Finally, Romney gets tea party support - Washington Times

Finally, Romney gets tea party support - Washington Times

Well, my buds over at FreedomWorks have seen the writing on the wall. I knew at some point they would. After all, they're quite possibly the smartest, most dedicated bunch of young men and women I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Former Texas Congressman Dick Armey is an economist, not a lawyer. He understands the economy better than most.

We here at UCV wanted Hermain Cain. A businessman with a proven track record of success. Not being able to get Cain on the ballot in time was a setback. I know my other editor has the "they all suck, pick one" attitude. But its time to rally behind the strongest candidate. We have to defeat Dear Leader in November.

The fate of America rests on this election. No less than the future for our children and grandchildren is at stake.

NY-26 UPDATE

From Dan Maloney NYGOE

Why David Bellavia is the Right Choice for New York

March 12, 2011

The Republican and Conservative Parties made the wrong decision in New York in deciding to put money over principles in their choice for a candidate to run for the special election in the 26th Congressional District.

But it is about more than just principles.

Gary Berntsen Comes Out Swinging For Bellavia in NY 26

March 12, 2011
Afghan War Hero Gary Berntsen has come out full force behind David Bellavia, himself a decorated Iraq War hero, in David’s bid to capture the Congressional seat vacated by the resignation of the Republican Party choice, Christopher Lee.

FreedomWorks in Richmond With Dick Armey and John Taylor

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, Nan Swift, and Tabitha Hale (SmartGirlPolitics) speak on issues near and dear to the hearts of Virginians. FreedomWorks is very lucky to have such talented, intelligent, motivated individuals

Doc 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 a new 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 need to stop cap and trade in its tracks. We need to drive a stake through the heart of domestic energy production restrictions. We need to push hard for the GA and the VA Senate to recognize that the federal government does not have the final word on the welfare of the citizens. The states have the right and obligation to defend the rights of its citizens.

It starts here. It starts now. In Virginia. Where it began the first time.

The Constitution of the United States is the Law.
Everything else is just a regulation.

Doug Hoffman Leads In Poll; Where's Cantor?

When will our 7th District Congressman, the House Minority Whip, Eric Cantor, finally back the ony true conservative candidate in the NY-23 Special Election?

When the Republican machine tells him to? You waiting for Newt to give you marching orders?

Or when the citizens have made their choice and elected a true conservative to New York's 23rd Congressional District? Its easy to be a rebel among rebels. Not so easy to be the first one, it would seem.

Congressman Cantor, as a constitiuent of the 7th District, I call upon you to buck the party machine and endorse Doug Hoffman; just as former House Majority Leader Dick Armey and former Alaska Governor Sara Palin have done.

Its time for you to decide if you represent the people or the party.

More From NY-23

The last paragraph says it all. We are not Republican, we are conservative Americans and we will not accept the status quo or the good ole boy BS any longer.

From Politico:
NY-23 race first test of tea party power
By: Alex Isenstadt
October 22, 2009 08:31 PM EST

Tea party activists from across the nation are rallying around the House special
election in upstate New York, viewing it as the first electoral test of the nascent conservative movement’s political muscle. Organizers up and down the East Coast report that activists are making their way into the campaign offices of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, with the volunteers focusing their efforts in Oswego, Madison and Jefferson counties. While tea party organizers say the election is a unique opportunity to hold the Democratic and Republican parties to account, much of their energy is being directed against Dede Scozzafava, the GOP establishment-backed nominee whom they view as a squishy moderate who represents all that is wrong with the Republican Party.

“I went here from Washington, D.C., saying, ‘Now what?’” said Jennifer Bernstone, an organizer for Central New York 912, a Syracuse-based tea party group that so far has about 300 members getting out the vote for Hoffman. “Well, here’s the ‘Now what.’”

Numerous anti-Scozzafava websites have emerged across the blogosphere.

Dana Loesch, a St. Louis-based activist, has launched “Dump Dede,” a site that tracks nationwide conservative opposition to Scozzafava and urges viewers to “throw your support behind conservatism, ladies and gents; the clock starts now.”

Michael Patrick Leahy, a Nashville, Tenn.-area tea party activist, has turned his Drudge Report-like TCOT Report into a constantly updated bulletin board of news and rumors slamming Scozzafava.

“Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, Washington Times, National Review, RedState Join Growing Avalanche of Other Conservatives Calling for Scozzafava to Withdraw from Race in NY 23rd,” blared the site’s headline Thursday afternoon. “They’re all making a concerted effort for Doug Hoffman, and they are making New York 23 a last stand,” said Erick Erickson, who has been urging tea party activists for months to ramp up electoral efforts against the Republican Party on his influential conservative blog RedState. “New York should be a hill to die on for conservative activists.”

Scozzafava faces Democrat Bill Owens and Hoffman in the Nov. 3 contest to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.). In New York, tea party activists have emerged as the ground troops for the small, grass-roots-oriented Hoffman campaign.

Bernstone, the CNY912 activist who in her day job works as an acting coach, said she now participates in nightly 9:30 p.m. conference calls with Hoffman campaign aides. “We are helping his organization get out the vote for what we believe is the better of the two candidates,” said William Lamar Wells, who heads up CNY912. “This is rapidly elevating.”

“We’re seeing a lot of tea party people coming into the office,” said Rob Ryan, a Hoffman spokesman. “In a very competitive election, they’re providing a lot of manpower to put Doug Hoffman over the top.”

For the tea party activists, the special election represents the next big event for the loosely confederated movement, which began earlier this year with local Tax Day “tea parties,” followed by town hall protests and a Sept. 12 March on Washington. “I think, nationally, the tea party movement to a person is supporting Hoffman,” said Leahy.

On Thursday, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), chairman of FreedomWorks, an organization that has played a role in coordinating tea party activities, personally endorsed Hoffman and implored his conservative followers to get on board.

“You’re sitting right in the eye of the storm. This country is at a crossroads,” Armey told supporters, according to an account in the Syracuse Post-Standard. “We have a special election. This is the game-changer. We’ve struggled with a Republican Party ... that has lost its way. They don’t remember about [President Ronald] Reagan. ... They don’t remember about small government. They let their thinking be controlled by self-serving political objects. And frankly, they made a lot of fools out of themselves.” FreedomWorks is now set to launch an aggressive effort to educate voters on what it says are the differences between Hoffman and Scozzafava.

Adam Brandon, a FreedomWorks spokesman, said the organization would have hundreds of members on the ground in the closing days of the contest and will distribute call lists to members across the country who can’t make it to upstate New York.

Armey himself is set to embark on a whistle-stop and media tour with Hoffman and will headline a fundraiser for the Conservative Party nominee. On Wednesday, Armey huddled with tea party activists who are playing a role in the race. According to an Oct. 15 Siena Research Institute poll, Owens has the support of 33 percent of likely voters, followed by Scozzafava at 29 percent and Hoffman at 23 percent. But Hoffman’s numbers were up 7 points during a two-week period, and Democratic and Republican insiders told POLITICO that Hoffman has now moved into second place ahead of Scozzafava, according to internal polls.

Asked to assess how much credit the Hoffman campaign would give to tea party activists in the event the Conservative Party candidate wins, Ryan said, “We would owe them a great deal of credit.”

For Scozzafava, the ramped-up tea party opposition has coincided with a rough campaign stretch. On Monday evening, she came under fire after reports circulated that her husband had called police after a Weekly Standard writer peppered her with a series of questions. Two days later, on Wednesday, Scozzafava, appearing exhausted, staged an awkward photo op in front of Hoffman’s campaign headquarters — surrounded by a sea of Hoffman supporters waving Hoffman campaign signs behind her.

“I think, whether it’s tea party folks or any other group, they have a right to support who they feel best represents them,” said Matt Burns, a Scozzafava spokesman. “I think it’s a healthy thing when there is political involvement from people at any level.”

Tea party activists, who maintain they are independent of either major party, say their involvement in the special election is proof they aren’t aligned with the Republican Party. “We’re not a part of the Republican Party, and I think that’s beginning to show to people,” said Wells.

Asked how his conservative-oriented organization felt about taking on the Republican Party, Brandon, the FreedomWorks spokesman, responded without missing a beat, “I feel as pure as can be. I have a smile on my face.”

“For those who criticize us as an arm of the GOP, I hope those folks are watching,” added Brandon.

Follow Up To Other DeDe Scozzafava Post

We have friends in New York right now, lending a hand.

