The Washington Times—Judson Phillips: John Boehner’s war on liberty

Anyone who assumes that the Republican Party and the Tea Party have a similar agenda is greatly mistaken.  The Tea Party agenda includes smaller government, less intrusion of government into the lives of Americans, following the Constitution and liberty.

 

John Boehner and the House Republicans have a far different agenda. Their agenda includes larger government run by Republicans. Their agenda includes an assault on liberty and intrusions into the lives of Americans. They give the Constitution great lip service, but that is about it.

This week, the House is considering another John Boehner assault on the Constitution and on liberty.

This one is called the “Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act” or LARA for short.  The idea behind the bill is that the Federal Courts should sanction any lawyer or plaintiff for bringing a “frivolous” lawsuit. 

Once again the GOP is throwing out the myth of the frivolous lawsuit clogging the legal system and costing businesses billions of dollars. 

CONTINUED:  http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/judson-phillips-cold-hard-truth/2013/nov/12/john-boehners-war-liberty/#ixzz2kXKhaqtb 

RUSH EXPLODES ON 'IRRELEVANT' REPUBLICANS

Says GOP 'just made a decision not to exist'

Rush Limbaugh, the leading conservative voice in America, is scorching the Republican Party as an irrelevant disaster which has apparently made a decision “not to exist.”

“I was trying to think earlier today if ever in my life I could remember any major political party being so irrelevant,” the top-rated radio host said Wednesday on his national broadcast.

“I have never seen it. I have never seen a major political party simply occupy placeholders as the Republican Party is doing. There hasn’t been any opposition [to Democrats], not any serious opposition.”

Limbaugh was non-stop in his criticism of the GOP during his opening monologue, continuing, “I was thinking about this last night, too, while I was pondering if I could ever remember a greater political disaster in my lifetime, if I could ever remember a time when a political party just made a decision not to exist, for all intents and purposes.”

The radio star said the Republican Party now can’t wait to move on granting amnesty to illegal aliens.

CONTINUED:  http://www.wnd.com/2013/10/rush-explodes-on-irrelevant-republicans/#CYjJhhkfUQpYZK1c.99

WHY GOP IS WILLING TO PASS AMNESTY AND CREATE MILLIONS OF ‘INSTANT DEMOCRATS’

RUSH LIMBAUGH’S THEORY ON WHY GOP IS WILLING TO PASS AMNESTY AND CREATE MILLIONS OF ‘INSTANT DEMOCRATS’


Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Friday put forth a theory as to why the Republican Party is seemingly willing to pass “amnesty” and create millions of “instant Democrats.”

“The Republican Party is embarrassed by its own base,” Limbaugh said. “How many times have I sat here and reminded you of this?”

The radio host went on to tell a story about his first ever trip to the Hamptons where he was visiting a “famous American Republican.”

“After dinner on the deck, a guy comes up to me — and a name you’d know, I’m not gonna tell you who — punches me with his finger in the chest [and says], ‘What are you going to do about the Christians?’ Remember now, this is my first trip there,” Limbaugh explained.

He said the man complained about “pro-lifers” hurting the GOP with their stance on abortion.

“Some of the same people have done the same thing to me on gun control,” Limbaugh added, later reiterating that the Republican Party is “ashamed” of its own base.

More and to Watch the clip:  http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/06/14/rush-limbaughs-theory-on-why-gop-is-willing-to-pass-amnesty-and-create-millions-of-instant-democrats/

TPN—Judson Phillips:  The coming darkness

November 24, 2012

Today is the day after black Friday.  It is really the first day of the American Christmas season.  This should be a season of gladness and joy. 

Unfortunately, as we go into the end of the year and our holiday season, what lurks on the horizon is not glad tidings but instead gloom and more darkness.

What is coming to America and can we do anything about it?

For the next two years, we are going to see the death of the conservative movement in Washington.   The American government, other than some members of the Supreme Court, is going to be a conservative-free zone.

There will still be conservatives in Washington.  There will be conservatives in the Senate and House of Representatives.   However, there will be no conservatives in the leadership and a conservative agenda will not be advanced.  In fact, just the opposite will happen.  A massive liberal agenda will be in full swing, all with the acquiescence of the Republican Party. 

In January, we are going to see massive tax hikes.   First, the Obamacare tax hikes, originally passed in 2010, are going to kick in.    The Bush tax cuts are going to go away.  Obama and the Party of Treason say they want to increase taxes on the rich.  Unfortunately their definition of rich is anyone who is not on Obama’s food stamps. 

Two years ago, when Obama signed the law extending the Bush tax cuts, he pointed out that raising taxes in a soft economy would harm the economy.   That was when he was looking at reelection.  Now that he is a lame duck, he doesn’t care.

