Posted by Larry Miller on April 30, 2009 under How | 
Ever needing material to fill a twenty four hour news cycle, the talking heads were all atwitter about the defection of Arlen Specter to the dark side. The story fit their their template, something bad happening to the Republican is always worth reporting. Only, this isn’t anything particularly bad for the party. Sure it appears that the Dems are that much closer to the to a filibuster proof majority, but since when has Senator Specter been a reliable soldier in the battle against expanding government or a staunch defender to a baby’s right to be born?
The recent stimulus fiasco is only one of many where he threw his Republican colleagues under the bus simply because he was out of step with mainstream Republican thinking. His assertions that the party had moved to the far right away from him are some of the most humorous comments he’s made with a straight face. Anyone who has been paying any attention knows the alternate explanation is much more to the point. The Republicans of Pennsylvania are finally getting their act together and demanding someone with principles carry their banner.
This has been in the works for some time as there are various groups looking to run candidates in primaries against Republicans who have been collaborating with the enemy. This battle has been won without the anticipated fight. Will Specter be a viable candidate as a Democrat when he’s been portrayed for years as an evil Republican who wanted to steal childrens’ lunches and prevent the homeless from taking walkin’ around money and voting two, maybe three times? Time will tell.
Is Arlen Specter the first of many to fall under the threat of retribution by the own constituents? One can only hope so. Party organizations tend to support incumbents with little regard for their value in furthering common agendas. President Bush even helped Specter overcome a conservative primary challenge last time around. So it is up to the grassroots activists to find candidates, support them and get them elected. Read more of this article »
Posted by Chuck Baldwin on April 29, 2009 under How |
On his recent trip to Central America, President Barack Obama did more than cozy up to Marxist dictators; he also signed onto an international treaty that could, in effect, be used as backdoor gun control. It appears that Obama wants to use international treaties to do what congressional legislation is not able to do: further restrict the right of the American people to keep and bear arms.
Obama is using the oft-disproved contention that “90% of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States” as the stated basis of his support for the international treaty he is promoting. The treaty is formally known as the Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials (CIFTA) treaty. The Bill Clinton administration signed the treaty back in 1997, but the U.S. Senate has never ratified the treaty. Obama intends to change that.
To date, 33 nations in the western hemisphere have signed the treaty. The U.S. is one of four nations that have yet to ratify it. According to one senior Obama administration official, passing the treaty is a “high priority” for the President.
If ratified, the treaty would require the United States to adopt “strict licensing requirements, mark firearms when they are made and imported to make them easier to trace, and establish a process for sharing information between national law enforcement agencies investigating [gun] smuggling.”
Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee promises to “work for its [the CIFTA treaty's] approval by the Senate.” Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on April 28, 2009 under Why |
The glory days of Smokey Yunick and Fireball Roberts charging around the stock car tracks of the south and Farmer Arnie Beswick tearing up the drag strips through out the country are long gone… as are the Firebirds Burt Reynolds thrilled us with on the big screen. Government Motors snuffed out the life of this once proud automaker on April 27, 2009. Once number three in sales, Pontiac had slipped down near the bottom in recent years, a victim of union excesses, inept corporate management, insurance standards and government regulation.
Pontiac’s story is one of the entire American auto industry. Union contracts that were almost reasonably workable when the industry was living high on the hog and making so much money they built amazing buildings as monuments to themselves, seem oddly out of place when the profitable sales have been lost to foreign competitors. The adversarial relationship that seemed appropriate when the big three had the US market all to themselves remains, to the detriment of all concerned.
Times change, so do market conditions. The US automakers were up against foreign competition where labor and management understood they needed to work together to produce a product that would penetrate the US market. Somehow the this spirit of cooperation never caught on in the US, even at Pontiac where once there existed a pride in achievement. The unions kept asking for more and more and the greed and lack of resolve on the part of the companies made avoiding the lost production of a strike outweigh the long term destruction of overpriced contracts.
