Posts
Here are the results of my fearless forecasts for 2008 to prove psychics have no more power than anyone else to predict the future:
· Ron Paul will shock mainstream media and alarm Republican party activists by a stronger-than-expected showing (around 10%) in many of the primaries. (A tiny bit of truth. Paul did better than expected in several primaries.)
· Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for President. (Wrong)
· Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination and the Presidency. (Wrong)
· The outcome of the 2008 Presidential election will be strongly influenced by Third Party or independent candidates who will pull votes from both Republicans and Democrats. The winner will have less than 50% of the total vote. (Wrong)
· There will be a mild, not major, tsunami along the Pacific coast triggered by an Alaskan earthquake. (Wrong)
· The Atlantic hurricane season will continue to confound forecasters by being less active than predicted. However, Florida will have at least one category two or three hurricane. It will not affect Jacksonville, except for rain. (Mixed. It was the fourth most active season on record. Florida, but not Jacksonville, was hit by a hurricane. Jacksonville received a direct hit from tropical storm Fay, which dumped a lot of rain.)
· There will be a terrible rafting accident either in Colorado or on the Colorado River. (Correct)
· Housing prices will continue to fall, and the economy will be in full recession after the election and weak all year. The dollar will be weaker, too. (Correct)
· The drought in the Southeast will be broken, and residents will be wishing for less rain due to flooding by year's end. (Mixed. Rain has increased this Fall, but there has not been enough to say the drought is over.)
· The Florida4Marriage amendment will not pass because 60% of voters must approve it. It will get over 50% approval, however. (Wrong – Thank you, God.)
· At least one current or former member of Jacksonville's (FL) City Council will be indicted due to sunshine law violations. (Wrong. The Grand Jury report was very critical of several members, but there were no indictments.)
· Something from or in space will cause a combination of alarm, fear, and wonder. (Wrong. The discovery of a black hole in our galaxy surprised astronomers and might qualify.)
Of the 12 predictions, I was correct on only two (17%), partially correct and partially wrong on three (25%), and dead wrong on 7 (58%). Psychics do no better. Now, feel free to join the fun by posting your own fearless forecasts for 2009.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Garden Ridge Sells Signs "Carolers Will Be Shot"
A church friend advised me on Sunday, November 30, 2008, that she had gone shopping at a local Garden Ridge store on "Black Friday." As she was about to leave, she saw a yard decoration for Christmas on sale that stunned her. It was a sign with lights and caroler figures with the warning "Carolers Will Be Shot." She promptly asked a to see the manager. She asked the manager, "What are we teaching our children? Why would you have a sign like this on sale in a city with a high murder rate?" The manager's response, "I only work here," showed a cowardly refusal to take responsibility for her store.
The Garden Ridge store in question is located at:
201 Monument Road
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Phone: (904) 721-6226
Some buyer thought the signs were cute or funny. However, this crosses the line from humor to threat. It is especially inappropriate during the Christmas season. Carolers are Christian people trying to spread some good cheer and joy in our neighborhoods. In fact, this sign could be interpreted as anti-Christian and bigoted. Can you imagine the uproar if a store sold yard signs that warned "Blacks Will Be Shot" or "Homosexual Couples Will Be Shot"?
Here in Jacksonville, Florida, we are struggling to reduce a murder rate that is the highest in the state. The mayor's program, the Jacksonville Journey, is a joint effort of government leaders, businessmen, educators, ministers, and law enforcement to come together to solve this problem. We do not need a store selling signs that threaten more violence against anyone. If you find this as objectionable as I do, please call the store's manager and complain.
Most likely, these signs are available at other Garden Ridge stores. Stop by or call your local store to see if they are selling them. Let the manager know that you cannot shop at a store that sells items that threaten violence, especially during the season of peace and good will towards all.
Another action strongly recommended is to write Garden Ridge's corporate headquarters as well. Online, they invite email comments and questions to: customercareline@gardenridge.com .
Then, let their President and CEO Albert J. Neupaver know that you do not approve of his company promoting violence. The toll-free phone number is (888) 621-3814 and the Houston headquarters' number is (281) 579-7901. The FAX number is (412) 825-1019. The mailing address is:
Garden Ridge Corporation
19411 Atrium Place, Ste. 170
Houston, TX 77084
The Garden Ridge store in question is located at:
201 Monument Road
Jacksonville, FL 32225
Phone: (904) 721-6226
Some buyer thought the signs were cute or funny. However, this crosses the line from humor to threat. It is especially inappropriate during the Christmas season. Carolers are Christian people trying to spread some good cheer and joy in our neighborhoods. In fact, this sign could be interpreted as anti-Christian and bigoted. Can you imagine the uproar if a store sold yard signs that warned "Blacks Will Be Shot" or "Homosexual Couples Will Be Shot"?
Here in Jacksonville, Florida, we are struggling to reduce a murder rate that is the highest in the state. The mayor's program, the Jacksonville Journey, is a joint effort of government leaders, businessmen, educators, ministers, and law enforcement to come together to solve this problem. We do not need a store selling signs that threaten more violence against anyone. If you find this as objectionable as I do, please call the store's manager and complain.
Most likely, these signs are available at other Garden Ridge stores. Stop by or call your local store to see if they are selling them. Let the manager know that you cannot shop at a store that sells items that threaten violence, especially during the season of peace and good will towards all.
Another action strongly recommended is to write Garden Ridge's corporate headquarters as well. Online, they invite email comments and questions to: customercareline@gardenridge.com .
Then, let their President and CEO Albert J. Neupaver know that you do not approve of his company promoting violence. The toll-free phone number is (888) 621-3814 and the Houston headquarters' number is (281) 579-7901. The FAX number is (412) 825-1019. The mailing address is:
Garden Ridge Corporation
19411 Atrium Place, Ste. 170
Houston, TX 77084
Saturday, November 15, 2008
What's Next?
A League of the South friend sent me a link to an article by Gerald Celente entitled "Food Riots, Tax Rebellions By 2012...Trend forecaster, renowned for being accurate in the past, says." Celente is a well-respected and often accurate prognosticator of future trends. In this article, he predicts that the United States will be in the depths of a severe depression that will result in food riots, tax rebellions, and middle class revolution by 2012. My friend asked for my response to the article, which is posted below. (Go to http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1ad_1226630673 to read it.)
If Barack Obama succeeds in raising taxes as he plans, then he will be the 21st century's Herbert Hoover and a depression will be unstoppable. Even without tax increases, it may be too late to stop the slide. The major difference between now and 1929 is that, back then, most people were able to grow their own food. We were less urbanized, so many people either had or knew relatives who had farms. Most men knew how to hunt and fish. They might be poor but they had sources of food. Even people who lived in towns and cities usually had vegetable gardens that sustained them. Women knew how to can or preserve food and bake bread. Today, hardly anyone knows how to grow or preserve food. So, Celente is on the mark that food riots and desperation will be more likely in a depression today.
Also, the whole moral fabric of society has broken down. In 1929, almost everyone went to church and had a strong belief in Christian values. The whole extended family structure was stronger and closer. Neighbors helping neighbors was the norm, not the exception. So, despite their poverty, crime actually decreased during the Great Depression. That won't be the case today.
Will we have a revolution or a new civil war? I don't know, although Celente isn't the first to expect one. Frankly, I think Celente is being optimistic in thinking we'll have until 2012 before it happens. The likely response with Obama and his Marxist ideology will be martial law and severe repression by the federal government. Current laws and executive orders allow the federal and state governments to confiscate private holdings in declared emergencies. Read them and weep.
