DC Protest Warrior

On Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:04:00.000-05:00

On Thanksgiving

We wish all our friends a very safe and family-filled Thanksgiving holiday. God Bless our Troops and keep them safe.

I'm Looking For A Team in 2012

2011-11-24T09:08:00.005-05:00

That can insure the continuation of the American Dream, not some pipe-dream socialist utopia where everyone is equally miserable. Right now, it appears to me that Herman Cain has the potential and the documented successes needed to head that team. I'm less concerned about foreign policy. I'm most concerned about domestic energy and jobs, domestic security and how much longer the America I grew up in will be allowed to exist if something isn't done in 2012.

I will be supporting Herman Cain in his bid to become the Republican nominee in 2012, because he is NOT a professional politician and seems to have a grasp of economics. I hope he knows we expect him to choose advisors experienced in the fields where he is deficient.

The time for career politicians and their handlers to go the way of the dodo bird has come. The Founders never intended for our system to become the monster it is.

They certainly didn't intend for people like the Prince of Pomegrantes Harry Reid and Princess of Pineapples Nancy Lugosi to ever carve a foothold wherein they became incredibly rich and stayed forever. The sense of entitlement, arrogance and uppityness that emanates from these two is so overwhelming, it causes nausea in most normal Americans and vapors and swooning in the ones who believe in it. They are no more intelligent than any other citizen, probably less intelligent than most, and certainly are as dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to handling the economy. They might know more than me in some areas but they are certainly not more intelligent.

I'm a well-employed, happy worker with a wife and two kids who are also well-employed happy workers. We love what we do; we do it well and we are adequately compensated for that effort, in spite of the governments attempts to take as much as they can.

I believe Herman Cain will be good for the economic well-being of America. Once that is secured and we are self-sufficient in energy production, America will be safe.

Hope You Enjoy the Sauce, FS 22

2011-01-28T20:37:00.004-05:00

Jump over to our sister blog, United Conservatives of Virginia.

I guess I should explain that. I spent a few hours at a fire house today, setting up moisture tests. I gave the guys in the house a gallon of my sauce and left some CwtT brochures and my card with this website on it.

8th of November

2010-11-08T00:03:00.002-05:00

On the 8th of November the angels were crying. Good post at this link.

The originalo video can be seen at this link.

Revisionist History

2010-08-16T10:07:00.004-04:00

The Muslim Hijacking of Ground Zero
The great cities of the world are littered with relics of the Muslim occupation of their sacred places. Jerusalem, Delhi, Constantinople and Alexandria
By Daniel Greenfield
Sunday, August 8, 2010

Islam doesn’t just hijack planes, it hijacks the things that mean something to people. The great cities of the world are littered with relics of the Muslim occupation of their sacred places. Jerusalem, Delhi, Constantinople and Alexandria all testify to the Muslim predilection for taking over other people’s sacred places, and turning them into mosques. It wasn’t enough for Muslims to conquer Jerusalem and subjugate its inhabitants. No, they also had to take the holiest place in Judaism and build a mosque on top of it. Similarly it wasn’t enough for them to conquer and rename Constantinople, they also had to turn the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. These are not exceptions to the rule. In Asia, the Middle East and Europe, there are numberless examples of the same thing.
To this day, Muslims continue seizing other people’s places of worship and turning them into mosques. It’s going on in Egypt today. It’s going on in Yugoslavia where churches are being destroyed and turned into mosques, day by day. It’s went on in Israel, in Joseph’s Tomb, burial spot of the biblical Joseph, which was seized by Muslims in September of 2000, a year before 9/11.
Why do Muslims this? It’s not just about seizing territory, though that is part of it. It’s also about hijacking something more vital, identity. By Islamizing sacred sites, they also take control of other people’s history and culture. As they have done throughout the world. Hijacking the Temple Mount, has allowed Muslims to claim Jerusalem as a holy city of theirs. Hijacking churches in Egypt and Yugoslavia, eliminates the religious history of non-Muslims from the area. Hijacking the Hagia Sophia, was part of the recreation of Constantinople, into Istanbul.

Muslims do not just make war on lands or bodies—but on memory itself
The common denominator is that Muslims do not just make war on lands or bodies—but on memory itself. Their goal is to make people forget what came before their colonization. T o distort the history and traditions that are meaningful to them, and replace them with a distorted Islamized version of history. The Muslim “tolerance” in Spain, the Palestinian Arab “refugees” and the Muslim “contributions” to science, are all examples of that revisionist history, in which oppression becomes tolerance, repression becomes knowledge, and the oppressors become the victims.
Ground Zero is not only the central point of the Muslim massacre of 3000 people. It is also the central point of the memory of that massacre. The area is the place where people come to remember what happened. To see, to hear and to pay tribute to the dead. Which is exactly why Muslims are determined to hijack it for their own purposes, with a highly visible mosque and their own 9/11 museum that will feature a radically altered version of history. What they are after is the equivalent of putting up a Holocaust Revisionism museum outside the Holocaust museum.
There is no legitimate reason for the Cordoba House. As I have already documented, the current mosque draws most of its worshippers. There is no significant Muslim population in Downtown Manhattan that needs to have its own 100 million dollar community center. The only reason for building something on this scale, is because of its proximity to Ground Zero. The Ground Zero mosque is aimed at the hijacking of memory, not of Muslims, but of non-Muslims. It is meant to serve as part of the Muslim narrative spread after 9/11 that exonerates Muslims from all blame, while pointing the finger at America and the Jews instead. Which is why the ADL and the Wiesenthal Center have both come out against the Ground Zero Mosque, regardless of the vicious attacks directed at them by liberals for daring to stand up to Muslim colonization and bigotry.
At Ground Zero, all Americans realized that Islam was an inescapable question that they must grapple with. It is a powerful symbol. And symbols are dangerous. People will fight and die for symbols, as they will not for cold hard facts. It is why the left has tried to hijack it using the IFC. They failed. Now where they failed, the Islamists intend to succeed. And just as the IFC was backed by Bloomberg, so too the Ground Zero mosque is being backed by Bloomberg. It’s why the media and liberals are shouting down all criticism of the Ground Zero mosque. Islam and the left both want to suppress the real history of September 11. They want Americans to forget who did it, and instead feed them excuses about “American foreign policy” and of course those omnipresent Jews, who are really to blame for it all.
The name Cordoba House is entirely appropriate for the Ground Zero mosque, because it too represent a false history. The story of Cordoba and Ground Zero are linked, in that they are both stories of Muslim terror, covered up with lies about Muslim tolerance. And the Cordoba House is part of a comprehensive effort to pervert the history of September 11, as comprehensively as that of Cordoba or Jerusalem. To replace it with their narrative, in which they are the victims, and we are the oppressors. And to allow that history to stand, is to destroy the meaning of our own culture and accept our subjugation, in history, if not yet in fact.
The Great Lie told and retold over and over again for the last 9 years, is that Islam was not responsible for 9/11. That lie has been repeated over and over again. It has permeated our culture. It has filled our media. The politicians have echoed it. Books and articles are written that treat it as something every reasonable person understands. Islam had nothing to do with 9/11. Not a damn thing.

The Ground Zero mosque is that lie made flesh
The Ground Zero mosque is that lie made flesh. It is that revisionist history given physical form, turned into brick and mortar, steel and cement, raised up to the sky, to look down mockingly on the Ground Zero construction site itself, and the people who come there to reflect and remember. It mocks their memories. It mocks the dead. Its arrogance is the same as that of the Muslim burners of the Great Library of Alexandria, of Hanan Ashrawi claiming there was no Jewish connection to Joseph’s Tomb, or Anwar Al-Awlaki, who had advised the 9/11 hijackers, telling reporters after the attacks that Islam opposes terrorism. It is an act of beheading, not of flesh, but of identity. It takes a blade and saws at the neck of a culture, cutting off its head through lies and deceit.
When Muslims conquer, they begin with massacres and end with colonization. The building they bought, had its value destroyed by their own attack on September 11. Now having bought the building at a loss, they intend to demolish it and turn it into a monument to the very ideology responsible for that massacre. As they have done before in Constantinople and Jerusalem. As they have done throughout the world. First they bomb. Now they occupy. First they kill, then they solicit converts. First they invade, then they rule. It is an ugly and bloody pattern that has held true for over a 1000 years of history. And here it is again.
When the Sudanese Muslim Janjaweed militias go out and rape non-Arab women, this was what they said to their victims. “The government gave me permission to rape you. This is not your land anymore.” That is the Ground Zero mosque, with Bloomberg giving his permission to allow Islam to declare that this too is not our land anymore. It is the rape of a place that has equal stature in American memory to Gettysburg or Arlington. It is a calculated act of cultural brutality, disguised with a fake smile. Its message is that this is not our land anymore. That these are not our memories anymore. That these too have been hijacked by the murderers.
Islam does not just destroy bodies, it destroys souls. It plots to rob entire peoples of their culture, their history and their identity. In order to make them into Muslims or Dhimmis, slaves of Muslims. Mohammed began the process by taking the existing belief systems in the region, combining them into a distorted ideology that he called Islam, which gave him the power to do anything he wanted, that exploded into massacres, ethnic cleansing and a wave of brutality and conquest that covered the globe. But the armies of Islam did not just kill or enslave, they robbed their victims of their culture and history—and replaced it with Islam. Ground Zero is their target once more. A hijacking not of planes, but of memory. And their targets are no longer just 3,000 people—but us all.

Former NYPW Running For FL-05

2010-08-07T13:56:00.003-04:00

and the Progressive Republicans in the local party machine say Protest Warrior is a hate site. I guess any group that unequivocally supports Israel and a Free Lebanon, supports the troops at every turn, makes the left look stupid at their own rallies, and belives the Constitution is the Law of the Land could be considered a hate group.

BROOKSVILLE - Jason Sager doesn't have to look at someone else's pictures of the Twin Towers attack in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. He was there.
He saw the billowing smoke from his home and has his own scrapbook showing the devastation.

As shaken as he was that day, Sager said he witnessed something later that would propel him into a life of politics and ultimately lead him to Brooksville to become the tea party candidate for the 5th Congressional District.

Fourteen days after al-Qaida terrorists forced two pilots to crash into the World Trade Center, Sager said he was walking near ground zero when he saw Marxist progressive protesters dragging American flags on the ground and declaring to crowds the United States was to blame for 9/11>

The whole story is here.

Jason has NOTHING to explain, or apologize for. He is a Warrior on the homefront, fighting the insurgency at home.

If This Is Your First Visit

2010-06-20T18:39:00.002-04:00

You probably found one of my cards on the side of the road (or maybe a crime scene.) Either way, thanks for stopping by. I hope you were able to sample some of our good cooking this past weekend.

We managed to feed a few folks on Saturday. Homes For Our Troops turned over the keys for a brand new specially adapted home to SSG Dwayne Cole USA OIF. We were there to make sure no one went home hungry.

I need to take a few paragraphs to thank a bunch of folks who helped make our part of this auspicious event possible.

First, the neighbors from 4 Mile Creek Baptist Church were just awesome for allowing us to use the kitchen facilities and for the helping hands. They provided a new item to our Southern menu with some fantastic Silver Queen fried just right, and Tooltime Cole Slaw.

Second, the Varina Ruritan gave us some much needed logistical support and allowed us to add smoked pork BBQ to the menu. Thank you very much.

Third, Whole Foods gave us enough squash to give out seconds and thirds to everyone who wanted it. Folks were very impressed with my squash. Thank you Whole Foods, Richmond VA.

We have a picture or two, and the video of the PGR/VFW escort and SSG Coles' arrival. You could go watch that, or, you could indulge me for a moment and jump over here. This is important.

I'll be here when you get back. I just think you need to see this.

DCExaminer Morning Must Reads

2010-06-18T12:11:00.003-04:00

Byron York - Who told Obama drilling is 'absolutely safe'?
There was one particularly striking moment in President Obama's widely panned Oval Office speech on the Gulf oil disaster. About midway through his talk, Obama acknowledged that he had approved new offshore drilling a few weeks before the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion on April 20. But Obama said he had done so only "under the assurance that it would be absolutely safe." (thats something I'd like to know as well)

Julie Mason - Democrats fates will hinge on Obama's handling of spill
Democrats had planned to campaign this fall on health care reform, but President Obama's deep pivot to the BP oil spill changes both the equation and focus of midterm campaigning.

Susan Ferrechio -GOP leaders threatened Barton with loss of committee post
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Tex., was ordered by the top House leadership to retract his apology to BP and to apologize for making the statement in the first place or risk losing his position on a powerful House committee. (he shoulda told 'em to pound sand)

Mark Hemingway - NJ Gov Chris Christie approval rating rises to 51 percent
The latest Rasmussen poll has New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with his head above water at a 51 percent approval rating. This is a signifcant uptick, as teachers unions in the state have carpet bombed the airwaves with $6 million in ads attacking him since March.

David Freddoso - CNN: We only think Obama’s speech was lousy because we’re not smart enough
Apparently, the real problem with President Obama’s Tuesday night speech is not that it contained no substance, little reassurance, and no sign that he is on top of the oil spill. Rather, the problem is that he used too many big words and long sentences, CNN dutifully reports:

More Stories
Tea Party documentary: When was the last time Chris Matthews did anything worthwhile?

E. J. Dionne's advice to lemmings

N.C. Poll: Pugnacious Dem congressman with creepy hug now trails

Urban Infidel: Ground Zero Mosque Protest New York City

2010-06-06T22:00:00.000-04:00

Urban Infidel: Ground Zero Mosque Protest New York City

USO Announces July 4th Campaign

2010-06-03T13:01:00.003-04:00

July 4th is a time to think about all that makes this country great -- from our determined, pioneering spirit to the open road and rock and roll.

But it's also an important time to come together with our friends and family and remember the brave men and women who do so much to keep this country great.So this 4th of July, I want to make sure you have a special way to honor our troops on one of America's greatest holidays.

That's why I'm proud to introduce the USO's We've Got Their Back campaign. With a generous donation to this effort, you'll be supporting all of the wonderful USO programs that let our troops know we're there for them. And as an added bonus, when you donate today, the USO will send you a free, one-of-a-kind t-shirt in time for you to wear on the 4th. Please donate now to the USO's We've Got Their Back campaign to receive your free July 4th t-shirt.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, the USO stands by our service men and women every day. With free phone calls to a loved one back home, entertainment tours that bring the stars to them, care packages full of their favorite things, and so much more, the USO is making sure that no matter where they are, our troops always have a touch of home.
So this 4th of July, show your support for our troops. Show them you're there for them and that you've always got their back. Take part in this great campaign and be sure to get your free t-shirt to wear on the 4th.

Donate today to receive your free USO t-shirt to wear this 4th of July.

No matter what's playing on your jukebox or cooking on your grill, I think we can all agree that this 4th of July our troops and their families need our support. And I can't think of any better way to show your support than by taking part in this great USO campaign today. Thanks for all you do for our troops.
Keep Rockin'
Joan Jett
P.S. -- The final deadline to make a donation to the USO's We've Got Their Back campaign and receive your free t-shirt is June 14th, so act quickly and make sure you're ready this 4th of July.

What the Europeans Are Reading

2010-05-27T18:32:00.002-04:00

Posted on Congress.org

Obama Threatens 14 US Governors With Immediate Arrest
Posted by Europe

A chilling report from the Foreign Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU) prepared for Prime Minister Putin warns today that United States President Barack Obama has had served on 14 US Governors National Security Letters (NSLs) warning that if their actions in attempting to form what are called State Defense Forces are not halted they will face "immediate" arrest for the crime of treason.

The use of NSLs in the United States was authorized by the Patriot Act law enacted after the September 11, 2001 attacks and forbids anyone receiving them from even acknowledging their existence, and was reauthorized by Obama's "rubberstamp" Congress this past February over the objections of both civil and human rights groups who warned they mimic similar type "government security notices" enacted under both the former German Nazi and Soviet Communist regimes.

To the issue angering Obama against these State Governors, this report continues, is their attempt to reestablish what are called State Defense Forces which are described as follows:

"State Defense Forces (SDF) (also known as State Guards, State Military Reserves, or State Militias) in the United States are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government; they are not regulated by the National Guard Bureau nor are they part of the Army National Guard of the United States."

Welcome First Timers-

2010-05-22T18:53:00.003-04:00

to my little piece of the internet.

I try to post things that educate people about our enemies and news stories from friends and other journalists I like and admire, and sometimes I'll go off on a tangent on my own and just say what I'm thinking. I'll also keep you updated on the activities of Cooking with the Troops, Warrior Legacy, and any other events or efforts directed towards improving the quality of life for our Warriors, their families and the people who take care of them.

The song you're listening to is The Warrior Song. It was put together by a young man out in California. Warrior Legacy Foundation has adopted this song as its official theme song.

You'll see references to The Hammer at times. Mary Katharine Ham is a great journalist, well-spoken, cute as a puppy in pet store window, and country as a turnip green. She's also a friend of mine and she sits with me and Laughing Wolf (aka C. Blake Powers) on the Board of Directors of Cooking with the Troops. The Hammer is winding up a week long trip to the Sandbox and I suspect a long post is coming about that trip. William Kristol did a follow up to her dispatch with some background on the Marine.

The Heritage Foundation is referenced here a lot, as are most of the milblogs. Jump over to our sister site, United Conservatives or the military themed The Talon for more stuff from other co-conspirators. Uncle Jimbo always has something interesting to say, and my buddy Jonn over at This Aint Hell is doing yeoman's work.

Mark Alexander is one my personal heros and runs a place called Patriot Post, which used to be called the Federalist Digest. You should really check it out.

I hope you like what you see, hear, and read. If you're so moved, we can use some help with the cooking events.

Semper Fidelis
Semper Paratus
Semper Vigilio

We're All Kafirs

2010-05-21T00:58:00.004-04:00

Sharia Law for Non-Muslims - Chapter 1
May 20, 2010

This is a chapter from an upcoming book: Sharia Law for Non-Muslims. The book was designed to be short, only 48 pages. Many people do not want to know anything about Islam, but experience shows that they may have an interest in Islamic law. Since it doesn't make any difference which part of a rope you pick up first, Sharia law is a great way to start learning about the true nature of Islam.

CHAPTER 1

Sharia in Europe Today

When you study Islam in Europe today, you are seeing America in 20 years. Why? The actions by Muslims in Europe are based on Sharia law, the same Sharia law that is beginning to be implemented in America today.