Many other factors played into the downfall of the auto industry, not the least were government regulations in the name of safety, fuel efficiency and others, just because they could. Some of us remember the foolish “double nickel” speed limits imposed by our “benefactors” in Washington until sanity returned. What we saw in this case and around the industry were companies that paid attention to their operations, but not the market or environment they lived in. Read more of this article »
Posted by Michael Kleen on April 26, 2009 under Why |
In 1927, just days before Andrew Kehoe detonated bombs that killed 45 people in Bath Township, Mich., he left an ominous sign on his fence that read, “Criminals are made, not born.” The problems that plagued Kehoe are familiar to us today: tax increases, overwhelming debt and property foreclosure. Unfortunately, his choice of “expression” is also familiar.
This March, a gunman drove through southern Alabama murdering 10 people before being killed in a shootout with police. In East Oakland, Calif., a man killed four police officers before being similarly gunned down. Later that same month, another man went on a rampage at a North Carolina nursing home where his ex-girlfriend was employed, killing eight. Around the same time, a husband in Santa Clara, Calif., murdered five members of his own family before turning the gun on himself.
April has hardly begun, and already there have been three high-profile incidents. April 3, 15 people, including the gunman, were killed in a mass shooting in Binghamton, N.Y. Not a day after that tragedy, three police officers were killed in a shootout in Pittsburgh, and a father murdered five of his own children in a trailer park in Graham, Wash., before killing himself.
Fifty-four dead in 30 days in just these incidents alone. That’s more than our combined casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan for the same period. These killings cross demographic lines. The perpetrators have been middle class, poor, black, white, immigrant, and from all areas of the country. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on April 24, 2009 under How, Why |
According to a recent Rasmussen survey only 34% of the public have been taken in by the hucksters of doom who tell us that we evil humans are destroying the planet by making it grow warmer and warmer with our SUVs and addiction to eating real food. Just short of half (48%) say any climate change we may be experiencing is due planetary trends, 11% have no idea and the rest have a variety of theories. My favorite is blaming on all the hot air coming from inside the beltway.
Just a year ago, they tell us, 47% blamed man for destroying the planet. So we can take heart as we see progress made. Knowing this should give us additional confidence as we stand against the administrations plans and schemes to “save the planet”. Besides displaying an overabundance of confidence that goes far beyond their ability to make a dent in a non-existent problem, the president has told us of various ideas on limiting production of energy by methods proven over many years in favor of forms that may have potential years down the road but are currently non-functional. He also plans to use taxes and fees to “guide” us to use energy in ways more acceptable to the ruling elite.
This should come as no surprise to any of us as leftist earth worshipers have been laying out blue prints for these societal changes for years. It’s only now that they have the votes in congress and a gullible White House that they can finally be implemented. In some ways there is not much we can do to stop this madness as we have squandered majorities that we thought were conservative and thought understood the difference between fantasy and reality.
Many Republicans who had been our only hope have rolled over to accept the man made “global warming” propaganda. Even senior statesmen like Newt Gingrich have gotten on the bandwagon proclaiming that there are conservative solutions to this “problem”. While sad, this is not completely surprising as the political class as a whole is far more accepting of the rantings of Algore and company. They are organized and vocal… mere citizens are no match for this well-financed lobbying apparatus. Read more of this article »
Posted by Chuck Baldwin on April 22, 2009 under Why |
One of the greatest disappointments expressed by former President George W. Bush was his inability to provide amnesty for tens of millions of illegal aliens. But as is so often the case, the departure of one Presidential administration and the advent of another Presidential administration seldom means great change, loquacious rhetoric by the current President notwithstanding. The plan to provide amnesty for illegal aliens is a classic case in point.
President Barack Obama is determined to succeed where G.W. Bush failed. According to many published reports, he fully intends to grant amnesty to tens of millions of illegal aliens. In fact, granting amnesty to illegal aliens is on Obama’s short list of priorities. That short list includes the nationalization of America’s financial systems, the nationalization of America’s healthcare and energy systems, expanding the wars in the Middle East, strengthening and increasing global agreements and associations, gun control (perhaps using international treaties where congressional legislation has failed), and amnesty to illegal aliens.
Watch for Obama to make a full-court press for an amnesty proposal next month. He has already appointed working groups to study strategies. Administration sources have said Obama wants amnesty legislation on his desk by this fall at the latest.
One way Obama is preparing the path for amnesty is contained in the massive stimulus bill already passed by Congress and signed into law. According to USA Today, “Tens of thousands of jobs created by the economic stimulus law could end up filled by illegal immigrants, particularly in big states such as California where undocumented workers are heavily represented in construction, experts on both sides of the issue say.