As you may have heard, the race is really heating up in New York's 23rd Congressional District, with the Republican establishment doubling down for Dede Scozzafava, the 'movement conservatives' largely weighing in for Doug Hoffman and the Democrats licking their chops at the thought of taking control of this seat for the first time since the 19th Century. It's a free-for-all, and it's anybody's race at this point.

In this clip, Newt Gingrich makes the case for Dede Scozzafava:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETumfkPqwQ

In this one, Fred Thompson makes the case for Doug Hoffman:
http://www.fredpac.com/2009/10/clip-of-the-day-102009/

Finally, Bill Owens makes the case for Bill Owens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPdKYT9zIZ8

I'll have some phone numbers later on to help Doug Hoffman.

Rolling Stone Explains It All or The Big Insurance Magic Brain Beam Machine

All this time I thought I was acting on my own when I wrote letters, made phone calls, and marched in the street with over two million other Americans, protesting excessive government intrusion into my life.

I didn't realize I was being manipulated by Big Insurance and the Magic Brain Beam Machine. Who knew??

Rarely has anybody on the Left ever dared to speak so candidly in giving their explanation for the Middle American Rebellion of 2009 that turned out thousands of previously non-political Americans of all ages at town halls, tea parties and, most impressively, on Sept. 12 in the nation's capital.

Since folks on the Left can't possibly accept that rational people would oppose more government control over their lives, they are left with only one possible explanation - Opponents must be too stupid, blind or malleable to think for themselves, so they must be nothing more than pawns.

And who is doing the manipulating? Remember Hillary Clinton and the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (VRWC)? Dickinson echoes and updates the familiar theme with this pack of assertions:

"Call it the return of the Karl Rove playbook: The effort to mobilize the angriest fringe of the Republican base was guided by a conservative dream team that included the same GOP henchmen who Swift-boated John Kerry in 2004, smeared John McCain in 2000, wrote the script for Republican obstructionism on global warming, and harpooned the health care reform effort led by Hillary Clinton in 1993."

And among the other suspects - Dick Scaife, Frank Luntz, Dick Armey - Dickinson pays particular attention to Charles and David Koch, and their foundation, saying "Americans for Prosperity, which has taken the lead in the current fight against reform, is a front group for oil billionaires David and Charles Koch, co-owners of the world's largest private oil and gas conglomerate."

FreedomWorks Chairman Endorses Doug Hoffman NY-23

Dick Armey to endorse 3rd party candidate over Republican in NY House race

(Maybe "someone" in VA-07 will notice and re-assess their position.)

The special election to fill New York's vacant 23rd congressional seat is perhaps the earliest test of the GOP's chances to reclaim the House in 2010. Yet the GOP candidate, Dede Scozzafava, has struggled to line up Republican support, and has taken a pummeling from conservative groups that assert she's liberal.

The Club for Growth and Eagle Forum, among others, support her opponent, Doug Hoffman, who's running on the Conservative Party ticket.

Add North Texas' Dick Armey to the list of conservative stars backing Hoffman. The former House Majority Leader has confirmed to the Hoffman campaign that he'll spend Thursday with them, said Rob Ryan, a Hoffman spokesman. "He is with us almost all day Thursday," Ryan told me. "There will be a bunch of different events." Armey's endorsement of Hoffman is personal and wasn't offered on behalf of FreedomWorks, the conservative foundation he chairs.

Reasons 7 Thru 10 of "10 Reasons to Oppose Cap and Tax"

7. It prevents market forces from working for the environment:

The market distortions imposed by a cap and trade system would be significant. Recently, major energy companies such as ExxonMobil and Shell have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in technologies that capture and store carbon as well as lower carbon alternative energy sources. A cap and trade system however, sets up perverse incentives that will distract these and other companies from market-based solutions to curb carbon output. Resources instead will be funneled to the artificial market for carbon allowances that cap and trade sets up.

8. It threatens to put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage with other countries:

Though the E.U. and the United States may be buying into cap and trade, industrial giants like China and India are not. Remember the lost jobs we talked about in point #4? In addition to China and India, nearby Mexico (another country where cap and trade is not even a remote possibility) are more than willing to pick up the U.S. slack and bolster their already robust manufacturing sectors.