· Traffic cannot move in London streets as Muslims commandeer the streets to pray-a political result based on Sharia law.

· Entire areas of Europe are no-go zones for non-Muslims, this includes the police. These are Islamic enclaves where only Muslims live. The Muslim-only policy is based on Sharia.

· In England an Anglican bishop calls for the rule of Islamic law for Muslims. The bishop is obeying Sharia law.

· In the schools only Islamic approved texts can be used. This is based on Sharia law.

· Christians may not speak to Muslims about Christianity nor may they hand out literature. This is a political result based on Sharia law enforced by British courts.

· Rape by Muslims is so prevalent that Sweden has forbidden the police to collect any data in the investigation that would point to Islam. Rape is part of Islamic doctrine as applied to non-Muslim women.

· In London mass demonstrations by Muslims call for the end of British law and Sharia law to rule all people. This political action is based on Sharia.

· In some English hospitals, during Ramadan fast (an Islamic religious event) non-Muslims cannot eat where a Muslim can see them. The submission of non-Muslims is based on Sharia law.

· At British hospitals, Muslim women are treated only as Sharia law demands.

· If a Dane says that he is proud to be Danish near a Muslim, it can be seen as hate speech and racism. This is in accordance to Sharia law.

Sharia in America Today
Here are current and historical events in America that are driven by Sharia law:

· On September 11, 2001 jihadists attacked and destroyed the World Trade Center . This was in compliance to the laws of jihad found in the Sharia law. The attack was a political action based upon a religious motivation.

· All textbooks in America must be approved by Islamic councils that are controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood. This is in accordance with Sharia law.

· American employers and schools are met with demands for time and space to do Islamic prayer. These demands are based on Sharia law.

· The American banking system is becoming Islamicized with Sharia financing. Our banking system indulges in Sharia financial law and does not know the rest of Sharia law.

· Universities are asked to close swimming pools and other athletic facilities to be used for Muslim women.

· Hospitals are being sued for not having Sharia compliant treatment.

· No course at the college level uses critical thinking in the history and doctrine of Islam. Under Sharia no aspect of Islam may be criticized.

· Muslim charities give money to jihadists, as per Sharia law.

· Muslim foot-baths are being installed in airport facilities, using tax money. This is in accordance with Sharia law.

· American prisons are a stronghold of proselytizing for Islam.

· Workplaces are being made Islamic worship sites through special rooms and time off to pray. This is in accordance to Sharia law.

· Islamic refugees bring all of their wives for welfare and medical treatment to America . Authorities will not act even when presented with evidence. Polygamy is pure Sharia.

· We are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to implement constitutions that have the supremacy of Sharia law as their first article.

Why Do We Need to Know Sharia?

ISLAMIC SCHOLARS CLAIM: Islamic law is perfect, universal and eternal. The laws of the United States are temporary, limited and will pass. It is the duty of every Muslim to obey the laws of Allah, the Sharia.

SHARIA: Sharia is based on the principles found in the Koran and other Islamic religious/political texts. There are no common principles between American law and Sharia.

Under Sharia law:

· There is no freedom of religion
· There is no freedom of speech
· There is no freedom of thought
· There is no freedom of artistic expression
· There is no freedom of the press
· There is no equality of peoples-a non-Muslim, a Kafir, is never equal to a Muslim
· There are no equal rights for women
· Women can be beaten
· A non-Muslim cannot bear arms
· There is no equal protection under Sharia for different classes of people. Justice is dualistic, with one set of laws for Muslim males and different laws for women and non-Muslims.
· Our Constitution is a man-made document of ignorance, jahiliyah, that must submit to Sharia
· There is no democracy, since that means that a non-Muslim is equal to a Muslim
· Non-Muslims are dhimmis, third-class citizens
· There is no Golden Rule
· There is no critical thought
· All governments must be ruled by Sharia law

Unlike common law, Sharia is not interpretive, nor can it be changed

THE SOLUTION
This book uses a fact-based approach to knowledge that uses analytic or critical thought. When you finish reading, you will know what Sharia law is. More importantly you will know why Sharia is what it is. You will understand how Sharia "works" and why it cannot change. For the first time, you will understand Islam. It will all make sense.

The Three Views of Islam

There are three points of view in dealing with Islam. The point of view depends upon how you feel about Mohammed. If you believe Mohammed is the prophet of Allah, then you are a believer. If you don't, you are a nonbeliever. The third viewpoint is that of an apologist for Islam. Apologists do not believe that Mohammed was a prophet, but they try to be tolerant without any actual knowledge of Islam.

Here is an example of the three points of view.

In Medina , Mohammed sat all day long beside his 12-year-old wife while they watched as the heads of 800 Jews were removed by sword. Their heads were cut off because they had said that Mohammed was not the prophet of Allah. Muslims view these deaths as necessary because denying Mohammed's prophet-hood was an offense against Islam and beheading is the accepted method of punishment, sanctioned by Allah.

Nonbelievers look at this event as proof of the jihadic violence of Islam and as an evil act.

Apologists say that this was a historic event, that all cultures have violence in their past, and no judgment should be passed. They have never actually read any of Islam's foundational texts, but still speak authoritatively about Islam.

According to the different points of view, killing the 800 Jews was:

· A tragedy
· A perfect sacred act
· Another historical event. We have done worse.

There is no "right" view of Islam, since the views cannot be reconciled.

This book is written from the nonbeliever point of view. Everything in this book views Islam from how it affects non-Muslims. This also means that the religion is of little importance. A Muslim cares about the religion of Islam, but all nonbelievers are affected by Islam's political views.

This book discusses Islam as a political system. There is no need to talk about Muslims or religion. Muslims are people and vary from one to another. Religion is what one does to go to Paradise and avoid Hell. It is not useful nor necessary to discuss Islam as a religion. But we have to talk about Islam in the political realm, because it is a powerful political system.

Bill Warner, Center for the Study of Political Islam

WLF In Action

2010-05-11T22:58:00.000-04:00

United Conservatives of Virginia: Call To Action

2010-05-11T18:39:00.000-04:00

United Conservatives of Virginia: Call To Action

WRVA is running a fundraiser for McGuire Veterans Hospital Fisher House;Richard McCann wants to build a patio outback for the families who stay there;Warrior Legacy Foundation, and by extension, United Conservatives, wants to help.

Atlantic Builders Addresses the Builder Brigade

2010-05-09T00:31:00.001-04:00

Saturday Morning Sgt Steve Kiernan Homesite

2010-05-08T15:46:00.005-04:00

The Marine Corps flag you see was presented to Sgt Steve Kiernan by members of DCFreeRepublic and DCProtestWarrior in recognition of his service to our country.
This Marine Corps flag has flown at the Main Gate of Walter Reed Army Medical center during the DC Chapter's weekly troop support rally, and was used during Protest Warrior's Defend the White House Rally in September 2005. It has a storied history and is well travelled.

USMC Flag flying over the Main Gate of Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Walls to Roof in 5.5 Hours

2010-05-08T14:07:00.000-04:00

First Video From Yesterday

2010-05-08T09:49:00.005-04:00

Homes For Our Troops Fredericksburg VA

2010-05-08T08:15:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, volunteers from Warrior Legacy Foundation and Cooking With the Troops prepared and served lunch to the workers and neighbors building USMC Sgt Steve Kiernan's new adaptive home.

As you will hear, this home is being built with 100% donations from the contractors and building material suppliers.

Videos are being processed and will be up ASAP. Sorry I couldn't make the Livestream work.

Happy Hour Links From Today

2010-04-26T21:38:00.003-04:00

Happy Hour Links

BY John McCormack
Republicans (and one Democrat) uphold filibuster of financial regulation bill.

Tom Tancredo: Beware of racial profiling in immigration laws.

Young voters just not that into Obama right now.

Sign at budget-cut protest in Des Moines: "Save ARE Teachers."

Gay rights groups starting to get suspicious of Obama plan to repeal DADT next year, when there are fewer Democrats in Congress.

Whoops: "new evidence shows there was no all-encompassing [ash] cloud and, where dust was present, it was often so thin that it posed no risk."

Stephen Hawking doesn't think aliens would be very friendly.

When will lovers of salt (and freedom in general) fully ally themselves with the producers of unpasteurized milk?

Rally In Philly

2010-04-13T18:03:00.002-04:00

Veterans Rally to Halt Memorial Vandalism

PHILADELPHIA, April 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterans and other volunteers will gather Wednesday, April 14, at noon at the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial to voice their concern over vandalism and to offer their support by patrolling at the site.

The Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is organizing veterans and others to monitor activities at the Memorial starting this week through Memorial Day. Veterans will be asked to speak at the noon press conference to voice their concern about the desecration of the Memorial.
More detail will be provided about the patrols and other measures to halt the vandalism from skateboarders and inline skaters, who have actually been destroying devices designed to halt such activity. Scores of veterans already have contacted the fund volunteering to patrol at the site on Front and Spruce streets.

A limited number of copies of the surveillance tapes showing the vandalism will be available, as well as new, more prominent signage outlining illegal activities at the Memorial. The Fund is a nonprofit organization that provides oversight at the Memorial in cooperation with the Fairmount Park.

Three juveniles from the Philadelphia suburbs were apprehended March 7 by police who have charged them with desecration of a memorial, a third degree felony that is punishable by fines and imprisonment.

Coordinating the Veteran activities will be Dennis Best, vice president of the Memorial Fund, assisted by James Moran, Memorial Custodian.

(Excerpt) Read more at prnewswire.com ...

All That Is Hidden Is Made Known

2010-02-22T18:12:00.004-05:00

King Solomon's Wall Revealed in Jerusalem
Maayana Miskin -
Feb 22, 2010 IsraelNN.com

Hebrew University archaeologists have revealed an ancient path in Jerusalem believed to date back to the time of King Solomon, along with structures including a gateway and the foundation of a building. Dr. Eilat Mazar, the leader of the archaeological dig, said the findings match finds from the time of the First Temple.
The latest find includes a 70-meter long and six-meter-high stone wall, a small house adjacent to a gateway leading to what was once the royal courtyard, a building that served city officials, and a tower that overlooked the Kidron river.
According to Mazar, the wall is likely to be the wall built by King Solomon. "This is the first time a building has been found that matches descriptions of the building carried out by King Solomon in Jerusalem," she said.

Daily Grind from The Hammer

2010-02-05T15:37:00.002-05:00

The Daily Grind

BY Mary Katharine Ham

"Mom, this is so embarrassing. Quit talking about my BMI on national television!"

It took this long for Toyota to apologize?

Dems fight with GOP for the allegiance of...Wall Street?

"After telling me to keep my mouth shut, the White House discloses sensitive information in an effort to defend a dangerous and unpopular decision to Mirandize Abdulmutallab and I’m supposed to apologize?" Sen. Bond said in a paper statement today.

The story of the "retarded" slur will never die. It finds new life in Connecticut, and when Sarah Palin knocks Rush Limbaugh for using it.

Unemployment drops to 9.7 percent.

NBC cafeteria celebrates Black History Month with a menu of fried chicken and collard greens?

I'm sure Keith Olbermann will have a very Special Comment about this immediately.

Biden to Brown: "I want to talk to you about your daughters."

Ever wanted to know what your VIN means?

The man behind the demon sheep ad?

Matthews to Sen. Collins: "I think your arguments are winning with lots of people."

Weekly Standard Blog

2010-02-05T15:30:00.001-05:00

Who are the 300 Terrorists Convicted under the Bush Administration?

10:42 AM, Feb 5, 2010 ·
BY John McCormack
Byron York reports on Senator Jon Kyl's efforst to get to the bottom of an Obama administration talking point on Gitmo and terrorism. Attorney General Eric Holder reiterates in his letter to the Senate this week that "Bush administration used the criminal justice system to convict more than 300 individuals on terrorism-related charges," but Holder has been unable to provide the names of those individuals even though Jon Kyl has been asking for them since May 2009. "It's a disingenuous argument," says Kyl. "There haven't been 300 high-profile, dangerous terrorism cases in the United States -- if there were, we would have heard about them."

To grasp just how evasive the administration is being, read the whole thing.

DCProtestWarrior in Norfolk With NCGOE

2010-01-20T22:00:00.008-05:00

DCProtestWarrior was on the ground with NCGOE on Tuesday supporting the SEAL 3. I met former Navy SEAL Scott Taylor, candidate for Republican representative for the 2nd District of Virginia. This blog supports Scott Taylor. He has voluteered to continue to serve our Nation. OOOOOOOOOORAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

A huge THANK YOU and props to Dunkin Donuts for providing the hot coffee, donut holes and the cool cups. Above and beyond, friends.

Congressional Candidate Scott Taylor Attends Rallies for State Rights and our Troops

Virginia Beach, Virginia - 1/20/2010 -
Congressional candidate Scott Taylor recently attended rallies in support of state rights and our troops. The former was held in Richmond outside of the General Assembly as state lawmakers went back to work with heavy budgetary constraints. "As a representative of the people, I believe the Federal Government's power grab needs to be halted, if not slowed tremendously." said Taylor. "I fully support HB10 proposed by Delegate Bob Marshall in the Virginia House of Delegates. It is unconstitutional to force American citizens to purchase health care."

Taylor also helped to organize a rally in support of three Navy SEAL's who are facing trial for alleged assault on terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed, who orchestrated the murder of four US Citizens and mutilated their bodies for the world to see. Two of the men facing trial have had their trials moved to Iraq, where a military tribunal will decide their fate. "We are standing by these brave men. I find it quite backwards that Washington will spend our tax dollars to send Navy SEAL's to Iraq to face a military tribunal, while at the same time spending tax dollars to send terrorists to New York to sit in civilian courts."

We would like to congratulate Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts on his impressive victory yesterday.

Scott Taylor is a former Navy SEAL, Iraq War-Veteran, and a small-business owner in Virginia Beach. He is currently running for the US Congress in Virginia's 2nd District. The district is comprised of Virginia Beach, Virginia's Eastern Shore and parts of Norfolk and Hampton Virginia.

Jed Babbin-Founder of Human Events Asks the Big Question

2010-01-14T14:30:00.003-05:00

Obama, the Weak Horse
by Jed Babbin
01/11/2010

Soon upon us will be the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration. It’s time to ask, are we safer or in more danger than we were a year ago? By every objective measure -- what we know about Islamic terrorism, its intentions and capabilities -- the answer is no. We are far less safe now than we were then.

To ask how much danger are we in is fatuous. You may as well ask, “[H]ow much danger is there”? The president has taken actions that -- again objectively -- have increased our vulnerability tremendously. Two of the actions he took immediately after taking office prove the point. And the actions he and Attorney General Eric Holder have since taken only increase the danger.

Last week, White House counterterrorism czar John Brennan said that we would still, on a case by case basis, release Gitmo detainees to Yemen. This despite the facts that would-be underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was trained there by an al Queda cell that reportedly contains two Gitmo alumni and that the Yemenis released Jamal al-Badawi, one of the men responsible for the 2000 attack on the USS Cole.

“The Intelligence Committee has held a number of briefings and hearings in the past year that clearly demonstrate that the security situation in Yemen has deteriorated. Terrorists, including al Queda, have found Yemen to be a relative safe haven from which to plan attacks, both against Yemeni targets and externally. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on assurances that detainees transferred to Yemen for detention will be held securely until they no longer pose a threat.”

Diana Nagy Is On With Andrea Shea King

2010-01-13T19:16:00.002-05:00

Diana Nagy Is On With Andrea Shea King

I heard Diana sing live at the Carrillon.
I have a soft spot for this Lady.

The Andrea Shea King Show tonight at 9 ET
Our guest tonight -- singer songwriter Diana Nagy of Tea Party Express fame -- will participate in the commissioning ceremony when she sings our national anthem and her original song "Where Freedom Flies".

Diana has a very special connection to this latest addition to the Independence family, and tonight she'll tell us what that is.Join us for a special visit from a patriotic gal who has toured the nation with the Tea Party Express, entertaining fellow Americans at rallies across the country.Tonight she's ours!

Judge Andrew Napolitano's 'The Constitution and Freedom,' Part 1 | The FOX Nation

2010-01-11T18:25:00.001-05:00

Judge Andrew Napolitano's 'The Constitution and Freedom,' Part 1 | The FOX Nation

Posted using ShareThis

What Harry Really Said

2010-01-10T09:06:00.003-05:00

"I sincerely apologize for being stupid enough to allow my true feelings for this upstart pretender to be documented. I've been Al Sharpton's bitch for years."

What Al said: "Harriet has been my bitch for years."

Was Zero At Columbia? Some Say No

2010-01-08T11:58:00.003-05:00

Just passing this along FWIW.

Rev. Manning says Obama was at an al Qaeda training camp from 1980-1983 and his Columbia diploma and transcripts were bought.

www.atlah.org/atlahworldwide/?p=3711

He says that his church and followers are holding a huge rally at the Columbia campus 7 blocks from Atlah church to demand the truth. James Allyn Root former liberatarian VP candidate, offered Obama $1million to show his transcripts, because as president of the ‘83 political science class at Columbia, he nor anyone else, remembers Obama ever going there. Of course Obama ignored the proposal. And Obama says he too graduated ‘83 political science.

www.reason.com/archives/2008/09/05/wayne-allyn-roots-million-doll
Root said, “I think the most dangerous thing you should know about Barack Obama is that I don’t know a single person at Columbia that knows him, and they all know me. I don’t have a classmate who ever knew Barack Obama at Columbia. Ever!”

The lack of Columbia attachments and documents, falls in to the category of the “unspeakables” along with his obvious ineligibility because he was born and is still a British citizen, thus not a natural born citizen.

Obama campaigned for his “cousin” Raila Odinga in 2007, he is al Qaeda backed, also by oil billionaire al Bakari and Kadaffi. Odinga threatened genocide if he lost, which he did, and genocide ensued led by Odinga’s Luo thugs (Obama and Odinga are both Luo tribe members), wherein 3,000 Kenyans (mostly Christians) were hacked, raped, burned– murdered, and 300,000 were displaced; 50 women and children were burned alive in a church.

Odinga now shares a presidency with Kibaki, a compromise to make the genocide stop. Obama was a sitting US senator at the time he campaigned for Odinga, violating the Logan Act. He knew Odinga would incite genocide ahead of time, because Odinga threatened it openly. Kibaki said in the Kenyan press that Obama was “Odinga’s stooge”.

