowed funds not otherwise available to the Treasury of the United States, and

Where, the conditions leading to the current financial crisis were created by government and are a direct result of 15 years of flawed fiscal, monetary and social policy,

Now therefore, we the undersigned citizens of the United States do hereby call on Congress to take the following immediate actions:

1. Insist that all funds expended or committed by any agency or authorized agent of the United States be subject to a public vote of the elected Congress.

2. Undertake an immediate investigation of exactly how all funds have been spent, to whom the Federal Reserve has issued loans and the terms of such loans, and otherwise make the entire process of the financial bailout completely transparent.

3. Block all moves by the Obama Administration to hand homeowners of mortgages in default or near default a reduction in principle of the amount of the mortgage.

4. Bring an immediate end to the bailout and subsidies for firms and individuals who have made bad decisions and allow market forces to find the appropriate price level of housing and securities to enable the market to again function.

http://stopbailouts.net/

Rep. Jeff Flake’s anti-earmark resolution up today

Floor Update:
We have begun up to one hour of debate on the Rule to provide consideration for H.R. 1105 – Consolidated Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2009. We then expect another series of votes at approximately 1:15 – 1:30 p.m.

Following votes, we expect to proceed with up to one hour of general debate on H.R. 1105 – Consolidated Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2009. We then expect another series of votes.

The House may then begin up to forty minutes of consideration on the suspension bill H.Res. 183 - Expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. Following suspension debate, we expect to consider the Rep. Flake (R-AZ) Privileged Resolution. We then expect our final series of votes.


Article (via RedState, please subscribe, good articles & tips, http://www.redstate.com/):

Rep. Flake targets earmarks amidst PMA controversy
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), the House’s most vocal critic of pork barrel spending, is trying to shake the ethics committee into action on the link between earmarks and campaign contributors.

Democrat Barney Frank Wants to Cut Military Spending

In my Schitzobama blog post I mentioned military spending cuts. Here's an article on the subject:

Democrat Barney Frank Wants to Cut Military Spending
(CNSNews.com) – Congress should cut U.S. military spending by $160 billion, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, proposed at a press conference Tuesday. That same day, however, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who controls the House floor schedule, distanced himself and the majority leadership from Frank’s proposal -- and both the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services declined to endorse Frank’s plan.

Schitzobama

This is a tale of multiple personalities. Candidate Obama, President Obama and President Obama.

Candidate Obama says there will be new culture in Washington. Lobbyists will know their place and that place won't be on his cabinet.

President Obama welcomes lobbyists with open arms in his cabinet. He makes exceptions when it's his friends or choices.

Candidate Obama says earmarks will not happen in his White House if elected. He'll cut those suckers right out of bills. He'll veto those darn things if anyone has the temerity to even think about including them.

President Obama isn't concerned about the 8,570 (more or less depending on who's counting and reporting) in the Democrat's $410 billion Omnibus spending package. He's thinking maybe he'll start this earmark thing next year. All the pork in the trillion dollar porkulus bill? That's technically not considered earmarks as it was included in the bill. Earmarks get added afterwards. Oink oink.

Candidate Obama is going to have an ethical, above-board, above-average cabinet.

President Obama doesn't seem to think paying legally owed taxes has anything to do with ethics, even in his choice for Secretary of Treasury, a job that oversees that pesky agency that makes sure you and I pay our taxes properly.

Candidate Obama said his there would unprecedented openness and transparency in his administration. Bills would be on-line before passage so the public would know what was in them.

President Obama has yet to follow through on that promise. Porkulus wasn't even available for review by those who voted on it. The current $410 billion bill speeding through Congress to his desk isn't going to be on-line before the vote, either.

Schitzobama seems to be experiencing more difficulties now that he's in office!

He pushes through a spending porkulus package that will be possibly paid off by our great-great-great grandchildren, and then says he's going to cut the deficit in half in four years. Huh?
Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs. As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time. But we're starting with the biggest lines. We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade. - Transcript of Obama's Address to Joint Session of Congress, 2/25/09

Congress and the Obama administration are saying they want to cut military spending by 20 - 25%, yet last night he said he wants to increase the number of soldiers and Marines, and increase the pay of the military and veterans? Huh?
As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To each and every one of them, and to the families who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are united in sending one message: we honor your service, we are inspired by your sacrifice, and you have our unyielding support. To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve, we will raise their pay, and give our veterans the expanded health care and benefits that they have earned. - Transcript of Obama's Address to Joint Session of Congress, 2/25/09

Schitzobama also says he's not going to let terrorists conspire, plot to kill us in other countries. This after releasing terrorists who are certainly already conspiring against us, and promising the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend - because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists - because living our values doesn't make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. - Transcript of Obama's Address to Joint Session of Congress, 2/25/09

And in another part of his speech:

And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy or Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away. - Transcript of Obama's Address to Joint Session of Congress, 2/25/09


The words and actions of this man do not connect, in fact they are often completely diametrically opposed. It should be clear to every American that we have a President who simply says what he thinks the public wants to hear. He has an agenda, he's moving forward. We need to learn to ignore the words and watch the actions. Unfortunately for us, the actions are happening with little or no warning and it's hard to react after the fact.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Heritage Foundation: The Oath and the District of Columbia

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States ... No Person shall be a Representative who shall not ... when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.- Article I of the United States Constitution

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution.- Article VI of the United States Constitution

For all of its many ambiguities, on the matter of whether the residents of the District of Columbia can vote in the House of Representatives, the United States Constitution is crystal clear: no.

In 2000 the United States District Court for the District of Columbia affirmed this truth, writing: "The Constitution does not contemplate that the District may serve as a state for purposes of the apportionment of congressional representatives."

The Supreme Court later affirmed that decision.Despite the clarity of the law, Senate leaders have scheduled a vote today on S. 160, which would create two new seats in the House of Representatives and give one of them to the District of Columbia. The new fig leaf the left is using to push this blatantly unconstitutional measure is the argument that Art.1 sec. 8's grant to Congress to exercise "exclusive Legislation" over the District, gives them the power to grant the District a seat in the House. Heritage fellow Hans von Spakovsky exposes how specious this claim is:

The Constitution’s provision giving Congress the power to run the affairs of the District of Columbia — the seat of the nation’s capitol — doesn’t wipe out other parts of the document. Congress could not, for example, restrict the First Amendment rights of District residents.

Furthermore, the very same section of the Constitution also applies to “Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards” and other federal properties. But it would be ridiculous to assert, on the basis of that text, that Congress has the power to award House seats to an army base, federal office building, or Navy pier.

Conservatives are not alone in pointing out what a blatant violation of the Constitution S. 160 would be. Liberal constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley writes:

It would be ridiculous to suggest that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention or ratification conventions would have worked out such specific and exacting rules for the composition of Congress, only to give the majority of Congress the right to create a new form of voting members from federal enclaves like the District.

It would have constituted the realization of the worst fears for many delegates, particularly Anti-Federalists, to have an open-ended ability of the majority to manipulate the rolls of Congress and to use areas under the exclusive control of the federal government as the source for new voting members.