Actually, Obama understands tax hikes will push us further into the Great Obama Depression.   This is Obama’s goal.  Remember, Obama is a Marxist who believes America is not the greatest nation in the world but the greatest oppressor nation.

Where are the Republicans?

John Boehner has been busy consolidating power in the House of Representatives.  He now has absolute control over the GOP majority.   Eric Cantor has gone along with Boehner and conservatives who object to Boehner’s surrender first policy and big spending policies are simply out of luck. 

Where are the conservative Republicans in the House?  You will find them in the House.  You won’t find them in the leadership of the House.

Harry Reid’s top priority coming out of this election is “filibuster reform.”  Anytime any idea comes from the Party of Treason with the word reform attached to it, you do not need to read anything beyond the title to know that it is a bad idea. 

Reid wants to eliminate the filibuster, thus making it impossible for Republicans to offer any meaningful resistance in the Senate.  He has already changed the rules in the Senate so that Republicans cannot offer any amendments to bills unless Reid specifically wants the amendment.

In short, he is turning what is supposed to be a deliberative body into little more than his own rubber stamp.

As we go into 2013, John Boehner is going to be raising his freshly laundered white flag of surrender early and often.  He will surrender on taxes.  They are going to go up.   He is going to surrender on the debt ceiling.  He is going to surrender on spending.  The only spending cuts we will see will be in one of the few areas the Constitution specifically mandates a role for the Federal Government.  He will cut the defense budget so that by the time Obama leaves office in 2016, China will be the world’s top military superpower.

Our spending and borrowing will continue to push us on a trajectory towards a Grecian outcome.

We have two choices.

We can surrender or we can fight.

Since I have never been a fan of John Boehner, I say we fight.

Saying we should fight is easy.  Actually doing it is hard.

If we are going fight, we need a plan. 

Here’s a plan. 

CONTINUE READING:

http://www.teapartynation.com/forum/topics/the-coming-darkness?xg_source=activity

MORE LIES FROM THE LIBERAL LEFT

Balanced with truth from a real Patiot!

Read the Rant below from Ken Humphry, Chairman of the Carteret County Democratic Party and then the wonderful response which follows by Tom Austin, member of the Crystal Coast Tea Party and a marine.

Tombstone Politics: Legacy of Hate
by Ken Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democratic Party
NEWS-TIMES, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011
http://www.carteretnewstimes.com/articles/2011/01/17/news-times/letters_to_the_editor/doc4d31de3011d54615300470.txt

TO THE EDITOR:

Free speech comes a real cost today: A bullet in the head, for instance. You have to admire a good clean headshot, done with gun control (using both hands). This is the lexicon of macho NRA gun lovers everywhere. He was all man. Who cannot admire a real man with a gun, or better still, a “real woman” — a former governor for instance, who can shoot an 80-year old blind moose with arthritis and bad knees with an NRA howitzer? “I dropped that sucker in his tracks!” An Annie Oakley from Wasilla! Men adore her. Sarah is a real woman in a world of real men. The icon and new normal in 2011. “We need to get our America back!” I tear up just thinking of it. All government is evil. All liberals are socialist, etc.


Shakespeare in 1592 seemed prescient, describing our political environment today: Chaos. We are edging closer. Crosshairs and words have consequences. Our Sarah: Don’t retreat. Reload! Blood libel!

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair America, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge breaks to new mutiny,
Where civil hands, make civil blood unclean.


I can agree, to a point, with David Brooks, New York Times: “Political opportunism occasioned by this Arizona tragedy has ranged from the completely irrelevant to the shamelessly irresponsible.” There is no clear link to the Tea Party rage or the extreme right wing. But that is an over-simplification — a ho-hum — partly absolving those who stir hate every day: Hate radio hosts. Notice I did not say Talk Radio. But my issue with hate radio and the ilk of Limbaugh and Beck and Palin is already public record. So in this missive my position is consistent with my past. Beck, Palin, Bachmann and Limbaugh are those who fan hate in America. My opinion.

Gabrielle Giffords, her husband a Navy pilot and astronaut, read the First Amendment on the House floor — including the guarantee of “the right of the people to assemble peaceably” — and then went home to Arizona to put those words into practice. Her meetings were under the banner, “Congressional Corner.” She was gravely wounded by a young man filled with hate, a gun obtained in the most lenient state in the nation for qualifying to buy gun. Arizona NRA test: “Sir, do you have a pulse? Excellent! Here’s your automatic. Congratulations. The NRA welcomes you into the fold of Super American Patriots.” The NRA is the great enabler. Put your own meaning to this. Sell all the guns and ammo you can. Strap on your gun. Strut in public. Be macho man among boys: “I pack. Dida’ notice?” N.C. Rep. Heath Shuler packs. A bullet to the head of those who disagree with you is an efficient way to express extreme irritation. A 30-round Glock is excellent for taking out women congressmen, liberal judges and 9-year olds.