Obama recently gave $2.5million to oil rich Kadaffi. Odinga is a marxist who signed a pact to install sharia law in Kenya. Rev. Wright and Louis Farrakhan met with Kadaffi in Libya; Kadaffi is behind the U.S.Africa (United Statesof Africa) proxy wars throughout north Africa, meant to unite Africa under the umbrella of radical Islam, for they commit genocide on not only native Africans and Christians, but also non-fundamentalist Muslims. Darfur, Chad, Somalia, Yemen, Kenya etc. are now breeding grounds for radical Islam. Don’t expect Obama to interfere with this.

www.atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/01/obamas-ogin…

www.caosblog.com/archives/7071 www.atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/01/obama-islam…

Snippits From the Patriot Post

2010-01-08T11:52:00.001-05:00

Quote of the Week:
"America's founders intended the federal government to have limited powers and that the states have an independent sovereign place in our system of government. The Obama/Reid/Pelosi legislation to take control of the American health-care system is the most sweeping and intrusive federal program ever devised. If the federal government can do this, then it can do anything, and the limits on government power that our liberty requires will be more myth than reality." --Wall Street Journal op-ed by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Liberty University School of Law professor Kenneth Blackwell and American Civil Rights Union senior legal analyst Kenneth Klukowski

He Was Lying Then, He's Lying Now

2010-01-08T11:48:00.003-05:00

Government & Politics
If By 'Transparent' You Mean 'Secret'...

In spite of Democrats' best efforts at "transparency," there are many extra-special things that we actually do know about the bill. For example, on page 1,020, the Senate bill states: "It shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection." In other words, the bill creates an eternal law by prohibiting future elected Congresses from making changes to this subsection.

What's in the subsection in question? The infamous "death panel" -- the Independent Medicare Advisory Board (IMAB), whose objective will be to "reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending" (read: to ration health care).

Meanwhile, the bill contains what amounts to a marriage penalty worth $2,000 or more in insurance premiums each year. The Wall Street Journal explains, "The disparity comes about in part because subsidies for purchasing health insurance under the plan from congressional Democrats are pegged to federal poverty guidelines. That has the effect of limiting subsidies for married couples with a combined income, compared to if the individuals are single."

Finally, Obama signaled this week that he's willing to break another campaign promise: The "no tax increases on the middle class" pledge. He threw his support behind the Senate's tax on higher end "Cadillac" insurance plans, something unions and House Democrats oppose.

The more the public learns about this continuing saga, the more vigorously opposed they become to "reform." No wonder Democrats want the process to remain secret.

Obama Bin Lyin since 1981.
This is the change you twits voted for. How's that working, by the way?

"We will have a public, uh, process for forming this plan. It'll be televised on C-SPAN.... It will be transparent and accountable to the American people." --Barack Obama, November 2007

"That's what I will do in bringing all parties together, not negotiating behind closed doors, but bringing all parties together, and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so that the American people can see what the choices are, because part of what we have to do is enlist the American people in this process." --Barack Obama, January 2008

"[T]hese negotiations will be on C-SPAN..." --Barack Obama, January 2008

"We're gonna do all these negotiations on C-SPAN so the American people will be able to watch these negotiations." --Barack Obama, March 2008

"All this will be done on C-SPAN in front of the public." --Barack Obama, April 2008

"I want the negotiations to be taking place on C-SPAN." --Barack Obama, May 2008

"[W]e'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who is, who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies." --Barack Obama, August 2008

"We will work on this process publicly. It'll be on C-SPAN. It will be streaming over the Net." --Barack Obama, November 2008

United Conservatives of Virginia: Extreme Leftists and Extremist Islam

2010-01-04T11:10:00.000-05:00

United Conservatives of Virginia: Extreme Leftists and Extremist Islam

More at the link.
Exclusive: Fatal Attraction – The Left’s Perilous Embrace of Radical Islam
Alex Alexiev

Shortly after 9/11 a lively discussion ensued on the pages of a prominent green journal regarding the possibility and merit of an alliance between the Greens, the Left and radical Islam. The discussion identified the emergence of radical Islam as a “geopolitical opponent of the dominant West, equal or greater in magnitude to the specter of communism” with Osama bin Laden and the Taliban providing a “charismatic voice articulating the vision of an Islamic revolt against the West.” Moreover, the green theoreticians argued, radical Islam was a “movement of social revolution” that may be “moving towards some form of socialism…” It concluded hopefully that “Greens and Muslims might somehow collaborate as parallel, overlapping movements of liberation from the dominance of capital.”

Eight years later, the putative romance of the American Left with radical Islam appears to have become an affectionate embrace. Congressional hearings have revealed that no less than 500 leftist lawyers, many of them hired by Attorney General Eric Holder’s law firm, Covington & Burling, rushed to defend pro bono the 244 Islamic extremists and terrorists held at Guantanamo. At least a couple of these radicals, now working for Mr. Holder in top positions, have already had to recuse themselves from prosecuting detainees because of their previous advocacy for them and more such cases are certain to come out.

Heritage Morning Bell - Taxes

2010-01-01T09:33:00.003-05:00

Heritage Foundation
Happy Tax Year!
While millions of Americans are more than ready to put 2009 behind them, they should know that Congress failed to reauthorize dozens of tax breaks for individuals and businesses before the Members scurried home for the Holidays. These “expiring provisions” affect every American in one way or another as individuals or businesses. By allowing them to lapse, Congress has enacted tax increases at time when these taxpayers can least afford it.

The House has passed legislation (H.R. 4213) that would have extended 63 current tax provisions, but the Senate failed to bring this bill to a vote. Thus, all of these provisions expired at midnight last night. Notable provisions as reported today by Tax Notes include:

Deduction of state and local general sales taxes (section 164) (Personal Tax Incentives)
Additional standard deduction, up to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples, for state and local property taxes (section 63) (Personal Tax Incentives)
Research tax credit and alternative simplified credit (section 41) (General Business Tax Incentives)
New markets tax credit (section 45D) (Community Assistance Provisions)
Empowerment zone incentives (sections 1391 and 1202) (Community Assistance Provisions)
Renewal community tax incentives (sections 1400E, 1400F, 1400I, and 1400J) (Community Assistance Provisions)
District of Columbia Investment Incentives (sections 1400, 1400A, 1400B, and 1400C) (Community Assistance Provisions)
Net disaster loss designation and $500 limit per casualty for personal casualty losses attributed to federally declared natural disasters (section 165) (General Disaster Relief Provisions)
Expensing for qualified disaster expenses (section 198A) (General Disaster Relief Provisions)
Biodiesel and renewable diesel incentives (section 40A) (Energy Incentives)
Alternative motor vehicle credit for heavy hybrids (section 30B) (Energy Incentives)

Although the House has acted and passed its version of the Tax Extenders Act of 2009, the Senate failed to act on similar legislation, as a result the following additional key tax provisions will expire:

Increased exemption levels for the individual alternative minimum tax (section 55) and personal tax credits allowed against the AMT (section 26)
Exclusion of unemployment compensation benefits from gross income (section 85)
Alternative fuel mixture tax credit (section 6426(e))
Reduced estimated tax payments for small businesses (section 6654(d)(1)(D))

The Senate has had a lot on its plate this year. But it is still unacceptable that they have stalled on the chance to extend these tax provisions that affect every American. By allowing these tax provisions to expire, taxes will rise on many individuals and businesses, and for some of these groups, a punitively steep tax hike.

At the very least, we hope for a New Year’s Resolution from Congress that it acts swiftly in 2010 on passing legislation to amend and extend tax laws that assist every American individual and business which will lead to a stronger, robust economy.

Even better, would be if Congress reformed the entire tax code and brought us a tax system based on one rate, applied once to all income, and in a form every taxpayer can understand.

However, that may be asking too much in one New Year’s Resolution.

Morning Must Reads from DCExaminer

2009-12-31T10:30:00.001-05:00

New York Times -- Afghan Suicide Bomber Killed C.I.A. Operatives
The deadliest day ever for the CIA comes as a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest inside a forward base where drone attacks and covert operations in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan are staged.
The rapidly deteriorating security situation in Pakistan (another suicide bombing has sent the U.N. packing) and the renewed fervor of jihadis around the globe seem to suggest that the second Obama surge in Central Asia will be met with not just the quasi-military maneuvers of the Taliban, but the rank terrorism used by Islamists around the world.
Writers Alissa Rubin and Mark Mazzetti explain:
“A NATO official said the bomber managed to elude security and reach an area near the base’s gym. It was not clear whether the bomber, who apparently died in the blast, entered the gym. Among other questions raised was whether the bomber worked at the base and had clearance, or if a security slip allowed him to gain entry, and whether other operatives had access to the base.”

New York Times -- Spy Agencies Failed to Collate Clues on Terror

The emphasis in the story from Mark Mazzetti and Eric Lipton – as with many other stories today fueled by leaks from the Obama administration – was how the security apparatus failed to pull together strands of intelligence to stop Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab and his explosive underwear from getting aboard a Detroit-bound flight.

Times writer Scott Shane even lays the failure at the feet of the National Counterterrorism Center for failing to put together the clues to stop Abdulmutallab.

But this wasn’t about a lack of intelligence sharing, this was about a lack of intellect.

The bomber’s father pleaded with the State Department and CIA to stop his son, showing them damning text messages Abdulmutallab had written. Then, the lad showed up with cash and no luggage to buy a ticket on a U.S.-bound flight having already been placed on double-secret airline probation and still got a seat.

The idea that this was a systemic failure that has to be addressed with another overhaul of the bureaucracy dilutes the culpability of those individuals who failed to act correctly and prudently when presented with clear evidence. Sacking those responsible (and prosecuting them if the dereliction is severe enough) would do more to snap the bureaucracy to attention than calling for a big, hazy, Obamian overhaul.

But with the administration in another political firefight with Dick Cheney after the former vice president blasted the administration for treating Abdulmutallab like other criminal defendants, expect the problems President Obama finds when he receives his security evaluation today to point to major problems with the system he inherited, not boneheaded moves by individuals.
“The father, a wealthy Nigerian businessman named Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, had urgently sought help from American and Nigerian security officials when cellphone text messages from his son revealed that he was in Yemen and had become a fervent radical.

A family cousin quoted the father as warning officials from the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency in Nigeria: ‘Look at the texts he’s sending. He’s a security threat.’
The cousin said: ‘They promised to look into it. They didn’t take him seriously.’”

Wall Street Journal -- U.S. Probes Cleric's Tie to Jetliner Bomb Plot

The American-born Yemeni cleric who provided online tech support for Maj. Nidal Hasan’s radicalization may have also been coaching up Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab while the Nigerian banker’s son was taking foreign-language training in Sana’a.

Writers Evan Perez, Margaret Coker and Siobhan Gorman look at the ties between the most recent terrorist attacks and Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

They paint the picture of a propagandist for jihad whose American ties make him well-suited to preach a murderous doctrine to western Muslims like Hasan or those who have lived lives of privilege because of access to the western system, like Abdulmutallab.

“Mr. Awlaki, 38 years old, followed a familiar path of privileged young man to radical. Born in New Mexico to an affluent father -- a former Yemeni minister of agriculture who is currently an adviser to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh -- Mr. Awlaki was educated in the U.S.

After coming under the scrutiny of U.S. and U.K. authorities following 9/11, Mr. Awlaki returned to Yemen, where he continued his religious teaching and lectured at Imam University, the head of which has been designated by the U.S. and the United Nations as a terrorist financier.”

The Hill -- State AGs request Reid, Pelosi drop Nebraska Medicaid funds from health bill

What a crafty bunch these attorneys general are. Rather than threatening a suit over the whole health bill or even the part that, for the first time in American history, requires every American to purchase a private product as a condition of citizenship, a group of 13 AGs says that Ben Nelson’s $100 million “Cornhusker Kickback” is illegal because it treats the states differently.
Nelson, who has lost 30 points in the polls at home, felt the need to pay for a pricey ad during the Cornhusker’s 33-0 beatdown of the Arizona Wildcats in the Holiday Bowl last night to explain to his constituents why paying to play is the Senate way.
By singling out Nelson, the AGs apply pressure on him at home, but also make the focus on the corrupt bargain angle in the Senate. That leaves other, bigger, legal gambits for later, when the legislation is passed.

“The fundamental unfairness of H.R. 3590 may also give rise to claims under the due process, equal protection, privileges and immunities clauses and other provisions of the Constitution. As a practical matter, the deal struck by the United States Senate on the “Nebraska Compromise” is a disadvantage to the citizens of 49 states. Every state’s tax dollars, except Nebraska’s, will be devoted to cost-sharing required by the bill, and will be therefore unavailable for other essential state programs.”

Washington Post -- Support grows for tackling nation's debt

Writers Elaine S. Povich and Eric Pianin look at what is expected to be the central piece of the Obama administration towards fiscal restraint – a commission to take the responsibility for spending away from Congress and put it in more responsible hands.
The idea, like the one Obama had about health care in Illinois and suggests for Medicare now, is that a group of experts makes budget (i.e. tax) proposals to Congress which then votes the packages up or down as a whole.

It would be a rather stunning admission of failure by Congress -- sort of like a brethalyzer lock on the car of a multi-DUI offender – to abrogate their central constitutional authority of budgetary control.

“The most vocal advocates of the idea are Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who this month jointly unveiled legislation to create an 18-member task force consisting of 16 members of Congress and two administration officials. Under the proposal, if at least 14 of the panel members reached agreement on how to rein in skyrocketing spending on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and reform the tax code, Congress would have to consider it immediately and give it an up or down vote, without amendment.”

DCExaminer Morrning Email Blast

2009-12-30T08:27:00.002-05:00

Michael Barone - It's a wonderful life working for the government
It looks like a happy new year for you -- if you're a public employee.
The unemployment data shows that this recession has had a much greater effect on private-sector workers than on public employees, on men than on women, on blue-collar workers than on white-collar employees.
It sounds like public- and private-sector employees are looking at different Americas. And they are.

Timothy P. Carney - GM rehires lobbyists -- and taxpayers foot the bill
GM, the failed carmaker whose $400 million in monthly losses is borne mostly by U.S. taxpayers, has in recent months hired high-priced K Street lobbyists to petition Washington for subsidies, special tax breaks and other government favors on top of the $52 billion in aid the Treasury has already provided.
In June, GM began firing its outside lobbyists as part of downsizing its entire $10 million-a-year lobbying operation. As company spokesman Greg Martin told Roll Call, "We have begun notifying our outside consultants that we will be terminating their contracts." But GM has since rehired two of its old K Street firms, the Duberstein Group and Greenberg Traurig, and picked up new representation in the firm GrayLoeffler.

Mark Hemingway - Democrats need to stop blaming GOP for TSA failure
A bizarre new line of attack is emanating from congressional Democrats reeling from concerns the Obama administration may not be doing enough to keep American air-travelers safe.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary's Janet Napolitano's bizarre "the system worked" statement regarding an Islamic radical who smuggled powerful explosives on board a U.S.-bound flight was swiftly condemned. Following that public debacle, Democrats are trying to blame the Transportation Safety Administration's total failure on Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.

Fireplace fascism in California
Burn wood in the Bay Area, and your neighbors will rat you out and send inspectors to your door who will slap you with a fine. Even on Christmas Day.
More Stories
Denmark's second largest newspaper: "Obama greater than Jesus"
The TSA and the full-body-scanner lobby
Poll: Nelson reelection looking doomed over health care

DCExaminer Morrning Email Blast

2009-12-28T11:02:00.000-05:00

TODAY'S WASHINGTON EXAMINER EDITORIAL SECTION HIGHLIGHTS

Mr Tapscott sent out a correction for a bad link.

Correct link for Mr Hewitt's column:
Obama's year of failure
Hugh Hewitt, Examiner Columnist
"2009 is the worst year for a president since 1978, which began with Jimmy Carter standing by paralyzed as the Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran and ended as Jimmy Carter stood by paralyzed as the Soviets invaded Afghanistan."

2009 has been Obama's year of falling swiftly
Examiner Editorial
"It is clear from her comment that 'the system worked' that Napolitano lacks the first clue about what is required to ensure safe commercial airline travel in an era defined by the war on terrorism."

It's always the Jihad
Jed Babbin, Examiner OpEd Series
"The events this year -- the Fort Hood massacre and the events aboard Northwest flight 253 -- show that the danger is growing, not shrinking."

President Obama's year of failure.
Hugh Hewitt, Examiner Columnist
"2009 is the worst year for a president since 1978, which began with Jimmy Carter standing by paralyzed as the Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran and ended as Jimmy Carter stood by paralyzed as the Soviets invaded Afghanistan."

Heritage Morning Bell - Healthcare

2009-12-23T12:15:00.003-05:00

Obamacare’s Constitutional Problems Proliferating

After the Democrats cleared the second of three 60 vote hurdles last night, Republicans ceded enough debate time back to the majority so that passage of Obamacare through the Senate will take place n Christmas Eve at 8 AM. Conservatives have every right to be disappointed that Senate Republicans did not force the maximum amount of debate possible. But they can take heart in a key point of order that will be voted on later today. Sponsored by Sens. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and John Ensign (R-NV), that vote will lay the groundwork for the possible legal dismantling of Obama’s health program.

As we’ve detailed before, the very core of the Senate health plan includes an unprecedented expansion of the power of the federal government over the lives of every American. For the first time in history, every American would be forced to buy federally regulated and approved health insurance or face a $750 fine.

As the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) wrote in 1994: “A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States.” The individual mandate and other questionable measures in the bill raise serious questions as to whether Obamacare could survive a Constitutional test:

Enumerated Powers:
Article I allocates to Congress “[a]ll legislative powers herein granted,” which means that some legislative powers were intended to remain beyond Congress’s reach. The Supreme Court recognized and affirmed this fundamental principle from the earliest days of the republic, as Chief Justice Marshall famously observed: “The powers of the legislature are defined and limited; and that those limits may not be mistaken, or forgotten, the constitution is written.” Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress given the power to mandate that an individual enter into a contract with a private party or purchase a good or service. Democrats have pointed to both the general welfare taxing power and the commerce clause as possible justifications for the mandate, but as a recent Heritage Legal Memorandum details, neither justification withstands scrutiny.

