Congress Defeats Broadcaster Freedom Act

The Broadcaster Freedom Act, which would have prevented any form of the Fairness Doctrine from returning, has been defeated today. This action by House Democrats stands in stark contrast to Democrat promises, even by President Obama, regarding this issue.
"As the president stated during the campaign, he does not believe the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated." - White House spokesman Ben LaBolt.

"I'm going to leave that issue to Julius Genachowski, our new head of the FCC, and the president to discuss. So I don't have an answer for you now." - Senior Obama advisor David Axelrod.
As many of you may remember, candidate Obama was quite clear during the campaign that no version of the Fairness Doctrine would pass under his watch. Yet the Broadcaster Freedom Act, sponsored by Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR), Mike Pence, and 125 other members of Congress, has been refused a full hearing on the House floor by liberal Democrats. This action leaves open the door not only to the Fairness Doctrine itself being pushed by liberal Democrats in Congress, but for other backdoor measures by the FCC to implement government regulation of the airwaves that the Broadcaster Freedom Act would have prevented as well.

Mr. Brian Jennings, author of Censorship: The Threat To Silence Talk Radio and a former National VP for Talk Programming of Citadel Broadcasting, had the following to say in response to the BFA going down in flames in Congress:

"They clearly want to regulate radio. Their speech is so disingenuous, its laughable. They say they do not favor the Fairness Doctrine, yet they support back-door measures that would accomplish the same goals. They cannot deny that programming advisory boards, localism rules, and defining the public interest with some “teeth” are all means of regulating speech in America - particularly conservative speech. This is an outrage and all Americans should see through this for what it is. These are tyrants in action."

... By Johnny Simpson, read the rest here at Digital Journal

Americans are Enslaved by our Tax System

Barack Obama is losing his shiny luster to American voters. The recession is deepening and Ron Paul is starting to look better to even his critics. What is going on? The ususal, taxes and debt.

We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name---Liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible means---liberty and tyranny.

Abraham Lincoln, 1864

Lincolns words echo from the past to fit neatly in the current atmosphere of America today,and while those words were meant to address the slavery and the oppression of the blacks, the words are equally apropos for our current struggles in America. Slavery is not just the oppression of the Jews, or the blacks, or any of the other historic groups of people who have been forced to labor for a higher class, it can also be an oppression of an entire country for the benefit of the Political Elite. As it stands, Americans are nothing more than the slaves of Washington and more people are realizing it.

Polls indicate that President Obama's approval ratings are dropping. In Ohio they have dropped by 13 points to rest at a 49 percent approval rating and a 44 percent disapproval rating. According to a Gallup Poll the national approval rating had dropped and is clearly divided on party lines.

U.S. President Barack Obama averaged a 58% job approval rating for the first eight days of July, down from an average of 61% for June. His approval rating is down most significantly among independents, to 53% so far in July from an average of 59%in June; it has dropped two points among Republicans (from 25% in June to 23% so far in July) and has gone up a point among Democrats, to 90%

At this point in the game this may be just the status quo as every President has a rocky start, and a loud loyal opposition. Still the polling numbers do not bode well if the trend continues ,and it will as long as Americans are feeling the strain of the economy and see no end in sight due to legislation that would demand all Americans pay higher taxes.

Taxes are the first form of slavery that our founding fathers fought against and it seems that Americans have forgotten all our country was founded upon by accepting the increase in taxes that have become the shackles and the yolk of our country. Thomas Jefferson would agree.

"We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt We must make our selection between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude.. If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat in our drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labors and in our amusements, for our callings and our creeds...our people.. must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live.. We have not time to think, no means of calling the mis-managers to account, but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow suffers. Our landholders, too...retaining indeed the title and stewardship of estates called theirs, but held really in trust for the treasury, must...be contented with penury, obscurity and exile.. private fortunes are destroyed by public as well as by private extravagance. This is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle becomes a precedent for a second; that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering... And the fore horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression."

Are taxes necessary? Yes they are, or the founders would not have made it legal for the collection of taxes by writing Article 1 Section 8 into the constitution.