NRA? Not a peep. All hunkered in the weeds, sucking their thumbs, nervously wondering: “Now what?”

Note below some quotes from some of our self-ordained, far right conservative patriots. Did you miss these?

Michele Bachmann: “I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous because we need to fight back.”

Momma Grizzly: “Guys, let’s not retreat. Let’s reload.” Sarah Palin put crosshairs on Giffords.

Glenn Beck: “I’m thinking about killing Michael Moore, I would like to kill him. I’m wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. No, I think I could.” (Glenn is such a straight talker).


Sharon Angel: “You know if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies. (Guns). I’ll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out!”


Rush Limbaugh: “You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [confessed assassin of Martin Luther King]. We miss you dearly, James. Godspeed, sir.” Limbaugh: Conservatives hero.


I mean let’s face it. We didn’t have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back. I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.” Folks, isn’t that Rushbo-boy something else? He nails it!

I could fill page after page with public quotes of the hate, bigotry, racism spewed daily by conservative hate show hosts. Are most of the conservative talk show hosts haters? Are most of them racist bigots flying under the sanctimonious flag of “Patriots”? Answer the question for yourself. Listen to their own words! They have an intense dislike of anyone “who is not like us: You know, all them people who talk funny.” Foreigners? Like Kenyans? They hate Kenyans with a passion!

Arizona, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik had it right. He is one courageous, truth-talking law officer. It is amazing when you talk truth about hate show hosts. They can’t stand it! They will unleash a wild-eyed, shocked defense of their hate-filled programs, their daily invectives. They rage: “You cannot publicly quote us — as we are!” Apparently, bad manners? Or did Sheriff Dupnik tell it exactly like it is? The prevailing first response, attitude to criticism for quoting them is this (Glenn Beck style): “Somebody needs to take that SOB out!” … for committing “the crime” of quoting them in public. See quotes above — again, please.

I have a hope that soon, very soon, that “Great Silent Majority” will step forward and say ENOUGH! Those who have until now stood quietly, silently on the sidelines, must act now with their words and letters to congressmen, to newspapers. Until now this GSM has only watched this angry, noisy, sanctimonious and at times scripture-quoting, hate-filled minority of the “far extreme right” that has co-opted headlines and airwaves recently. I hope good rational people will finally say: “Enough is enough” and begin to push back with words, letters and calls to Congress. My observation of the Great Silent Majority has been they don’t like to get involved, or as one friend told me: “I don’t like to draw attention to myself. Many of these people are dangerous.” All I can say is it is time for YOU to stand up. We have to be voices of reason, against their hate. Against their guns.   (Yes, Mr. Humphrey only hates anyone who disagrees with him or other leftists!)

God knows, since the age of 11 I have had guns, still do, and have hunted and fished. But I don’t worship the damned things. With continued silence, passivity, we stand to lose a lot in the coming years. Act now. Call, write your congressman. Do it! Last: Where is our clergy in all this?

Actions: Following my own advice, send your letter of concern, complaint about the hate-filled rhetoric of the conservative hate radio to me at: Push Back at Hate, P.O. Box 4084, Emerald Isle, N.C. 28594. I will hand carry these letters to Capitol Hill, to NRA Headquarters, to the Washington offices of Arizona Republican Sen. Kyle, and Arizona Congressman Trent Franks. The courageous outspoken sheriff of Pima County had it right. At least you can write one letter, make a call. How long will you just stand by?

***Read below for a response from Tom Austin, a member of the Crystal Coast Tea Party and a marine.

Letter to the Editor, Carteret County News-Times
P. O. Box 1679
Morehead City, NC 28557


Resonse to Letter from Kenneth Humphrey “Tombstone Politics - Legacy of Hate” Jan 16 2010.

Sir / Ms,

I would suggest you have one of the copy personnel do fact checks on any future letters from Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party. This last one is full of misinformation that takes only a moment or two to check and correct. Why would he do this? I don’t know. Maybe to use the tragic shooting even in Arizona to some political agenda. Being a democrat he doesn’t need to check his facts for that.


First he somehow equates the murders in Arizona with “Freedom of Speech”. In no way do these 2 match up. The shooter in Arizona was not a supporter of free speech. The reports are that among his favorite books were Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto”. This would place his beliefs in the area of the Communist Party and the Nazi (National Socialist Worker’s Party) Party which are totally against freedom of speech. The people that knew him say he was mostly apolitical but did have some “left” leanings. So with his desire for a socialist economy and control of the individual by the government doesn’t that put him way to the left of the TEA party groups? After all they, conservatives, believe in Freedom of speech.