5th Amendment:
The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads in part: “No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” Sen. Ensign will argue today: “The Democrats’ health reform bill would require an American citizen to devote a portion of income – his or her private property – to health insurance coverage. … But, Mr. President, if a Nevadan does not want to spend his or her hard-earned income on health insurance coverage and would prefer to spend it on something else, such as rent or a car payment, this new requirement could be a “taking” of private property under the Fifth Amendment.”

Racial Discrimination:
On December 10th, the United States Commission on Civil Rights sent a letter to the Senate regarding racially discriminatory provisions in Obama’s health plan. The letter reads: “No matter how well-intentioned, utilizing racial preferences with hope of alleviating health care disparities is inadvisable both as a matter of policy and as a matter of law. … Ensuring that all Americans, regardless of race, have access to quality health care requires both creativity and hard-nosed attention to data. It also requires staying within the requirements of the Constitution. The current race-based provisions of the Senate Health Care bill display none of these qualities.”

Unequal State Treatment:
Speaking to Fox News, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) described Sen. Ben Nelson’s (D-NE) deal to support Obamacare in exchange for a bailout Nebraska’s Medicaid costs as “disappointing, sleazy, unconstitutional.” Graham is not the only one examining Cornhusker Kickback. The Attorneys General of Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas and Washington state are jointly investigating the deal to see if special treatment for only one state in the nation at the expense of the other 49 violates the Constitution.

The leftist majority in the Senate is likely to vote down the DeMint/Ensign constitutional point of order, but the very objection itself will help build a record that courts will look at when determining whether or not Obamacare is unconstitutional. The Senate is not the final arbiter of whether or not the laws it passes are consistent with the United States Constitution. That question was settled over 200 years ago in Marbury v. Madison.

Although it is always difficult for the Supreme Court to thwart what is perceived to be the popular will, polling consistently shows that this legislation faces strong popular opposition. If that remains true after enactment, the majority of the Justices who are inclined to preserve the enumerated powers scheme and adhere to the original meaning of the text will have little inclination or incentive to stretch the Constitution to reach so decidedly unpopular and far-reaching a law as this one.

Morning Must Reads from DCExaminer

2009-12-23T08:47:00.000-05:00

United Conservatives of Virginia: Morning Must Reads from DCExaminer

Pharmcos Makes Out Like A Bandit

2009-12-23T07:23:00.001-05:00

Timothy P. Carney - Christmas comes early for the big drug companies

President Obama on Monday credited the Senate for "standing up to the special interests -- who've prevented reform for decades, and who are furiously lobbying against it now." But the health care "reform" bill, passed late Sunday night, provides the drug companies with billions in taxpayer-funded subsidies, government-sanctioned monopolies, and mandates forcing people to buy drug insurance. At the same time, the bill doesn't touch the industry's existing special favors that Obama had pledged to eliminate in the name of consumers.

More On Carbon Offsets

2009-12-23T06:43:00.001-05:00

Carbon credits: 'SELL! SELL! SELL!'
By: David Freddoso
Online Opinion Editor
12/22/09 5:02 PM EST
The Financial Times reports that investors who hope to capitalize on your misery by getting into the carbon-trading market are losing money after the failure of the Copenhagen's climate summit to produce anything resembling a real or binding agreement on limiting carbon emissions.
Prices for carbon permits for December 2010 delivery, the benchmark contract for pricing European permits, dropped nearly 10 per cent in early trading, before recovering to end the day 8.3 per cent lower at €12.41...Carbon traders blamed the price fall on the Copenhagen conference, which produced an accord among the world's biggest developed and developing countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, but omitted details on what those limits would be.
If and when the government forces you to pay extra for your energy in the name of some presumed environmental benefit, these are the folks who will become rich at your expense.

Cap and Trade Fraud Investigation

2009-12-21T18:41:00.003-05:00

US Court Orders Records Unsealed In Cap-And-Trade Fraud Case
By Ian Talley, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. legislators have obtained a court order unsealing documents in a case involving a multi-million-dollar cap-and-trade fraud.
Republican legislators say the records--due to be opened to the public in early January--could shed light on the potential challenges of policing a new, trillion-dollar commodities market that would be created under climate legislation that Congress is considering.
In a rare filing by House lawyers, Reps. Joe Barton (R., Texas) and Greg Walden (R., Ore.), the ranking members respectively of the Energy Committee and the Oversight Subcommittee, asked a federal district court in California to unseal all the closed records regarding the successful prosecution for fraud of Anne Masters Sholtz, a former California Institute of Technology economist.
Lawmakers say Sholtz's case could expose the weaknesses of a federal cap-and- trade system because it involved the same market mechanism meant to cut emissions.
In particular, said one Republican aide, the case may shed light on the challenges of prosecuting fraud in such a system.
Sholtz, who helped design a small California cap-and-trade program, allegedly hustled New York Investment firm AG Clean Air out of more than $12 million between 1999 and 2001 by selling fake emission credits.
Despite an estimated $50 million to $80 million in claims against her in bankruptcy filings and nine complaints, she pleaded guilty to one of six counts of wire fraud in
2005. Sholtz received what the lawmakers say was a veritable slap on the wrist for the felony--a sentence of five years probation with one year of home detention.
"Did they not have enough proof? Did they have good leads, but faced practical difficulties? Were there witness, evidence, strategic problems? These are the questions that we hope to answer with the unsealed documents," the Republican aide said.

FACES of Coal

2009-12-21T17:04:00.002-05:00

A Message From FACES of Coal
As 2009 draws to a close, we would like to thank you for your support of FACES of Coal and your efforts to ensure that lawmakers and the American people understand that coal energizes our nation and fuels our economy.

Since we launched our campaign in August,

40,000 individuals have registered as members of FACES of Coal;
104 organizations, including chambers of commerce, fiscal courts, manufacturers and retailers, support our coalition; and
1,349 lawmakers representing 44 states have received 30,000 e-mails and letters in support of coal.

Washington bureaucrats have still taken no action on dozens of mining permits that have been arbitrarily stalled. Our legislators have still not delivered the balanced energy and economic policy we need and deserve.

The future of coal mining in America remains uncertain, and we need you to continue writing and calling your elected representatives (you can do so now by clicking the link below). Remind them our holiday lights are shining bright because of the affordable electricity generated by coal.

And we can provide good food and gifts to our families and friends in our warm homes, because of the good jobs sustained by coal.

Thank you for your efforts to protect our jobs and secure our future.

We wish you and yours a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security(FACES of Coal)

Click the link below to log in and send your message:

http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/faces39210323.aspx

The Senate Healthcare Bill Is Unconstitutional

2009-12-21T15:09:00.002-05:00

In effect, the onerous obligations under the Reid Bill would convert private health insurance companies into virtual public utilities. This action is not only a source of real anxiety but also a decision of constitutional proportions, for it systematically strips the regulated health-insurance issuers of their constitutional entitlement to earn a reasonable rate of return on the massive amounts of capital that they have already invested in building out their businesses.

Excerpt) Read more at pointoflaw.com ...

Major Hasan's E-Mail: 'I Can't Wait to Join You' in Afterlife

2009-12-21T15:05:00.001-05:00

United States Army Major Nidal Hasan told a radical cleric considered by authorities to be an al-Qaeda recruiter, "I can't wait to join you" in the afterlife, according to an American official with top secret access to 18 e-mails exchanged between Hasan and the cleric, Anwar al Awlaki, over a six month period between Dec. 2008 and June 2009.
"It sounds like code words," said Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, a military analyst at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. "That he's actually either offering himself up or that he's already crossed that line in his own mind."
Other messages include questions, the official with access to the e-mails said, that include when is jihad appropriate, and whether it is permissible if there are innocents killed in a suicide attack.
"Hasan told Awlaki he couldn't wait to join him in the discussions they would having over non-alcoholic wine in the afterlife," the official said.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...

Healthcare Poll

2009-12-21T14:46:00.001-05:00

The Washington Times is running a poll on the healthcare legislation.
Lets make sure they know how we feel about socialist engineering.

H/T FreeRepublic

United Conservatives of Virginia: Lawyers: Can't Afford Them, Can't Kill Them

2009-12-21T08:16:00.003-05:00

Lawyers: Can't Afford Them, Can't Kill Them

Trial lawyers buy Democrats in Congress
Examiner Editorial December 21, 2009
Neither of the Obamacare proposals now before Congress includes a medical malpractice reform provision despite the fact that the public wants one -- and that it would cut annual health care costs by $200 billion. A medical malpractice reform provision would protect doctors from expensive lawsuits filed by avaricious class-action plaintiffs' attorneys who have driven malpractice insurance rates into the stratosphere. Judging by Federal Election Commission data on the political contributions of people associated with the top 15 class-action plaintiffs' law firms, it's no accident that malpractice reform is not part of health care "reform": Trial lawyers are investing heavily in their Democratic friends who control the White House and both chambers of Congress.

United Conservatives of Virginia: The Question Is: Are We the Windshield or the Butterfly?

2009-12-21T08:16:00.002-05:00

The Question Is: Are We the Windshield or the Butterfly?

Michael Barone - When liberal dreams collide with public opinion
In the Bella Center on the south side of Copenhagen and in the Senate chamber on the north side of the Capitol, we're seeing what happens when liberal dreams collide with American public opinion. It's like what happens when a butterfly collides with the windshield of a speeding sport utility vehicle. Splat.

Zero Covering For Islamist Extremists

2009-12-20T08:09:00.003-05:00

Congressman: Why is Obama stifling Hasan investigation?
Member of House intelligence committeee wants reports to prevent another attack

"How can it be that the House Committee on Homeland Security has launched an investigation and called hearings within a week to look into the couple who crashed a recent White House state dinner, yet a month after Fort Hood there has yet to be a single congressional hearing into the Fort Hood attack?" Hoekstra said. "I fear that our nation is returning to the naive security outlook of Sept. 10, 2001, when radical Islamic terrorist attacks were considered law enforcement and criminal problems and not threats to our national security."

Hoekstra said that in just the past year, there have been arrests of suspects in alleged "homegrown terrorist attacks" in New York, Chicago, North Carolina and Atlanta.

"Russia recently has seen several alleged homegrown terrorism attacks, including a train bombing and an attack against a gas storage facility. There were horrific homegrown terrorist attacks in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. In 2006, 18 homegrown terrorists were arrested in Toronto. It has happened here and will happen again if we don't act. We cannot wish it away," he warned.

"We need to understand how homegrown terrorism works if we are to identify and stop homegrown terrorists before they carry out acts of violence. How are al-Qaida leaders and other radical jihadists recruiting and radicalizing homegrown terrorists? A principle route seems to be the Internet. We know that Maj. Hasan was in contact via the Internet with radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and that Mr. al-Awlaki's sermons have influenced would-be homegrown terrorists in the United States and the terrorists who launched the deadly 2005 London subway bombings," Hoekstra said.

"Hoekstra suspects Obama is purposefully dragging out the release of any information on Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan into next February, and he considers this stall an unconstitutional trampling of his committee's responsibility to the nation," he wrote. "Federal law requires the White House to brief House and Senate members on this investigation and 'ensure that the congressional intelligence committees are kept fully and currently informed of the intelligence activities of the United States.'"

"What is being covered up?" Collins wondered. "Whatever's in the report must be even worse than the publicly available facts."

In Hoekstra's commentary, he said only a thorough review will uncover "the intelligence failures that prevented it from being detected."

"Americans underestimate the threat from homegrown terrorism," he said. "The president said it is inconceivable that this would happen in America. Wrong. It is not inconceivable and is a growing global problem that needs to be addressed."

Dingy Harry Has His 60 Pieces of Silver

2009-12-19T17:06:00.003-05:00

What to Do Now??

Contact Senator Webb and ask him to vote NO on cloture. This vote will take place 1 AM Monday morning. So call Saturday or Sunday.

Higher Taxes for Virginia: Nebraska's medicaid exemption means that other states, like Virginia, will have to pick up the tab for Nebraska. Our state budget cannot afford expanisions like this.

Read The Bill! This is a 2200+ page bill. In addition, there is a 400-page amendment. No one has seen either document yet.. Senator Webb promised that he wouldn't vote for a bill unless there would be a 72-hour public review period for legislation. The scheduled Monday 1 AM vote for cloture will not allow this! Hold him to his promise.

Plausible Deniability: Some Senators may play the "plausible deniability game" -- vote "yes" for cloture and then vote "no" for the bill so that when it's time to run for re-election they can claim that they voted "no" for the bill. Truth be known, if he help pushs the bill forward by voting "yes" for cloture, he's helping to get the bill passed. Don't let Senator Webb get away with this! Carrying the ball down the field helps the rest of the team get the ball over the goal line.

Foot-In-The-Door: Many Progressive Senators are disappointed in the bill --- they want federal funding for abortion, they want the public open and they want the medicaid buy-in. A Senator today said that these Progressives need to realize that while this bill doesn't build a "mansion" it is building a "starter house." READ: If they get this passed, it's a foot-in-the-door. They can address their wish list afterwards.

How to Contact Senator Webb
Calling the Senator: They are asking folks to visit Tell Webb No! (www.tellwebbno.com). You can find contact information for Senator Webb on the website or you can email him right from the website. You can also provide feedback about how your call goes.

Problems Getting Through? If you have any problems getting through to Senator Webb visit the Tell Webb No! (www.tellwebbno.com) website to report the issue. They will make sure that Senator Webb and the media know.

What If The Vote for Cloture Passes?
Should the Vote for Cloture (which requires 60 votes) they will move on to vote on the bill for passage. This will only require a simple majority (how many votes are required is determined by how many people actually vote; some may not show up to vote).

Should it pass, they will then need to go into conference with the House of Representatives. Many members of the House only voted for the bill after the abortion amendment was added. Several other changes in the Senate version of the bill may cause problems in the House.This may be another opportunity to stop this legislation.Remember -- please call Senator Webb prior to the Monday 1 AM Vote for Cloture.

Email Senator Webb at http://webb.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Call Senator Webb at any of the following numbers:
Washington, D.C.: 202-224-4024 or 1-866-507-1570
Danville: 434-792-0976
Hampton Roads: 757-518-1674
Northern Virginia: 703-807-0581
Norton: 276-679-4925
Richmond: 804-771-2221
Roanoke: 540-772-4236

Citizen's Roundtable: The Right to Fair Representation by Julie Ranson

2009-12-18T10:25:00.000-05:00

Citizen's Roundtable: The Right to Fair Representation by Julie Ranson

The Time Has Come

2009-12-17T16:33:00.004-05:00

Below are excerpts from Mark Alexander's latest essay. You would do yourself a great dis-service if you do not go read the entire post.

Mark Alexander from the Patriot Post:

Ronald Reagan delivered an enduring challenge to conservatives entitled "A Time for Choosing": "You and I are told we must choose between a left or right," Reagan said, "but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream -- the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order -- or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism."

If Barack Obama has given us one thing of value, it is the opportunity to clearly discern between Left and Right, between rule of men and Rule of Law. He is the quintessential socialist, and his domestic and foreign policies present a contrast between tyranny and liberty that has rarely been so apparent. Many who have been hitherto reluctant to rise on behalf of liberty or have been too comfortable to be concerned by such conflict, are now making an ever-louder stand.

Obama is the personification of Leftist philosophy and dogma, and in a turn of irony, for the clarity he has provided to that end we owe him a debt of gratitude.

Despite the fact that the Leftists in media and academia have had a stranglehold on public opinion, seating one of their own as president, which they believe is a great prize, may well be their undoing.

The once noble Democrat Party is now led by those who have turned the wisdom of their iconic leaders upside down.

Today, Democrat Party Leftists deride the notion of individual rights. Instead, they advocate the supplanting of individual liberty with statism.

They promote the notion of a living constitution rather than the authentic Constitution our Founders established.

They despise free enterprise and advocate socialist redistribution of wealth, the ultimate goal of which is to render all people equally poor and dependent upon the state.

They loathe our military and our national sovereignty, and they propose to replace it with treaties that establish supranational governmental legal and policing authorities.

They detest traditional American values, and they support all manner of behavior resulting in social entropy.

Being debated right now is whether an additional 17 percent of the U.S. economy is going to be nationalized under ObamaCare, and whether the rest of the economy is going to be shackled by cap-and-trade taxes in addition to a plethora of other job-eliminating taxes on private sector employers.

Obama and his Democrat Congress have endowed future generations, unless soon reversed, not with liberty but with historically unprecedented levels of debt, which will enslave them to hyperinflation.

Conservatives and liberals can argue various policy points ad nauseam, but the question Americans are asking in greater numbers is this: Are we a nation governed by Rule of Law or the contemporaneous opinions of men?

History provides us with repeated evidence that the terminus of nations that are governed by men rather than laws is tyranny. In the last century alone, hundreds of millions have been enslaved under statist dictators such as Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini, Franco, Hitler, Mao, Kruschev, Pol Pot, Ho Chi, Idi Amin, Castro, Hussein, Mugabe, Kim Jong-Il, Chavez, Hu Jintao and others.

Who might be next?

Warrior Defense Fund-Warrior Legacy Foundation

2009-12-16T15:53:00.002-05:00

Friends of the SEAL Trio awaiting Court Martial!

You've stood in line long enough. We now have the info you need for sending checks or for wiring money directly into the account (which is in the First Western Trust Bank, whose president is SEAL Lindsay Thomas Kough, Class 158). Using the information below, either mail or wire-transfer your contributions to help "The Trio."

Make your checks payable to "Warrior Legacy Foundation," and write "Warrior Defense Fund" (that's us) on the memo line. We have a totally separate account within a much-larger account.

FIRST WESTERN TRUST BANK

5460 South Quebec Street, Suite 200

Greenwood Village, CO 80111

ABA: 102007011

Credit Account Number: 2045486

Credit Account Name:

Warrior Legacy Foundation

Warrior Defense Fund

There is a Pay Pal account already set up, and links will be on the Warrior Legacy Foundation site; www.freetheseals.com; and a number of other www friendly sites.

In closing, you should be aware that this account is overseen by a 6-person Board of Advisors, at least two of whom are SEALs and another a lady who is VERY active in the military-support community. We have done all we know how to do to get this thing on the road and to incorporate strict oversight procedures over how the money is spent. I believe that we have done pretty well setting up this account.