“Studies by two conservative think tanks estimate immigrants in the United States illegally could take 300,000 construction jobs, or 15% of the 2 million jobs that new taxpayer-financed projects are predicted to create.” Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on April 21, 2009 under How |
It’s easy to think about Captain Robert Phillips of the Maersk Alabama as a hero… and he is. Despite his denials, he fits our normal perception of heroic behavior. A contestant in a beauty pageant is usually not in a position to do much more than look pretty and give verbal encouragement to world peace. Carrie Prejean’s situation was different. Everyone picked her to be the next Miss USA – she led in all the components. Her big opportunity came… answer the question properly and she would be home free.
Her question came from a judge whose agenda outweighed a desire to pick the best Miss USA… although, in his puny but prejudiced mind, Perez Hilton thought he was helping to pick the best Miss USA… one who would not be so stupid as to actually believe marriage should be between one man and one woman. To this openly homosexual gossip hound, having a different opinion made this woman, who was qualified in every other respect, completely unsuitable to hold the title. Whatever made the pageant organizers think this person of questionable lifestyle and non-productive profession could “judge” a good woman is totally beyond me.
To Carrie, the question from a judge who publicly advocates a different set of values than the ones she grew up with, as did most of us, stood between her and the goal she worked so hard to gain. She could have rolled over and given the politically correct answer… and most likely won the contest. Instead, she gave an answer straight from her heart. Her ingrained beliefs came out just as ours should when challenged, publicly or privately.
This time it cost her. This should be no surprise as nowhere is it written that standing by Christian values would not carry a price. In view of what it cost Jesus, it should be considered normal that we would have obstacles and challenges. As Ms. Prejean commented later “God was testing my faith.” She passed with flying colors as she came up against a secular society populated by those with an ever increasing hostility to traditional values and the one behind them. Read more of this article »
Posted by Lex LaMotte on April 20, 2009 under Why |
We have as political system that is broken. What was set up by the founding fathers through our Constitution was a brilliant masterpiece of balanced and limited power. It has been turned into a three ring circus with the vast majority of Americans watching with mouths open, transfixed in amazement as the performers pick our pockets and clap shackles of despotism and slavery around their ankles – “but, hey, what a show! They must really like us!” The “game” is no longer about Republicans and Democrats – it’s about power and “We the People” lose!
Originally, this governmental power rested in the hands of men who served the country with the goal of seeing the Nation become a better, freer place. They did this knowing that they would benefit along with the people they served. Yes, there were those who would willingly abuse the system for their personal gain at the expense of those they served, but the ethics of most would prevent them from following this path and lead them to stand up and stop these abusers of power and trust. Was the system perfect? No – but for over 200 years it has been far better than any other system in the world!
Today it is all about personal power at the expense, not the benefit, of others. How to get it, how to wield it, how to take it from others, and how to keep it. It matters not how it is obtained, the ends justify the means – and the end is always about their personal power base. They have only a desire to control, not to serve. Service might benefit them, but with control they can definitely get what they want. And don’t give me this bunk about how it is just the Democrats. The Republicans are just as deep into it, it’s just that the Democrats are much better at it. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on April 19, 2009 under How |
Adolf Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda is quoted as saying, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
This man, Joseph Goebbels, understood the value of guiding public opinion in the direction the government desires as being critical to bringing about changes in a society. The current administration appears to have learned this lesson extremely well. This has come to light with several recent issues where there is an obvious disconnect between the story coming from our government and the reality staring us in the face.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently attacked the tea parties held at hundreds of locations throughout our land as a scheme cooked up by higher GOP operatives to make the Obama administration look bad. First of all, the Republican Party does not have to do anything to make the current administration look bad… it would be redundant. The reality is that each tea party was organized by local people who wanted to be heard by the people who are supposed to represent them. There was just as much animosity toward the Republican Party as the Democratic Party. It is believed that both have let the citizens down.