Then he insults all hunters around the nation. I don’t understand that, what with him saying later in the letter that he is a hunter and owns firearms. If he is a hunter, and I am not saying he isn’t, I would think he would understand the need to use the correct firearm for the hunt and the animal to be harvested. I would also think he would know a moose does not live to be 80 and that no one hunts with a howitzer. Maybe he is being sarcastic about the use of a large bore firearm to take down a very large animal. Also I don’t recall Sarah Palin shooting a moose anyway. I do remember seeing her harvest a caribou. Maybe I didn’t see the show where she was moose hunting. Or maybe Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party doesn’t know the difference or was just passing on misinformation he got from his masters at the DNC and did not bother checking out his facts.

Why he tried to tie the shooting in Arizona in with the NRA I do not know. The NRA has worked with law enforcement nation wide to help develop rational laws to prevent firearms from getting into the hands of felons, people with a violent history or the mentally unstable. Arizona has such laws. The owner of the gun shop obeyed the laws. The Sheriff of Pimi County did not. If Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik had done his job correctly there would have been notations on the shooter’s files that would have prevented his buying a firearm from any gun shop in Arizona. It is my understanding the Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik knew the family and law enforcement had been to their home on several occasions because of the actions of the “alleged” shooter. None of this was on his record and any of it may have been enough to stop his buying a firearm. As for the campus cops at his local college, they should have called the police and seen the proper report was made about his actions at the school. Everyone claims to have known he was dangerous, but none took the action to see he got help or actions to protect the public. And you know something? The NRA was not involved an any of it, other then to help craft the laws needed to keep firearms out of the hands of felons, people with a violent history or the mentally unstable. So how do you hold the NRA responsible?

Then Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party finds fault with Gov. Palin saying that the conservatives should not retreat from their beliefs, but should reload with the truth, new people and votes to confront the liberals and Marxists that won the last Presidential election. I don’t seem to recall his having any objections when the left marched in the streets of DC calling for the death of Carl Rove. No objections to that from any democrat or other liberal as I recall. Gov. Palin calls for people to stand strong in their beliefs and the left calls for the murder of Carl Rove and you find fault with Gov. Palin? I don’t think I had ever heard of the term “blood libel’ before, but then I never looked for a way to hurt the Jewish people. As for Gov. Palin’s use of the term, I understand that according to Jewish leaders the term has been used over the years in ways other then the one it was first used for and has entered to language to be used in a different way then first intended. I understand that a Jewish leader, who is a democrat, stated that the way she used it was correct in the context used. So now Gov. Palin can’t speak unless it is cleared through the DNC first? What happened to the freedom of Speech Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party was so desirous of?

Then Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party tries to tie the TEA party and conservative talk radio to the shooter, but everyone that know him says he did not listen to conservative talk radio and was not connected to the TEA Party movement in any way. I still don’t understand why he has to address conservative talk radio as HATE radio when they do NOT call for violence in any way. Their speech is political. Mostly when race is address their call is for all racial divisions to stop and people to be addressed as individuals. Where is the hate in that? Is it hateful to help educate people about bills in congress and actions elected officials have taken that are seen as an abuse to the taxpayers and citizens? Is it hateful to call for the laws to be enforced? Is it hateful to see laws passed that are in their opinion an action against the Constitution and they call for people to know about it and be better informed? No, they are HATE radio because they do not knell down and side with the democrats, socialist and Marxist on the left.

As for Mr. Kenneth Humphrey’s, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party, comment about Glenn Beck saying “I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore” that was sarcasm. Do you understand that? He was using this sarcastic statement to show he could not do that because of his belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ. He went on to say that he would not condone any violence. But then the democrats did try to trash him for holding a non-political rally in Washington DC to call for peace and national unity and discussion. WOW! He calls for “civil dialogue” and your democrats and other leftist trash him.

As for the comments made by Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party about Rush Limbaugh praising James earl Ray and slavery, it took me less then 2 minute to find out that was a lie that the democrats and others on the left have been trying to spread for over a year. It also took the same amount of time to find out that Mr. Limbaugh is not letting this lie go by unchallenged and has taken legal action against others in the past. I thought Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party would like the chance to bring this up to Mr. Limbaugh’s legal staff so I sent him an e-mail with the link to the letter. Maybe Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party would be kind enough to let us know what happens. Personally I think that with Mr. Limbaugh, being the better man, may just look at the source (Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party) and let it pass this time.


Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party states he can fill pages with hate and racism and bigotry from conservative radio, which he calls HATE radio, but it seems that almost all of it I have seen put out by those on the left have been lies, satire or taken so far out of context that people have trouble finding where they came from. There should be a fact checker on this to keep them from embarrassing themselves. On the other hand I will not sit here and type all the racist and hate filled statements I have heard from the left. I don’t keep a list. I look at the source and disregard them.