Some Senators appear to believe they can in good conscience vote for explicitly unconstitutional legislation if they include a provision in the bill that allows a Member of Congress to challenge the law in court. But such a provision would only clear statutory standing. Any plaintiff would also have to muster constitutional standing and as Heritage scholars Andrew Grossman and Nathaniel Ward detail, Congress has the power to play political games with voting in the House to prevent such a suit from ever happening.

Members of Congress take an oath to defend the Constitution. This makes them duty bound to oppose any legislation that is unconstitutional. It would be a black eye on the entire Congress if they chose political expediency over their solemn promise to the American people.

We knew the spending bill had earmarks... but 9,000?

Change. Reform. A different Washington. Hope. No more earmarks. Cut wasteful spending.

There is change. It's now worse than ever. He says one thing, does the complete opposite. When is America going to wake up? Tea Party? I hope the Tea Party is HUGE. I hope mainstream media actually covers it. They're ignoring all the protests being held when Obama shows up to mouth his empty words.

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/stimulus_bill_earmarks/2009/02/23/184512.html?s=al&promo_code=7AD3-1
Obama's New Spending Bill Has 9,000 Earmarks
William Douglas and David Lightman, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidates Barack Obama and John McCain fought vigorously over who would be toughest on congressional earmarks.

"We need earmark reform," Obama said in September during a presidential debate in Oxford, Miss. "And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely."

President Barack Obama should prepare to carve out a lot of free time and keep the coffee hot this week as Congress prepares to unveil a $410 billion omnibus spending bill that's riddled with thousands of earmarks, despite his calls for restraint and efforts on Capitol Hill to curtail the practice.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/stimulus_bill_earmarks/2009/02/23/184512.html?s=al&promo_code=7AD3-1

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Rally to Support Jeffersonian Principles

While this is in New Hampshire, they're asking that emails be sent in support to elected officials. This is an event I was invited to on Facebook, but it's being promoted in numerous areas I gather.

The largest support of Jeffersonian Principles in living memory will happen Wednesday, March 4th, starting at 8AM at the State House in Concord, NH. There we will show our support for HCR6, while our liberty-loving Representatives support it inside Representatives' Hall. This is a crucial day -- a day to prioritize your love for liberty above your day-to-day life. Whether you live in New Hampshire, or just want to come support this resolution and do so among hundreds of others, who love liberty, come join us!

WHAT: Rally in support of HCR6 Read It in Full HERE http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html

WHEN: 8:00 AM, Wednesday, March 4th

WHERE: NH State House, 107 N Main St., Concord

WHY: The Federal government has gone far enough. We need to draw a line in the sand. If there is further egregious, serious disrespect of the US Constitution by the Federal government, then New Hampshire must reclaim its sovereignty.

See the interview on Glenn Beck here

longer interview here. http://nhcaptv.com/episode/55

WHO: YOU! Not "somebody". Not "those people". YOU!!

HCR6 came out of committee with a surprise "Inexpedient to Legislate" recommendation.

If you need to call in sick to work in order to be at the Capitol at 8AM Wednesday March 4th, then you call in sick to work.

For those that remember it, this is a replay of the resistance against the bills to get NH out of Real-ID. This is unacceptable. Fortunately, we have a playbook. We know what it takes to move this forward: MASSIVE PUBLIC SUPPORT!

ACTION ITEMS BEFORE THE RALLY:
1. Email or call your State Reps. Simply, courteously, ask them to support HCR6 when it comes to a vote. Their contact info is here http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/whosmyleg/

2. Contact the Speaker of the House, Terie Norelli, mailto:terie.norelli@leg.state.nh.us or (603) 271-3661 and ask her to support HCR6 when it comes to the full legislature for a vote

3. Contact all our delegation to the Fedaral government. Tell them you demand that they support HCR6! Be bold with them, they need a wake-up call!

Judd Gregg http://gregg.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

Jeanne Shaheen
http://shaheen.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

Paul Hodes
http://hodes.house.gov/contact.aspx

Carol Shea-Porter
http://forms.house.gov/shea-porter/webform/issue_subscribe.htm

4. Pass this info along to everyone you know

For those on Facebook, there is an event set up there. Go to it, and invite everyone you know:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=51203501167#/event.php?eid=51203501167

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=61402276059

Further discussion:
http://www.nhliberty.org/forum/index.php?topic=1806.msg13802

Tell NH Reps to overturn the ITL and support HCR6!!!

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?code=H25

http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html

lars@taybre.net,
mbaldasaro@comcast.net,
alexis.chininis@gmail.com,
dennis.fields@leg.state.nh.us ,
kpanne@juno.com,
georgekatsiantonis@hotmail.com,
kris-e-roberts@live.com,
todd.smith@leg.state.nh.us,
frank.emiro@leg.state.nh.us,
jtwo101588@aol.com,
valerie.hardy@leg.state.nh.us,
cynthiapsweeney@yahoo.com,
baldwindomingo@yahoo.com,
sarah.hutz@unh.edu,
pgmff@comcast.net,
mike.rollo@leg.state.nh.us

Please someone take up a donation and buy these poor Reps a computerbox:
Rep. Leo Pepino (603)624-1476
Rep. Robert Haley (603)668-7832
Rep. Thomas Katsiantonis (603)627-9652

Your patriotism, honor and support are greatly appreciated.

http://letsgetthisright.org
http://freestateproject.org/

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Eternal Vigilance

My favorite blog of the day is Eternal Vigilance. Go check it out, looks snazzy and has great posts. http://www.eternalvigilanceusa.com/

They're also a member of the Read My Lipstick Network. I'm going to add them to my "follow" list right now.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Pope Benedict to meet Pelosi

In a move likely to stoke more controversy about whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights are in line with the church, Pope Benedict XVI has granted an audience to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. > Read More

Live in Colorado? Sign the check!

When President Obama signs his so-called stimulus bill in Denver on Tuesday, his stroke of the pen is equal to each American family signing over a $30-thousand dollar check to the government.

“At a time when tough budgeting decisions are being made around the kitchen table, each family in America will soon be 30-thousand dollars deeper in hock, thanks to this legislation,” says Jon Caldara, President of the free-market think tank, the Independence Institute. “Most of that spending should never happen at all, and much of that money will be spent on pork that won't even taste good.”

WHAT: INDIVIDUALS will sign their names to 4-foot wide checks, made out to the federal government in the amount of $30-thousand dollars.

WHERE: WEST STEPS of the State Capitol.

WHEN: NOON WHO: A coalition of concerned groups and citizens, including
Jon Caldara of Colorado's Independence Institute
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman
Michelle Malkin, nationally-known writer, blogger, and columnist
Former U.S. Congressman Bob Beauprez
numerous other Colorado legislators and dignitaries

WHY: To voice opposition to a government measure that spends more in one bill than has been spent in the entire conflict in Iraq

**Update 2: West steps of State Capitol:

UPDATE: Event details are set. We will begin our press conference at 12:15pm on the West Steps of the State Capitol. Please begin arriving at noon. We have the West Steps until 2pm.

Many speakers have been invited, and we will let you know here when they can confirm.