My best recommendation for people is to become as debt-free as possible, keep as little as possible in the bank, and buy junk silver coins. I say silver because it is more liquid and less likely to be confiscated or made illegal again than gold.
I'm already doing what my grandfather did before the Crash of '29. It was preceded by a credit crunch like today. All of a sudden, his business's vendors started asking for immediate payments, and he noticed that, if he wrote their salesman a check, they cashed it immediately at his local bank. Since he and his father had done business with these firms for years and he knew it wasn't because he was a poor credit risk, he deduced something bad was coming. So, he started doing the same thing with his customers. (He was a John Deere farm implement dealer.) If he received a check, he cashed it the same day at their bank. He also withdrew almost all his money from his bank accounts, keeping in them only the minimum needed to operate his business or pay personal bills. He sold the few stocks and bonds he owned. He did this several months before the banks collapsed and the stock market crashed. As a result, he was relatively well off during the Depression and was able to help friends and neighbors during it. I now withdraw most of my disability income the same day I receive it. I keep in the bank only what I need to pay rent, phone, cable, etc. I am being very frugal in anticipation that those checks might suddenly stop coming, and I am reviewing my own survival plans and options.
I also recommend people who have any land at all to learn to grow vegetables and plant fruit bushes and trees. Even those who have only a small yard or patio can grow food through intensive farming techniques. Fruit bushes and trees can replace nonproductive landscaping and still look attractive. Buying a small plot (half an acres or more) of sunny, well drained rural land with a water source would be a good idea, too. It could give a refuge from urban riots and a place to grow food. If I have to camp in a tent, I sure don't want it to be in an urban tent city.
Of course, keeping emergency food and household supplies is always recommended. The Mormons set an example in this regard; they advise their followers to keep a two-year supply of all household and food necessities in storage. Getting off the electric grid, having a water well, saving rain water, and composting are all things one can do to become more self-sufficient. All will help you save money today, be good for the environment, and help you survive a crisis.
If you don't have firearms, get them now along with sufficient supplies of ammunition. Obama and the Democrats in Congress will go against our gun rights very quickly. He has long advocated "confiscatory" tax rates on ammunition sales, so stock up. Besides self-defense weapons (handguns), hunting rifles and shotguns provide food, if needed. Training in hunting, shooting, and other outdoor survival skills are essential. Firearms do no good if the owner doesn't know how to use them safely. One of the best books to have is How to Survive in the Woods. Army survival manuals are good to have in your library, also.
Finally, if you don't already have a passport, get one. Worst case, you may want to leave. It takes 6-8 weeks minimum to get one. It costs $100 for a new one if you have never had one or it has been over 15 years since you had one. There is also a new $45 passport card but it is valid only for land or sea travel (no air) to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. You can apply for a passport at most post offices. Go to http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html for complete instructions. Personally, I'm applying for mine before January 20th because history tells me repressive governments put travel restrictions in place very quickly.
Thanks for sending this article. Now is the time to prepare. Each family should assess their situation, determine what they need to learn and have in order to be more self-sufficient, and begin executing their plan so they aren't in panic when trouble comes. Nothing beats being prepared for the worst while praying and hoping for the best. Deo Vindice.
If Barack Obama succeeds in raising taxes as he plans, then he will be the 21st century's Herbert Hoover and a depression will be unstoppable. Even without tax increases, it may be too late to stop the slide. The major difference between now and 1929 is that, back then, most people were able to grow their own food. We were less urbanized, so many people either had or knew relatives who had farms. Most men knew how to hunt and fish. They might be poor but they had sources of food. Even people who lived in towns and cities usually had vegetable gardens that sustained them. Women knew how to can or preserve food and bake bread. Today, hardly anyone knows how to grow or preserve food. So, Celente is on the mark that food riots and desperation will be more likely in a depression today.
Also, the whole moral fabric of society has broken down. In 1929, almost everyone went to church and had a strong belief in Christian values. The whole extended family structure was stronger and closer. Neighbors helping neighbors was the norm, not the exception. So, despite their poverty, crime actually decreased during the Great Depression. That won't be the case today.
Will we have a revolution or a new civil war? I don't know, although Celente isn't the first to expect one. Frankly, I think Celente is being optimistic in thinking we'll have until 2012 before it happens. The likely response with Obama and his Marxist ideology will be martial law and severe repression by the federal government. Current laws and executive orders allow the federal and state governments to confiscate private holdings in declared emergencies. Read them and weep.
My best recommendation for people is to become as debt-free as possible, keep as little as possible in the bank, and buy junk silver coins. I say silver because it is more liquid and less likely to be confiscated or made illegal again than gold.
I'm already doing what my grandfather did before the Crash of '29. It was preceded by a credit crunch like today. All of a sudden, his business's vendors started asking for immediate payments, and he noticed that, if he wrote their salesman a check, they cashed it immediately at his local bank. Since he and his father had done business with these firms for years and he knew it wasn't because he was a poor credit risk, he deduced something bad was coming. So, he started doing the same thing with his customers. (He was a John Deere farm implement dealer.) If he received a check, he cashed it the same day at their bank. He also withdrew almost all his money from his bank accounts, keeping in them only the minimum needed to operate his business or pay personal bills. He sold the few stocks and bonds he owned. He did this several months before the banks collapsed and the stock market crashed. As a result, he was relatively well off during the Depression and was able to help friends and neighbors during it. I now withdraw most of my disability income the same day I receive it. I keep in the bank only what I need to pay rent, phone, cable, etc. I am being very frugal in anticipation that those checks might suddenly stop coming, and I am reviewing my own survival plans and options.
I also recommend people who have any land at all to learn to grow vegetables and plant fruit bushes and trees. Even those who have only a small yard or patio can grow food through intensive farming techniques. Fruit bushes and trees can replace nonproductive landscaping and still look attractive. Buying a small plot (half an acres or more) of sunny, well drained rural land with a water source would be a good idea, too. It could give a refuge from urban riots and a place to grow food. If I have to camp in a tent, I sure don't want it to be in an urban tent city.
Of course, keeping emergency food and household supplies is always recommended. The Mormons set an example in this regard; they advise their followers to keep a two-year supply of all household and food necessities in storage. Getting off the electric grid, having a water well, saving rain water, and composting are all things one can do to become more self-sufficient. All will help you save money today, be good for the environment, and help you survive a crisis.
If you don't have firearms, get them now along with sufficient supplies of ammunition. Obama and the Democrats in Congress will go against our gun rights very quickly. He has long advocated "confiscatory" tax rates on ammunition sales, so stock up. Besides self-defense weapons (handguns), hunting rifles and shotguns provide food, if needed. Training in hunting, shooting, and other outdoor survival skills are essential. Firearms do no good if the owner doesn't know how to use them safely. One of the best books to have is How to Survive in the Woods. Army survival manuals are good to have in your library, also.
Finally, if you don't already have a passport, get one. Worst case, you may want to leave. It takes 6-8 weeks minimum to get one. It costs $100 for a new one if you have never had one or it has been over 15 years since you had one. There is also a new $45 passport card but it is valid only for land or sea travel (no air) to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. You can apply for a passport at most post offices. Go to http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html for complete instructions. Personally, I'm applying for mine before January 20th because history tells me repressive governments put travel restrictions in place very quickly.