And someone needs to let Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party know that Sheriff Clarence Dupnik of Pimi County did not know what he was talking about. He was just trying cover his backside by misdirecting peoples attention from his department’s failure to do their job correctly. That and he, Sheriff Clarence Dupnik of Pimi County, is a anti-2nd amendment democrat.

The rest of the rant Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party has going on I just don’t understand. It just seems to me that he, like so many on the left, are going to take this opportunity to place as many restrictions as they can on freedom of speech and conservative talk radio. What they have called for in the past is that it be mandatory for a commercial radio station to carry an equal amount of time for all points of view even if the listeners don’t want to hear the communist that are on Air America radio and even if they can‘t get a sponsor for them. And listeners have shown they don’t want to hear them because they went bankrupt. If they want to hear the socialist and Marxist view they can tune into PBS or NPR. These are the ones we are FORCED to help pay for.


So Mr. Kenneth Humphrey, Chairman of the Carteret County Democrat Party and other people on the left are going to use this tragic shooting to force an agenda no one wants and will use lies, misinformation and misdirection to do so. Shame on them.


Respectfully,
Thomas H. Austin,
Sgt. USMC (Retired)
Member Crystal Coast TEA Party Patriots

Mitch McConnell fights GOP earmark ban

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is maneuvering behind the scenes to defeat a conservative plan aimed at restricting earmarks, setting up a high-stakes showdown that pits the GOP leader and his “Old Bull” allies against Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and a new breed of conservative senators.
Read more:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44888.html

UPDATE ON VOTING MACHINE PROBLEMS IN NC

Voting Irregularities


The North Carolina Republican Party has been diligently investigating problems associated with voting machines, in particular iVotronic touch-screen voting machines in our state. These types of machines are in use in 35 of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

Reports began to surface last week of voter’s intentions not being properly registered by these machines. The specific incidents that first came to our attention were those who were attempting to cast a straight-ticket Republican vote but the machine was verifying that a straight-ticket Democratic vote had been registered. Fortunately, these initial voters were diligent in the verification process and after repeated attempts, called the problem to the attention of poll workers who assisted in making sure that the voter’s intentions were properly tallied.

Reports of similar problems began to come in from other parts of the state and at the time of this correspondence, (5pm October 28) we now have complaints from the counties New Hanover, Craven, Cumberland, Rutherford, Lenoir and Mecklenburg. I want to stress that there may indeed be similar issues in other counties using these same machines. To date, all documented voter issues involve attempts to cast votes for Republicans and at least one voter was a registered Democrat who was attempting to vote a straight-ticket Republican ballot.

Attorneys working on behalf of the NCGOP have been in contact with the State Board of Elections as early as last week in hopes of rectifying this issue and clarifying the causes of these problems. To date, it is our opinion that sufficient effort or progress has not been made by the State Board of Elections to ensure the integrity of the voting process.

For example, on Wednesday, October 27 the State Board of Elections conducted a informational session to instill voter confidence in Craven County, one of the first to report these problems. Concerned citizens came to hear information on the documented reports of machines engaging in what is known as “vote flipping”, registering for the opposite party or candidate than the voters intention. Instead they were given a remedial demonstration as to the operation of the touch-screen machine.

When one citizen expressed frustration about the lack of answers to the obvious concerns of the majority in the room, he was told by the State Board of Elections official that she was only there to demonstrate the machine and if he didn’t like that, he could leave.

Just today in Craven County, two republican poll workers were fired for talking to the media about the voting irregularities and what they claim was elections officials failure to properly address the issue.

Additional skepticism surrounds this situation due to the fact that the company responsible for the sale, distribution and maintenance of these machines has made headlines recently for questionable dealings in obtaining state contracts. Knowing that the ownership of the company in question, Printelect, has strong ties to the North Carolina Democratic Party and that the company itself holds a virtual monopoly on ballot printing and equipment maintenance for the state has only fueled suspicions.

This morning, NCGOP attorneys delivered a letter to the State Board of Elections demanding corrective action be taken immediately.
Appearing that the State Board of Elections has no intentions of taking corrective action, the NCGOP is contemplating proceeding to Federal Court on Friday to seek appropriate action to ensure the validity of the voting process in North Carolina. A total of 65 counties in our state use paper ballots tabulated by optical scanners; universally considered to be highly accurate and efficient. It is not equitable that those voters leave the polling place with a higher level of confidence that the votes have been accurately recorded than those using touch-screen machines.

Make no mistake; the NCGOP will not stand idly by and watch one of the most important rights we hold as Americans become subject to at best, a random game of electronic chance and at worst, an effort to subvert the political process.