Confirmed attendees are as follows:
Confirmed attendees:
Former Cong. Bob Beauprez
Michelle Malkin FOX News Contributor and founder of MichelleMalkin.com and HotAir.com
Jim Pfaff, State Director of Americans for Prosperity in Colorado;
several state legislators
Dick Wadhams, Colorado Republican Committee Chairman

Invited Attendees:
Congressman Doug Lamborn
Congressman Mike Coffman

(rec'd via my Team Sarah account)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

"I Pledge God"

I received the following from a friend. I haven't had a chance to look at it closely to see who is sponsoring it or get all the details, but it's Sunday morning and I thought it was appropriate to share a bit of faith with my political friends! - CJS

It's quite apparent that it is only during national election campaigns when you'll find politicians jockeying for recognition as devout Christians. Even liberal-left politicos will invoke the name of Jesus Christ in order to garner the votes of practicing Christians. In reality many of those politicians, who applaud the passing of laws enabling more abortions or other less-than-Christian activities, try to pull the wool over the eyes of Christians.

While many Americans are growing more and more weary of what they are witnessing in their nation, they find it difficult to articulate their desperation without mentioning the name of the Lord. It is at that point they are open to the ridicule of the liberal-left -- even moderate -- establishment.

For too long American leaders and activists have been trying to suppress cultural symptoms without addressing the real cause -- our culture's view of God. It's like patching cracks in the walls of a house while ignoring an unstable foundation. The cracks will continue to appear and spread unless the foundation is repaired.

Brad Bright, head of "I Pledge God" (http://www.ipledgegod.com/) believes that the only way to bring about real change in culture is to change society's view of God. This is why he and his associates are asking people to take the PLEDGE to make God the issue in their own lives and their communities.

Bright points to something his father said: "We can trace all our human problems to our view of God." Brad believes this is not only true on the individual level, but on the societal level as well.
"Our view of God is what shapes and informs our world view and our behavior. It is an issue of cause and effect," wrote Bright.

"As I look back on my life, I have only great joy, gratitude, thanksgiving and excitement over what God has done. The Bright Media Foundation is the vehicle we can now use to continue our commitment to Christ and the fulfillment of His Great Commission."

And Bright's "I Pledge God" campaign is an important part of his commitment to Christ and spreading the Good News of God's word.

According to Bright, the major thrust of his ministry is to help develop spiritual world changers, who will be constantly motivating, encouraging, inspiring and training millions of Americans and nationals around the world.

His foremost intention to provide people the ability to spread the message, so Bright, working with TCV Media, included easy-to-use "widgets" that can be included on web sites and blogs.

"We wanted it easy for people to make their pledge, so we designed it so all the main content could fit on one page. We wanted immediate participation, so we implemented an administrative approach that would allow comments to be posted immediately and then moderated both by the community of visitors on the site and also by a team of administrators."

"We also wanted to have the site keep a "family resemblance" with their other online properties, so we used some consistent elements while giving the site its own identity," he added.

Please take a minute to take your pledge at http://www.ipledgegod.com.

View the video - http://www.ipledgegod.com/video

Red Envelope Project by Georgia Right to Life

This update is being sent out because we had some questions and concerns raised after the original email alert. Here are the instructions per www.redenvelopeproject.org.

Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. (Or reuse one that you received for Valentine's Day) On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington , D.C. 20500

On the back, write the following message.

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.
Put it in the mail, and send it. Then send this website to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.

As always, we should be respectful of the office of the President whenever we send anything.

Have you visited the Memorial Wall? Visit www.supportpersonhood.com and help us name all 50,000,000 babies who have died in the American Holocaust!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Trillion Dollar Failure

The United States Congress is about to pass the largest single-year increase in domestic federal spending since World War II. Despite the fact that neither the Republicans in Congress, the media, nor the American people have been allowed to read the bill, the House plans to vote on the plan today. The Senate will quickly follow suit so that the bill will hit President Barack Obama's desk by Monday.

Even without the full benefit of digesting what is in this trillion dollar debt bill, over 200 economists have expressed their belief that this plan is destined to fail.

And conservative economists that once supported the idea of a stimulus are now calling the current plan "An $800 Billion Mistake." Even center left economists like President Bill Clinton’s budget director, Alice Rivlin have told Congress that the long-term spending items in the plan "should not be put together hastily and lumped in with the anti-recession package."

This past summer, Obama Administration National Economic Council director Larry Summers said that any stimulus bill must be “timely… targeted … and credibly temporary.

The plan coming out of Congress is none of those things.

Not Timely

The Heritage Foundation has never believed that temporary tax cuts have a stimulating effect on the economy. That is why last year we predicted that President George Bush's tax rebates would not help the economy. The Obama Administration's temporary tax cuts will be equally ineffective.

However, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the tax cut portion of the stimulus bill was the fastest working part of the package. It was also one of the first things reduced in the conference committee to make room for more spending. This means the stimulus will be even slower acting than the CBO originally predicted.

Much of the infrastructure spending in the bill will also not help the economy recover. The Obama Administration's budget director, Peter Orszag (who was previously head of the CBO) authored a report in 2008 stating: "Large-scale construction projects of any type require years of planning and preparation. Even those that are 'on the shelf' generally cannot be undertaken quickly enough to provide timely stimulus to the economy."

Badly Targeted

The White House has pretty much conceded that most of the stimulus bill is not fast acting and are instead telling the Washington Post that "the president secured many of his biggest priorities in the legislation, including the longer-term health-care and energy investments that the administration views as a down payment on broader reforms."Many of these "broader reforms" will undermine immediate economic recovery, including:

An $87 billion dollar bailout for state Medicaid funding which only rewards inefficiency and encourages overspending.

Wage controls for construction work on federal projects which will raise costs and decrease employment.

Billions for increased government health care bureaucracy which serves as a major down payment on the path to socialized medicine.

The bill also settles old ideological scores including the abolishment of the bipartisan 1996 welfare reform policies and a ban on funds for faith based educational institutions.

And then there is the pork. Despite assurances that the bill would be pork free, the Obama Administration has been crisscrossing the country highlighting which local pork projects are in the plan. Plus the $6.5 billion line item for medical research was key in winning Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-PA) vote.

Not Temporary

There is nothing credibly temporary about the spending in this bill. The new welfare spending in this bill has already become the new budget baseline and anyone who dares to try pare it down is being attacked for "slashing" government funds. According to Heritage fellow Robert Rector, once this permanent new spending is factored in, the real cost of the plan balloons to $1.34 trillion.

Trillion Dollar Deficits for Years to ComeThe “stimulus” bill alone will create more debt (approximately $1 trillion including interest costs), than Bush’s first three years of budget deficits combined ($948 billion). Under the Reagan Administration, the deficit peaked at 6% of GDP in 1983. According to the CBO the 2009 deficit will reach 8.3% of the economy, not including the stimulus or bank bailout cash. If you include the permanent nature of the stimulus spendathon, the deficit could hit nearly $2 trillion, or 13.5% of the U.S. economy.

That is why the CBO has predicted that this so-called stimulus bill will actually harm economic growth. Democrat appointed CBO director Doug Elmendorf explains why:

The principal channel for this effect is that the legislation would result in an increase in government debt. To the extent that people hold their wealth in the form of government bonds rather than in a form that can be used to finance private investment, the increased government debt would tend to 'crowd out' private investment—thus reducing the stock of private capital and the long-term potential output of the economy.