Section. 8. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

Ah there is the rub, taxes are necessary for the operation of government, but our founders did not think taxes should weigh heavily on the people. Did American's learn this in school? Well they learned about the Boston Tea Party, and that seems to be the only concept that Americans can easily relate to. Hence the loyal opposition of Barack Obama's policies, the Tea Party Patriots, and they scare the living daylights out of the political class.

Tea Party Patriots are made up of Democrats and Republicans, Libertarians and Constitutionalists alike who have recognized the already broken promises of the administration not to raise taxes on 95 percent of Americans. The group is also concerned with the ever expanding debt the Obama Adminstration and Congress are signing into law as some Americans watch in horror, and others cheerfully accept in the name of the green movement and lazy compassion.

Tea Party Patriots are not the only group ready to voice their dismay against slavery, there are also the new "creative extremists." You can generally find these folks on the Internet forums or at a restaurant discussing the new Glenn Beck book Common Sense: The Case Against An Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine.

Glenn Beck's own version of Common Sense also touches upon the oppressive use of taxes.

A complex and confusing tax code is a weapon that can be used to intimidate enemies( windfall profits tax on oil companies) and punish the innocent but politically unpopular person(a 90 percent tax on corporate executives) while rewarding friends with exemptions,deductions,and individualized loopholes.

Glenn Beck pg. 39

There are also Americans not aligned with either group who are portraying their distaste for rising debt and taxes. Some are smokers who are represented by the poor and minority groups who will be hit with outrageous taxes beyond their control. There are farmers and truckers who will feel the crunch of taxes on higher gas prices if the cap and tax bill is signed into law. There are poverty stricken American's on welfare whose food stamps will not stretch as far as delivery charges rise and stores compensate. The middle class will have trouble heating their house as the cost of coal energy and heating oil skyrocket. The Rich, who nobody seems to care about, will not be able to afford to higher more workers if they keep a non government sanctioned insurance company and have to pay taxes on premiums.

We are slaves in America to the political elite, and their convoluted Tax Code. One wonders though, what their agenda is now that they have procured the labor.

GIVE Act and the Indoctrination of American School Children

Yesterday was the first time I heard about the GIVE Act. Perhaps I have been spending too much time on Facebook. At first glance the bill seems like a feel good funding of community organizations and education for volunteerism. However, there is more than meets the eye with this current legislation. The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act (H.R. 2867) has passed the House and the Senate, and America came dangerously close to forced advocacy.

Previous provisions in the bill would have forced Americans to engage in some kind of community service. Luckily the hullabaloo raised over this provision lead it to its eventual death on the cutting room floor. This time we can breathe a sigh of relief, but do not count the initiative out. The crafters of the bill who put that in will most likely want to try to sneak it in somewhere else. Is that not the usual with the American CONgress?

As it stands the GIVE Act gives $6billion to community organizations and charities, and yes that includes the ever aggressive and corrupt ACORN. The Act also appropriates funding for educational programs, which is of great concern to many Americans who have looked into Barack Obama's community organizer days.

Not to beat a dead horse, but there is a connection between William Ayers and Barack Obama. Cry foul as one might, it is there and it is not based on bombing the Pentagon. It was based on education reform through CAC and CPAA where Obama and Ayers served on the same board promoting the same agenda. On the surface the agenda was more funding for public school systems, but while the one hand was promoting funding the other was slipping the indoctrination card from its sleeve.

The indoctrination of K-12 children in American schools across the nation is not far away, indeed it has already begun with the election of William Ayers as president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). His influence is now over hundreds of thousands of children in classrooms. His agenda is social advocacy, which would be fine if Americans did not know that his particular brand of social advocacy involves bombing the Pentagon.

Obama and Ayers have a similar foundation to their community organization skills, the teachings of Saul Alinsky. He is the author of the book Rules for Radicals. These rules are meant to teach community organizations how to achieve their goals, the basic rule is the end justifies the means. They are as follows.

Here are Alinsky's rules to test whether the means are ethical.

1.One's concern with the ethics of means and ends varies inversely with one's personal interest in the issue.