Paid for by the North Carolina Republican Executive Committee.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

http://www.ncgop.org/

President Obama isn’t the only Democrat to accept foreign money to influence polices in Washington. The government of Bermuda met with key members of the U.S. Congress, including Charles Rangel and G.K. Butterfield

Guest Column: People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks

October 20, 2010 12:00 AM


Marvin Sparks

Guest Columnist

I guess President Obama has never heard the old adage — “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks” — or he just assumed that his subjects would agree with everything he says without questioning his veracity. However, when the New York Times, ABC News, the Associated Press, and CBS start telling the world that his attacks against the Republican Party and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are bogus, he might come to the astonishing realization that we are not as naïve as he thinks.

President Obama and the Democrat Party are accusing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Republican Party of using foreign money to undermine elections. When Bob Schieffer, host of CBS’s Face the Nation asked David Axelrod, “Is this the best you can do?” Axelrod replied, “I don’t have to prove that they do; I just have to make the accusation and it is up to them to disprove it.”

Based on that logic, a person could make any outrageous claim they wanted and the injured party would be responsible for clearing their reputation. One would think that a normal, decent person would present some proof before making a malicious statement, but some have so little respect for the truth that they will say anything to inflict pain or discredit on another party.

Axelrod has firsthand knowledge of how an influx of foreign money can taint and influence elections. He has selective amnesia regarding the millions of dollars foreign contributors funneled into President Obama’s campaign. For example, the two brothers from Gaza who contributed $32,332.19, and the millions that poured in from countries from every corner of the globe. There were foreign donors with no addresses and names that were gibberish or fictitious. Faced with the prospect of massive investigations, board of elections members decided simply to ignore President Obama’s irregularities, and focus on John McCain’s bookkeeping error of $50,000, which turned out to be legal.

President Obama isn’t the only Democrat to accept foreign money to influence polices in Washington. The government of Bermuda met with key members of the U.S. Congress, including Charles Rangel and G.K. Butterfield, seeking their support for fiscal assistance that would assure Bermuda’s long-range future. Bermudan Premier Brown returned home and bragged about his influence with the U.S. Congress.

Rep. Butterfield co-sponsored a bill that would give Bermudian homeowners and businesses susceptible to hurricanes and floods tax credits and financial assistance. An amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) would set aside part of the $787 billion for hazard mitigation. Butterfield received a donation for his services. He also received donations from British Petroleum (BP), which is a foreign corporation.

Yes, foreign money does influence policies and elections, but the accusing finger should be pointed in the right direction regardless of party affiliation.

Marvin Sparks is a Snow Hill resident who has worked for the airline industry for more than 45 years and is currently a student at Lenoir Community College. You can reach him at ssparks747@aol.com. The opinions of the guest columnist are not necessarily those of The Free Press.



The Free Press guest columnist feature appears every Wednesday in this space. Would you like to be considered as a guest columnist? Contact Managing Editor Bryan Hanks at (252) 559-1074 or at bhanks@freedomenc.com.

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULDN’T THROW ROCKS!

I guess President Obama has never heard that old adage or he just assumed that his subjects would agree with everything he says without questioning his veracity.

However, when the New York Times, ABC News, the Associated Press, and CBS start telling the world that his attacks against the Republican Party and the US Chamber of Commerce are bogus, he might come to the astonishing realization that we are not as naïve as he thinks.

President Obama and the Democrat Party are accusing the US Chamber of Commerce and the Republican Party of using foreign money to undermine elections. When Bob Schieffer, host of CBS’s Face the Nation asked David Axelrod “Is this the best you can do,” he replied, “I don’t have to prove that they do; I just have to make the accusation and it is up to them to disprove it.” Based on that logic, a person could make any outrageous claim they wanted and the injured party would be responsible for clearing their reputation. One would think that a normal, decent person would present some proof before making a malicious statement, but some have so little respect for the truth that they will say anything to inflict pain or discredit on another party.

David Axelrod has firsthand knowledge of how an influx of foreign money can taint and influence elections. He has selective amnesia regarding the millions of dollars that foreign contributors funneled into President Obama’s campaign. For example, the two brothers from Gaza who contributed $32,332.19, and the millions that poured in from countries from every corner of the globe. There were foreign donors with no addresses and names that were gibberish or fictitious. Faced with the prospect of massive investigations, Board of Elections members decided simply to ignore President Obama’s irregularities, and focus on John McCain’s bookkeeping error of $50,000, which turned out to be legal.

President Obama isn’t the only Democrat to accept foreign money to influence polices in Washington. The government of Bermuda met with key members of the US Congress, including Charles Rangel and G. K. Butterfield, seeking their support for fiscal assistance that would assure Bermuda’s long range future. Bermudan Premier Brown returned home and bragged about his influence with the U.S. Congress. Rep. Butterfield co-sponsored a bill that would give Bermudian homeowners and businesses susceptible to hurricanes and floods tax credits and financial assistance. An amendment to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) would set aside part of the $787B for hazard mitigation. Rep. Butterfield received a donation for his services. He also received donations from British Petroleum (BP) which is a foreign corporation.