Why are we passing a stimulus bill that our own government is telling us will cause our economy to shrink?

Here's another great article to read: President Obama Set to Exceed President Bush’s Deficits

www.heritage.org - be sure to sign up for the Morning Bell... best read you'll have.

$600 stimulus? Michelle Obama doesn't think it's worth it

So Michelle's husband's stimulus bill is going to "give" us a tax cut in the neighborhood of $13 a week. That works out to be roughly $676 a year give or take a few dollars.

Here's what she had to say on the campaign trail about President Bush's stimulus check that gave most of us $600:
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, complained
the government’s $600 economic stimulus check was only enough to buy “a pair of
earrings” while stumping for her husband.

“You're getting $600 - what can you do with that?” Mrs. Obama said in
Pontiac, Michigan last week. “Not to be ungrateful or anything, but maybe it
pays down a bill, but it doesn't pay down every bill every month. The short-term
quick fix kinda stuff sounds good, and it may even feel good that first month
when you get that check, and then you go out and you buy a pair of earrings."


If you were married you received more than $600 and I believe families inched up a bit higher dollar-wise.

Personally, I could by quite a few pairs of earrings for $600. I'm more of a $13 a pair type, but what the hey, I travel in different circles.

Which would you rather have? A check for $600 or $13 a week?

I just heard that as they're busy tonight stuffing more pork into the over stuffed porkulus bill that they've dropped the stimulus checks they were sending to us down to around $400.

oink, oink, oink... let them eat pork...

(Michelle Obama's $600 Earrings)

Bracing Ourselves: America prepares for the worst, and Republicans suddenly seem serious.

Can you tell I'm catching up on some of my reading? This one is written by Peggy Noonan. Quite honestly, I've kinda gotten to the point where I don't particularly like her. She's made some observations when she's on some of the Sunday morning talk shows that raise the hairs on the back of my conservative neck... But, this is an interesting article as long as you don't imagine her reading it out loud... She's probably a great lady, but her voice triggers something in my brain that makes me cringe, probably a throwback to childhood or something I'm sure a shrink would have fun with.

Bracing Ourselves
All week the word I kept thinking of was "braced." America is braced, like people who are going fast and see a crash ahead. They know huge and historic challenges are here. They're not confident they can or will be met. Our most productive citizens are our most sophisticated, and our most sophisticated have the least faith in the ability of our institutions to face the future and get us through whole. They have the least faith because they work in them.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123388255500354969.html?mod=djemWMP

Reaganomics vs. Obamanomics

In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama said, "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified." Or as administration spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said in January, the touchstone is, "What will have the biggest and most immediate impact on creating private sector jobs and strengthening the middle class? We're guided by what works, not by any ideology or special interests."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123431484726570949.html?mod=djemWMP

Contact Your Senators and Urge Them to Reject These Obama Nominees

In the past week, three of President Obama's most objectionable nominees had confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate. They are:

David Ogden, nominated to the high-ranking post of Deputy Attorney General of the United States . As a private attorney, Ogden worked for the ACLU and filed a brief in the landmark abortion case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that denied the existence of adverse mental health effects of abortion on women. Ogden has also been one of the nation's most prominent porn defense attorneys, representing not only Playboy and Penthouse, but also PHE, Inc., the largest distributor of hardcore pornography in the United States.

Thomas Perrelli is Obama's nominee for Associate Attorney General at the Justice Department. Perrelli won media attention as the attorney for Michael Schiavo, the Florida man who defeated Terri Schiavo's family in their desperate attempt to keep her from being brutally starved and dehydrated to death at Michael's insistence. Terri Schiavo collapsed under mysterious circumstances and was denied rehabilitation after funds won in a court settlement were allegedly diverted by Michael Schiavo for other uses.

Elena Kagan, although well-credentialed as the dean of Harvard Law School, is the Obama choice for Solicitor General, a post so powerful its occupant is often called the "10th Supreme Court justice." Kagan has never argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, but she is most prominently associated with an 8-0 court ruling against her position in Rumsfeld v. FAIR (2006). She and other law school officials sued to overturn the Solomon amendment, adopted by Congress to ensure that law schools could not use homosexual rights rules to deny U.S. Armed Forces recruiters access to law school campuses.

The U.S. Senate will vote soon on these key appointments that will determine U.S. legal policy for years to come. These appointments have a legacy of championing abortion on demand, legalized obscenity, special rights for homosexuals, and euthanasia.

Please contact your two U.S. senators today and tell them that these nominees should not go forward. Votes may occur in the next 72 hours -- please act now and forward this alert to at least three friends.

Thank you and God bless you.

Click Here to Contact Your Senators and Urge Them to Reject These Obama Nominees

Sincerely,
Tony Perkins
President
Family Research Council: 801 G Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20001
P: 202/393-2100 or 800/225-4008
W: frc.org

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

House, Senate Negotiators Reach Agreement on Stimulus

Final Bill Scales Down Total Package to About $789 Billion

House and Senate negotiators reached agreement today on a stimulus plan with a cost of about $789 billion after scaling down the versions passed by both houses, congressional leaders announced.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/11/AR2009021101836.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

4 from CNSNews on Stimulus, Health Care Rationing, Jobs

Stimulus Bill Raises Concerns Over Government Rationing of Health Care
(CNSNews.com) - Two provisions in President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan could give the federal government the authority to oversee the medical decisions made between doctors and patients, critics warn, which could result in the rationing of health care. The plan to make all health records electronic and establish an effectiveness board to review health care costs was part of the $838 billion economic stimulus bill that passed the Senate Tuesday. Critics note that the electronic medical records will be mandatory.

No Reason to Worry About Those Health Efficiencies in Stimulus Bill, Democrat Says
(CNSNews.com) – Democrats are downplaying concerns about health provisions tucked into the massive stimulus/spending bill now making its way through Congress. “There is nothing in this legislation that interferes with a doctor making a decision, with the patient, on what is appropriate care,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) told Fox News on Wednesday.

Senators Who Backed Stimulus Not Sure How Many Jobs It Will Create
(CNSNews.com) - In his press conference on Monday, President Obama said his economic stimulus package would create or preserve up to 4 million jobs, but on Tuesday, lawmakers on Capitol Hill who voted for the $838-billion stimulus told CNSNews.com there is no way to know how many jobs the bill will create. Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), who voted against the bill, told CNSNews.com he doubts it will create as many jobs as the president and Democrats claim.

Top Senate Democrats Mum on How Many Jobs a Successful Stimulus Must Create
Washington (CNSNews.com) – Top Senate Democrats refused to say how many jobs the nearly $800 billion stimulus spending bill would have to create in order to justify spending an unprecedented amount of taxpayers’ money. CNSNews.com asked the question Monday of senators who plan to vote for the bill.