Sensitivity Training Run Amock

2009-12-04T06:49:00.004-05:00

Weekly Standard:

Fort Hood's New Islamist Instructor
Over at the Corner, Andy McCarthy points out that Louay Safi, a top official at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), has been brought into Fort Hood to teach our troops about Islam. There’s just one problem. As McCarthy and others have reminded us, ISNA has a variety of disturbing ties to Islamic extremists and terrorists--and ISNA itself has been identified by federal prosecutors as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Here is one more ISNA tie worth remembering, adapted from a post I wrote in June. (Keep in mind that this same organization has sent an official to teach American servicemen about Islam.)

In a must-read expose on the financial ties between Saudi Arabia, including members of the royal family, and al Qaeda, the New York Times linked to several supporting documents [in June]. One of these documents is a dossier prepared by German criminal investigators in 2003. The Germans investigated the financial dealings of an organization called the Third World Relief Agency (TWRA), which moved hundreds of millions of dollars around in its sponsorship of terrorism.

TWRA was run by senior Bosnian government officials, and sponsored the relocation of hundreds, if not thousands, of jihadists to Bosnia to fight in the 1990s. While carrying out some legitimate humanitarian functions as a cover, TWRA was really a front for global terrorist operations.

And the ISNA was likely one of its donors.
The German criminal investigators' entry on ISNA reads (see this page on the Times’s web site):

Islamic Society of North America
Four credit entries by check were identified, whose sender where (sic) all indicated as “Dyewood Center I.S.N.A.” In total an amount of USD 102,197.85 was credited. This organization is likely to be the “Islamic Society of North America”, headquartered at Plainfield, Indiana, USA.

German criminal investigators concluded that ISNA’s six-figure donation to TWRA was split into four transfers between July and October of 1992.

What was TWRA doing at the time? It was funding the terror network that executed the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and orchestrated a follow-on attack against landmarks in the New York metro area.

As Evan Kohlmann explains in his book, Al-Qaida’s Jihad in Europe:

During the 1995 trial of conspirators charged with involvement in a terrorist plot to attack landmarks in New York, Clement Rodney Hampton-el, an American Muslim who trained in the Afghan camps run by Al-Qaida, confirmed that he had been smuggling money into the United States obtained from the Third World Relief Agency for the purpose of financing the military training in New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania of Arab-Afghan mujahideen destined for Bosnia.
Several graduates of these makeshift camps helped organize and carry out the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

That is just the tip of the iceberg. TWRA had ties to al Qaeda members and supporters the world over. Kohlmann notes that Osama bin Laden was suspected of donating “large sums of money” to TWRA to fund the jihad in Bosnia. Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, whose jihadists executed the World Trade Center bombing and organized the follow-on landmarks plot, was caught on tape talking to TWRA officials. TWRA “volunteered to spread” Rahman’s message and sell the Blind Sheikh’s “militant videotapes and sermons in mosques throughout Europe,” Kohlmann reported.

There’s more, of course. But it would take pages to summarize TWRA’s international jihadist activities, from transiting terrorists around the globe to arranging for massive arms shipments. In addition to Kohlmann’s book, TWRA’s violent legacy, including ties to al Qaeda, are spelled out in elaborate detail by John Schindler in his book, Unholy Terror. Schindler was formerly one of the NSA’s top analysts on the Balkans. He includes pages of details on TWRA’s terrorist activities.

ISNA's $100,000 was just a drop in TWRA's vast bucket. But still: The simple fact of the matter is that ISNA was helping to fund an al Qaeda-affiliated account used to sponsor jihad.
And now ISNA has supplied an instructor to teach our troops about Islam right before they are deployed to Afghanistan - at a U.S. military base that was just the target of a jihadist attack.
As McCarthy asks, “What on earth is this government doing, and will Congress please do something about it?”

Ecstasy-Apt Description of Obamanaut Nutroots

2009-12-03T10:12:00.001-05:00

Obama Ecstasy pills hit the streets
PALMVIEW, Texas - President Barack Obama's approval rating may be hovering in the 50 percent range, but that doesn't mean America's Commander-in-Chief isn't catching on with new constituents.
There is now a line of Ecstasy pills made in the image of the 44th president of the United States, according to Texas police who have snatched a batch off the streets.
Ecstasy is known for a sense of elation, diminished feelings of fear and anxiety, and ability to induce a sense of intimacy with others.
Perhaps a good Election Day strategy to get out the vote?
A stash of the brightly colored tablets was found Monday during a south Texas traffic stop.
Police in Palmview detained a driver after finding black tar heroin, cocaine, marijuana and several Ecstasy pills in the back of his car.
The drugs look like a "vitamin for kids," police spokesman Lenny Sanchez said.
Police say that other Ecstasy pills they found were made to look like the cartoon characters Homer Simpson and the Smurfs.
The 22-year-old driver is expected to face felony drug possession counts.
Palmview is near the border with Mexico.
No word on the driver's political affiliation.

George Will

2009-12-03T09:42:00.002-05:00

George Will -- This will not end well
Will gives Obama’s “tentative surgelet” in Afghanistan and it’s supporters a good rap on the snout in his column today.

“Tuesday, the Taliban heard a distant U.S. trumpet sounding withdrawal beginning in 19 months. Also hearing it were Afghans who must decide whether to bet their lives on the Americans, who will begin striking their tents in July 2011, or on the Taliban, who are not going home, because they are at home.

Many Democrats, who think the $787 billion stimulus was too small and want another one (but by another name), are flinching from the $30 billion one-year cost of the Afghan surge.

Considering that the GM and GMAC bailouts ($63 billion) are five times bigger than Afghanistan's gross domestic product ($12 billion), Democrats seem to be selective worriers about deficits. Of course, their real worry is how to wriggle out of their endorsement of the ‘necessary’ war in Afghanistan, which was a merely tactical endorsement intended to disparage the ‘war of choice’ in Iraq.”

The Hammer Is At Work Early

2009-12-03T08:07:00.001-05:00

Manifestations of the Magic Lost

Der Spiegel jumps ship: "Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false...It was two speeches in one. That is why it felt so false. Both dreamers and realists were left feeling distraught. The American president doesn't need any opponents at the moment. He's already got himself."

How long before an Obama Warrior cover?

And, in perhaps the most important measure of Obama's waning persuasive powers, Tom Hayden has...removed his Obama bumper sticker from his car, with these potent words of warning for the president:

We'll see. To be clear: I'll support Obama down the road against Sarah Palin, Lou Dobbs or any of the pitchfork carriers for the pre-Obama era. But no bumper sticker until the withdrawal strategy is fully carried out.

Grabbing Stuff from the Inbox

2009-12-02T09:38:00.004-05:00

DCExaminer
Chris Stirewalt
Good Stuff

New York Times -- Between the Lines, an Expansion in Pakistan
The president went to great pains to explain to the cadets at West Point and a skeptical American public how Afghanistan is not like Vietnam. He might have also explained what Pakistan isn’t like.It may seem surprising since he threw in most everything else – his domestic agenda, his avoidance of past American failures, his wish for a world without war, etc. But Pakistan – the world’s largest Islamic republic – is hard for President Obama to discuss.He has been escalating the clandestine American war in Pakistan for months, even as the nation’s 181 million residents become more suspicious of American involvement and of the American-backed government in Islamabad. As writers David Sanger and Eric Schmitt point out that while Obama did not say much about Pakistan Tuesday night, the thrust of his efforts in the region are focused there.“In recent months, in addition to providing White House officials with classified assessments about Afghanistan, the C.I.A. delivered a plan for widening the campaign of strikes against militants by drone aircraft in Pakistan, sending additional spies there and securing a White House commitment to bulk up the C.I.A.’s budget for operations inside the country. The expanded operations could include drone strikes in the southern province of Baluchistan, where senior Afghan Taliban leaders are believed to be hiding, officials said. It is from there that they direct many of the attacks on American troops, attacks that are likely to increase as more Americans pour into Afghanistan.‘The president endorsed an intensification of the campaign against Al Qaeda and its violent allies, including even more operations targeting terrorism safe havens,’ said one American official. ‘More people, more places, more operations.’”

Washington Post -- The puzzle for Congress: How to pay for plan
President Obama was very frank in saying that one of the reasons he had to end his Afghan surge in 18 months is that otherwise the cost will interfere with his domestic agenda.“The nation I’m most interested in building is our own,” Obama said. But even a short surge in Afghanistan might cost as much as another $45 billion on top of the $55 billion a year we’re already spending there.On the subject of how to get that money and press forward with the most expensive domestic agenda in generations, Obama was less frank.Writer Paul Kane looks at how war opposition, crippling debt, and a massive entitlement expansion will complicate Obama’s request for more funds.Conservatives want to divert domestic spending to the war, liberals want new taxes, and the president won’t say where he thinks the money should come from.As Examiner colleague Susan Ferrechio points out, opposition to the plan is spreading on the Right, further complicating the politics of paying for the president’s second surge.“Obama's proposal would place more than 200,000 troops altogether in Afghanistan and Iraq. If the troop level across both nations averages 75,000 through the next decade, the operations will cost an additional $867 billion -- more than the $848 billion health-care legislation the Senate is considering.”

New York Times -- Senators Pitch to Women and Elderly on Health Bill
The first proposed Democratic amendment to the Senate health bill would add almost $1 billion in taxpayer costs and outlaw low cost, bare-bones health insurance for women. The addition is intended to allay fears among women that government health care means fewer mammograms, etc.The first Republican amendment would eliminate cuts to popular government insurance programs for senior citizens. It was pandering too, but actually designed to kill the whole bill by eliminating half the source of its funding.Writers Robert Pear and David Herszenhorn show us what a long, dreadful process finishing this Senate bill will be.“Another centrist Democrat, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, said he would propose three amendments. One would impose tougher restrictions on the use of federal money for insurance covering abortions. Another would give states more control over any new government-run health plan. A third would eliminate a proposed new federal program providing insurance for the costs of long-term care.”

Wall Street Journal -- Climate Scientist Steps Down
The scandal surrounding the suppression of scientific doubts about man-made global warming by top climate researchers continues to roll along, now with resignation of Phil Jones, head of the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit.With the president eight days away from his remarks at the international carbon summit in Denmark, it seems a bad time for a meltdown in the climate control sector.“On Wednesday, President Barack Obama's top science adviser -- John Holdren, a climate scientist who sent one email among those hacked and posted -- is due to testify on Capitol Hill. The House committee holding the hearing has billed it as a way to explore ‘the urgent, consensus view...that global warming is real, and the science indicates that it is getting worse.’ Dr. Holdren's office declined to comment. Dr. Holdren has long spoken of the ‘overwhelming’ evidence of man-made global warming.”

Wall Street Journal -- ObamaCare at Any Cost
The latest swoon on Capitol Hill is over a Congressional Budget Office report that shows only 20 percent of Americans would see big increases in their health insurance premiums while taxpayer-funded subsidies will hold down increases for most consumers.The Journal editorial page does a thorough job of debunking the notion that higher premiums for some and subsidized premiums for others is a good value. “We have now reached the stage of the health-care debate when all that matters is getting a bill passed, so all news is good news, more subsidies mean lower deficits, and more expensive insurance is really cheaper insurance. The nonpolitical mind reels.Consider how Washington received the Congressional Budget Office's study Monday of how Harry Reid's Senate bill will affect insurance costs, which by any rational measure ought to have been a disaster for the bill. CBO found that premiums in the individual market will rise by 10% to 13% more than if Congress did nothing. Family policies under the status quo are projected to cost $13,100 on average, but under ObamaCare will jump to $15,200.

Thanks Are Due

2009-12-02T08:15:00.002-05:00

I need to take a minute and tell everyone Thank You for all the support you gave my family and me over the past two weeks. It was overwhelming and humbling.

Susan Keating wrote a nice post after our conversation this past Sunday. Laughing Wolf has been grabbing my tweets and re-tweeting and updating over at Blackfive.

I appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers you have sent my way.

Jihad In America

2009-12-02T08:03:00.001-05:00

One year of Jihad in America
Christopher Holton
This was never a war on "terrorism." Jihad is being waged against us and we have tied ourselves in knots to deny that reality. When will we wake up?

There is mounting evidence that the global Jihadist insurgency is fully entrenched in the United States After the Fort Hood massacre news services seem divided between those hell-bent-for-leather on denying that the Fort Hood massacre was a case of anything other than a persecuted loner "snapping" and those who proclaimed it the first "terrorist" attack on U.S. soil since September 11th.

This focus is wrong. Fort Hood was an act of Jihad and that's really all that matters: It is essential that we find out how extensive Nidal Malik Hasan's ties to other Jihadists were. Of this there can be no doubt.

But we must refrain from entering into a debate on what amounts largely to semantics about whether or not the Fort Hood massacre was an act of "terrorism." We need to get away from focusing on the term "terrorism" anyway. Some observers still don't consider the 1983 Beirut Barracks bombing by Hezbollah, which killed 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers, an act of "terrorism" because, by some widely recognized definitions, attacks on combatants cannot be termed "terrorism."

!!!Norfolk 7 December UPDATE!!!

2009-12-02T01:22:00.001-05:00

VIA EMAIL!!!
Subject: New Updates:
Right now it looks like the event will take place off base (on public property), just outside one of the main entrances to Naval Station. Like I said, I am completely unfamiliar with the area, so any help as to where we need to setup would be greatly appreciated.

We are still trying to find out the exact time that the arraignment will take place so we can plan on centering the event around that time. Unconfirmed reports have said that it is expected to being sometime around 10:00am EST, but I will update everyone once I know for sure.

Also, it is expected that the arraignment will go fairly quick, so I'm guessing a 1-2hr rally would be perfect.Since the gathering will be taking place on public property, the City of Norfolk requires us to have a permit if there are more than 50 people.

Right now I am working on nailing down a special events insurance policy so we can get the application submitted for the permit. We're cutting it close, but the City of Norfolk is working with us to get it done.

Some of you may have noticed that I changed the name of the event from "Protest" to "Support Rally". I want us to take the focus off protesting and instead shift it to better represent what our purpose is; supporting these SEALs. The last thing we want is to bring negative attention to the coverage surrounding these guys.

With that said, I ask that we do our best to make this event as peaceful as possible, while expressing our support.I have contacted several local news stations in the area and so far, WAVY-TV 10 will have a news crew out to cover the rally. Please take the time to notify every media outlet you can; the more coverage, the better.

United Conservatives of Virginia: Fool's Errand?!?!?

2009-12-01T22:51:00.001-05:00

United Conservatives of Virginia: Fool's Errand?!?!?

The Daily Grind

2009-12-01T07:28:00.002-05:00

From Mary Katharine via the Weekly Standard

The Daily Grind
Ain't no party like a holiday Tea Party, 'cause a holiday Tea Party don't stop.

Democracy Corps: "The survey found that voters now say, by a three-point margin (45% to 42%), that Republicans would do a better job on the economy than Democrats. That’s a change from the 16-point lead Democrats had in May on the question of managing the economy, and marks the first time since 2002 that Republicans have had a lead on the issue."

Obama rhetoric flashback from March 2009: "So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future. That’s the goal that must be achieved. That is a cause that could not be more just. And to the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: We will defeat you."

California is making almost every other state government look good.

Family Guy spoofs Chris Matthews: "My forehead, my rules."

"I think 'Hide the decline' is a pretty hard phrase to 'interpret' in any benign way, and a pretty easy way for anyone to get up to speed with what what's going on. It's already a song, and a T-shirt."

ClimateGate: Following the money

Another one bites the dust: "I've always said, if there's a state that would never pass a smoking ban, it's Virginia."

Dana Milbank takes this important moment, a year into Barack "You guys make a great photo-op" Obama's presidency, to bash Bush and Sarah Palin for making the military into political props.

Clive Crook: "Intellectual corruption" and "statistical incompetence" is what trillions of dollars in potential public policy are relying on.

It's come to this: Obama ruins Christmas. "ABC announced today that it too will carry the speech. Originally scheduled programs, including "A Charlie Brown Christmas," will now air next Tuesday at 8pmET."

Good news: Paul Krugman will be at the jobs summit!

Center for American Progress wants a timeline from Obama.

If You Cannot Make It To Norfolk on Monday 7 December

2009-11-30T08:06:00.004-05:00

Where is Jethro Gibbs when you really need him?

Sometimes that's when justice must be served and I understand perfectly. Write or call and let the Navy know how you feel about this.

PLEASE, even if you cannot make it because it’s just too far or you have other commitments, invite everyone on your friend list and encourage them to do the same. We have one week to get the word out and we need this to reach the right people.

Voice your opinion by contacting the following:
To file a citizen complaint regarding the treatment of these Navy Seals, please call 813-828-4976 on Monday...
or send emails now to holly.silkman@soccent.centcom.mil
US Navy
Judge Advocate General's Corps :
The Office of the JudgeAdvocate General :
Public Affairs :
1322 Patterson Ave., Suite 3000 :
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5066
Comm: (202) 685-5493 :
Phone Numbers: Washington Navy Yard: (202) 685-5190 :
Pentagon, Room 4C642:
(703) 614-7420 :
AJAG, Military Law :
1254 Charles Morris St., SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5047
Comm: (202) 685-7053

Bush's Fault, Blah Blah Blah

2009-11-29T23:25:00.006-05:00

Uncle Jimbo does not like to repeat himself especially when its so efffing simple to figure out on your own, IF, you take five minutes and think about it BUT he has graciously provided us with the facts on what happened in Tora Bora. You don't believe it? Thats your problem, not mine.

Afghanistan? Tora Bora?
Bush's fault forever
I grow bored of rehashing something we have been rehashing so long that the links to where I did an exhaustive analysis of it at Madison.com are no longer even active.

So Tora Bora, let me make this simple.

1. We invade A-Stan with small number of Spec Ops guys and partner w. Northern Alliance and in amazingly successful operation kick Taliban and al Qaeda asses.
2. Many of them die, some run to Paktia province, some (incl. bin Laden) run toward Pakistan and stop in highly-fortified Tora Bora.
3. We do the math and since Tora Bora is way the hell up high in the mountains figger out we would have a wicked time resupplying any troops we managed to get up there w/ our limited helicopter support and also they would be ambush bait for bad guys
who are real good at that.
4. So we decide to try the same thing that worked to kick their asses already. We partnered with local tribes to provide the manpower while we sent Spec Ops support and massive air power.
5. We push up there and even the Spec Ops guys have a helluva time because of the terrain. The local tribes more or less screw us and take the money but don't fight
much.
6. We still kills hundreds of Taliban and AQ but bin Laden slips off to become a ghost.
7. A talking point for the ignorant left, their enablers and military geniuses like F John Kerry (who served in Viet Nam) is born.
8. Rinse and repeat whenever the left needs a club to try and lose a war.
Next freakin' slide.
If you want to get back in the weeds on this again, Greyhawk is doing his usual
excellent job of journalizing.