If there was any major financial backing, it was so secret that it didn’t make its’ way down to the local level as local organizers were left on their own to figure out how to make the event work. Whatever I would think of the lady, I am certain she is smart enough to know this… which leads us to the other conclusion, namely that she is purposely trying to mislead the people, along with her willing cohorts in the mainstream media as they repeat her message ad nauseum. Read more of this article »
Posted by Chuck Baldwin on April 16, 2009 under Why |
Self-proclaimed “conservatives” love to tout themselves as ardent supporters of the “free enterprise” system. In the name of “capitalism,” they support any and every piece of legislation or governmental decision that caters to business–especially Big Business. Favorite policies of these folks include anything and everything that calls itself “free trade.” Furthermore, these same “conservatives” will support just about anything and everything that is said to advance the so-called “global economy.”
Needless to say, in the name of “free trade” millions of American jobs and thousands of American manufacturing plants have been outsourced to foreign countries and interests. And leading the charge for “free trade,” outsourcing, and the “global economy” is the international cabal known as Big Business. But Big Business does not play this game alone. Joining Big Business is its pernicious partner, Big Government.
Together, Big Business and Big Government form a tyrannical tandem that is squeezing the breath out of our once-great republic. In fact, people need to understand that what is passing for “capitalism” in America today is nothing more than “Corporatism.”
Corporatism has little to do with genuine capitalism or free enterprise. Freedom and federalism thrive when true capitalism and free enterprise are at work. But Corporatism has nothing to do with freedom and everything to do with tyranny.
Corporatism is the marriage of Big Business with Big Government. Corporatism uses the force and weight of government to create giant monopolies, which strangle competition and freedom. Rules and regulations are enacted that make it impossible for “little” guys to compete. The trade laws of nations are pitted against each other, forcing free nations to sacrifice their own peace and security to accommodate the economies of totalitarian regimes. And, of course, Big Business is the recipient of gargantuan profits in the process. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on April 15, 2009 under Why |
As I write this, I’m just getting warm and dry after enjoying the Richmond Tea Party with a few thousand of my closest friends in a light drizzle. It was good seeing old friends and meeting new ones who are also concerned about the direction of our country. There were many fine speakers but that was almost secondary to just hanging out with our fellow patriots, or possible domestic terrorists… according to our Department of Homeland Security.
People were plenty jolly for being angry about bailouts, angry about government interference, angry about higher taxes and angry about government suspicion of their exercise of their God given rights. It must have been the fellowship of like minded people that let us all know we are not alone. The jovial atmosphere was a far cry from the raucous, sometimes violent demonstrations of leftist students of years gone by and of the G8 and G20 protesters of more recent days. The Richmond police who were on hand by the dozen had nothing to do… not even the ones on horseback.
It’s hard to know if the drive-by medias insistence on seeing this as primarily a tax protest when there are so many other issues at hand indicates either complete misunderstanding of the world we live in or a willful effort to mislead the public. We know what a rarity either case is these days.
The signs showed an desires to end the fed, stop taxing our childrens’ futures, keep the government out of personal lives, keep our guns, etc., etc. If the federal government is overstepping in any way, someone was there to point it out. This showed a breath of concerns and depth of understanding of that appears to dwarf that of our public servants inside the beltway.
Even the local media coverage seemed fair. The station I watched used reasonable quotes from attendees and the head count of over two thousand seemed on target. They even commented on a counter protest that was supposed to take place across the street… but no one showed up. Despite being a tax day, this one turned out pretty good!
Posted by Larry Miller on April 14, 2009 under How |
April 15th is the day the government has decided we should have our tax dollars in to their nefarious clutches. Tax day, 2009 is the day citizens have decided to gather to protest both the amount taken from them and the irresponsible manner in which it is spent. This is the day when citizen’s of today can join in spirit with our country’s giants of the past… names like Adams, Madison, Henry, Jefferson and Washington come to mind.
These men along with others named Lee, Franklin, and many more decided that they had been abused by Great Britain long enough and lifted their voices to demand an end to it. Today it is not a foreign government or colonial master confiscating the fruits of our labor, but our own government in Washington, DC.
It is essential that everyone who can possibly attend, be at one. For those who have voted for this unprecedented overreach of our government, it may put the fear of the voters in them. For those who have consistently stood strong against this financial madness, it will help give them courage to continue knowing they are not alone.