Tell Chuck Schumer you care

By Michelle Malkin • February 11, 2009 10:05 AM
Yesterday, I posted video of snarky Sen. Chuck Schumer telling his colleagues on the floor before the Generational Theft Act vote that Americans don’t care about the teeny, tiny pork amendments bloating up the bill.
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/02/11/tell-chuck-schumer-you-care/

They're coming for your guns, too

Here's the first bill (HR45) introduced in the House this year that mandates licensing for all firearms owners:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h45ih.txt.pdf

- You will have to carry a photo ID firearms license.
- A training class is required to be licensed.
- Disclosure of your storage method is required for license.
- Makes private sales illegal.
- A thumb print is required for license.
- Every sale recorded by the federal government.
- Provides for inspection of your home (fourth amendment violation)
- If you move, and don't tell the Attorney General within 60 days, you are a criminal.
- If a firearm is stolen and you don't report it, you are a criminal.
- There will be no grandfathered firearms.
- If you do not obtain a license and report every firearm you currently own, you are a criminal.
- There will be a license fee and a fee for the "services" provided at purchase time.
- A release of any mental health records.
- Licenses must be renewed every 5 years.

In doing some light research I see mention of another Bill you may want to review, HR 1022. I haven't looked at it yet.

I've been out wandering around the Internet, here are a couple of interesting links you may want to check out:

http://www.rmgo.org/alerts/2009-HR45.shtml (has petition against)
But will it pass Congress?
Congressman Rush's bill an outrageous destruction of Constitutional Rights, but it's the compromises that are truly dangerous
Though far-left gun-haters routinely sponsor pie-in-the-sky legislation (anyone remember the days of Sen. Moynihan's annual 1000% tax on ammo?), H.R. 45 has set new lows for the depths to which hoplophobes will sink. Is H.R. 45 dangerous? Yes. But is it likely to pass? No.... it's too far-reaching. What is likely to pass, though, is a compromise, a deal cut with the gun-grabbers and the group that ostensibly represents gun owners, the NRA.

http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12117881

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Keep calling, keep writing! Don't stop fighting!

The stimulus (porkulus) battle is not over yet! We have to continue calling, writing and faxing. I've read that the three turncoats who stabbed their Party and the rest of us in the back didn't have a clue about all the horrific things stuck in the government growth bill. They haven't read it.

Over the next few days Pelosi, Reid and friends are going to try and add as much as they can into the bill. We need to keep the pressure on them.

Although I'm going to call and write, because I'll go down in flames rather than sitting waiting for the bus to roll over me... I don't think the Democrats give a flying flip about any of their constituents now that they, and 3 Republicans, have their stimulus package. Once this stimulus package is fully implemented, they won't need us anymore. Our votes and voices are going to be worthless. Especially if they manage to implement the Fairness Doctrine and the Employee Free Choice Act.

Americans will be on life-support and the government will be the breathing machine.

Preying on the fear of Americans who aren't really paying attention, they've tipped the balance of power and we're no longer just dipping our toe into the socialist pool, we're halfway immersed.

I didn't mean to get on a rant here... I really just meant to post this email from the www.nostimulus.com group... forgive me, I'm heart sick about what is happening to our country. I'm praying we somehow manage to band together to stop the madness.

From Americans for Prosperity:

Just minutes ago in the U.S. Senate we suffered a difficult defeat as the $838 billion senate version of the Pelosi-Reid-Obama spending bill passed with 61 votes. While today's vote is a disappointing setback we cannot afford to be discouraged. Much of this fight still lies ahead in the next few days.

The bill still must to go to conference to work out differences between the House and Senate versions. Speaker Pelosi will fight to add back as much pork as possible, including brand new big government programs not in either the House or Senate version. So, we still have several days (most likely until Friday or Saturday) to keep turning up the pressure on these congressional barons.

At the same time, due to the dedicated work of people like you and the good common sense of our fellow citizens, our movement keeps exploding!

In less than 24 hours yesterday we went from 96,000 petition signers on NoStimlus.com to 204,000 signers! That's incredible and shows the momentum we've got. Simply put: as Americans learn about this bill and hear about our effort, they respond no matter what the pundits in the media say.

You and I both know about the outrageous pork barrel spending in this bill, but there is another element of this legislation that is simply chilling. That is the provision in this legislation for your health care.

Hidden in the dark recesses of this trillion dollar spending bill are the first steps towards government run health care including:

- Government rationing of your health care especially for seniors and the chronically ill
Federal ownership and control of your medical records

- Under the bureaucratic jargon of “Comparative Effectiveness Review” the package earmarks several billion dollars for the first steps towards taking us to a Canadian or, even worse, British health care system that will lower the quality of our health care while trampling individual rights.

Betsy McCaughey points out in a stunning piece on Bloomberg News, just how far the bill goes. Her article is currently featured on Drudge.

We have three to five days to drive home this new message. I know you signed the petition on www.nostimulus.com and for that I'm so thankful.

Many of you have called your senators telling them to vote no because of the pork and waste and debt in this bill. However, the earmarks in this Pelosi/Reid/Obama bill earmarking billions for the "Comparative Effectiveness Review" (meaning government run health care) is new information for most Americans and sadly, even most Senators. So, I'm asking you to go a step further than you've gone and call and email your representatives again to drive home the health care point.

Take a moment to read the McCaughey piece on Bloomberg News by clicking here now or go to Heritage.org for more information. Then, call and email your Senators to tell them this Pelosi/Reid/Obama bill threatens your health care and that's yet another crucial reason to vote NO.

On FOX news yesterday the commentator asked me if this bill could really be defeated. I told him what I know from my own experience: Americans don't give up.

That's why I know you and I are going to keep fighting straight through.

Sincerely,Tim Phillips
President, Americans for Prosperity

P.S. Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi are aggressively pushing to have a final vote by Friday night. They know what we know -- pressure is building against their trillion dollar spending spree because of folks like you. They are watching NoStimulus.com and see that thanks to you we're well over 200,000 petition signers. They're hunkered down in their offices getting the phone calls and emails. They know time is on our side. Let's keep building the pressure to slow down this vote.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Specter to vote with Dem's on "Employee Free Choice Act" too?

Republican colleague says Specter will vote for free choice act
By Alex Roarty,
PolitickerPA.com Reporter

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Philadelphia) will most likely break with his Republican colleagues when the Employee Free Choice Act comes up for a vote, U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said on a conference call with bloggers Thursday.

This would mean Senate Democrats would need only one more vote for a filibuster-proof majority.

Specter's potential defection comes just as opponents, both Democrats and Republicans, begin lining up to challenge the long-term incumbent in 2010. Although voting for the bill would likely help Specter in a general election, it could leave him vulnerable in the primary.
http://www.politicker.com/pennsylvania/21527/republican-colleague-says-specter-will-vote-free-choice-act

Arlen Specter

Here's what I've been able to find about opposition. Not much. If anyone knows of names to track, sites recruiting opposition, etc. please let me know. It sounds like Specter will have a tough race even without opposition. We don't want to lose the seat to a Democrat, but after today's vote I'm not sure it really matters. If he's going to vote like a Democrat, why shouldn't we try to support a strong conservative Republican instead?