Thanks for sending this article. Now is the time to prepare. Each family should assess their situation, determine what they need to learn and have in order to be more self-sufficient, and begin executing their plan so they aren't in panic when trouble comes. Nothing beats being prepared for the worst while praying and hoping for the best. Deo Vindice.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Deo Vindice: Nathan B. Forrest High School’s Name Retained by Duval County School Board
Lovers of the South, we had a great victory last Monday, November 3rd, here in Jacksonville, Florida, CSA. The Duval County School Board voted 5-2 to retain the name of Nathan B. Forrest High School. Tremendous pressure had been placed on the Board over the past two years to change the school's name.
Please accept my grateful thanks to all of you who wrote and called School Board members or spoke at the meetings on behalf of our Southern heritage and history. Your efforts made the victory possible. I admit I was very worried that we would lose this one because several of the Board members are about to retire or cannot run again due to term limits; they would not have to answer to voters. Instead, they listened and remembered their history.
In today's Sunday Florida Times-Union, there is a front page story on the decision. (See http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/110908/met_353875219.shtml ) According to it, our Mayor John Peyton, Executive V.P. of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Jerry Mallot, and Public Relations guru Michael Munz are unhappy with the decision. If you like, you can contact them at:
Mayor John Peyton
City Hall
117 W. Duval St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 630-1776
Email: jpeyton@coj.net
Mr. Jerry Mallott, Executive Vice President
Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce
5000 Norwood Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32208
(904) 366.6654
Email: jerry.mallot@jacksonvillechamber.org
Mr. Michael Munz
Dalton Agency
140 W. Monroe St., Ste. 200
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 398-5222
FAX: (904) 398-5220
As Jesus told us, we must be ever vigilant for the enemy lurks around waiting to devour. Nothing could be more true than with the name of Nathan B. Forrest High School here. Every few years, we have to refight this battle. I will keep you posted as to any future developments.
Please accept my grateful thanks to all of you who wrote and called School Board members or spoke at the meetings on behalf of our Southern heritage and history. Your efforts made the victory possible. I admit I was very worried that we would lose this one because several of the Board members are about to retire or cannot run again due to term limits; they would not have to answer to voters. Instead, they listened and remembered their history.
In today's Sunday Florida Times-Union, there is a front page story on the decision. (See http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/110908/met_353875219.shtml ) According to it, our Mayor John Peyton, Executive V.P. of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Jerry Mallot, and Public Relations guru Michael Munz are unhappy with the decision. If you like, you can contact them at:
Mayor John Peyton
City Hall
117 W. Duval St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 630-1776
Email: jpeyton@coj.net
Mr. Jerry Mallott, Executive Vice President
Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce
5000 Norwood Ave.
Jacksonville, FL 32208
(904) 366.6654
Email: jerry.mallot@jacksonvillechamber.org
Mr. Michael Munz
Dalton Agency
140 W. Monroe St., Ste. 200
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 398-5222
FAX: (904) 398-5220
As Jesus told us, we must be ever vigilant for the enemy lurks around waiting to devour. Nothing could be more true than with the name of Nathan B. Forrest High School here. Every few years, we have to refight this battle. I will keep you posted as to any future developments.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
What Does Obama Mean When He Calls for a “Civilian National Security Force”?
On July 2, 2008, Barack Hussein Obama said, "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." (Joseph Farah, "Obama's 'Civilian national security force'," World Net Daily, July 15, 2008, http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=69601) What is a Civilian National Security Force (CNSF) suppose to do that it needs to be “as powerful, strong, and well-funded” as the United States military?
The mainstream media has given no attention to this proposal even though it involves a mind-boggling federal budget expense. Only World Net Daily, the Chicago Tribune, and the Congressional Quarterly reported on it. More interestingly, neither Obama himself nor any of his campaign staff have been willing, so far, to answer any inquiries on the subject. They scrubbed these sentences from the transcript of the speech, claiming they were ad-libbed remarks, and removed the video. A thorough review of the Obama’s official campaign website finds nary a mention of a “Civilian National Security Force.”
The closest approximation of the term was in a section entitled “Develop Whole of Government Initiatives to Promote Global Stability” under “Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan.” There is a paragraph: “Create a Civilian Assistance Corps (CAC): An Obama-Biden administration will set a goal of creating a national CAC of 25,000 personnel. This corps of civilian volunteers with special skill, sets (doctors, lawyers, engineers, city planners, agriculture specialists, police, etc.) would be organized to provide each federal agency with a pool of volunteer experts willing to deploy in times of need at home and abroad.” (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/defense/)
The Obama-Biden plan calls for “universal voluntary public service.” He has proposed to “expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots today to 250,000,” improve “programs that connect individuals over the age of 55 to quality volunteer opportunities,” “double the Peace Corps to 16,000 by 2011,” and “set up an America's Voice Initiative to send Americans who are fluent speakers of local languages to expand our public diplomacy.” (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/service/)
Lee Cary of American Thinker believes this expansion of national service is the context for Obama’s call for a CNSF. “They were about turning America into one, giant, community organizer's sandbox at enormous cost to taxpayers” with Obama as “Community Organizer in Chief.”
Cary calls the plan “Orwellian-like” because the way it extends the tentacles of the federal government into every aspect of traditionally private-sector volunteer efforts. Others have worried that Obama’s plans are more Hitler-like. Is Cary correct in saying that it is the massive expansion of government-run volunteer opportunities that Obama was talking about in Colorado Springs when he spoke of a CNSF? I am among the concerned skeptics.
Joseph Farah, the World Net Daily reporter who broke the story, inquired,
The numbers alone do not add up to mean Obama’s volunteer program proposals alone. The Department of Defense (DOD) budget in 2008 is about $480 billion. Even if Congress authorized funding for every one of Obama’s volunteer expansions, it would not come close to half a trillion dollars. Yet, he said the CNSF must be “just as well-funded" as the military.
As one blogger questioned, “The statement was made in the context of youth service. Is this an organization for just the youth or are adults going to participate? How does one get away from the specter of other such “youth” organizations from Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union when talking about it?” (The Blue Collar Muse, “What in the world is Obama’s Civilian National Security Force,” July 16, 2008 http://conservablogs.com/bluecollarmuse/2008/07/16/what-in-the-world-is-obamas-civilian-national-security-force/)
The context just before the CNSF mention in Obama’s Colorado Springs speech was:
Most commentators believe that the CNSF is an additional organization and not part of the previously cited propositions. I agree based on both the context and the key phrases “security force” combined with “just as strong.” Will the CNSF be a way of imposing martial law without violating “posse comatatus” laws? Will it be a federalized police force? Under the Constitution, the Founding Fathers were careful to delineate the boundaries of “civilian” and “military” matters. They put civilians firmly in charge of the military, knowing that without such controls, rights of citizens can be trampled. The CNSF sounds too much like a paramilitary operation.
Of course, the whole matter could be resolved if Obama would answer some questions about what he met when he called for a CNSF. “If what he really meant was Americorps and the the Peace Corps, then why won’t he say so? Why have the video and text been scrubbed from so many places? Why isn’t it available even at his own website? Might it have been a trial balloon that failed in spectacular fashion reminiscent of the Hindenburg?” (Ibid.)
Farang Korat on October 18, 2008, shared a conversation he had with members of the Nation of Islam, “I was told that sometime soon after Obama is ‘elected’ he will announce the creation of large ‘training camps’ in a few large urban cities.” He was told that “the instructors at those camps would be from the ranks of Farrakhan’s ‘Fruit of Islam’ (his bodyguards).” Could this be the beginning of Obama’s CNSF? (Ibid.)