Links

2009-11-24T20:25:00.002-05:00

Family Research Council

Family Security Matters

Heritage Foundation

MyHeritage.org

The Case for McChrystal's Plan

2009-11-23T14:39:00.001-05:00

The Case for McChrystal's Plan
The Foreign Policy Initiative has produced a very helpful fact sheet that makes the case for a fully resourced counterinsurgency strategy for Afghanistan. Read it here.

Just Send The Damn Troops Now or Bring The Other Ones Home NOW

2009-11-23T10:35:00.002-05:00

There are two options: fight or retreat. Half-stepping is what gets good men and women killed for no good reason. (You have no idea how much control I am exercising right now)

This is the result of lawyers and cowards being in charge. Zero is a do-nothing coward. A moozie loving, half brained lawyer twit with absolutely no business being in the position he is in.

New York Times -- In 3 Tacks for Afghan War, a Game of Trade-Offs

Another four American troops have been killed by enemy bombs in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours. That’s the backdrop as President Obama gets ready for his final decision-making push on his goals for the war after 12 weeks of reconsideration.

Writer Elisabeth Bumiller looks at the plusses and minuses of the three plans that apparently have survived the process. It’s a useful guide and clearly written. She also clearly is betting on the middle option.

“Should Mr. Obama send 20,000 troops, military analysts say, there would probably be no fourth brigade to use around the country, and parts of Helmand and the east would receive few if any additional troops. With this number, Mr. Obama would expect a greater contribution of troops from NATO allies (about 35,000 troops from other NATO countries are currently in Afghanistan). Much of the American mission would focus on training.

Administration officials estimate the cost of sending 30,000 more troops at $25 billion to $30 billion a year and the cost of sending 20,000 troops at $21 billion a year.”

Conservative Principles Based on Founding Principles

2009-11-12T09:06:00.003-05:00

There is much more to read after the jump. I encourage you, especially if you're an elected representative, to do so. The future of this Nation depends upon elected officials acting in the best interests of the people.

From Family Security Matters

The primary legitimate purpose of government is the protection of individual freedom, and conservatism, as a philosophy of freedom grounded in the ideas articulated as the basis of the founding of the nation, has, as its rationale, the preservation and enhancement of that great ideal. That is not just a general intellectual concept. It is a sacred, activist purpose.
Freedom to Work.
Conservatives should start the march to freedom by passing a national right to work law that applies, especially, to workers at all levels of government. In doing so, they will affirm the principle that no person should be limited in the work he does by the artificial imposition of involuntary membership in an organization of which he may not approve and whose message he does not support. Such legislation will recognize the unfairness of subjecting workers to the involuntary confiscation of their wages to underwrite a purely private organization pursuing purely private ends. It will unshackle millions of workers yearning for the freedom simply to do their jobs without, also, having to make a political statement. A national right to work law would enable workers to exercise their free choice and freedom must be conservatives’ mission.
Individual Prerogative.
If freedom is the agenda, conservative office holders must cancel any statute that limits individual freedom in the choice of health care. That includes anti-free market initiatives as well as coercive taxation. It includes legislation that forces individuals to purchase health insurance because such enactments violate the fundamental right of citizens to make their own choices. It includes any program that limits, through regulation, health care choices by making procedures and testing unavailable. It also means that any regulation that makes invidiously discriminatory rules limiting care based on immutable characteristics, such as age, should be prohibited to government.
Economic Liberty.
Ours is supposed to be a free society that protects freedom of enterprise and prohibits government from forcing citizens or companies to provide goods or services without payment. Doing so constitutes the unconstitutional taking of private property without compensation and forced labor on the part of those who must, by government mandate, provide service for free. A conservative agenda must include legislation that repeals federal law requiring the extension of health care services to anyone who shows up, regardless of the emergency or his ability to pay for service received. It should dismantle any public program that competes with the private sector and any tax on people or companies used to fund coverage for those who do not want or cannot afford it. Wealth transfer is not a legitimate function of government. It is the immoral theft of private resources.
State Autonomy.
Unfunded national mandates are breaking state budgets across the nation. The federal government should not be in the unsavory business of extorting cooperation from the states by working its unconstitutional will by threatening to withhold federal funding available to cooperative states from those that want to maintain their sovereignty and constitutional prerogatives. If a state is otherwise entitled to highway funds, for example, they must not be tied to a surrender of state power to federal authority. Conservatives should pass legislation that prohibits extortive federal bribery that impinges on state prerogative and warps the original state/federal relationship.

An Attempt To Set A Precedent

2009-11-11T11:30:00.003-05:00

I heard about this yesterday on the way to Newport News.

My first reaction was:"Maybe they're investigating the Recruiter Station vandalism"

I thought that because IndyMedia is the site that promotes and encourages the SDS and Black Bloc to be pro-active in anti-military activities and allows the posting of articles and follow-up comments from the students.

IndyMedia is the site where I recieved my first threat of physical violence should I decide to exercise my 1st Amendment right to assembly in Washington DC. That threat came from the same commenter who accused me of defacing the Viet Nam Memorial in Washington DC.

Then I thought, "No...no way" This is about setting a precedent for the potential shutdown of conservative blogs and news sites. IndyMedia walks hand in hand with the various nutroots from DU, DailyKos, and several other far-left extremist sites.

Justice Dept. Asked For News Site's Visitor Lists
Posted by Declan McCullagh

(AP / CBS)In a case that raises questions about online journalism and privacy rights, the U.S. Department of Justice sent a formal request to an independent news site ordering it to provide details of all reader visits on a certain day.
The grand jury subpoena also required the Philadelphia-based Indymedia.us Web site "not to disclose the existence of this request" unless authorized by the Justice Department, a gag order that presents an unusual quandary for any news organization.
Kristina Clair, a 34-year old Linux administrator living in Philadelphia who provides free server space for Indymedia.us, said she was shocked to receive the Justice Department's subpoena. (The Independent Media Center is a left-of-center amalgamation of journalists and advocates that – according to their principles of
unity and mission statement – work toward "promoting social and economic justice" and "social change.")
The subpoena (PDF) from U.S. Attorney Tim Morrison in Indianapolis demanded "all IP traffic to and from www.indymedia.us" on June 25, 2008. It instructed Clair to "include IP addresses, times, and any other identifying information," including e-mail addresses, physical addresses, registered accounts, and Indymedia readers' Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and so on.
"I didn't think anything we were doing was worthy of any (federal) attention," Clair said in a telephone interview with CBSNews.com on Monday. After talking to other Indymedia volunteers, Clair ended up calling the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco, which represented her at no cost.
Under long-standing Justice Department guidelines, subpoenas to members of the news media are supposed to receive special treatment. One portion of the guidelines, for instance, says that "no subpoena may be issued to any member of the news media" without "the express authorization of the attorney general" – that would be current attorney general Eric Holder – and subpoenas should be "directed at material information regarding a limited subject matter."
Still unclear is what criminal investigation U.S. Attorney Morrison was pursuing. Last Friday, a spokeswoman initially promised a response, but Morrison sent e-mail on Monday evening saying: "We have no comment."
The Justice Department in Washington, D.C. also declined to respond.
Kevin Bankston, a senior staff attorney at the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, replied to the Justice Department on behalf of his client in a February 2009 letter (PDF) outlining what he described as a series of problems with the subpoena, including that it was not personally served, that a judge-issued court order would be required for the full logs, and that Indymedia did not store logs in the first place.
Morrison replied in a one-sentence letter saying the subpoena had been withdrawn.
Around the same time, according to the EFF, the group had a series of discussions with assistant U.S. attorneys in Morrison's office who threatened Clair with possible prosecution for obstruction of justice if she disclosed the existence of the already-withdrawn subpoena -- claiming it "may endanger someone's health" and would have a "human cost."
Lucy Dalglish, the executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of The Press, said a gag order to a news organization wouldn't stand up in court: "If you get a subpoena and you're a journalist, they can't gag you." Dalglish said that a subpoena being issued and withdrawn is not unprecedented.
"I have seen any number of these things withdrawn when counsel for someone who is claiming a reporter's privilege says, 'Can you tell me the date you got approval from the attorney general's office'... I'm willing to chalk this up to bad lawyering on the part of the DOJ, or just not thinking."
Making this investigation more mysterious is that Indymedia.us is an aggregation site, meaning articles that appear on it were published somewhere else first, and there's no hint about what sparked the criminal probe.
Clair, the system administrator, says that no IP (Internet Protocol) addresses are recorded for Indymedia.us, and non-IP address logs are kept for a few weeks and then discarded. EFF's Bankston wrote a second letter to the government saying that, if it needed to muzzle Indymedia, it should apply for a gag order under the section of federal law that clearly permits such an order to be issued.
Bankston's plan: To challenge that law on First Amendment grounds. But the Justice Department never replied. "This is the first time we've seen them try to get the IP address of everyone who visited a particular site," Bankston said.
"That it was a news organization was an additional troubling fact that implicates First Amendment rights."
This is not, however, the first time that the Feds have focused on Indymedia -- a Web site whose authors sometimes blur the line between journalism, advocacy, and on-the-streets activism.
In 2004, the Justice Department sent a grand jury subpoena asking for information about who posted lists of Republican delegates while urging they be given an unwelcome reception at the party's convention in New York City that year.
A Indymedia hosting service in Texas once received a subpoena asking for server logs in relation to an investigation of an attempted murder in Italy. Bankston has written a longer description of the exchange of letters with the Justice Department, which he hopes will raise awareness of how others should respond to similar legal demands for Web logs, customer records, and compulsory silence.
"Our fear is that this kind of bogus gag order is much more common than one would hope, considering they're legally baseless," Bankston says. "We're telling this story in hopes that more providers will press back and go public when the government demands their silence."
Update 1:59pm E.T.: A Justice Department official familiar with this subpoena just told me that the attorney general's office never saw it and that it had not been submitted to the department's headquarters in Washington, D.C. for review. If that's correct, it suggests that U.S. Attorney Tim Morrison and Assistant U.S. Attorney Doris Pryor did not follow department regulations requiring the "express authorization of the attorney general" for media subpoenas -- and it means that neither Attorney General Eric Holder nor Acting Attorney General Mark Filip were involved. I wouldn't be surprised to see an internal investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility; my source would not confirm or deny that.

For God and Country I Lend You A Life

2009-11-11T09:07:00.001-05:00

Baghdad Bob Gibbs Minister of Propaganda

2009-11-09T15:47:00.003-05:00

Patriot Post on Liberty

"Can Washington Make You Buy Health Insurance?"

Yes, yes, says White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Congress has the power to make everyone buy health insurance.

'I don't believe there's a lot of case law that would demonstrate the veracity' of comments to the contrary.

Thank you, Mr. Justice Gibbs. We'll see about all that when -- if -- the matter of Congress' power over private commercial judgments of this nature gets to the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile the knock-down, drag-out over health insurance 'reform' shouldn't be allowed to fuzz up another immensely vital question; to wit, how in James Madison's name have we reached the point that Congress can so much as contemplate telling you, and you, and you, and all of us that we'll buy health insurance, like it or not, Buster?
Why do we have to? Because the government says so, isn't that reason enough? For Mr. Justice Gibbs, and the people who employ him, it is. Just about anything Congress decides to do in the name of uplift seems to be constitutional: In other words, in accord with written stipulations as to what the national government may and may not do.
Several problems arise concerning this fine theory:
-- It's nonsense. It contravenes the whole constitutional concept of divided powers: particular functions reserved to particular branches of government. And other powers divided between states and the national government.
-- It threatens liberty. A government that knows no limits to its power can be counted on to step more and more heavily on citizens' rights and privileges. All for the 'general good' naturally!
-- It divides the citizens. On the one hand, those who want particular favors from government; on the other hand, those who deny that government has the right to dispense such favors.
The Obama administration, which desperately wants health care to pass, brushes off such concerns as cranky and relevant mainly to wild-eyed Limbaugh and Palin fans, when in fact concerns about the rightful exercise of government power should inform every legislative debate. Those it doesn't inform are likely to end badly. Majority support of this or that initiative doesn't legitimize the initiative."

--William Murchison, senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation

United Conservatives of Virginia: Military.com Article on Asshat Mooozzziee Murderer

2009-11-06T19:58:00.001-05:00

United Conservatives of Virginia: Military.com Article on Asshat Mooozzziee Murderer

United Conservatives of Virginia: A Soldier Died Today

2009-11-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

United Conservatives of Virginia: A Soldier Died Today

United Conservatives of Virginia: Best Sign From Yesterday's House Call

2009-11-06T19:57:00.000-05:00

United Conservatives of Virginia: Best Sign From Yesterday's House Call

PTSD In Ft Hood Shooting??

2009-11-06T07:19:00.002-05:00

BEFORE DEPLOYMENT???
The idiot has never been in combat. He should never have been in the Army.

Naw. I ain't buying that for a minute.
PRE-Traumatic Stress Disorder my butt.

Another legal tactic to get this murderer a reduced sentence.

Try him and fry him.

The Useful Idiots Outnumber Us

2009-11-05T12:47:00.005-05:00

Zero was elected because he is black. That is the only reason he was elected, because when enough people who don't care about anything but skin color, decide to vote for the "brother", the deal was done and I get it. They wanted to be the ones who put the first black American in office, and nothing else mattered.

The extreme left in this country, the really dangerous ultra-liberal extremists, knew this would happen. They knew they could put this man in office, because they knew that most of the people who would be voting for him do not read newspapers, do not listen to news program, or understand the concept of socialism and how evil it is, and the ones who do read, listen and pay attention, didn't care, because it was more important to put a black Amercian in the White House.

The Brushfires of Freedom
In November 2008, it was difficult to accept that a majority of our countrymen had fallen into such a stupor that they could be lulled by the dullard droll of "hope 'n' change"; that they could be conned into electing an inexperienced charlatan, an unapologetic socialist, to the office of president.
At the time, Obama's politically moderate supporters scoffed at the charges of socialism, but unlike Bill Clinton, who ran to the center after being elected, Obama has run as fast and far to the left as possible, just short of publicly declaring our Constitution null and void.
Too many Americans have been complacent about liberty, believing it to be their birthright and the birthright of generations to come. They have enjoyed the fruit of liberty defended by others, taking rights for granted and knowing nothing of the obligations for maintaining that blessing. Most Americans have never had to fight for liberty and, thus, have little concept of its value or any sense of gratitude for its
accumulated cost -- a cost paid by generations of Patriots who have pledged their Lives, their Fortunes and their Sacred Honor.
I encourage you to take heart, though, because change is coming, and not the variety proffered by Obama and his ilk.
There is a groundswell of conservative activism rising up across our great nation, as citizens are awakening to this ominous threat of constitutional adulteration and tyranny. Citizens are speaking out for liberty at public forums, attending grassroots "Tea Parties," making a stand for Liberty.
The first real political results of that uprising were manifest in the elections of Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie to the executive branches of the states of Virginia and New Jersey, respectively. Each of these men vanquished a Democrat opponent for whom Barack Obama had extensively campaigned, and each had done so in a state that Obama had easily carried a year earlier. McDonnell's 18-point victory in Virginia, for example, represented a 25-point turnabout from Obama's 7-point margin in 2008.

Lets get a few things out of the way:
It is not conservative Americans who want to control your life...its liberals.
It is not conservative Americans who want to come into your bedroom...its liberals.
It is not conservative Americans who want to run every aspect of government and the economy...its liberals.

I am a consevative American. I don't care what you do or where you do it, as long as you extend me the same courtesey, and don't force me to accept or acknowledge that what you're doing is any more correct than what I'm doing, because that is not the way I think.

Like I said, I DON'T CARE!!! unless you restrict what I can do. That is when we will have issues.

Once you accept that it is conservative Americans that want everyone to be free to succeed or fail, you will be more inclined to understand that liberals are the problem.

Heritage Morning Bell - Cap and Tax

2009-11-05T11:12:00.003-05:00

Cap And Trade’s Mandates And Subsidies Are Wrong
Following major defeats at the ballot box on Tuesday, the left’s legislative agenda suffered another huge setback yesterday when once wavering Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) all signed a letter supporting Sen. George Voinovich’s (R-OH) demand that the Environmental Protection Agency provide a thorough analysis of how the Kerry-Boxer cap and trade legislation will impact the U.S. economy. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) had been pressing for swift passage of her cap and tax legislation, but conservatives on the Environment and Public Works Committee thwarted her efforts by boycotting a vote on the legislation Tuesday.

An EPA analysis on the economic costs of cap and trade is no small issue. If Tuesday’s elections proved anything, it is that jobs and economic growth are the top concern on Americans’ minds. The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis has found that cap and tax legislation would cost the average family-of-four almost $3,000 per year, cause 2.5 million net job losses by 2035, and a produce a cumulative gross domestic product (GDP) loss of $9.4 trillion between 2012 and 2035. The EPA has issued preliminary reports reaching different conclusions; including an October 23 report on Kerry-Boxer that found it would only cost the average American family $80 to $111 dollars per year.

There are many fundamental problems with that EPA report, none more glaring than their fanciful assumption that nuclear power generation will nearly double in the next 25 years. This is the equivalent of about 100 additional nuclear power plants. The reality is that in the past 30 years, not one new nuclear power plant has been licensed. More importantly, the Kerry-Boxer approach to reviving the nuclear energy relies on the same failed policies that have crippled the U.S. nuclear energy for the past 30 years. Heritage fellows Jack Spencer and Nick Loris explain:

Washington has a role to play in reducing financial barriers, but not by funding projects with taxpayer dollars. The regulatory costs and uncertainty posed by the federal bureaucracy represent significant risk to the success of the nuclear industry, just as regulatory uncertainty significantly affected the timing and budget of past nuclear plant construction. Indeed, this risk and uncertainty results in the higher prices that are most often used to justify government subsidies for nuclear projects. Efforts to reduce that risk by reforming the most obvious areas, such as the regulatory process and waste management, are nowhere to be found in the bill.
Instead, the bill attempts to reduce the financial risk caused by regulatory delays and technological development by expanding the federal government’s responsibility — and authority — on the technical side. It promotes government intervention into areas that are either unnecessary or that should reside solely in the private sector. For example, the Boxer-Kerry bill creates a research and development program to assess plant aging, improve plant performance, engineer safer fuels, and lower overall costs. These are all areas currently being addressed by the private sector and already supported by public institutions and funds.