9. It opens the door to massive fraud and corruption:

As energy companies look to game the system, cap and trade would open the door wide for fraud and corruption that could devastate U.S. investors and the economy as a whole. This has been seen already in the UK, a country currently participating in cap and trade. In a recent article by the British-based Guardian newspaper they report: “Britain’s biggest polluting companies are abusing a European emission trading scheme (ETS) designed to tackle global warming by cashing in their carbon credits in order to bolster ailing balance sheets.”

In the United States we have seen what happens when companies engage in creative accounting measures to hide losses and the staggering domino effect it can have on Wall Street investors and the larger economy. If you need more proof of this threat, look no further than this report by The Competitive Enterprise Institute that discusses Enron’s support for a cap and trade scheme that would allow them to dominate this new, made-up market for carbon.

10. It threatens to bust the federal budget at a time when the United States can scarcely afford it:

Federal spending continues at a breakneck pace. The recent passage of the trillion-dollar stimulus bill along with even more taxpayer funded bailouts looming on the horizon add to U.S. budget woes and sink us deeper into recession. And as if times weren’t tough enough, the CBO reports that cap and trade would heap additional undue pressure on our fragile budget.

According to their report, government would face the same challenges with higher energy costs that consumers do. Additionally, the fall in production for U.S. industry would lead to a loss of federal government tax revenues. Further increasing spending while decreasing revenues makes cap and trade a tough sell in the current economic climate.

Reasons 3 and 4 of "10 Reasons To Oppose Cap and Tax"

3. It doesn’t work where it has been tried:
Speaking of Europe, let’s take a closer look at how cap and trade is fairing. As mentioned earlier, the EU is watching carbon emission levels rise despite the fact that they have had a cap and trade system since 2005.

Furthermore, the Heartland Institute reports that 12 of the 15 EU nations taking part in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, a program that sets greenhouse gas reduction targets and serves as a precursor to cap and trade, are failing to meet their reduction targets, with three going over by more than 10 percent and another three going over by more than 20 percent.

In fact, emissions for all EU countries went up on average 2.1 percent between 2000 and 2004. Compare this with the United States where currently no such regulatory regime exists and yet emissions went up only 1.3 percent during the same time period. Nonetheless, President Obama has announced an aggressive set of targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promising to “work expeditiously with key stakeholders and the Congress to develop an economy-wide emissions reduction program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions approximately 14 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and approximately 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.”

4. It will cost Americans jobs:
This calculation is a pretty simple one. For U.S. industry to comply with a cap and trade scheme, they have to reduce their carbon emissions. There are two ways to do this:

(1) produce less – this obviously hurts jobs as companies would seek to streamline their workforce to compensate for a drop in production, or

(2) buy carbon allowances in order to keep production up – this, too, would threaten jobs as companies would be forced to devote more internal resources to allowances, negatively effecting their bottom lines and potentially putting workers on the chopping block.

In either case, the rising costs of energy under a cap and trade system, as mentioned earlier, only add to the problem. An analysis conducted by Charles River Associates in 2007 estimated anywhere from 1.2 million to 2.3 million jobs would be lost under a cap and trade scheme.

9/12 March and People's Cube

People's Cube did a good job documenting the 9/12 March on DC.

What We Have Coming on Healthcare Legislation

Posted on FreedomWorks Grassroots: Florida Group

We have been unsuccessful in stopping the Senate bill in the Finance Committee, and frankly actually accomplishing much except to drive their deliberation under the cover of darkness. Baucus has not produced a written bill, and only a 20+ page description of their intent. The actual bill may take two or more weeks to actually draft.

Nonethless, Reid is going to move forward consolidating the 4 Senate bills into one bill, including the Kennedy version which does contain a Public Option and closely follows the ACORN Driven House Bill HR3200.

Expect Reid to produce a combined bill, looking more like the Kennedy bill than the Baucus bill= by mid next week and to call for a Senate vote on it immediately irespective of the bill not actually being written. He'll try to cobble the votes together in order to get it to conference. We have a major battle looming at this time and we need to get our act together and press every member of Congress to kill the House and Senate Bill. The Blue Dogs are our best hope in teh Hosue and we need to get our grass roots all over these Reps, plus a huge national fax campaign to strengthen their willingness to vote no.

More Video From The 9/12 March

As the head of the Security Team for FreedomWorks at the 9/12 March, all I can say is I am proud of each and every American who took the time to come to DC and make a statement. (Except for the LaRouche idiots. I could have done without them.)