When I first heard this term “CNSF,” I had two reactions. One was a recall of Hitler’s youth corps, the Brown Shirts. The other was Hitler’s SS Corps. Here is the American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of “SS”: “An elite quasi-military unit of the Nazi party that served as Hitler's personal guard and as a special security force in Germany and the occupied countries. ETYMOLOGY: German, abbr. for Schutzstaffel : Schutz, defense + Staffel, echelon” [emphasis added]. (The American Heritage Dictionary Fourth Edition 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/61/88/S0688800.html) I report. You decide.
The mainstream media has given no attention to this proposal even though it involves a mind-boggling federal budget expense. Only World Net Daily, the Chicago Tribune, and the Congressional Quarterly reported on it. More interestingly, neither Obama himself nor any of his campaign staff have been willing, so far, to answer any inquiries on the subject. They scrubbed these sentences from the transcript of the speech, claiming they were ad-libbed remarks, and removed the video. A thorough review of the Obama’s official campaign website finds nary a mention of a “Civilian National Security Force.”
The closest approximation of the term was in a section entitled “Develop Whole of Government Initiatives to Promote Global Stability” under “Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan.” There is a paragraph: “Create a Civilian Assistance Corps (CAC): An Obama-Biden administration will set a goal of creating a national CAC of 25,000 personnel. This corps of civilian volunteers with special skill, sets (doctors, lawyers, engineers, city planners, agriculture specialists, police, etc.) would be organized to provide each federal agency with a pool of volunteer experts willing to deploy in times of need at home and abroad.” (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/defense/)
The Obama-Biden plan calls for “universal voluntary public service.” He has proposed to “expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots today to 250,000,” improve “programs that connect individuals over the age of 55 to quality volunteer opportunities,” “double the Peace Corps to 16,000 by 2011,” and “set up an America's Voice Initiative to send Americans who are fluent speakers of local languages to expand our public diplomacy.” (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/service/)
Lee Cary of American Thinker believes this expansion of national service is the context for Obama’s call for a CNSF. “They were about turning America into one, giant, community organizer's sandbox at enormous cost to taxpayers” with Obama as “Community Organizer in Chief.”
“He plans to double the Peace Corps' budget by 2011, and expand AmeriCorps, USA Freedom Corps, VISTA, YouthBuild Program, and the Senior Corps. Plus, he proposes to form a Classroom Corps, Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, Veterans Corps, Homeland Security Corps, Global Energy Corps, and a Green Jobs Corps. Here a corps - there a corps - everywhere a corps corps.”His plan calls for “a Social Investment Fund Network to link local non-profits with the federal government.” (Lee Cary, "Obama's Civilian National Security Force," American Thinker, July 20, 2008, http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/obamas_civilian_national_secur.html)
Cary calls the plan “Orwellian-like” because the way it extends the tentacles of the federal government into every aspect of traditionally private-sector volunteer efforts. Others have worried that Obama’s plans are more Hitler-like. Is Cary correct in saying that it is the massive expansion of government-run volunteer opportunities that Obama was talking about in Colorado Springs when he spoke of a CNSF? I am among the concerned skeptics.
Joseph Farah, the World Net Daily reporter who broke the story, inquired,
“Who will Obama appoint to administer this new ‘civilian national security force’? Where will the money come from? Where in the Constitution does he see justification for the federal government creating such a domestic army? The questions are endless. Certainly there have been initiatives like this elsewhere – Cuba, the Soviet Union, China, Venezuela, North Korea. But has anything like this ever been proposed in a free country?”(Joseph Farah, "Obama's 'Civilian national security force'," World Net Daily, July 15, 2008, http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=69601)
The numbers alone do not add up to mean Obama’s volunteer program proposals alone. The Department of Defense (DOD) budget in 2008 is about $480 billion. Even if Congress authorized funding for every one of Obama’s volunteer expansions, it would not come close to half a trillion dollars. Yet, he said the CNSF must be “just as well-funded" as the military.
As one blogger questioned, “The statement was made in the context of youth service. Is this an organization for just the youth or are adults going to participate? How does one get away from the specter of other such “youth” organizations from Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union when talking about it?” (The Blue Collar Muse, “What in the world is Obama’s Civilian National Security Force,” July 16, 2008 http://conservablogs.com/bluecollarmuse/2008/07/16/what-in-the-world-is-obamas-civilian-national-security-force/)
The context just before the CNSF mention in Obama’s Colorado Springs speech was:
“As President, I will expand AmeriCorps to 250,000 slots, and make that increased service a vehicle to meet national goals like providing health care and education, saving our planet and restoring our standing in the world, so that citizens see their efforts connected to a common purpose. People of all ages, stations, and skills will be asked to serve. Because when it comes to the challenges we face, the American people are not the problem - they are the answer.
“We’ll send more college graduates to teach and mentor our young people. We’ll call on Americans to join an Energy Corps to conduct renewable energy and environmental cleanup projects in their neighborhoods. We’ll enlist veterans to help other vets find jobs and support, and to be there for our military families. And we’ll also grow our Foreign Service, open consulates that have been shuttered, and double the size of the Peace Corps by 2011 to renew our diplomacy.”
Most commentators believe that the CNSF is an additional organization and not part of the previously cited propositions. I agree based on both the context and the key phrases “security force” combined with “just as strong.” Will the CNSF be a way of imposing martial law without violating “posse comatatus” laws? Will it be a federalized police force? Under the Constitution, the Founding Fathers were careful to delineate the boundaries of “civilian” and “military” matters. They put civilians firmly in charge of the military, knowing that without such controls, rights of citizens can be trampled. The CNSF sounds too much like a paramilitary operation.
Of course, the whole matter could be resolved if Obama would answer some questions about what he met when he called for a CNSF. “If what he really meant was Americorps and the the Peace Corps, then why won’t he say so? Why have the video and text been scrubbed from so many places? Why isn’t it available even at his own website? Might it have been a trial balloon that failed in spectacular fashion reminiscent of the Hindenburg?” (Ibid.)
Farang Korat on October 18, 2008, shared a conversation he had with members of the Nation of Islam, “I was told that sometime soon after Obama is ‘elected’ he will announce the creation of large ‘training camps’ in a few large urban cities.” He was told that “the instructors at those camps would be from the ranks of Farrakhan’s ‘Fruit of Islam’ (his bodyguards).” Could this be the beginning of Obama’s CNSF? (Ibid.)
When I first heard this term “CNSF,” I had two reactions. One was a recall of Hitler’s youth corps, the Brown Shirts. The other was Hitler’s SS Corps. Here is the American Heritage Dictionary’s definition of “SS”: “An elite quasi-military unit of the Nazi party that served as Hitler's personal guard and as a special security force in Germany and the occupied countries. ETYMOLOGY: German, abbr. for Schutzstaffel : Schutz, defense + Staffel, echelon” [emphasis added]. (The American Heritage Dictionary Fourth Edition 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/61/88/S0688800.html) I report. You decide.
Hot off the British Press: Obama’s Illegal Alien Aunt Living in Boston Public Housing
Barack Hussein Obama has an aunt living in Boston public housing who is in the United States illegally, according to an Associated Press story published by British papers, The Guardian and The Times. Her name is Zeituni Onyango; she is the half-sister of Obama’s father. She entered the United States on a tourist visa about nine years ago, then sought asylum when it expired. An immigration judge denied her request and ordered her to leave the country four years ago. She never did. She attended Obama’s installation as a U.S. Senator in 2004. Instead, Zeituni “lives in a disabled-access flat on a rundown public housing estate in South Boston.” She received a weekly stipend from the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) as a “volunteer resident health advocate between December 2007 and August this year.” She illegally donated $260 to Obama’s presidential campaign, using the BHA office’s mailing address. (James Bone, ET .al, “ Found in a rundown Boston estate: Barack Obama’s aunt Zeituni Onyango, “ The London Times, October 30, 2008 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article5042571.ece)
In Obama’s book Dreams from My Father, he calls her "Auntie Zeituni" and describes her as "a proud woman" with a steady job as a computer programmer in Nairobi, Kenya. However, he acknowledged that Kenya had “no government safety net. There was only family, next of kin; people burdened by similar hardship.” Obama went on to say, “Now I was family, I reminded myself; now I had responsibilities.” (Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, Three Rivers Press, New York, NY, 1995, p. 329) Zeituni explained to Obama many of his father’s complicated family relationships.