2.The judgment of the ethics of means is dependent upon the political position of those sitting in judgment.

3.In war the end justifies almost any means.

4.Judgment must be made in the context of the times in which the action occurred and not from any other chronological vantage point.

5.Concern with ethics increases with the number of means available and vice versa.

6.The less important the end to be desired, the more one can afford to engage in ethical evaluations of means.

7.Generally, success or failure is a mighty determinant of ethics.

8.The morality of means depends upon whether the means is being employed at a time of imminent defeat or imminent victory.

9.Any effective means is automatically judged by the opposition to be unethical.

10.You do what you can with what you have and clothe it in moral garments.

11.Goals must be phrased in general terms like "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," "Of the Common Welfare," "Pursuit of Happiness," or "Bread and Peace."

Here are his rules of power tactics.

1.Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.

2.Never go outside the experience of your people.

3.Whenever possible, go outside of the experience of the enemy.

4.Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.

5. Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.

6.A good tactic is one that your people enjoy.

7.A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.

8.Keep the pressure on with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose.

9.The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.

10.The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition.

11.If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside.

12.The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.

13.Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.

These are the foundations of modern community organizations, of which children ages K-12 are being encouraged to join and through which will be indoctrinated. While Saul Alinsky felt Democracy was the easiest way to achieve his goals, the groups which advocate under his rules are for big government closer to that of socialism. ACORN is one of those groups, and it will be receiving funding I can bet my eye teeth on that. The question is, do you want ACORN teaching your children how to be an upstanding citizen in the community?

A Call to 'Teabag' Congress

The We The People Stimulus Package Youtube video is starting to make waves across the Internet and it calls for all Americans to Teabag Congress!

If you are at a frat party, don't fall asleep on a couch with your mouth hanging open or you might get a nasty surprise. If you don't know what I am talking about, count yourself lucky. For those that do, imagine it is your least favorite congressional representative on that couch. Yes there! I see the wicked little grin. Unfortunately for us, and fortunately for Congress they have not fallen asleep drunk in front of We The People.

America's most wasteful Fraternity and Sorority group has built up its elitism and power for generations. The untouchables now have such a monopoly on America that the are contemplating passing legislation that retroactively targets one group of people. That is unconstitutional, by the way, no matter how much the bastards at AIG deserve it.

Congress has passed over a trillion dollars in funding legislation within Obama's first two months in office, and now they are talking about another stimulus package. Earmarks, pork projects, and other more understandable projects are being funded, when We The People do not have the luxury of affording such trifling programs. We The People have been slaves to credit, slaves to politics, and slaves to consumerism. Now we are living within our means, and government has picked up the mantle of irresponsible spending.

The panic and disassociation in America has spurred what many are hailing "Pre- French Revolutionary Mentality." If you remember the French Revolution was not about establishing principles and justice, but all out class warfare.

A grassroots movement has been formed in response to the recession, the blunders of Congress, and the ineptitude of President Obama. It started with 25 states legislating a reaffirmation of their sovereignty, then Tea Party USA began with the endorsement of Rick Santelli, and now a Youtube video is making its rounds called "The We The People Stimulus Package."

The video suggests that we hold Congress to the Constitution, limit their terms, make the executive branch enforce the law, and reassert that Government officials are servants of the people. In the end Thomas Paine urges the people to Teabag congress, as in mail a teabag to your representative.

Will Americans teabag their representatives? Will this grassroots movement spread? I sure hope so, we have to do something to wake up the idiots who barely understand our founding documents who are legislating the country into death!

The Executive Order From Hell #1

And so it begins, our Dear President Barack Obama has issued his first substantial and controversy turning executive order.

EXECUTIVE ORDER -- REVIEW AND DISPOSITION OF INDIVIDUALS DETAINED AT THE GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE AND CLOSURE OF DETENTION FACILITIES

The order is an interesting read with all of the strong language suddenly halted with a limp wristed comment just to give President Obama a means to backpedal out of any statement made if the case should arise. This move seems to be typical of most Chicago politicians.

When I heard about the inevitable closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facilities the question, "Where will all the prisoners go?," came to mind.