Jan 10
Pennsylvania: Club for Growth head and Republican former Congressman Pat Toomey continues to stir speculation about a 2010 Senate primary challenge to Arlen Specter.
http://www.senateguru.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=498

Electoral Vote.com
(Obviously this hasn't been updated in a month or so, at least. Gregg is gone, Matthews was told not to run, and Toomey has said he's shooting for the Governor's seat).
Arlen Specter will be the Democrats #2 target (after Judd Gregg). He will be 80 in 2010, has incurable cancer, and is from a blue state. Furthermore, he may face a primary challenge from the right from Pat Toomey, who challenged him in 2004. But beating Toomey won't be enough. If Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA) can be talked into challenging him, Specter is in huge trouble, but he will also have a big fight on his hands against any of the numerous Democratic representatives from Pennsylvania. Hardball host Chris Matthews may also be interested in the job.
http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2009/Senate/senate_2010.html

Dec. 2008
Former Rep. Pat Toomey said this week that he is considering a rematch of his 2004 challenge to Specter - a brutal contest Specter barely survived (the margin was less than 2%. Toomey then became president of the Club for Growth and thus funded a number of other challenges to Republican incumbents perceived as moderates, meeting defeat in a number of races (Rhode Island’s Senate race in 2006, AK-AL in 2008) and some short-lived success in others (MI-07 and MD-01, though Democrats defeated the Club-backed candidate in the general election in both districts this fall).
“He’s significantly more vulnerable now than he was in 2004,” Toomey said of Specter. He unveiled a very interesting argument: Tens of thousands of voters who were registered Republican in 2004 have since switched their party registration and can thus no longer vote in Pennsylvania’s closed Republican primary. Those voters were Specter’s natural constituency, giving Toomey a boost over their 2004 match-up.
Needless to say, another bloody primary would help Democrats in this race. If he survives, Specter would be softened up for the general election. If Toomey prevails, the Democratic nominee would have to be considered the favorite to pick-up the seat.
http://campaigndiaries.com/2008/12/04/matthews-toomey/

Snarlin' Arlen explains why he is supporting the stimulus

Why I Support the Stimulus
By Arlen Specter
Monday, February 9, 2009; Page A17

I am supporting the economic stimulus package for one simple reason: The country cannot afford not to take action.

The unemployment figures announced Friday, the latest earnings reports and the continuing crisis in banking make it clear that failure to act will leave the United States facing a far deeper crisis in three or six months. By then the cost of action will be much greater -- or it may be too late.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/08/AR2009020801710.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Stimulus compromise online

If you'd like to take a look at the stimulus compromise, go to http://www.readthestimulus.org/. They have a searchable file, pdf, text, spreadsheet, pretty much any way you'd like it (except gone, not gonna happen).

Protesters needed

Man, I haven't hoisted a placard since my liberal days, back before I grew a brain! I'm willing to pull out the paint and cardboard for this one. Unfortunately I don't live anywhere near so won't be able to participate. I received this from Team Sarah:

NBC's Athena Jones:
On Monday, per White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, President Obama will travel to Elkhart, IN for a town hall meeting about his stimulus plan. And he'll hit another town hall in Fort Myers, FL on Tuesday. Both cities are hard hit by unemployment. In addition, he'll make a day trip to Springfield, IL on Thursday to celebrate Lincoln's birthday.

They're asking for stimulus protesters. Check into Team Sarah for details.

Want a bit more gloom and doom?

I know you don't, neither do I. But it just keeps on coming and it keeps gettin' worse. Or, as my young nephew says, it gets worser and worserer.

IMF may run out of cash to fight crisis in six months, Strauss-Khan warns
Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the Fund needed an urgent cash infusion if it was to continue bailing out troubled economies in the future. Mr Strauss-Kahn also indicated that the world's advanced economies were now tipping from recession into full-blown depression, cementing fears about the scale of the economic slump in rich nations.
The IMF head made the comments in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia over the weekend, where he is attending a meeting of central bankers from Southeast Asia. The Fund has bailed out a number of countries including Iceland, Latvia and Pakistan but Mr Strauss-Kahn said there would be many others in need of help in the months ahead.
If you read the entire article, about half way down it says, "The Fund is seeking pledges from nations with large current account surpluses and foreign exchange reserves to donate it cash to help bolster troubled countries. "

Japan is mentioned. I'm not sure who else is left in the world with a surplus AND a willingness to help. Can you see Iran volunteering to help bail out Great Britain? the United States?

It was an interesting article in that it shows just how tough things are in our old world.

I don't understand why the IMF (International Monetary Fund) doesn't follow our example and print whatever money they need. Shoot, why aren't these countries that think they're in dire need doing what we're doing?

Here's an idea - if they're not willing to print their own, maybe we could lease out our presses or print whatever they need for a percentage of something that's worth something.

Hopefully you're catching the sarcasm?

Worser and really worserer.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Stop the "Compromise" Stimulus

Newt outlines in stark terms exactly why this bill, as currently written, is not worthy of our support.

Call your Senators today at 202-224-3121 and tell them to oppose the stimulus package. And for good measure, send them an email too.

Let's be honest, it’s not really a stimulus bill. It’s a big government, pork-laden spending bill filled with wasteful projects.



http://www.americansolutions.com/Blog/Read.aspx?guid=dcda8b24-c6db-4d27-a4f8-fbe3b5fb740b

The Gallup Poll found that 54% of Americans either want to see major changes to the current plan, or they outright reject it. Other surveys are also indicating that public support is plummeting. Politicians can call it stimulus and they can call it change, but it's just more of the same - and the American people are starting to realize it.

That's why the time to act is now. With so much at stake, our elected officials need to hear from us.
Here is what you can do - pick up your phone and call your Senators right now at 202-224-3121. Let them know exactly what you think about how they intend to spend your hard-earned money.

Friday, February 6, 2009

I just thought the porkulus was the worst I'd hear about today

THE NEW WORLD DISORDER
United Nations' threat: No more parental rights
Expert: Pact would ban spankings, homeschooling if children object
Posted: February 05, 2009
12:00 am Eastern
By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

A United Nations human rights treaty that could prohibit children from being spanked or homeschooled, ban youngsters from facing the death penalty and forbid parents from deciding their families' religion is on America's doorstep, a legal expert warns.

Michael Farris of Purcellville, Va., is president of ParentalRights.org, chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association and chancellor of Patrick Henry College. He told WND that under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, or CRC, every decision a parent makes can be reviewed by the government to determine whether it is in the child's best interest.

"It's definitely on our doorstep," he said. "The left wants to make the Obama-Clinton era permanent. Treaties are a way to make it as permanent as stuff gets. It is very difficult to extract yourself from a treaty once you begin it. If they can put all of their left-wing socialist policies into treaty form, we're stuck with it even if they lose the next election."

The 1990s-era document was ratified quickly by 193 nations worldwide, but not the United States or Somalia. In Somalia, there was then no recognized government to do the formal recognition, and in the United States there's been opposition to its power. Countries that ratify the treaty are bound to it by international law.

Although signed by Madeleine Albright, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., on Feb. 16, 1995, the U.S. Senate never ratified the treaty, largely because of conservatives' efforts to point out it would create that list of rights which primarily would be enforced against parents.

The international treaty creates specific civil, economic, social, cultural and even economic rights for every child and states that "the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration." It is monitored by the CRC, which conceivably has enforcement powers.

According to the Parental Rights website, the substance of the CRC dictates the following:

- Parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children.

- A murderer aged 17 years, 11 months and 29 days at the time of his crime could no longer be sentenced to life in prison.

- Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.

- The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent's decision.

-A child's "right to be heard" would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.