Zeituni took Obama to visit another aunt [Sarah] in the rapidly expanding shantytown at Mathare in Kenya. He described it as “miles and miles of corrugated rooftops.” They walk down an unpaved road where there were “on either side rows of small hovels, their walls a patchwork of wattle, mud, pieces of cardboard, and scavenged plywood.” Zeituni leads him to a concrete building where Sarah lives in “a small room, ten feet by twelve.” (Ibid. p. 331-2) Sarah chastises Obama for taking so long to visit her. She admonishes him, “Look how I live. Why don’t you help us, instead of these others?” (Ibid. p. 333) Before leaving, he gives her the equivalent of $30 in shillings. Zeituni explains, after they leave, “This is what happens to old women who have no husbands.” (Ibid. p. 334)
Zeituni went on to warn Obama to learn from his father’s life. “If you have something, then everyone will want a piece of it. So you have to draw the line somewhere. If everyone is family, no one is family.” (Ibid. p. 337) Evidently, Obama took his Auntie Zeituni’s advice to heart.
Publication of this case “led to an unusual nationwide directive within Immigrations and Customs Enforcement requiring that any deportations before Tuesday's election be approved at least at the level of the agency's regional directors,” according to an AP report. Boston'S Mayor was mystified as to how Zeituni could have been allowed to rent in public housing under a deportation order. When confronted with the facts, William McGonagle, deputy director of the BHA, imitated Colonel Klink of Hogan’s Heroes, protesting “I know nothing about it and I've got no comment.” (Nedra Pickler, "Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status," The Guardian, Nov. 1, 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7972198) Later, McGonagle acknowledged that Zeituni had been a public housing tenant for five years. “She has been an exemplary resident,” McGonagle said. (Jessica Fargen, "Campaign confirms Obama aunt in South Boston," The Boston Herald, Oct. 30, 2008, http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/2008/view/2008_10_30_Barack_Obama_s_aunt_living_in_South_Boston_housing_project)
Is this not typical of leftwing liberals? Obama wants to spread your wealth around to take care of people like his aunt. Yet, he fails to spread his own wealth around to help her or his half-brother George who lives on $1 a day in a Kenyan hovel. So much for liberal compassion.
In Obama’s book Dreams from My Father, he calls her "Auntie Zeituni" and describes her as "a proud woman" with a steady job as a computer programmer in Nairobi, Kenya. However, he acknowledged that Kenya had “no government safety net. There was only family, next of kin; people burdened by similar hardship.” Obama went on to say, “Now I was family, I reminded myself; now I had responsibilities.” (Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, Three Rivers Press, New York, NY, 1995, p. 329) Zeituni explained to Obama many of his father’s complicated family relationships.
Zeituni took Obama to visit another aunt [Sarah] in the rapidly expanding shantytown at Mathare in Kenya. He described it as “miles and miles of corrugated rooftops.” They walk down an unpaved road where there were “on either side rows of small hovels, their walls a patchwork of wattle, mud, pieces of cardboard, and scavenged plywood.” Zeituni leads him to a concrete building where Sarah lives in “a small room, ten feet by twelve.” (Ibid. p. 331-2) Sarah chastises Obama for taking so long to visit her. She admonishes him, “Look how I live. Why don’t you help us, instead of these others?” (Ibid. p. 333) Before leaving, he gives her the equivalent of $30 in shillings. Zeituni explains, after they leave, “This is what happens to old women who have no husbands.” (Ibid. p. 334)
Zeituni went on to warn Obama to learn from his father’s life. “If you have something, then everyone will want a piece of it. So you have to draw the line somewhere. If everyone is family, no one is family.” (Ibid. p. 337) Evidently, Obama took his Auntie Zeituni’s advice to heart.
Publication of this case “led to an unusual nationwide directive within Immigrations and Customs Enforcement requiring that any deportations before Tuesday's election be approved at least at the level of the agency's regional directors,” according to an AP report. Boston'S Mayor was mystified as to how Zeituni could have been allowed to rent in public housing under a deportation order. When confronted with the facts, William McGonagle, deputy director of the BHA, imitated Colonel Klink of Hogan’s Heroes, protesting “I know nothing about it and I've got no comment.” (Nedra Pickler, "Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status," The Guardian, Nov. 1, 2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7972198) Later, McGonagle acknowledged that Zeituni had been a public housing tenant for five years. “She has been an exemplary resident,” McGonagle said. (Jessica Fargen, "Campaign confirms Obama aunt in South Boston," The Boston Herald, Oct. 30, 2008, http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/2008/view/2008_10_30_Barack_Obama_s_aunt_living_in_South_Boston_housing_project)
Is this not typical of leftwing liberals? Obama wants to spread your wealth around to take care of people like his aunt. Yet, he fails to spread his own wealth around to help her or his half-brother George who lives on $1 a day in a Kenyan hovel. So much for liberal compassion.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Check Out Who Is Endorsing Obama
When Pastor John Hagee endorsed John McCain, the Democrats and their sycophants in the mainstream media went crazy. They insisted McCain had to repudiate Hagee’s endorsement, which he did.
So, let’s look at some of the endorsements made for Barack Hussein Obama. They may surprise you since the mainstream media has been completely complacent about them thus far.
Muslim Extremists:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared, “If Obama enters the White House, then Islam will conquer the heart of the American nation.” Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust and advocates the destruction of the state of Israel.
Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Hamas Prime Minister said, "We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election. He has a vision to change America." Hamas is a terrorist organization in control of the Gaza Strip. Another Muslim Jihadist group, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, hopes Obama will win election.
Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, called Obama “the Messiah” and "the hope of the entire world" in recent speeches endorsing him.
Raila Odinga is a cousin of Obama and a past candidate for President of Kenya. Obama supported Odinga’s candidacy even though he advocated imposing Muslim Sharia law on Kenya, one of Africa’s few functioning democracies. Odinga is a fundamentalist Islamic whose followers have committed human rights’ atrocities against his opponents in Kenya that almost plunged the country into civil war. Odinga, not surprisingly, has endorsed his cousin Obama for President of the United States.
As Naseem Jamali wrote for Al-Jazeera, the Muslim television network that regularly receives and televises Osama bin Laden’s taped threats, “Obama may not want to be counted as a Muslim but Muslims are eager to count him as one of their own.” Others have noted the excitement for Obama throughout the Arab world. For example, Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times noted that Egyptians expect that, if Obama is elected, “it would mark a sea change in America-Muslim world relations.”
Communists and Socialists:
The Communist Party USA, called Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill), “Americans’ most feasible option for a progressive policy that will further the country’s move toward a truly socialist future.” Many other Far Left groups in the United States have endorsed Obama. Among them are the Communist Party Illinois and the Socialist Party USA.
Marxist and Socialist leaders around the world have endorsed Obama. They include Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua’s Sandinista leader, Cuba’s new President Raul Castro as well as Fidel Castro, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the Socialist/Labour Party said he hopes Obama will be the next U.S. President. “His social views are more in line with progressive thinking around the globe. We like him because he is more like us.”