Yes, foreign money does influence policies and elections, but the accusing finger should be pointed in the right direction regardless of party affiliation.

Marvin Sparks
Hookerton, NC

Townhall: Jillian Bandes

The "Young Guns" Bring Out the Big Guns

Reps. Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy and Wisconsin's Fiscal Dreamboat (WFD) — also known as Rep. Paul Ryan — are releasing a new book today that outlines their plan for the Republican Party. "Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders" is not for the politically uninterested: in a 190 page paperback, the three lay out policy proposals and talking points for this year's mid-term elections and beyond.


The book provides a full-length explanation of everything that is good and right in the political world. Unfortunately, it's not light on platitudes. I say this with a heavy heart; these guys are my dream team, and I truly believe W.F.D.'s entitlement reform plan is the way to save America. Unfortunately, his literary skills may not be.

America is on a dangerous downward path, but its not too late to get back on the upward road to security and solid growth. We have a handful of years to save our children and grandchildren from a life of economic decline and insecurity.

....we also have a handful of years to tell them that no, there aren't any monsters under the bed.

Don't get me wrong: the book is full of true statements — statements that need to be heard, and statements that probably should get put down in a book somewhere. These politicians are still rockstars. But talking points does not a novel make. I'm a conservative diehard, and I had trouble getting through it.

Perhaps the most interesting twist to the book was the exclusion of Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference. The book neither mentions him, nor mentions why they don't mention him. Neither the Young Guns nor Pence himself were willing to comment on the matter, making the Young Guns / House Republican Conference differences seem all the more dramatic.

Jillian Bandes is the National Political Reporter for Townhall.com
http://townhall.com/columnists/JillianBandes/2010/09/14/the_young_guns_bring_out_the_big_guns

Human Events

The Democrat Plantation


by Richard Bernstein
09/13/2010

When black Americans' ancestors were enslaved in pre-Civil War America, they were compelled to live lives shaped by their masters. Uniformity was required, and disobedience was punished. As a result of this ongoing powerlessness, slaves developed what has been described as a "plantation mentality."


So what's changed? For an overwhelming majority of black Americans, nothing much. They still embrace a plantation mentality, but they've changed "masters:" from slave-owners to the Democratic Party.

Perhaps blind loyalty to a political party they perceive as their "protectors" is an inevitable consequence of black Americans' unique history. That such loyalty is to a Democrat party whoseown history is a tattered tale of segregation and racism is mind-boggling.

How many black Americans know Martin Luther King's battle to desegregate the South had him fighting Democrats, such as Georgia Gov. Lester Maddox, who refused to serve blacks in his restaurant in defiance of the 1964 Civil rights Act; Alabama Gov. George Wallace, who ended his 1962 gubernatorial victory speech with the phrase, "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever;" or Alabama Public Safety Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor, who prevented integration using attack dogs and fire hoses against protesters?

How many black Americans know the Republican Party was formed in 1854 as the anti-slavery party—even as Democrats founded the Ku Klux Klan in 1866? How many know President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, (who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957) along with his brother Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy, had Martin Luther King wire-tapped by the FBI in the hope they could prove he was a Communist?

How many Americans of any ethnic persuasion know Martin Luther King was a Republican? How many know it was Republicans who established the NAACP?

Most historians consider the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a defining moment in black America's fight for equality. Because it was passed during the administration of Democratic President Lyndon Johnson, Democrats became known as party of de-segregation—even though a higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats voted in favor of the bill. And despite the reality that 23 Democratic senators filibustered the bill, trying to prevent its passage.

The same historians note that Republican Barry Goldwater's opposition to the bill was the turning point for many black Americans. In reality, Goldwater's opposition to the bill had nothing to doing with race—and everything to do with what he considered an "unlawful expansion" of federal power.

As far as the unlawful expansion of federal power goes, Goldwater has been thoroughly vindicated.

If black Americans wish to be Democrats, that is their choice—or is it? Despite the fact that Democrats enjoy the support of over 90% of black America, the other 10%, those who dare to "stray from the plantation," have been routinely vilified—by other black Americans. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been depicted as a lawn jockey, and former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, as a monkey and a parrot. Both, along with countless other non-Democrat blacks, have been referred to as "house niggers" or "Uncle Toms" for embracing conservative values.

The not-so-subtle message? Support liberal dogma—or face social ostracism.

Why the need to vilify the non-conformists? Ironically, the political party which portrays itself as the "champion of tolerance and freedom" knows that free-thinking black Americans represent a mortal threat to its power base. Democrats know that a failure to maintain the modern-day version of the plantation mentality—eternal victimhood caused by a hopelessly racist society which can only be alleviated by government hand-outs—would force them to compete for a bloc of voters they currently take for granted.