- According to existing interpretation, it would be illegal for a nation to spend more on national defense than it does on children's welfare.

- Children would acquire a legally enforceable right to leisure.

- Teaching children about Christianity in schools has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.

- Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.

- Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.

"Where the child has a right fulfilled by the government, the responsibilities shift from parents to the government," Farris said. "The implications of all this shifting of responsibilities is that parents no longer have the traditional roles of either being responsible for their children or having the right to direct their children."

Michael Farris

The government would decide what is in the best interest of a children in every case, and the CRC would be considered superior to state laws, Farris said. Parents could be treated like criminals for making every-day decisions about their children's lives.

"If you think your child shouldn't go to the prom because their grades were low, the U.N. Convention gives that power to the government to review your decision and decide if it thinks that's what's best for your child," he said. "If you think that your children are too young to have a Facebook account, which interferes with the right of communication, the U.N. gets to determine whether or not your decision is in the best interest of the child."

He continued, "If you think your child should go to church three times a week, but the child wants to go to church once a week, the government gets to decide what it thinks is in the best interest of the children on the frequency of church attendance."

He said American social workers would be the ones responsible for implementation of the policies.

Farris said it could be easier for President Obama to push for ratification of the treaty than it was for the Clinton administration because "the political world has changed."

At a Walden University presidential debate last October, Obama indicated he may take action.

"It's embarrassing to find ourselves in the company of Somalia, a lawless land," Obama said. "I will review this and other treaties to ensure the United States resumes its global leadership in human rights."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been a strong supporter of the CRC, and she now has direct control over the treaty's submission to the Senate for ratification. The process requires a two-thirds vote.

Farris said Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., claimed in a private meeting just before Christmas that the treaty would be ratified within two years.

In November, a group of three dozen senior foreign policy figures urged Obama to strengthen U.S. relations with the U.N. Among other things, they asked the president to push for Senate approval of treaties that have been signed by the U.S. but not ratified.

Partnership for a Secure America Director Matthew Rojansky helped draft the statement. He said the treaty commands strong support and is likely to be acted on quickly, according to an Inter Press Service report.

While he said ratification is certain to come up, Farris said advocates of the treaty will face fierce opposition.

"I think it is going to be the battle of their lifetime," he said. "There's not enough political capital in Washington, D.C., to pass this treaty. We will defeat it."

Snowe, Collins and Specter

Specter, Collins and Snowe.
Collins, Specter and Snowe.

Nope, no matter how I rearrange their names, I still see three RINOs.

Turncoats.

Not only have they betrayed their fellow Republican Senators, they have betrayed the country.

When history is written, assuming there will be a day when accurate history writing still exists, those three will be listed as the ones who destroyed the greatest country in the world.

They have handed the Democrats, the liberals, Obama and friends everything they've ever wanted. They have made our fight to preserve liberty and freedom a mockery.

We should wear black arm bands. We need to send condolence cards. The country should be in mourning. I am.

That was not a compromise they hammered out, it was America being sold behind closed doors.

House GOP Leaders Call for Democrats to Post Massive Omnibus Spending Bill Online

Now we just need to make sure none of our Republican Senators vote FOR the stimulus.

To our Senate Republicans: Filibuster time guys. Use the fact that it's not open and transparent to the public as a rallying call to hold off on the thing until it's posted online! Stand on your conservative principles.

House GOP Leaders Call for Democrats to Post Massive Omnibus Spending Bill Online
In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), House Republican leaders yesterday formally asked that the massive FY 2009 omnibus spending bill be posted online immediately. Posting the massive bill online would allow the American people to study the contents of the bill between now and the week after President’s Day, when the $500 billion legislation is scheduled to be brought to a vote, and would be consistent with President Obama’s call for greater transparency in government, Republican leaders noted.
http://republican-news-sweep.blogspot.com/2009/02/house-gop-leaders-call-for-democrats-to.html

And we think they can handle really big money???

We've already watched our government fritter away billions and billions of dollars with nary a dent in this "recession". Now they want us to believe they're going to be able to deal with a trillion or more? Are they nuts? Are we nuts? We need an uprising. We need to take back our government. We gave it away thanks to millions who didn't have a clue who or what they were voting for. Now we need to get off our duffs and take it back. Come on folks, get busy or we're going to lose our country completely.

Don't let them pass this stimulus, scamulus, porkulus bill!!!!!

AIG, Citi deals gave US Treasury least value-report
By David Lawder WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department bank bailout program received the least value from its investments in the most troubled surviving institutions -- American International Group and Citigroup, a new report from a watchdog panel showed on Friday. The Congressional Oversight Panel report said the Treasury overpaid financial institutions by about $78 billion in its capital injections last year through the Troubled Asset Relief Program. It paid $254 billion in 2008 in return for stocks and warrants worth $176 billion under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. This conclusion was first disclosed on Thursday by the panel's chairwoman, Elizabeth Warren, in U.S. Senate testimony. But the new report provided more details on the methodology and it also concluded that the U.S. government received far less value than private investors did in recent major transactions in the financial sector. The report showed that the Treasury got the worst deal on second-round investments in American International Group for $40 billion and Citigroup for $20 billion under special aid programs tailored for the two institutions. For each $100 spent on these two companies. the Treasury received securities worth $41,
http://www.cnbc.com/id/29045660/site/14081545/for/cnbc/

Panel: Bailout Overpaid $78B For Stocks
A government watchdog group says the federal government overpaid for stocks and other assets from financial institutions under its $700 billion rescue program.

Treasury Overpaid for TARP Bank Assets, Report Says
Treasury overpaid for financial-sector assets in TARP, a new report says.

Here's my favorite (bias showing guys???? Bush did it??? Uh huh, he personally wrote those checks. They are right, though, it was his administration...):

Bush overpaid banks in bailout, watchdog says
The Bush administration overpaid tens of billions of dollars for stocks and other assets in its massive bailout last year of Wall Street banks and financial institutions, a new study by a government watchdog says.

- AB

Don't forget the Fairness Doctrine!

While we're all concentrating on trying to stop the stimulus, Obama, Pelosi and team are working on ways to further their other agendas (which all dovetail together nicely, of course). Once again talk radio is a target of the left and they're going to be trying to slide that one through soon. Talk radio is a thorn in their side and as long as conservatives talk show hosts are out there talking, they can't sneak things through (or whitewash the bills sufficiently so we think they're innocuous).

Another one that is winding it's way into law that needs our full attention is the Employee Fair Choice Act. You know, the one that takes choice away from workers and will make the Unions another arm of government? It's a power grab by the Unions and payback from Obama and friends for getting them into office.

Either one of those two will spell "the end" for America the brave and the free.

Health care is another bad one coming down the pike. I don't know if we can stop that one, but I certainly intend to try.

Think about our government running MORE of our lives! Did you hear last night that our government paid something like $30 or $40 billion for AIG assets worth $14 million or billion? My husband walked in and told me about it so I'm getting that second hand. Here's a quote from a CNBC story (sorry, but that's the first one that came up... arrggg, hate to give them any publicity):
The Congressional Oversight Panel report said the Treasury overpaid financial institutions by about $78 billion in its capital injections last year through the Troubled Asset Relief Program. It paid $254 billion in 2008 in return for stocks and warrants worth $176 billion under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. http://www.cnbc.com/id/29045660/site/14081545/for/cnbc/

My own tale of government intelligence is a doosey, which I'll save for another day. It has to do with taxes.