Am I the only one that finds it astonishing that no one else is objecting to these endorsements?
So, let’s look at some of the endorsements made for Barack Hussein Obama. They may surprise you since the mainstream media has been completely complacent about them thus far.
Muslim Extremists:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared, “If Obama enters the White House, then Islam will conquer the heart of the American nation.” Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust and advocates the destruction of the state of Israel.
Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Hamas Prime Minister said, "We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election. He has a vision to change America." Hamas is a terrorist organization in control of the Gaza Strip. Another Muslim Jihadist group, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, hopes Obama will win election.
Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan, called Obama “the Messiah” and "the hope of the entire world" in recent speeches endorsing him.
Raila Odinga is a cousin of Obama and a past candidate for President of Kenya. Obama supported Odinga’s candidacy even though he advocated imposing Muslim Sharia law on Kenya, one of Africa’s few functioning democracies. Odinga is a fundamentalist Islamic whose followers have committed human rights’ atrocities against his opponents in Kenya that almost plunged the country into civil war. Odinga, not surprisingly, has endorsed his cousin Obama for President of the United States.
As Naseem Jamali wrote for Al-Jazeera, the Muslim television network that regularly receives and televises Osama bin Laden’s taped threats, “Obama may not want to be counted as a Muslim but Muslims are eager to count him as one of their own.” Others have noted the excitement for Obama throughout the Arab world. For example, Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times noted that Egyptians expect that, if Obama is elected, “it would mark a sea change in America-Muslim world relations.”
Communists and Socialists:
The Communist Party USA, called Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill), “Americans’ most feasible option for a progressive policy that will further the country’s move toward a truly socialist future.” Many other Far Left groups in the United States have endorsed Obama. Among them are the Communist Party Illinois and the Socialist Party USA.
Marxist and Socialist leaders around the world have endorsed Obama. They include Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua’s Sandinista leader, Cuba’s new President Raul Castro as well as Fidel Castro, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the Socialist/Labour Party said he hopes Obama will be the next U.S. President. “His social views are more in line with progressive thinking around the globe. We like him because he is more like us.”
Am I the only one that finds it astonishing that no one else is objecting to these endorsements?
Friday, October 31, 2008
Obama Is a Pro-Abortion Extremist
In his 2004 U.S. Senate race, Barack Hussein Obama’s website proudly proclaimed he would fight “right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman’s right to choose.” (Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope, Three Rivers Press, New York, NY, 2006, p. 195) He has kept this promise. Without a doubt, Obama is “the most pro-abortion member of the Senate, with his straight A+ report card from the National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood.” (Patrick J. Buchanan, “A Catholic Case Against Barack,” Human Events, August 2008)
Now, a majority of Americans do not want all abortions outlawed. Even many of those who believe Roe v. Wade is bad law – that the issue should be decided at the state level – do not want to completely ban all abortions. Of course, others believe all abortions are wrong, citing religious beliefs or echoing the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence that life is a fundamental human right.
For most Americans, though, some procedures or practices are so beyond the pale that they have no problem saying they should be banned. These include partial birth abortion, a late-term procedure “where the baby's skull is stabbed with scissors in the birth canal and the brains are sucked out.” (Ibid.) As the late Democrat Senator Patrick J. Moynihan described it, partial birth abortion "comes as close to infanticide as anything I have seen in our judiciary." (Ibid.) The vast majority of Americans believe that babies who survive an abortion procedure should be given medical care rather than be allowed to die without it.
Obama supports partial birth abortion and opposes life-saving measures for abortion survivors. He voted against a measure in the Illinois Senate in 2001 that would have treated surviving fetuses of botched abortions as human babies, saying he would have supported it if it mirrored federal law. Going back on his word, Obama led the battle in 2003 to defeat a bill that duplicated the federal “Born-Alive Infants Protection Act.” Yet, he claims that among the anchors of his faith is certainty regarding “the Golden Rule” and “the need to battle cruelty in all its forms.” (Op.cit. p. 224)
During questioning by Pastor Rick Warren at the Saddleback Church forum, Obama was flippant about the abortion issue’s fundamental question. Pastor Warren asked him, “When does life begin?” Obama joked, “You know, I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.”
Now, a majority of Americans do not want all abortions outlawed. Even many of those who believe Roe v. Wade is bad law – that the issue should be decided at the state level – do not want to completely ban all abortions. Of course, others believe all abortions are wrong, citing religious beliefs or echoing the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence that life is a fundamental human right.
For most Americans, though, some procedures or practices are so beyond the pale that they have no problem saying they should be banned. These include partial birth abortion, a late-term procedure “where the baby's skull is stabbed with scissors in the birth canal and the brains are sucked out.” (Ibid.) As the late Democrat Senator Patrick J. Moynihan described it, partial birth abortion "comes as close to infanticide as anything I have seen in our judiciary." (Ibid.) The vast majority of Americans believe that babies who survive an abortion procedure should be given medical care rather than be allowed to die without it.
Obama supports partial birth abortion and opposes life-saving measures for abortion survivors. He voted against a measure in the Illinois Senate in 2001 that would have treated surviving fetuses of botched abortions as human babies, saying he would have supported it if it mirrored federal law. Going back on his word, Obama led the battle in 2003 to defeat a bill that duplicated the federal “Born-Alive Infants Protection Act.” Yet, he claims that among the anchors of his faith is certainty regarding “the Golden Rule” and “the need to battle cruelty in all its forms.” (Op.cit. p. 224)
During questioning by Pastor Rick Warren at the Saddleback Church forum, Obama was flippant about the abortion issue’s fundamental question. Pastor Warren asked him, “When does life begin?” Obama joked, “You know, I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.”
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Cling to Your Guns: Obama Lies about Gun Control
Few politicians have the gall to blatantly lie in their television ads. Barack Hussein Obama has plowed new ground in his audacity of deceit to run a political ad in which he claims he is pro-gun rights. When I heard it, I laughed out loud after I picked my jaw up off the floor.
With friends like Obama, who needs enemies? As a Life Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), I know Obama is no friend of my Second Amendment rights. He has an “F” from the NRA. Any gun owner needs to pay close attention to Obama’s words and, more importantly, his actions. Despite his few years as a politician, he has a long string of anti-gun votes.
Obama served on the board of the Joyce Foundation, which has given millions of dollars to anti-gun groups, from 1994-2001. He wrote in his own handwriting on a candidate questionnaire in 1996, when he first ran for the Illinois Senate, that he would like to “ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns.” Similarly, in 1998, he supported a ban on the sale or transfer of all semi-automatic weapons. (NRA-ILA Staff, “Obama: Issue by Issue,” America’s 1st Freedom, Nov. 2008, p. 36) Back in 1999, Obama proposed increasing taxes on firearms and ammunition by 500 percent. He also called for a federal ban on gun stores within five miles of any park or school. A study of these “Obama Exclusion Zones” determined that over ninety percent of all gun stores would be forced to close and “most major metropolitan areas and their suburbs, and even small towns, would become ‘gun store-free zones’.” (Ibid. p. 39)
As an Illinois State Senator, he voted to limit handgun purchases to one per month in 2003. He supported S.B. 1195, another 2003 anti-gun bill, which would have banned “all single-shot and double-barreled shotguns 28 gauge or larger, and many semi-auto shotguns…along with hundreds of models of rifles and handguns.” (Ibid. p. 38) Any Illinois resident found in possession of one of these guns ninety days after passage would have been charged with a felony. Fortunately, the bill did not pass.