Plans are already underway to duplicate the remarkable success next year.

Operation Clean Sweep 2010 is in production.

"Buckle up, Buttercup." ;)

So Exactly What Was Happning in San Francisco in the 1970's?

Princess Nan, ruler of the house of SanFran, purveyor of crocodile tears, mistress of the realm of Berkley, and a favorite of code oink, says she's "concerned" about the signs she saw in DC on Saturday, because she saw "anti-government rhetoric" which reminded her of "the late '70s in San Francisco" when "it created a climate in which violence took place."

Well, through the power and magic of the internet, (you think algore is sorry he invented this thing, yet?), I found this little tidbit:

The Gay Pride Freedom Day Parade

The signs were mild in comparison to the behavior of the attendees.

What exactly is she referring to?
Nothing.
This is another Alinsky tactic.

It diverts attention away from the legitimate issue of ever increasing government intrusion and makes the people who are talking about it the villans. It creates an "I told you so moment" when someone from the extreme left initiates a violent confrontation with a member of the pro-liberty movement and the "wise ones" on high can look down on the pesants and "tsk tsk" and say "See, we told you this would create violence."

Lets get this straight: The ONLY people using violence are on the left.
Union thugs who beat up Townhall attendees;
The New Black Panther Party who use threats of violence to intimidate voters;
Muslim terrorists who kill innocents.

There was no violent anti-government rhetoric on any sign that I saw on Saturday.
I saw homemade signs expressing concerns about the direction our Nation is headed.
I saw Lyndon LaRouche people (LaRouche people have the same level of credibility as the New Black Panther Party) carrying signs with pictures of Obama with a Hitler-esque moustache.

Here is a link to over 300 images from the 9/12 March.

I sent it to O'Reilly after that lovefest he had with Sally Quinn Friday night.
Find a violent sign. I defy anyone to find one.
(#63 has a suspicious looking character in the right corner.)

A Message from Our Friends at FreedomWorks

Armey’s Axiom says that a little man can whip a big man every time if he’s in the right and keeps on a-comin’. That’s why I believe that grassroots Americans still can defeat the biggest threats to our freedoms now moving through Washington, D.C. But now is no time to be subtle, or to be timid.

Late last week, the U.S. House left the confines of the Beltway for its month-long August Recess. Next week the Senate will follow suit. Congress is closing up shop for the summer. Think of this as “half-time” in this year’s fight against the Obama agenda and the good news for freedom-loving limited government advocates is that the momentum is on our side.

Right now liberals are literally scrambling. Moderate Democrats in the Senate as well as members of the House Blue Dog Caucus have been brought to the White House on an almost daily basis to take their licks for not rubber stamping the Obama wish-list. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid seem out of touch with the Democrat rank-and-file as they present their aggressive timelines for passing controversial reforms only to be stymied by members of their own caucus time and time again. Unable to muster the necessary votes on health care, both the House and Senate have delayed floor votes until after their August vacation. To top it all off, Obama’s approval rating has just slipped to below 50% for the first time.

That’s a long way from our New Year’s hangover that saw a newly strengthened and emboldened liberal Congress and radical left-wing president crowing about their ambitious plans to grow government. True, Obama did pass the disastrous stimulus bill, driving deficits to record highs. But the fact remains: Obama’s machine has been shocked by effective opposition from conservative activists.

Beginning with the Tea Party demonstrations in the spring and translating into massive grassroots outcries in the “cap and tax” and government takeover of health care policy battles, hard working volunteers like you took to the streets. As a result, these two key goals of Obama’s socialist dream are now heavily bogged down despite early claims that both would be passed before August. Card check, the union power grab that liberals expected to pass by now, and another crown jewel in the Obama agenda, isn’t even on the schedule any more.

For the liberal left, August will be a time for regrouping and strategizing on how best to jump-start their big government agenda. To counter their efforts, FreedomWorks will be activating grassroots networks all over the country and mobilizing activists to attend literally hundreds of legislator town hall meetings and listening sessions. In addition, our volunteers will be setting up district office visits, staging protests, and hosting letter-writing parties to reinforce pressure against their socialist schemes.