As LeVar Burton Said, "The more you read, the more you know." So I took that advice and looked up the order on the very neat and easy to navigate Whitehouse Webpage.

First of all, the Executive Order starts off listing reasoning under the Geneva Convention.

(a) "Common Article 3" means Article 3 of each of the Geneva
Conventions.

(b) "Geneva
Conventions" means:

(i) the Convention for the
Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces
in the Field, August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3114);

(ii)
the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded,
Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, August 12, 1949
(6 UST 3217);

(iii) the Convention Relative to the
Treatment of Prisoners of War, August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3316);
and

(iv) the Convention Relative to the Protection of
Civilian Persons in Time of War, August 12, 1949 (6 UST 3516).

The Supreme Court has ordered that the men who are neither part of a recognized military or a civilian are protected by both instances in the Geneva Convention. (Note to Self: If and when a revolution occurs, under the Geneva Conventions they cannot touch my ass!)

In 2006 there was a Memorandum sent out by the DoD referencing the rule of law and how it can be abided by, as well as the provisions already enforced to insure the lawful actions of the military.

Does President Obama not trust his employees much, or does he now feel the need to do another review and waste more time and taxpayer money on this issue?

Another question that begs to be answered is why the President thinks it is his duty and the duty of the executive branch to review the lawfulness of any such orders, when the Supreme Court has already had its say? Nothing irritates me more than when the lines of checks and balances become blurry.

(d) It is in the interests of the United States that the executive
branch undertake a prompt and thorough review of the factual and legal bases for
the continued detention of all individuals currently held at Guantánamo, and of
whether their continued detention is in the national security and foreign policy
interests of the United States and in the interests of justice. The
unusual circumstances associated with detentions at Guantánamo require a
comprehensive interagency review.

The executive order also states that:

c) The individuals currently detained at Guantánamo have the constitutional
privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. Most of those individuals have
filed petitions for a writ of habeas corpus in Federal court challenging the
lawfulness of their detention.

This is also another contentious issue, one that centers around the phrase "Subject to the jurisdiction thereof." Do these individuals indeed fall under the jurisdiction of the Constitution?

No they do not. The Constitution extends to citizens of the United States. Likewise our laws only extend to those who have a temporary allegiance or submit to them willingly, even then we must confer with their host country before applying any punishment beyond initial detainment. Of course the placement of Guantanamo Bay makes all of this very iffy. Take into consideration that all foreign American Bases are considered American Soil, but for us to remain in a foreign country there has to be a SOFA or a Status of Forces Agreement. Neither really applies to these individuals who fall through the cracks of the Geneva Conventions.

In the end the phrase 'Subject to the jurisdiction thereof' applies to only United States citizens born on United States soil, or extended citizenship by the citizenship of their parents, or become naturalized by renouncing all allegiances to other countries. On a side note: this fact can also settle the issue of Anchor Babies, but I digress.

The Executive Order also states that Gitmo must be closed within a year hence, and all the prisoners have to have trails or reviews and be dispersed or detained in other ways.

Sec. 3. Closure of Detention Facilities at Guantánamo. The detention
facilities at Guantánamo for individuals covered by this order shall be
closed as soon as practicable, and no later than 1 year from the date of
this order. If any individuals covered by this order remain in
detention at Guantánamo at the time of closure of those detention
facilities, they shall be returned to their home country, released,
transferred to a third country, or transferred to another United States
detention facility in a manner consistent with law and the national
security and foreign policy interests of the United States.

So everyone gets to be either released to their home country, or if their home country does not want them, another country, or if that doesn't work they get a nice cushy home in a prison in the United State, but that is only if they are supposed to be detained.

The worst case scenario I can see is a guilty SOB being released as innocent under some loophole, but because his home country and other countries who are either smart or devious will deny them entrance. Are you ready for that neighbor? As if we do not have enough lawbreakers on American soil.

My last question and one that perhaps is the most pointed is, " President Obama, you promised to stop foreclosures the minute you got into office. So why do these terrorists and madmen who have three hots and cot merit swifter action than homeless and hungry citizens?"