Obama voted ‘no” four times on S.B. 2165 in 2004. This bill would protect citizens from prosecution who used a gun in self-defense in their home against an intruder or attacker. He also said in 2004, “I am consistently on record and will continue to be on record as opposing concealed carry.” He proposed “federal legislation that would ban citizens from carrying weapons, except for law enforcement.” He continues to oppose citizens’ right-to-carry laws, stating in April 2008, “I am not in favor of concealed weapons.” (Ibid. p. 39)
More recently in 2005, Obama supported Sen. Edward Kennedy’s ban on center-fire rifle ammunition used in hunting and sport shooting. Even the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) opposed it. Fortunately, this Kennedy amendment to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act failed. He voted “yea” on S.397 in the U.S. Senate in 2005. This terrible bill would have made firearms’ manufacturers responsible for illegal use of their products after sale. It would also have outlawed most types of rifle ammunition. (www.gunbanobama.com) Both Obama and his running mate Sen. Joseph Biden voted against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This bill protects legal firearm manufacturers from lawsuits resulting from the illegal acts of armed criminals. Obama supports Biden’s bill (S.2237) that would reinstate Brady Bill bans on “roughly 200 makes and models of semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and handguns on the basis of things like the shape of their grips, and on ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.” (“Joe Biden: The Voice of Anti-gun Experience,” America’s 1st Freedom, Nov. 2008, p. 41)
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the handgun ban in Washington, D.C. recently in District of Columbia v. Heller. Over 300 members of Congress joined in a brief asking the court to uphold the Second Amendment rights of individuals. Neither Obama nor Biden joined them. This decision was decided 5-4. Key to this landmark decision in defense of your individual right to keep and bear arms was Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Justice Samuel Alito. Both Obama and Biden voted against confirming these justices and expressed strong disagreement with the Court’s decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the decision. At an August 2008 candidate’s forum, Obama stated he would not have nominated him or Justice Clarence Thomas who voted with the majority.
Biden, during a speech to the N.A.A.C.P. convention during the presidential primary, predicted: “The next president is likely to name at least one, if not three new Supreme Court justices.” (Wayne LaPierre, “Vote for the Second Amendment,” America’s 1st Freedom, Nov. 2008, p. 9) If you own guns of any type or believe you should have the right to do so, then you do not want Obama to be the one nominating Supreme Court Justices and hundreds of lower-level federal judges. If you, like the Founding Fathers, believe the Second Amendment is essential to freedom from government tyranny, then McCain-Palin is the ticket to support.
Obama would like to ban all handguns and semi-automatic firearms, revoke state Right-to-Carry laws, ration purchases of other firearms, and impose gun licensing and registration. (www.nrapvf.org) As NRA President John C. Sigler warned, “Taken together, Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden constitute the most anti-gun ticket ever to run for the White House.” (John c. Sigler, “Obama-Biden a Clear and Present Danger,” America’s 1st Freedom, Nov. 2008, p. 10)
The divide between Democratic and Republican views of the Second Amendment is clear in their party platforms. The 2008 Democratic Party platform says, “We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation, but we know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne.” This new concept that Constitutional protections are subject to regional differences has been dubbed “geo-constitutionalism.” It flies in the face of our Founding Fathers’ intent and the concept of equal protection under the law.
In contrast, the Republican Party platform states, “We uphold the right of individual Americans to own firearms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend themselves, their property and communities.” Voters, cling to those guns! Vote for McCain-Palin.
With friends like Obama, who needs enemies? As a Life Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), I know Obama is no friend of my Second Amendment rights. He has an “F” from the NRA. Any gun owner needs to pay close attention to Obama’s words and, more importantly, his actions. Despite his few years as a politician, he has a long string of anti-gun votes.
Obama served on the board of the Joyce Foundation, which has given millions of dollars to anti-gun groups, from 1994-2001. He wrote in his own handwriting on a candidate questionnaire in 1996, when he first ran for the Illinois Senate, that he would like to “ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns.” Similarly, in 1998, he supported a ban on the sale or transfer of all semi-automatic weapons. (NRA-ILA Staff, “Obama: Issue by Issue,” America’s 1st Freedom, Nov. 2008, p. 36) Back in 1999, Obama proposed increasing taxes on firearms and ammunition by 500 percent. He also called for a federal ban on gun stores within five miles of any park or school. A study of these “Obama Exclusion Zones” determined that over ninety percent of all gun stores would be forced to close and “most major metropolitan areas and their suburbs, and even small towns, would become ‘gun store-free zones’.” (Ibid. p. 39)
As an Illinois State Senator, he voted to limit handgun purchases to one per month in 2003. He supported S.B. 1195, another 2003 anti-gun bill, which would have banned “all single-shot and double-barreled shotguns 28 gauge or larger, and many semi-auto shotguns…along with hundreds of models of rifles and handguns.” (Ibid. p. 38) Any Illinois resident found in possession of one of these guns ninety days after passage would have been charged with a felony. Fortunately, the bill did not pass.
Obama voted ‘no” four times on S.B. 2165 in 2004. This bill would protect citizens from prosecution who used a gun in self-defense in their home against an intruder or attacker. He also said in 2004, “I am consistently on record and will continue to be on record as opposing concealed carry.” He proposed “federal legislation that would ban citizens from carrying weapons, except for law enforcement.” He continues to oppose citizens’ right-to-carry laws, stating in April 2008, “I am not in favor of concealed weapons.” (Ibid. p. 39)
More recently in 2005, Obama supported Sen. Edward Kennedy’s ban on center-fire rifle ammunition used in hunting and sport shooting. Even the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) opposed it. Fortunately, this Kennedy amendment to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act failed. He voted “yea” on S.397 in the U.S. Senate in 2005. This terrible bill would have made firearms’ manufacturers responsible for illegal use of their products after sale. It would also have outlawed most types of rifle ammunition. (www.gunbanobama.com) Both Obama and his running mate Sen. Joseph Biden voted against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This bill protects legal firearm manufacturers from lawsuits resulting from the illegal acts of armed criminals. Obama supports Biden’s bill (S.2237) that would reinstate Brady Bill bans on “roughly 200 makes and models of semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and handguns on the basis of things like the shape of their grips, and on ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.” (“Joe Biden: The Voice of Anti-gun Experience,” America’s 1st Freedom, Nov. 2008, p. 41)
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the handgun ban in Washington, D.C. recently in District of Columbia v. Heller. Over 300 members of Congress joined in a brief asking the court to uphold the Second Amendment rights of individuals. Neither Obama nor Biden joined them. This decision was decided 5-4. Key to this landmark decision in defense of your individual right to keep and bear arms was Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Justice Samuel Alito. Both Obama and Biden voted against confirming these justices and expressed strong disagreement with the Court’s decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the decision. At an August 2008 candidate’s forum, Obama stated he would not have nominated him or Justice Clarence Thomas who voted with the majority.
Biden, during a speech to the N.A.A.C.P. convention during the presidential primary, predicted: “The next president is likely to name at least one, if not three new Supreme Court justices.” (Wayne LaPierre, “Vote for the Second Amendment,” America’s 1st Freedom, Nov. 2008, p. 9) If you own guns of any type or believe you should have the right to do so, then you do not want Obama to be the one nominating Supreme Court Justices and hundreds of lower-level federal judges. If you, like the Founding Fathers, believe the Second Amendment is essential to freedom from government tyranny, then McCain-Palin is the ticket to support.