Instead of handing out more government subsidies to compensate for increased government regulation, Congress should be heading in the exact opposite direction. What the nuclear industry really needs is an end to market distorting loan guarantees, a streamlined permit process for new plants and reactor designs, market reforms for nuclear waste management, and the ability to recycle spent fuel. America can create thousands of new jobs through an expansion of the energy sector. But just as with oil, coal, and natural gas, the less government intervention in the market, the better.

White House Behind Dede's Endorsement of Dhimmi

2009-11-02T07:50:00.003-05:00

No big surprise. The ballerina told her to dance and she did the two-step.

'Republican' Scozzafava endorses Democrat against Conservative Party's Hoffman
UPDATED!
By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
11/01/09 2:49 PM EST

Only hours after suspending her campaign for the good of the Republican Party, liberal Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava has now endorsed Democrat Bill Owens for in Tuesday's special election to fill the upstate New York congressional seat vacated by Rep. John McHugh, R-NY.

In a statement published by the Watertown Daily Times and linked at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee web site, Scozzafava encouraged voters to support her former Democratic opponent instead of Conservative Party of New York nominee Doug Hoffman, who is in a dead heat with Owens, according to polls.

"I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same," Scozzafava said. "In Bill Owens, I see a sense of duty and integrity that will guide him beyond political partisanship. He will be an independent voice devoted to doing what is right for New York. Bill understands this district and its people, and when he represents us in Congress he will put our interests first."

In her statement Friday announcing suspension of her campaign Scozzafava said "I am and have always been a proud Republican. It is my hope that with my actions today, my party will emerge stronger ..."

UPDATE: No surprise, says CP head Mike Long, chairman of the Conservative Party of New York is not surprised to hear of Scozzafava's endorsement of Democrat Bill Owens: "We always said Assemblywoman Scozzafava and Bill Owens were a pair of liberals. Doug Hoffman remains the only alternative to giving Nancy Pelosi another vote for her liberal agenda in Congress."

Similarly, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which has been among the most aggressive and effective national organizations working for Hoffman, had this to say about Scozzafava's latest decision:

“By her actions today Dede Scozzafava has confirmed why it was so important for conservatives and people who care about the GOP to get involved in this race." Doug Hoffman's candidacy is based upon the core principles of limited government, lower taxes and strong family values."
When a GOP candidacy is not based on fundamental conservative values, the party and the principles are inevitably betrayed at critical moments."In this race and in future races, we will stand for the candidates who firmly believe in these fundamental American ideals. These principles are not only right, they are the path to electoral victory."

UPDATE II: Why can't moderates play nice with conservatives?
RedState.com's Erick Erickson notes multiple examples of moderate GOPers losing primary battles with more conservative challengers, then either endorsing the Democrat or doing little or nothing to help the Republican candidate.

Playing nice has to go both ways, Erickson writes: "All the time we hear conservatives can’t win the general' and 'conservatives should play nice with moderates.' The record shows that the moderates cannot take losing and conservatives don’t win the general because the moderate GOP stabs them in the back. If we are a team, it can’t just be the conservative players in trouble for not passing the ball."

UPDATE III: White House, Schumer moved Scozzafava
White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, lobbied Scozzafava to endorse Owens, according to the Watertown Daily News, quoting Schumer's spokesman.

I Wonder How the Minority Whip Feels Now?

2009-11-01T18:12:00.003-05:00

Like a Prom Queen who just got dumped? Like an FNG in the prison shower? Like a gambler who just lost on the Trifecta? When will the Republican Party learn they are not running things any longer?

From Michelle via Twitter:

Hey, how did that six-figure RNC donation to the NRCC plus $85,000 to the New York GOP plus nearly half-million-dollar investment in advertising and other independent expenditures on behalf of radical leftis Dede Scozzafava work out?

She repaid the GOP by endorsing Democrat candidate Bill Owens.
Some gratitude, eh?

“Since beginning my campaign, I have told you that this election is not about me; it’s about the people of this District,” Scozzafava wrote in an e-mail sent to supporters this afternoon.
“It is in this spirit that I am writing to let you know I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same.”

I repeat: One thing is guaranteed at the conclusion of the NY-23 special congressional election: The Beltway Republicans who endorsed radical leftist Dede Scozzafava are going to have indelible egg stains on their faces. And GOP establishment fund-raising organizations will be the poorer for it.
Suckers.
***
TCOT Report: “The NRCC and RNC Just Spent $1 Million on Dede Scozzafava. This is their reward.”

The shadow of Big Labor looms:

At 10 p.m. last night – right in the middle of the Halloween festivities – Scozzafava’s husband, Ron McDougall, president of the Jefferson/Lewis/St. Lawrence Central Labor Council issued a statement through the AFL-CIO that he is endorsing Owens against Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman.

According to his statement, it basically all comes down to support of the labor movement’s top priority, the Employee Free Choice Act and its controversial card-check provision, which Owens and Scozzafava supported – much to the chagrin of the right – and Hoffman pointedly does not.
“This has been a difficult day for my family. But the needs and concerns of the men and women of the 23rd Congressional District remain paramount,” McDougall said. “As such, I wholeheartedly and without reservation endorse the candidacy of Bill Owens.”

“As a life-long labor activist, I know that Bill Owens understands the issues important to working people. On the other hand, Doug Hoffman has little regard for the interests of workers.”

“Hoffman’s opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act, coupled with his support for the failed policies of the Bush Administration make him a poor choice to serve the citizens of the 23rd Congressional District.”

I Am A Warrior and This Is My Song

2009-10-31T14:25:00.002-04:00

Last week when I first looked at this, there were a little over 2,500 views. There are now over 65,000 views. I think we need to keep this in view.

NY-23 Is the "Tipping Point"

2009-10-31T13:04:00.004-04:00

I'm not shilling for the NRT. This is not a request for contributions. It's information to reinforce the mind-set that conservative principles and values are making a comeback.

Since Scozzafava has dropped out, the outcome of the Special Election in NY-23 seems pretty obvious. Barring interference from outside agitators like ACORN or SEIU, Doug Hoffman will be the new representative for the 23rd District of New York.

In the past 9 months, we have seen some of the most blatant attempts to sabotage and circumvent the Constitution that have ever been tried. Some are succeeding. We will need to overturn these successes in the next session of Congress, and to do that, we will need true Constitutional Conservatives.

Doug Hoffman is the beginning of the conservative movement's efforts to take Congress back to the original intent of the Founding Fathers. The "Republican" leadership in the House will be measured by how well they adapt to the new/old ideas of governing.

Its time for the conservatives in Congress to put a stop to the socialist ideas being pushed down the throats of American citizens. Its time to recognize that the Constitution tells Congress what they can and cannot do.

The Constitution is the Law.
Everything else is a regulation.

The National Republican Trust identified this race months ago as critical to conservatives and has worked tirelessly since to rally other conservatives to this righteous cause. NOW ALL EYES ARE ON THIS ELECTION!
National conservatives from across the country continue to answer the call to action by endorsing and fighting to elect Hoffman. The list includes Sarah Palin, Rush
Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Tim Pawlenty, George Pataki, Michele Malkin, Fred Thompson, Rick Santorum, Steve Forbes, Dick Armey, Michele Bachmann, The New York Post, American Conservative Union, Club for Growth and many more.
We may be the underdogs but we are positioned to deliver a stunning upset to the
liberal media, radical Democrats and unprincipled GOP insiders. A win for either of the liberal establishment candidates is a win for Obama, Pelosi and their liberal allies.
A conservative victory over two liberal major party candidates will rock the political establishment and become the springboard for taking back the Republican Party and our Country from the far left and squishy Republican appeasers that kowtow to every radical, media driven whim.
A victory in NY-23 will be a victory of principle over party, and will set the tone for the remainder of the legislative cycle. Congressional members will have to think twice, and then a third time, before casting their values aside to gain short-term political favors.
An upset victory by Doug Hoffman will kick-off the conservative resurgence in 2010 and A RETURN TO THE PRINCIPLES OF RONALD REAGAN.

OOPS!!!

2009-10-30T09:39:00.002-04:00

I saw this late last night after the FreedomWorks event, but was too tired to post it.

Washington Post -- 7 on defense panel scrutinized

A sloppy staffer for the House Ethics committee accidentally left a July report on a public server and now the committee's primary job -- providing cover for members of the House under fire for bad actions -- is in jeopardy on a number of cases.We got to see a bit about perennial problems for Reps Charlie Rangel and Alan Mollohan, but no news there (except that the FBI was sniffing around Mollohan again). But we got an eyeful on the relationship between the PMA defense contractor lobbying group and Rep. John Murtha and his merry band of earmarkers on the defense appropriations subcommittee
If you've already had your breakfast or just have a strong stomach, it's certainly must reading.
Take it away, Carol Leonnig "The investigations by two separate ethics offices include an examination of the chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on defense, John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), as well as others who helped steer federal funds to clients of the PMA Group. The lawmakers received campaign contributions from the firm and its clients.
A document obtained by The Washington Post shows that the subcommittee members under scrutiny also include Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.), James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.). The document also indicates that the House ethics committee's staff recently interviewed the staff of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) about his allegation that a PMA lobbyist threatened him in 2007 when he resisted steering federal funds to a PMA client. The lobbyist told a Nunes staffer that if the lawmaker didn't help, the defense contractor would move out of Nunes's district and take dozens of jobs with him."

Kill Cap and Trade

2009-10-30T08:05:00.002-04:00

Save the planet? Kill cap-and-trade
Examiner Editorial October 30, 2009

If members of Congress need yet another reason to kill the Waxman-Markey bill, the Obama administration's economy-suffocating, job-destroying energy program, Princeton University's Tim Searchinger and his colleagues have a humdinger: Carbon reduction laws encourage widespread deforestation as trees and other vegetation are harvested to produce energy from biomass to replace oil and gas. The problem is that in long run, this process actually increases greenhouse gas emissions, which cap-and-trade is meant to reduce, according to Searchinger.
The Princeton researcher's paper, published Oct. 23 in Science, points out that almost all prior global warming studies failed to take into account the carbon emissions that result from converting cropland and forests to energy production. This accounting error treats all bio-energy as carbon-neutral, the authors say, despite the fact that burning wood and clearing land actually releases quite a large quantity of carbon into the atmosphere.
"By using a worldwide agricultural model to estimate emissions from land-use change, we found that corn-based ethanol, instead of producing a 20% savings, nearly doubles greenhouse emissions over 30 years and increases greenhouse gases for 167 years," the Princeton authors say. "Biofuels from switchgrass, if grown on U.S. corn lands, increase emissions by 50%." Neither the Kyoto Protocol, the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, nor existing European cap-and-trade programs have taken into account widespread deforestation as farmers worldwide respond to the new economic incentives, Searchinger added.

FreedomWorks Virginia

2009-10-29T23:26:00.006-04:00

Thursday, October 29, 2009

FreedomWorks in Richmond With Dick Armey and John Taylor
Cross-posted on UCV and The Talon

Revised and extended

The first official FreedomWorks Virginia event went off without a hitch tonight down at Europa Italian Cafe on E. Cary St. I highly recommend this resturant. Its easy to get to, plenty of parking less than half a block from the door. Go spend money and tell 'em FreedomWorks sent ya'.

We had about 100 folks in attendance, and some of those folks drove from as far as Rockbridge and Shennandoah County to hear Dick Armey, John Taylor from Tertium Quids, Nan Swift from FreedomWorks, Tabitha Hale from SmartGirlPolitics, and Josh Eboch newest member of the FreedomWorksVA team, speak on issues near and dear to the hearts of Virginians.

FreedomWorks, and Virginia, are very lucky to have such talented, intelligent, motivated individuals.

Doc Thompson was under the weather, but one of the best stand-ins ever filled in for him. Scott Lee from The Lee Brothers did the Emcee duties and he was, well, he was Scott Lee.

There may be an addition to a segment on the Lee Brothers radio show on Saturday mornings. Seems Scott is a huge fan of good BBQ sauce, and since I happen to know where to get some primo, Scott came up with an idea. I'll let him develop it as he sees fit, but stay tuned. This may get sticky. ;)

Be sure to listen to Doc on Friday. He's going to have a film crew from the BBC in the studio with him. I met them tonight. A lot of Britons are going to get introduced to some real Americans when this documentary on Cap and Trade gets broadcast in England on BBC2.

Once the Virginia election is over, and we have a conservative majority back in charge, the real work begins. The mission is the re-affirmation of the sovereignty of the several states and the rights of those states to conduct business without unneccessary government regulations.

We'll be directly involved working to protect the jobs and the standard of living of the citizens of the Commwealth by encouraging the passage of legislation that enhances domestic energy production and promotes self-reliance and personal responsibility.

We need to stop cap and trade in its tracks. We need to protect the people who provide us with uninterrupted power. We need to drive a stake through the heart of restrictions on domestic energy production. We need to push hard for the House of Delegates and the VA Senate to recognize that the federal government does not have the final word on the welfare of the citizens. The Commonwealth has the right and obligation to defend the rights and property of its citizens.

The 10th Amendment is law. It is clear.

Josh is moving to Richmond and will be the point man for FreedomWorks Virginia. If you have something you think FreedomWorksVA can help with, please leave a comment here and we'll do what we we're allowed by law or you can hit him from the FreedomWorks site.

It starts here. It starts now. In Virginia. Where it began the first time. Its time for Virginia citizens to once again mark their place in history.

The Constitution is the Law.
Everything else is just a regulation.

Heritage Foundation and Prince Harry's Healthcare

2009-10-28T19:57:00.005-04:00

MyHeritage.org
If you don't get MyHeritage, you are under-informed, my friend.

October 28, 2009 By Amanda Reinecker

'Gigantic, unintelligible, unaffordable, over-regulatory, federal legislation'

After 13 days of secret, closed-door negotiations on health care legislation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced Monday that he had reached an agreement with Senators Chris Dodd (D-MT) and Max Baucus (D-CT), and three top administration officials. Unfortunately, Senator Reid did not tell the American people much else.

Even many lawmakers remain in the dark regarding the outcome of this "secret deal that Senator Reid wants to get passed and signed into law 'this year,'" writes
Heritage Senate Relations expert Brian Darling.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, summed it up: "It will be a thousand-page, trillion-dollar bill that raises premiums, raises taxes and slashes Medicare for our seniors to create new government spending programs. That's not reform."

Even as some of the final details of the bill do go public, it is likely that lawmakers won't know in advance entirely what it is they are voting on. This is because the legislation the Senate Finance Committee "agreed" to -- all 1,502 pages of it -- is the most massive piece of legislation ever introduced by Congress.

But length isn't the only record the "America's Healthy Future Act of 2009" claims, as Heritage health policy analyst Ed Haislmaier notes. "For the first time in fifteen years, [Congress] has set a new all-time division record for gigantic, unintelligible, unaffordable, over-regulatory, federal legislation."

What we do know about Reid's 'secret deal'
Although Senator Reid did not go into great detail about the health care "reform" legislation, he did mention that bill includes a government-run health insurance "option" that would "compete" against private health plans.

In an attempt to gain much-needed support from skeptical moderates in both parties, liberals have added a new twist to the "public option": a provision allowing states to opt out of the program. This would require states to pass legislation by 2014 rejecting participation in the federal government run plan.

But this new wrinkle is really more of the same, warns Heritage health policy analyst Nina Owcharenko. "This latest Senate ploy creates the illusion of an 'option' rather than making any fundamental changes to the controversial proposal."

Owcharenko explains why this "opt-out" model is just another government-run plan that is guaranteed to fail:

States can only opt-out of the government-run plan, not the entire bill. But the rest of the bill contains hundreds of provisions, such as the expansion of Medicaid, which will place major financial burdens on the states.
It is still a government-run plan because the government will require non-participating states to meet federal conditions. These government-determined conditions could include the creation of state-level public options that mirror the federal plan.
States will likely select the public "option" because of the bureaucracy and enormous administrative complexity required for a state opt-out. Federal conditions will limit states' ability to create alternatives.
State innovation will suffer under the massive health care proposal's employer and individual mandates, and government micromanagement of an industry that represents one-sixth of our economy.
So even though the states would be able to "opt out" of the government-run health insurance program, the federal government will make it very difficult to do so. And for the few states that do succeed in withdrawing, the government will still dominate their health care systems.

A true state "opt-out" provision would allow states to opt out of the bill in its entirety, argues Owcharenko. "Any other opt-out is just another shell game that is intended to appear as a concession but in reality provides for greater federal control and blocks much needed structural changes."

Drill Drill Drill

2009-10-28T13:29:00.007-04:00

Virginia stands to be a leader in the development and use of domestic energy, if the soon to be newly elected Republican majority in the General Assembly, the Senate and the Governor's Mansion have the cajones to stand up to the EPA and government regulations and reaffirm State Sovereignty. Its about states' rights. Its called the 10th Amendment.

We have the right as a sovereign state to take care of our citizens first, and I would expect nothing less from the other 56, ahm, I meant 49 states. The federal government has no authority to impose restrictions or mandates which diminish, or restrict the ability to improve, the standard of living of any citizen, regardless of what the law or regulation was intended to do when enacted.

Family Security Matters has a piece posted today, part of which is excerpted here:

Our future prosperity and freedom are at risk. This is because we have a current energy policy that puts them at risk. We are also contemplating a new energy policy, commonly termed “cap and trade” which could very well push our nation’s economy of a cliff, (my conclusion, not that of Chevron). Mr. Watson started his remarks with a plea that we start with some “facts,” what President John Adams called “stubborn things.”