It would also cost Democrats a ton of money. Few things are more profitable than keeping the "racial grievance" industry alive. Thousands of Americans employed in jobs such as "promoting diversity," teaching "race sensitivity" classes, or maintaining quotas in employment, government-sponsored minority set-asides, and university admissions—every one of which is an extension of the liberal worldview—would be forced to look elsewhere for work.

In short, people judged by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin is a bridge too far for a Democrat party which does quite well promoting exactly the opposite. Far better for Democrats to tell black Americans that racism is "as bad as it's ever been"—even as they side-step their own party's historical involvement in it.

Yet at some point, black Americans might want to ask themselves:

If you've hitched yourselves to the Democrat party for 50-plus years, and racism is as bad as it's ever been, at what point do you hold Democrats accountable?

At what point do you leave the Democrat plantation behind?

Richard Bernstein is the author of "Duped America: How Democrats and the Mainstream Media Have Duped the American People and Are Harming Our Country" (Forrester Publishing Company, 2010).

Townhall: Steve Chapman

Steve Chapman


If Palin Runs for President
 
It turns out Sarah Palin left the governorship of Alaska for a better position. She's become king -- King Midas, to be exact. Everything she touches turns to gold.


Her memoir, "Going Rogue," was the best-selling hardcover nonfiction volume of 2009. She's got a TV gig with Fox News that reportedly pays $1 million a year. She commands $100,000 for a speaking appearance.

But it's not all about the money. Palin has also become the fairy godmother of the Republican Party. In the Aug. 31 primaries, all five candidates she tapped with her wand came away victorious -- including Joe Miller, who upset incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Those she passed over turned into pumpkins.

"Sarah Palin has special medicine," wrote John Dickerson of the liberal online magazine Slate after the primaries. "The Palin brand now grows ever stronger because other Republicans will want to access that magic."

All that looks like the perfect prelude to something even bigger. After steadfastly refusing invitations for political gatherings in Iowa, site of the first presidential contest in 2012, she's going to Des Moines Sept. 17 for the Republican Party's annual Reagan Day dinner. To run for president, one local GOP official was quoted saying, "she needs to be here -- and she's doing that with a big, high-profile event."

If she enters the race, Palin will have the inside track. A recent Gallup poll found that among Republican voters, she's more popular than Abraham Lincoln, with a 76 percent favorable rating -- higher than any other potential GOP presidential candidate listed by Gallup. The nomination is starting to look like it's hers for the asking.

But appearances are deceiving. Palin would more likely be one of those outwardly formidable candidates whose campaigns peak on the day they announce. The qualities that have made her a media star threaten to make her a dismal candidate.

It's obvious that Palin would have serious weaknesses in a general election campaign, starting with her raging unpopularity among swing voters. In a new Harris Poll, 47 percent of independents say an endorsement from President Obama would make them less likely to vote for a candidate -- but 62 percent would be put off by a Palin blessing.

What is overlooked is that she would have big handicaps in a Republican presidential contest as well. Palin has made her name railing against Obama, congressional Democrats, mosque-builders, the news media and other conservative targets. In a GOP primary, those positions would make her stand out about like one Cheerio stands out from the others. So other considerations -- competence, experience, temperament, judgment, electability -- would dominate, not to her advantage.

Instead of making the case that she would be an improvement on Obama, she'd have to explain why she would be preferable to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty or former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, among other possible contenders.

It's one thing to Tweet your thoughts about Obama and Nancy Pelosi or endorse candidates on Facebook while hiding from skeptical reporters. It's another to match wits on issues with smart, well-informed, politically savvy conservative opponents who are determined to expose your shortcomings.

If Palin couldn't handle an interview with Katie Couric, how would she handle debates? Those come fast and furious in the primaries -- and both Romney and Huckabee can draw on their 2008 experience.

In that kind of setting, winks and one-liners won't take you far. Her opponents will ask her questions she would rather not answer, such as "Why were you for the Bridge to Nowhere until you were against it?" and "If you walked away from the governorship, how can we count on you not to quit the presidency?" They will also display a grasp of substance that Palin doesn't have and shows no interest in acquiring.

This last reality is a clue that those who want her to run will be disappointed. If she were serious about a White House bid, she would have spent the past two years making herself plausible as president. All Palin has done is make herself a major media phenomenon, as well as a wealthy woman.

Right now, she's a hot commodity that has soared in value and seems destined to get even hotter. But the same was once true of housing. Palin is another bubble, which a race for president would soon burst.

Steve Chapman is a columnist and editorial writer for the Chicago Tribune.

©Creators Syndicate
http://townhall.com/columnists/SteveChapman/2010/09/12/if_palin_runs_for_president