Beyond this, parts of Homeland Security have labeled those of us who would speak up at these rallies, a potential threat. We have truly come to a time when good is being called evil and evil, good. There is safety in numbers. Those who would be our masters can easily contain and control a few vocal malcontents… but they can’t contain the throngs of freedom loving Americans who want to stand together in hundreds of rallies throughout the nation.
A few of us can be ignored. Many of us may make those mad with power inside the beltway take the Biblical advice to “Consider your ways.”
If you don’t know where your local party is to be held, go to http://taxdayteaparty.com for complete information. As Arthur Fonzerelli would say, “Be there or be square”. Or, as I would say, be there or don’t complain when your country is turned upside and you, your children and grandchildren, are handed the bill.
Posted by Phil Whitaker on April 11, 2009 under Why |
The current leaders in the White House, Congress, and in many state and local governments are not trying to solve America’s problems, they are intent on the absolute destruction of the American Constitution and the unique form of representative republic that document envisions. I do not say that lightly. I know there are many people in this country who espouse a much more liberal philosophy than I do who still in their heart wish for our freedoms to continue. There are many people in various political parties who hold widely divergent ideas on how to meet the economic and political challenges of today. We may differ on policy and politics, but we share a common principle that America is a good nation built on a unique idea of personal freedom and responsibility.
That’s what is different now in our leaders that we have NEVER had before. With all due respect for his office, and with my continued prayers for his personal safety and wise decisions, I must tell you that I believe that our current President holds a view of government that is not supported by the American Constitution. Whether he is merely a socialist, or truly the Marxist he now appears to be matters little. The fact is, unless Americans act now and continue to stand regardless of the cost, the Constitution will be shredded by those who believe that freedom is a grant of government rather than a gift from God. We will lose the freedom to speak what we believe, worship as we choose, prosper according to our ability, and protect what we have.
Fifty six men in Philadelphia in that long hot summer of 1776 ended their task by penning a document. That document marked each and every one of them as a criminal. By signing the Declaration of Independence, they broke the law, and put themselves and their families in extreme danger. Even with that cost in mind, they pledged to one another and to us their posterity their “lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.” Because of them we can take that same stand today without breaking the law (at least for now). we can still say what we think, and basically live our lives in relative freedom. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on April 9, 2009 under How |
On the third of August, 1492 Christopher Columbus left Spain leading an expedition consisting of three ships of brave adventurers. He had an idea where he was going, but he couldn’t be certain. His crew knew even less. But they pressed on. On October 11, while off the southeastern coast of North America, he spotted the Caribbean islands. While not the land they were looking for, their mission was a success.
After centuries of informal and state celebrations, Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1970. It was a day to celebrate country, history and the spirit of adventure. Italian-Americans rejoiced in their heritage. Recently the holiday has fallen into disfavor among the academic elites and politically correct. Brown University has become the latest institution of supposedly higher learning to banish this American tradition to the dust bin of history.
At the request of the student body, the faculty voted to replace the Columbus Day recognition with a Fall Weekend celebration. One has to wonder where these students got the information on which they based their righteous indignation. Some would see the possibility of manipulation of these students trying to find their way on their own for the first time in their lives.
The historical revisionists have now chosen to emphasize some of the things that may have gone on between Columbus and the native Americans over the magnitude of his accomplishment. One web site explains this thinking by telling us it “rejects the celebration of Christopher Columbus and his legacy of domination, oppression, and colonialism. We also reject historical misconceptions regarding Columbus and his ‘discovery’ of the Americas.” He is called a savage and castigated as a slave trader. Read more of this article »
Posted by Chuck Baldwin on April 8, 2009 under Why |
As we approach Resurrection Sunday, it behooves us to remind ourselves (Christians should need no reminder) of the significance of this season. Along with the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ form the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Indeed, the resurrection of Jesus separates Christianity from all the world’s religions.
Furthermore, the overwhelming number of America’s founders understood the connection between the Christian faith and the rise of these United States. John Quincy Adams said, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”
Adams also said, “From the day of the Declaration . . . They [the American people] were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of the Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledged as the rules of their conduct.”
Then, on July 4, 1837, Adams said these words, “Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the World, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? . . . Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? That it laid the corner stone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity, and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies, announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets six hundred years before?” Read more of this article »