The Racist Benediction

"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to
give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red
man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right," Lowery
said.

Yesterday's inauguration had difficulty keeping my attention between the boring hours of news anchor filling the screen with their polished and poised countenance and their ever present white noise. When I was not tuning out news anchors I was attending to my children. I was trying to make them watch the events of the day even though they were too young to understand what was going on. However when I heard the benediction my attention was piqued.

I had a hard time understanding why a Reverend would be awakening racial anger on such an important day for America, but that is what the benediction did. It surely put off many people.

As a white woman I feel that it is only my right to express my opinion to the last part of the benediction, yes I have opinions about the entire paragraph, but I want to keep the focus on what upset me the most.

When white will embrace what is right...

Allow me to give examples with freedom and equality as specifics.

1. The birth of the United States of America, the only nation on earth that provides a real chance for peace, equality, and prosperity. The United States was founded by whites who embraced what is right and demanded equality as Englishmen and the dignity that it would afford. An idea that grew to encompass all men as it was meant to. After all it was a white man who said "All men are created equal."

2. Thomas Jefferson expressed his hatred of slavery, and was one of the first to identify the handicap that an enslaved race has when trying to integrate into a free land. He was quite vocal against the institution of slavery, but in the end had to choose to keep America together.

3. John Adams, the second president of the United States of America did not approve of slavery. He saw the practice as a foul condition. His feelings would later inspire many a white child, including myself, as an example of what is right in the world. Even though he did not fight for the end of slavery, he believed that the spirit of which America was founded would prevail and abolish the practice later. So he nurtured the country through its childhood, and hoped his teachings would help it grow.

4. Abraham Lincoln, a white man, issued the emancipation proclamation. Under his watchful eye slavery was ended by one of the bloodiest wars in American History. What Jefferson and Adams had feared and drove them to silence, happened under the watch of Lincoln.

5. The Civil War... 600,000 some white men died to not only keep together the greatest nation on earth, but to free the slaves and end the practice of slavery. To even say they did not die while embracing what was right is an insult to their souls.

6. Susan B. Anthony and the white women who ran the feminist movement also fought for the equal rights of blacks as well as their right to vote. I have heard these white women disparaged by black women of today even though their hearts lead them to respect and love all as equals to the point that they fought for that ideal.

7. President John F. Kennedy vowed to end racial discrimination. Indeed during his administration and the Era of the 1960's white lawmakers and supreme court justices passed laws and ruled in favor of what was right.

Need I go on? Should I point out how many times a white family has adopted a child, or fed a homeless person, or held the door open for a neighbor? Believe me I could very easily go on.

From the men who fostered a young America, to the women who fought for the vote, to today when America is going through the throes of puberty there have been white Americans who have embraced right and more.

So white does embrace right.

This racist attitude expressed at the inauguration does not bode well for the next four years.

Elton John And Gay Marriage

Whoda thunk it? I guess I am not a bigot for suggesting that we can have civil unions separate from marriage and that way appease everyone. Who knew compromise was all that was needed? Well looks like Elton John and I agree on this.

Thank you Townhall.com for bringing us this public service message from Sir Elton John!

One of the world’s most prominent gay entertainers offered some rare common
sense on the explosive issue of same sex marriage. In New York City for a gala
AIDS benefit, rock legend Sir Elton John appeared with his long-time partner,
David Furnish. “We’re not married,” he told the press, “Let’s get that straight.
We have a civil partnership…I don’t want to be married! I’m very happy with a
civil partnership. The word ‘marriage,’ I think, puts a lot of people off. You
get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership.
Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships”. If more people
on all sides of this issue embraced the simple, irrefutable logic of this
clear-thinking superstar, a vastly divisive, unnecessary controversy could reach
a successful and amicable solution.

So there you have it, my entire attempt to get common sense into this issue for over two years now is summed up by one of the most prominent in the LGBT community. Rock on Elton! May you and your partner be happy and Thank You for seeing that the rights are far more important than the word. That the idea can be possessed by anyone and that the law cannot limit who you love.