Over the horizon, we will need to invest some $26 trillion in energy production, transportation, and efficient utilization technology. The U.S. population is growing and so is that of the world. The U.S. and world economy also need to grow to raise the standard of living of people everywhere – to secure the “heat, light and transportation” that we all take for granted said Watson. But over eighty percent of the natural gas and petroleum reserves in the world are in the hands of governments. And 85 percent of such U.S. reserves are off limits to exploration and development.
Watson further noted the U.S. oil and gas industry is responsible for 9 million American jobs and 7.5 percent of our GDP. The challenge of providing an affordable energy supply for more than 300 million Americans is being made all the more difficult by the regulatory ambitions of the U.S. government and its growing debt. Yet most Americans want to be less dependent on foreign supplies of oil that can be manipulated to harm our economy. And they believe we need a stable but diverse energy supply. And they also want to do their responsible part for ameliorating any negative impacts on our climate and environment.
/snip
....the current restrictions on the exploration and development for U.S.-owned fossil fuel resources make so little sense. U.S. oil production has declined by 4 million barrels a day over the past 25 years while demand has grown by exactly that amount – 4 million barrels a day. Thus, although we are the number 2 or 3 producer of coal, natural gas and oil from domestic resources, when we import 8 million barrels of oil daily, (the combined drop in production coupled with the increase in demand), it is at a cost that approached some $450 billion a year when oil hit $147 a barrel.

Yet the U.S. Geological Survey is forbidden by federal law from actually doing an accurate assessment of how much oil and gas we have off of our coasts and on Federal land. And we still propose to tax those oil and gas resources we do produce at a rate far greater than other resources. Add to that the prohibition on exploration, and it is easy to understand how oil exploration and development was pushed overseas and with it the complimentary run-up in U.S. oil imports. Reasonable estimates are that at least 30 billion barrels of oil are readily available off our shores or in places such as Anwar. While we cannot “drill for independence,” said Watson, we can and should “drill for more energy security.”

.

I take exception to the remark that we cannot "drill for independence". Once we start extracting our own reserves and refine those resereves into a marketable product, we become independent. We can sell it, or keep it. Either way, its ours, we own it and we'll do with it as we please.

Missles of October Deja Vu?

2009-10-27T21:43:00.003-04:00

My cynical paranoid conspiracy nature is in full blown red alert. The scenarios that could be extrapolated from this event are just scary. Bad stuff. REALLY bad stuff.

FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN
Deja vu! Russians arming Cuba's military
Plans include sensitive electronic eavesdropping station 90 miles from U.S.

"We inspected the condition of this equipment, and outlined the measures to be taken to maintain the defense capability of this country," Makarov said. "I think a lot of work needs to be done in this respect, and I hope we will be able to accomplish this task."
Makarov pointed out that during the Soviet era, the Russians delivered considerable military equipment to Cuba. After all these years, he said, most of the weaponry has become obsolete and needs repair.
Then in August 2008 Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declared that Russia needed to rebuild its links to the Cuban island.
He was careful not to say that Russia was establishing bases in Cuba, even though Moscow apparently intends to use the Caribbean island as a potential refueling stop for its nuclear-capable bombers and for ports of call for its warships.
Then Russian Air Force chief Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev in March 2009 had made it clear that Cuba, as well as Venezuela, could be used to base Russia's strategic bombers, although the Kremlin was quick to add at the time that such a development was "hypothetical."
"We need to reestablish positions on Cuba and in other countries," Putin said.
The moves have been developing for some time. In December 2008 a group of Russian warships, headed by the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko, visited.
And In 2007, Putin began to focus on Cuba in response to the Bush administration's plans to install a permanent missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. He said that such action was analogous to the time in 1962 when the then-Soviet Union deployed rockets on Cuba and provoked the Cuban missile crisis.

The Hammer-Weekly Standard Blog

2009-10-27T20:07:00.005-04:00

Lieberman Public-Option Push-Back Brings Out Snowe and Lincoln

Lieberman:

Mr. Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who caucuses with the Democrats, told reporters Tuesday that he would vote in favor of a procedural motion allowing debate of the bill. But he said that, unless the bill changes substantially, he would vote with Senate Republicans against a motion to allow a vote on final passage of the bill.
"I think that a lot of people may think that the public option is free. It's not," Mr. Lieberman said. "It's going to cost the taxpayers and people that have health insurance now, and if it doesn't, it's going to add terribly to our national debt."

Then, moderate Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, whose vote Democrats on Senate Finance worked so hard to earn on the committee vote for an earlier version of the bill:

Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe says she would vote with fellow Republicans to block the Democratic health care overhaul if changes are not made to the version Majority Leader Harry Reid outlined this week.

Another moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins:

Meanwhile, Maine Republican Susan Collins, who had earlier indicated interest in trying to pass a bipartisan bill this year, issued a statement underscoring her opposition to "a taxpayer-subsidized, government-run health insurance company."

And, moderate Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln:

U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., said Tuesday she still can't support a government-funded insurance option, a day after legislation was unveiled that would give states the choice of whether to participate in the program.
"Creating another government-funded option is not where we're going. We don't need to go there," Lincoln told members of the Arkansas Farm Bureau during a video conference. "A government-funded option is something that I think is not the way to go."

Phil Klein on the defections:

The problem Reid faces is that if he pulls back support for the government plan now, it will enrage liberals who will believe he's sold them out to win the support of a few moderates. But if he charges ahead with the government plan proposal, he risks derailing the entire health care effort.

Sen Jim DeMint Supports Doug Hoffman

2009-10-27T15:14:00.002-04:00

GOP Sen. Jim DeMint supports Doug Hoffman
By Michelle Malkin • October 27, 2009 03:01 PM
RedState has the scoop.

It’s way past time for the spoiler radical leftist Republican Dede Scozzafava to get out of the race.
Dana Loesch is keeping tabs on all the latest NY-23 developments at Dump Dede.

Krauthammer On Domestic Energy

2009-10-27T11:00:00.002-04:00

Krauthammer On Domestic Energy
Weekly Standard via DCExaminer

There are, of course, major threats to the American economy. But there is nothing inevitable and inexorable about them. Take, for example, the threat to the dollar (as the world's reserve currency) that comes from our massive trade deficits. Here again, the China threat is vastly exaggerated.

In fact, fully two-thirds of our trade imbalance comes from imported oil. This is not a fixed fact of life. We have a choice. We have it in our power, for example, to reversethe absurd de facto 30-year ban on new nuclear power plants. We have it in our power to release huge domestic petroleum reserves by dropping the ban on offshore and Arctic drilling. We have it in our power to institute a serious gasoline tax (refunded immediately through a payroll tax reduction) to curb consumption and induce conservation.

Nothing is written. Nothing is predetermined. We can reverse the slide, we can undo dependence if we will it.

There are things to be done. Resist retreat as a matter of strategy and principle. And provide the means to continue our dominant role in the world by keeping our economic house in order. And finally, we can follow the advice of Demosthenes when asked what was to be done about the decline of Athens.

His reply? "I will give what I believe is the fairest and truest answer: Don't do what you are doing now."

This article - condensed from The Weekly Standard - is based on syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer's 2009 Wriston Lecture delivered for the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York on October 5.

Labels: chares krauthammer, dcexaminer, domestic oil production, drill here drill now, energy independence, national security, offshore drilling, weekly standard

VoteVets, Soros, and Moveon.ogre

2009-10-27T08:37:00.002-04:00

“Any veteran lending their name to promote the leftist propaganda of global warming and climate change, in an effort to control more of the wealth created in the U.S. economy, through cap-and-tax type policies, is a traitor to the oath he or she took to defend the Constitution of our great nation. If someone is advocating for our government to make statutory or regulatory changes in policy or enter into treaties that violate our Constitution, and they have taken an oath to uphold and protect that same document, then they are traitors to that oath."

Pennsylvania State Representative Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler County)

In Memory Of and In Humble Appreciation For the Sacrifices Made

2009-10-26T08:20:00.002-04:00

We will not forget.

Featured Video: "Remembering SGT Joshua Brennan
KIA 26 October 2007
Korengal Valley, Afghanistan

Open Letter To The President From A Soldier

2009-10-26T08:10:00.003-04:00

H/T Blackfive
Mr. President

In the scheme of things I am but one voice among many, to include the former Vice President who are speaking out against what I feel is a travesty in the making; our potential defeat in Afghanistan.

I do not speak as someone who has no idea what I am talking about. I have walked the ground and carried a rifle up dangerous mountain roads and lain awake in ambush positions at night in the high mountains of Eastern Afghanistan

I have fought with our Afghan partners; our NATO Partners (Some of them not so willing) and I have buried comrades, both Afghan and American, and saluted comrades who come home for the very last time.

Your continued dithering on the essential issues surrounding Afghanistan that you promised in your campaign has led me, and many Americans, to disregard the veracity of your claims and your will to protect the American People. Your unease with the word “Victory” speaks a great deal to your beliefs about what you think of America and shows how much you do not respect American Soldiers.

In a word sir, you are not credible. And leaders without credibility really aren't leaders at all.

Soldiers see things in very definable terms. Words like "good" and "evil," "victory" and "defeat" have concrete and definable meanings to us. Things in our world are fairly cut and dried. This is because the nature of our business has a great deal of finality to it and because we, the men and women in the fight write the check for the indicated price of victory. We are glad to do it without asking for a bargain on the cost. We are the first to see the cost of defeat in comrades wounded or killed. The price of freedom is etched in the faces and hearts of my brothers and sisters as they salute the flag draped casket of the friend who might have only moments before imparted some nugget of wisdom, told a funny joke, shared their fears and when the going was tough, stood with them shoulder to shoulder on the field of battle.

You dishonor the memories of the fallen and disrespect the families of those who continue to fight on by your continued excuse-making and endless consultation that serves no other purpose than to appear as if you are doing something, while searching in vain for what you perceive to be a better answer.

Mr. President, deciding to do nothing is still a decision.

I demand, decency demands, Americans who believe in victory demand, and most importantly, the American families with family members in the fight, who certainly have the most invested and unquestionably the most to lose demand that the politics, excuse making and dithering end and that you give the necessary support to the men and women who are bearing the battle and taking the fight to our enemies. I am not asking, I am telling you to listen to those with the knowledge and skills that can turn the tide of this rapidly resurgent enemy we face and to give them the resources they ask for.

As an American, I demand that if the leaders that I freely elect are going to commit blood and treasure to the defeat of our enemies, then we do not go about it in vacillating half measures following incoherent policies that lead to indefinable outcomes spread over generations.

We fight to win, or we don’t fight at all.

If you are unwilling or you are unable to fulfill your role as Commander in Chief, then you should tender your resignation.

Many veterans will not forget what was said by many in your party about our efforts to defeat this enemy nor your failure to fully support our soldiers on the field of battle.

Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way….

Deebow

Net Neutrality = Federal Control of New Media

2009-10-20T17:24:00.004-04:00

From Americans For Prosperity
Phil Kerpen
Director of Policy,
Americans for Prosperity
Chairman,
The Internet Freedom Coalition

The net neutrality movement is an outgrowth of the larger so-called media reform project of radical left-wing activists like Robert McChesney who seek to destroy private control of the country's communications systems.
McChesney and the so-called media reform movement was discussed Monday night on the Glenn Beck show, and you can watch that clip here. [Mr Kerpin] will be on with Glenn again Tuesday night to discuss net neutrality specifically.
The push for a Washington takeover of the Internet is coming from the White House. It includes Susan Crawford, the so-called Internet Czar, who told The Wall Street Journal in April that the $7.2 billion of stimulus money for broadband she is helping spend is a "down payment on future government investments in the Internet." She went on to say: "We should do a better job as a nation of making sure fast, affordable broadband is as ubiquitous as electricity, water, snail mail or any other public utility."

Here's what you should already know if you're reading this: none of this is neccessary. The internet ain't broke and anyone that wants to get online, can, if they have a job or a reliable source of income to pay for the service. The internet ain't free, just as water and electricity ain't free.

Connecting to the internet is as easy as flipping a switch or turning a faucet, if, IF you have the equipment and the provider. It is as ubiquitous as any utility you already pay for and have the equipment to utilize.

Once the government has control of this media, we have lost.
Best advice right now: buy a ham radio.

VA-05 Needs A New Representative

2009-10-18T10:42:00.001-04:00

National Museum of Americans In Wartime

2009-10-17T19:53:00.004-04:00

I'm getting amped about the Open House at the National Museum of Americans in Wartime.
I get to help and hang out with two of my favorite, very hot, lady bloggers.

NMAW is auctioning off helicopter rides and chances to drive big hulking armored stuff.

SPECIAL SILENT AUCTION:
If you've ever dreamed of driving an armored vehicle or flying in a helicopter, this could be your best chance.

On Saturday, October 24, the National Museum of Americans in Wartime will conduct a silent auction at our Open House event for seven separate opportunities to drive an armored vehicle that day and for three one-hour helicopter rides offered by American Helicopters, Inc. (flying time to be scheduled).

On Sunday, October 25, the Museum will have another silent auction for seven separate opportunities to drive an armored vehicle that day and two one-hour helicopter rides offered by American Helicopters, Inc. (flying time to be scheduled).

The silent auction begins at 11:00 AM and ends at 2:00 PM both days. Driving begins after 3:00. The helicopter rides will be scheduled with American Helicopter, Inc.

Proceeds from the auctions directly support the Museum's mission to honor those who serve(d) our country at home and abroad in times of war.

If you haven't registered to attend the Open House yet, it's not too late. Just click here.

For more information about the National Museum of Americans in Wartime, please visit our website www.nmaw.org

Coal, National Security and Virginia Jobs

2009-10-17T18:21:00.003-04:00

Coal, National Security and Virginia Jobs
We have a petition opposing the Wacky-Marxist legislation.It goes like this:

We, your constituents, have signed this petition against the passage of the Waxman-Markey bill and the Senate version of the Cap and Trade Bill and the trillions of dollars and the 100’s of thousands of jobs it will cost the Commonwealth and all of America.
This legislation will increase the cost of energy in the Commonwealth at a time when every feasible source of domestic energy should be explored and used, and at a time when Virginians can afford it least.
Virginia is a coal state. There are thousands of Virginians whose livelihood depends upon the production and use of coal; hard working, tax-paying Virginians who deserve better.
Coal is a reliable source of energy.
It is plentiful.
Clean coal technology works.
The theory of so-called “global warming”, or “climate change” is junk science.
CO2 is not a pollutant.

Ya'll know how I feel about domestic energy production and specifically, the use of coal. You know I help build clean coal facilities for Dominion Power. I've told people over and over, clean coal works its viable, and its cheap.

This is, IMAO, a states' rights issue. A 10th Amendment Issue. Its Virginia's coal. We should be able to use our resources as we see fit, within the guidelines of good sense and economic viability.

The current crop of new candidates seeking election to the House of Delegates and VA Senate would be well-served to address this issue now. Do not allow the radicals and outside agitators to dictate Virginia's economy. The future of Virginia jobs and her citizens depend on you for protection.

Thanks to one of my Facebook friends I found a link to a website supporting coal production in Appalachia.

Go and sign the letter, please.

From the website:

Coal energizes our communities and the nation. It fuels our economy and powers our homes and businesses. It provides good jobs and an economic future for our families. But radical activists are determined to end coal in Appalachia. They don't care about our jobs, our communities or our future.
Without coal, our thriving communities will not survive. Sign the letter today.

Dear Elected Officials,The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has arbitrarily decided to halt for further review 79 pending coal mining permits in the Appalachian states. These permits have been reviewed and approved by both state and federal regulatory authorities, after the EPA had commented, or chosen not to comment, on each of the permit applications.
Only when the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals wholly rejected the challenges by outside environmental activists, did EPA decide to intervene and reassert the same arguments the courts had already rejected.
EPA's action, or inaction, is threatening more than 100,000 jobs and further destabilizes communities that have been battered by the recession. Moreover, millions of Americans depend on coal for affordable electricity, and the Appalachian states depend on coal for tax revenue that keeps their budgets afloat.
When nationwide unemployment is at its highest level in years, the government should not stop Americans from going to work.
When states are facing major budget shortfalls and even bankruptcy because of the weak economy, the federal government should not kill significant sources of revenue.
The consequences of the EPA's actions will be severe. Please take action today to pressure the EPA to lift these bureaucratic roadblocks. The future of families across Appalachia depends on you.

Thank you,

Labels:
Carbon, Carbon dioxide, carbon offsets, Carbon Tax, clean coal, coal, electricity, electricy costs, jobs, national security, Soveriegn States, State's rights, Virginia economy

Free Speech Under Attack...in Canada, Brazil, Great Britain

2009-10-09T15:55:00.003-04:00

Free Speech Under Foreign Assault
Robert Spencer - Oct 09, 2009 Front Page Magazine
Does the United States Constitution protect the freedom of speech of American citizens, or does it not? In this era of globalization, the answer is becoming increasingly muddled. Thursday, an American citizen, Paul Williams, went on trial in Canada. He is charged with violating Canadian libel laws in charges he made in his book The Dunces of Doomsday about a jihad terror cell at McMaster University in Ontario.
Likewise in Brazil, an American business writer, Joseph Sharkey, is on trial for what he wrote about Brazilian air-traffic controllers after he survived an airplane crash in Brazil.Williams and Sharkey both live in the United States, which guarantees that its citizens’ freedom of speech not be infringed. Should Canadian and Brazilian libel laws apply to them? Williams has already had to pay enormous amounts of money for his defense, and Sharkey is likely to be found guilty and given a $500,000 fine. McMaster University wants a cool two million dollars from Williams.
Shouldn’t the United States government protect American citizens from such bullying by foreign powers?
If nothing is done, the problem is certain to get worse - for Williams and Sharkey are not the first American victims of the tactic that has come to be known as "libel tourism."
The late Saudi billionaire Khalid Salim bin Mahfouz sued Rachel Ehrenfeld, founder and director of the American Center for Democracy, several years ago. Bin Mahfouz was upset about Ehrenfeld’s book, Funding Evil, in which she wrote that he was involved in funding Hamas and al Qaeda – a charge for which there was abundant evidence from Western intelligence agencies.
Nevertheless, taking advantage of British libel laws that place the burden of proof on the defendant, rather than the plaintiff, bin Mahfouz sued not in the United States, where Ehrenfeld lives and published her book, but in Britain, where neither he nor Ehrenfeld lived and where his entire case depended upon a handful of copies sold in that country mostly through special orders from Amazon.com, and the appearance of one chapter of the book on the Internet, where could have been read by British readers. A British court awarded bin Mahfouz $250,000, and Ehrenfeld had to devote the bulk of her time for years to fighting this judgment.

Robert Spencer is a scholar of Islamic history, theology, and law and the director of Jihad Watch. He is the author of eight books, eleven monographs, and hundreds of articles about jihad and Islamic terrorism, including the New York Times Bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book, The Complete Infidel’s Guide to the Koran, is available now from Regnery Publishing.