At the top of the to-do list for Pelosi, Reid, and company when they return in September: the government-run health care and cap and trade legislation they originally thought they could do before summer’s end. That makes the stakes for FreedomWorks’ 9-12 Taxpayer March on Washington that much higher. To date, thousands have registered and to my knowledge, there has never before been a conservative, limited government gathering of this magnitude in Washington, D.C.

Here is the breakdown of events:
Thursday, September 10, will be a day of grassroots training, issue education, and lobbying on key issues like health care and cap and trade.

Friday, September 11, will continue training and lobbying in the afternoon, and we will host a reception for our best activists that night.

Blogger Note: I must insist that anyone not going to the reception, please make the trip up to Walter Reed Army Medical Center at 7200 Georgia Ave NW and join the members of DCProtestWarrior, DCFreeRepublic, Gathering of Eagles, Band of Mothers, and other patriotic Americans as we continue the weekly Friday night tribute to our brave wounded soldiers and Marines reovering at WRAMC. I promise you will not be bored. Festivities begin at 1800 and end around 2200. That's 6PM to 10PM for you non-Marines.

Saturday, September 12, is the big march down Pennsylvania Avenue culminating with the rally on the West Lawn of the Capitol.

I would love to be there to see the look in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s eyes when she steps out onto the balcony of her office on the West Side of the Capitol. As the saying goes: “Priceless.”

I hope I can count on you to be here in Washington, D.C., for the 9-12 Taxpayer March, but today I also ask you to commit to recruit others to take part in this historic event. If you could bring five or even ten additional people from your community who also understand how important it is to stop Obama and the left’s socialist agenda, it will help us reach our goal of flooding the Capitol lawn with freedom-loving activists from all over the country.

We are making great gains in our efforts to beat back the left, but now it’s make or break time.

Thank you again for everything you’ve done. Keep up the pressure on members of Congress over the August Recess against government-run health care and the cap and trade energy tax, and I look forward to seeing you here in Washington, D.C. in September when these battles heat up once again.

Matt Kibbe

They Will Succeed If You Don't Do Something

The extreme-left is desperately trying to take over every aspect of your life. In case you haven't noticed, they're taking control of the banking industry, they're trying to take control of your family's healthcare, they're taking control of the auto industry and the energy industry...

But, most horrifically, THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOU. And, make no mistake; the so-called $3.6 TRILLION BUDGET ABOMINATION IS THEIR MEANS TO DO IT. Some critics, to borrow a phrase from the good folks at FreedomWorks, are saying that this $ 3.6 trillion budget abomination "taxes too much, spends too much, and borrows too much." But the simple fact that $3.6 trillion is a mind-boggling figure is just one small piece of the puzzle.

The one thing that no one is really taking about (the 800 pound gorilla in the room) is that this $3.6 trillion budget abomination is ALSO the LARGEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS GOVERNMENT POWER GRAB IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY. And if it passes, you can start to kiss the free-market system goodbye. If it passes, you can kiss your personal liberties goodbye.

Here are just a handful of the highlights:
Health Care: According to the typically pro-Obama New York Times: "Mr. Obama asked Congress to set aside $634 billion in a 'reserve fund for health care reform.' He provided no new information about how to cover the uninsured, saying he would work out the details with Congress later this year." The Times also stated that Obama "would also increase premiums charged to Medicare beneficiaries...." No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Obama is asking Congress for $634 billion dollars of your money, is offering no clear plan as to what he wants to do with the money (he'll get to that later, after the money is appropriated) and wants to cut back on benefits. The only thing that is certain is the government will start taking money out of your pocket and start making your healthcare decisions for you.

Taxes: Moveon.org, while promoting the $3.6 trillion budget abomination, repeats the Obama mantra that it: "Reduces taxes for 95% of working Americans. And if your family makes less than $250,000, your taxes won't go up one dime."

The truth of the matter, however, is that this $3.6 trillion budget calls for a number of hidden taxes. One of these is a cap-and-trade energy tax which, according to The Wall Street Journal "would cost the average household in the bottom-income quintile about 3.3 percent of its after-tax income every year. That's about $680, not including the costs of reduced employment and output. The three middle quintiles would see their paychecks cut between $880 and $1,500, or 2.9 percent to 2.7 percent of income."