I used to work for the government, sad to say. I worked for a quasi-government agency that the government enveloped into their fold after I'd been there ten years. Talk about a change in philosophy. I was actually called into the office and chastised because I was working too efficiently and it was making everyone else look bad... I was told not to stay after hours to finish critical projects (even though I was salary and it didn't cost them a penny).

That's the day I decided I'd finally had enough and started working toward starting my own business. That day was also a turning point in my shift from "liberal" to conservative. While I was in my corporate cocoon, I didn't have to think for myself, didn't have to be responsible. I had fun, lived for the day and went with the flow. I didn't spend a whole lot of brain energy thinking about politics, where the country was headed, and the issues of the day.

I'll share more of my story someday, suffice it to say that as you can tell when I pop in here to blog, I'm aware now!

We have something precious in this country and I fear that we are getting ready to lose it. I saw the previous post one of my Barracuda Babe friends posted. It is SCARY. We have to stand up and fight like we've never fought before.

They are going to be adding little bits and pieces into bills that will further their agenda. I don't know what their ultimate goal is, all I can do is look at what is being proposed and guess.

Please, please, please pick up the phone and call. Send an email. Write a letter. If you're like I used to be and your day to day life consumes you, try to carve out 20 minutes a day to skim the Internet and read BOTH sides (if you're inclined to float left). Try to keep an open mind.

- Barracuda Babe extraordinaire

Wake Up America on the Stimulus

Wake Up America movement is an all volunteer non-partisan grass roots network, as many of you know. A core team of volunteers have diligently examined the contents of the current bill before Congress - HR1. What we have learned about what's happening in Washington is no less than astonishing.

TAKE THE TIME TO READ THIS NOW
Your Future may depend on it. Once you do, you may think this is all too incredible to be true. SO COME SEE IT FOR YOURSELF at WAKE UP AMERICA WEBSITE
We have posted the entire HR-1 in exclusive downloadable form for signed in Volunteers, like yourself. W.A.M. also has opened a special page on website to see specific excerpts of
THE BIGGEST SWINDLE IN HISTORY!

YOU DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH - and EVERYONE you know should also BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING FACTS:

1. HR1 opens with a positive sounding statement about its contents being only for the purposes of immediate actions to support economic recovery. THIS IS NOT SO! As a hint of some of what's to come in its SIX HUNDRED AND FORTY SEVEN pages - its introductory statement immediately switches the subject to the (very complicated) terms of the GRANT MONEY that it contains. Have you ever heard of an economy in crisis being saved by the circulation of funds being poured into GRANT MONEY?!

2. As reported on FOX news briefly, the presumed organizer of this self-destructive volume of insanity, is Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, whose own son stands to gain millions in government investment if this measure passes. But THAT is only a drop in the bucket of pork barrel spending included in HR-1. But here is what's worse: The purpose of the bill's high volume of self-serving sub-clauses (each adding MILLIONS OF DOLLARS MORE in non-economic emergency expenditures) is for one end: to BUY THE VOTE of every Congressman required for HR-1 passage! This Obama strategy for bribing public officials is nothing new. He has used it successfully - with Axelrod's help - throughout his rapid-fire rise to power. Here is the REAL REASON for buying up Congressional votes at this critical time:

3. HR-1 is ONLY THE FIRST in a package of TEN BILLS preparing to be launched in our Congress. Together they represent the obliteration of the American way of life as we have known it. As the public knows T.A.R.P. BILLIONS came first - and is already being shown NOT TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMY. They are claiming that's because it's just "not enough." Any logical criticism of HR-1 is now also being brushed aside on the basis "We know it's not perfect but we need to do something FAST."

4. Each of these TEN PIECES OF DESTRUCTIVE and COSTLY LEGISLATION has a politically correct sounding Title. Together these form a body of nearly-irreversible SOCIALISM and their underlying intention is clear: Flood so much currency and power into the hands of Obama's supporters that the influence of his backers becomes an unstoppable political machine pursuing its own agenda - and its agenda does NOT serve We the People it is supposed to represent!

5. This currently unreported package of TEN BILLS are under the vast umbrella of the "Obama Economic Recovery Plan." The strategy is simple, really: to manipulate the emotions of the American public and orchestrate the purse strings of Congress - all FALSELY DISGUISED as necessary to improve our current plight. Notice how the Media has stopped talking about the "bail-out" and is now using the term "Stimulus Plan." When the next bill package comes up for a rapid-fire slam-dunk, they'll just call that one by a different name and so on and so on.

6. Which brings us to the most critical question: WHO IS REALLY WRITING ALL THIS LEGISLATION that will affect our families for generations to come? On January 7, 2008: The 10 Bill Package of "Obama Economic Recovery Plan" was introduced in the House of Representatives. On January 14, 2008 each of these Bills was no more than a few paragraphs in length - with appealing Titles followed by a few vague sentences. That's all there was! Yet, before January ended the OPENING PIECE OF LEGISLATION - HR1 mushroomed to 647 pages long! Ask yourself: How could Congress possibly have written much material on so many sweeping topics in just a few weeks? Then go on to the bigger question: Who in our House of Representatives actually read every page in this bill - and studied the use of the BILLIONS of Dollars being handed out throughout these pages? IT IS OBVIOUS THE HOUSE PASSED THIS BILL ONTO THE SENATE WITHOUT ACTUALLY READING IT - and quite possibly NOT having authored it in Congress itself!!!

HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT YOU MOST NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HR1 before it becomes the LAW OF THE LAND:

Despite Obama's statement that "less than 1%" of this bill includes costs unrelated to economic urgency, MOST HR-1 CONTENTS HAVE NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH RESOLVING THE ECONOMIC CRISES. Everyone willing to Vote It In is earmarked to get a piece of the pie for their own special interests.

These billions in pay-offs- built into HR! - are covering up subcategories within the legislation designed exclusively for Obama's self serving political ends- individually and collectively they threaten our usual rights as citizens in a free Republic. These include:

- Massive funding of ACORN, despite the fact that the organization is under indictment in at least 12 states!

- Additional funding for another Obama campaigning arm - under the guise of support for the Analog to Digital conversion

- A huge volume of surreptitious GRANT funding to be distributed for questionable purposes of an extended period of time.

- Enormous bundled funding for "technology advances" (to improve outreach of propaganda and invasions of privacy.)

- Unbelievable extravagances in the upgrades of federal buildings and vehicles completely contradictory to our emergency status.

LAST, BUT FAR FROM LEAST: over ALMOST TWO HUNDRED PAGES of new Laws & Government Expenditures to NATIONALIZE the records of all Health Care providers into ONE DATA BASE which requires every American's Health Records be accessible to ANY who have access to said DATA BASE. This measure also refers to usage of the database by the federal government for BIO-SURVEILLANCE.

To do something about the dangerous insanity currently overtaking CAPITOL HILL sign in to help Wake Up America - GET INVOLVED

To better inform others you know whose lives will also be effected by HR-1, forward them the following link: THE NEW CONGRESS