The Wall Street Journal concludes: "Cap and trade, in other words, is a scheme to redistribute income and wealth--but in a very curious way. It takes from the working class and gives to the affluent; takes from Miami, Ohio, and gives to Miami, Florida; and takes from an industrial America that is already struggling and gives to rich Silicon Valley and Wall Street 'green tech' investors who know how to leverage the political class."

Jobs: MoveOn.org claims the budget "Invests more than $100 billion in clean energy technology, creating millions of green jobs that can never be outsourced." The folks at FreedomWorks have this to say: "The numbers being used here, like the numbers used in the stimulus debate, are deceptive in that they hide the less rosy bigger picture. It is a classic case of 'what is seen and what is not seen' as described so clearly by economists Frederic Bastiat and Henry Hazlitt. What is seen are the jobs that will certainly result from the government spending $100 billion. What is not seen are all the jobs that are lost because the government has to take those $100 billion out of one part of the economy to spend it somewhere else."

You're starting to get the picture. This $3.6 trillion budget has nothing to do with stimulating the economy, or making life better for the average Joe; unless, of course, you believe that the redistribution of YOUR income and government intrusion into YOUR life are good things. Perhaps that's why Senator Judd Gregg called Obama's $3.6 trillion budget "an extraordinary move of our government to the left." Gregg added that President Obama "is proposing the largest tax increase in history..."

Tell the Republican and Democratic Leadership of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. in unmistakable terms that the American people want this $3.6 trillion abomination of a budget bill DEAD... a stake driven through its heart. Tell them that the American people do not want "compromises" or insignificant amounts of fat trimmed from this monster. Tell the Republican and Democratic Leadership of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. that OBAMA'S BUDGET MUST DIE!

We Surround Them in Hanover - Updated!

UPDATE: Well, finally got here....

These lovely ladies, that worked incredibly hard, can say that their efforts in support of Glenn Beck and his 912 Project were a resounding success. My thanks to Laura Glover, Angie Parker, and Debbie Wetlaufer for a great party. They showed that any citizen can mobilize hundreds of people if the cause is right. We Surround Them is a up and coming organization and these women have it right. We should use this momentum to build. Scott and Richard Lee, of The Lee Brothers Talk Show, proved once again why they remain the best two headed talk show in Richmond. They even convinced me to get out of bed early on Saturday. Now THAT'S a miracle. Fine music was provided by Kim Taulbee and Rick Henretty. Their music can be found at Support The Flag.com.

The WST Team put on a heck of party! And our thanks also go out to Sports Page Bar & Grille. They were able to make us feel right at home.




They even put up special decorations for the party.....
My Favorite poster:

9 Principles, 12 Values, Unite or Die

CargoSquid will have more to add in his own indomitable style, but I wanted to get something up before I forgot. (SEE ABOVE, Sorry I'm late....)

BZ's to Laura Glover and her team for organizing this thing over in Mechanicsville Friday night. I should not have been surprised to learn that Laura is a Navy vet, but I always am, especially when they're drop dead gorgeous. (Its a Marine thing. I won't apologize for being a guy. I don't judge by appearence, but if a Lady is attractive, I won't be shy about noticing it.)

The turn-out was tremendous. I estimate over 300 people between the two locations. BZ's also need to go out to Sportspage Bar and Nacho Mama's for hosting this event in Hanover.

I see some good things coming out of this. I believe folks are finally realizing there is strength in numbers and I look forward to working with all these folks.

I think the most important thing about this, to me, was the reassurance that there are like-minded people who understand the importance of the principals America was founded upon.

What the government is engaged in right now is what Frederic Bastiat referred to as "leaglized plunder". I encourage everyone to get a copy of "The Law" by Frederic Bastiat and place it right next to the Constitution and the Declaration. Read it and apply the conditions Bastiat is addressing to our present day situation. The similarities are "spooky".

Glenn is right of course. We need to maintain this momentum and take this to the streets. There is a March on Washington being planned for 23 May, which coincidentally, is Memorial Weekend which means there will be thousands of bikes in DC. Might be a good time to express our opinion.

I would urge everyone to be in DC on the 23rd of May and stay until my Victory in Iraq Rally on 13 June. (Just kidding..but you need to be at both)


I finally met the Lee Brothers. Gave them each a FreedomWorks t-shirt. They are a class act. I will honestly make an attempt to get up on Saturday morning and listen.

The Law

We hold from God the gift which includes all others. This gift is life--physical, intellectual, and moral life.
But life cannot maintain itself alone. The Creator of life has entrusted us with the responsibility of preserving, developing, and perfecting it. In order that we may accomplish this, He has provided us with a collection of marvelous faculties. And He has put us in the midst of a variety of natural resources. By the application of our faculities to these natural resources we convert them into products, and use them. This process is neccessary in order that life may run its appointed course.
Life, faculities, production---in other words, individuality, liberty, prosperity---this is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it.

Frederic Bastiat

Honor A Fallen Marine

Friends,

A school district near Austin, TX wants to name a new high school there Vandegrift High School after a fallen Marine who graduated in 1999. He was killed in Iraq serving his country, and the local school board voted to name the new high school after him. This is a great gesture of appreciation. But unfortunately some lunatic leftists are protesting this decision. Please read the background below and contact the Leander ISD to let them know you support their decision, despite what a vocal, anti-American minority has to say.Call the school district at 512-434-5000. Fax a letter to them at 512-434-5398. Email them at governance.team@leanderisd.org





The Leander ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously at their June 19,2008 meeting to name LISD High School #5 "Lt. Matthew Vandegrift High School.

Unfortunately, a vocal minority is pressing to change the name away fromVandergrift to something else.

Lt. Matthew Ryan Vandegrift (USMC) - a Leander High School honorsgraduate(Class of 1999) and athlete - was killed in Iraq in April 2008. 1st Lt.Vandegrift grew up in the Steiner Ranch community, and graduated from TexasA&M with honors and a degree in international business, before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in August 2005. He was killed four days shortof his 28th birthday.

During the school naming process public comment was accepted and theVandergrift name was the top vote getter. Since the June 18th meetingmembers of the LISD Board of Trustees have been pelted with emails assailing their choice.

One such email reads in part, "Naming the school after someone who signed upto serve in an illegal war promotes the board's political pro-war message.If you are set on honoring a service person, honor a fallen fireman or policeman. For many of us who are, and have been from the beginning, against this war, this is not the message that we want to send to our kids. Both my sons will attend this school. Both of them will know that it was named after someone who willingly signed up to take part in an illegal war defending, mainly, business interests. While I feel terribly sorry for bothLt. Matthew Vandegrift and his family for their loss, I cannot agree with their actions".

Those of us who are veterans know that civilians set policy and our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines follow their orders and serve where they are told. To denigrate the memory of such honorable service and a life well led is shockingly sad. That is why I am calling on you to do three things.

1. Email the LISD at the address below and thank them for naming the new high School after Lieutenant Vandergrift governance.team@leanderisd.org

2. Contact your friends and associates and ask them to do the same.

3. Attend, and encourage attendance at the next LISD Board meeting and give public comment in favor of the Vandergrift honor. The meeting will start at 6:15 on Thursday July 17 at the Cedar Park High School Auditorium.

Citizen's comments are normally around 7PM. I am sure that those opposed to supporting our soldiers will be there en masse. There is a strong chance that the naming of the school will come up for reconsideration by the board. It is up to Americans like you to stand up and recognize the honor, courage and sacrifice of service members like Lieutenant Vandergrift. Lieutenant Vandergrift stood up for you.will you stand up for him?


To the members of the LISD Board:
I am writing to let you know that I whole-heartedly support your June 19th decision to name the new high school in the Leander ISD after fallen Marine Lieutenant Vandergrift. As a non-military but patriotic citizen, I appreciate your desire to dedicate a new high school to the memory of such an outstanding American serviceman. I have heard that you have received some criticism from some members of the community over this decision. Let this letter represent my vote of support for your decision and a confirmation that you have made the correct choice. Please do not back down from your decision based on the complaints of a few vocal people who would link Vandegriftʼs faithful service to his country to the political ideologues in Washington. Vandegriftʼs service and ultimate sacrifice transcends the current political debate and deserves this recognition.
God Bless America.

Oil at 132.00 and climbing

This has got to stop. If the price of gas is not busting your budget, then you are independently wealthy, or you're part of the problem.

As the defacto Freedom Works contact for this region of our Commonwealth, I would be remiss if I did not post this link.

GAS PRICE PROTEST

Sign this petition please.

Drill Here, Drill Now, shoot the speculators, stop the ChiComs drilling off our coast.