Obama would like to ban all handguns and semi-automatic firearms, revoke state Right-to-Carry laws, ration purchases of other firearms, and impose gun licensing and registration. (www.nrapvf.org) As NRA President John C. Sigler warned, “Taken together, Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden constitute the most anti-gun ticket ever to run for the White House.” (John c. Sigler, “Obama-Biden a Clear and Present Danger,” America’s 1st Freedom, Nov. 2008, p. 10)
The divide between Democratic and Republican views of the Second Amendment is clear in their party platforms. The 2008 Democratic Party platform says, “We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation, but we know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne.” This new concept that Constitutional protections are subject to regional differences has been dubbed “geo-constitutionalism.” It flies in the face of our Founding Fathers’ intent and the concept of equal protection under the law.
In contrast, the Republican Party platform states, “We uphold the right of individual Americans to own firearms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend themselves, their property and communities.” Voters, cling to those guns! Vote for McCain-Palin.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Why Is Karl Marx Cheering from the Grave?
Karl Marx, the author of the failed economic system of communism, must be cheering from the grave over the prospect of Barack Hussein Obama becoming President of the United States. If the polls are correct (and I pray they are not), then the American people are about to elect a trained and avowed Marxist as President. How can I say this?
It is the result of having read both of Obama's books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. In them is revealed the degree to which Obama has been and continues to be influenced by the principles of Marx and Marxism. Likewise, his continued relationships with radical leftists, whom he refuses to disavow, also show it. Finally, his actions as an Illinois State Senator and a U.S. Senator illustrate his commitment to radically changing America’s economic system of capitalism.
As a youth, Obama disdained American middle-class values, what Marx would have ridiculed as “bourgeois” [capitalist] values. “Theirs [his white grandparents] were the faces of American Gothic, the WASP bloodline’s poorer cousins…the world in which my grandparents had been raised, the dab-smack, landlocked center of the country, a place where decency and endurance and the pioneer spirit were joined at the hip with conformity and suspicion and the potential for unblinking cruelty…where fear and lack of imagination choke your dreams…” (Dreams from My Father, Three Rivers Press: New York, pgs. 12-13; 15)
Obama’s white mother, who grew up in the Midwest, tried to instill her values (“Honesty – Fairness - Straight talk - Independent judgment”) in him, but he rejected them. “My mother could give voice to the virtues of her Midwestern past…I would dutifully nod my assent, but she must have known that many of her ideas seemed rather impractical…My mother’s confidence in needlepoint virtues depended on a faith I didn’t possess…a faith that rational thoughtful people could shape their own destiny…” (Ibid. pgs. 49-50) Later, he wrote, “…Her [his mother’s] faith in justice and rationality was misplaced, that we couldn’t overcome after all, that all the education and good intentions in the world couldn’t help plug up the holes in the universe or give you the power to change its blind, mindless course.” (Ibid. p. 96)
One of Obama’s early mentors, a kind of father figure during his teen years in Hawaii, was a man he calls by only his first name, “Frank,” in Dreams from My Father. He warned Obama as he prepared to enter college, “Understand something, boy. You’re not going to college to get education. You’re going there to get trained. They’ll train you to want what you don’t need. They’ll train you to manipulate words so they don’t mean anything anymore. They’ll train you to forget what it is that you already know. They’ll train you so good, you’ll start believing what they tell you about equal opportunity and the American way and all that shit…” (Ibid. p. 97)
Who was this “Frank”? He was a black poet named Frank Marshall Davis. He was also a card-carrying member of the Communist Party U.S.A. [CPUSA] during the years it was controlled by the Soviet Union. Davis joined the CPUSA during World War II and never resigned before his death in 1987. His membership was confirmed in a 1951 report of the Commission on Subversive Activities to the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). He moved to Honolulu from Kansas in 1948 and wrote columns for the Honolulu Record. Davis was a friend of Obama’s white grandfather, who introduced the young Obama to Davis.
Professor Gerald Horne, a contributing editor of the Communist Party journal Political Affairs and a history professor at the University of Houston, talked about the relationship between Obama and Davis in March 2007 in a speech, "Rethinking the History and Future of the Communist Party," at the Tamiment Library at New York University where CPUSA archives are housed. “Davis ‘befriended’ a ‘Euro-American family’ that had ‘migrated to Honolulu from Kansas and a young woman from this family eventually had a child with a young student from Kenya East Africa who goes by the name of Barack Obama.’” Horne wrote Davis “became the young man's mentor, influencing Obama's sense of identity and career moves.” (Cliff Kincaid, "Obama's Communist Mentor," Accuracy in Media, Feb. 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/)
Dr. Kathryn Takara, a professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa did her dissertation on Davis. She confirmed Davis was the “Frank” in Obama’s first book. She notes that Davis had “‘an acute sense of race relations and class struggle throughout America and the world’ and that he openly discussed subjects such as American imperialism, colonialism and exploitation.” He "espoused freedom, radicalism, solidarity, labor unions, due process, peace, affirmative action, civil rights, Negro History week, and true Democracy to fight imperialism, colonialism, and white supremacy." (Ibid.)
Writing of his days at Occidental College, Obama heeded his mentor’s advice, “To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets…We were resisting bourgeois society’s stifling constraints.” (Op.cit. pgs. 100-101) While there, he became involved in the efforts to force Occidental College to divest its investments in apartheid South Africa. Among his efforts was “contacting representatives of the African National Congress to speak on campus” (Ibid. p. 105) The African National Congress [ANC] was and is a communist-backed front group.
Obama completed his undergraduate studies at Columbia University in New York City. He continued his Marxist studies, where, “Political discussions…came to take on the flavor of the socialist conferences I sometimes attended at Cooper Union or the African cultural fairs that took place in Harlem and Brooklyn during the summers – a few of the many diversions New York had to offer…” (Ibid. p. 122)
Upon graduation, Obama set out to become a community organizer. However, he could not find a job in that field. “Eventually a consulting house to multinational corporations agreed to hire me as a research assistant. Like a spy behind enemy lines, I arrived every day at my mid-Manhattan office.” (Ibid. p. 135) Frustrated working in a capitalistic, profit-making enterprise, “In search of some inspiration, I went to hear Kwame Touré, formerly Stokely Carmichael of SNCC and Black Power fame, speak at Columbia. At the entrance to the auditorium, two women, one black, one Asian, were selling Marxist literature and arguing with each other about Trotsky’s place in history. Inside Touré was proposing a program to establish economic ties between Africa and Harlem that would circumvent white capitalist imperialism.” (Ibid. pgs. 139-140)
Finally, Obama was hired by Marty Kaufman, a white Chicago community organizer and moved to Chicago. There he “came into contact with more far-left political forces, including the Democratic Socialists of America, which maintains close ties to European socialist groups and parties through the Socialist International (SI), and two former members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), William Ayers and Carl Davidson.” Marx founded the SI.
After two-and-a-half years, Obama decided to enroll in law school. His stated purpose was to learn “power’s currency in all its intricacy and detail, knowledge that would have compromised me before coming to Chicago but that I could now bring back to where it was needed…bring it back like Promethean fire.” (Ibid. p. 276) He returned to Chicago after receiving his law degree from Harvard Law School and went to work as a Civil Rights attorney. Later, he was a part-time professor of Law at the University of Chicago.
Obama remained true to his Marxist disdain of the bourgeoisie, even when he began visiting Trinity Christian Church in Chicago and consulting with its pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Tellingly, he wrote, “There was one particular passage in Trinity’s brochure that stood out…’A Disavowal of the Pursuit of Middleclassness,’ the heading read. ‘While it is permissible to chase ‘middleincomeness’ with all our might,’ the text stated, those blessed with the talent or good fortune to achieve success in the American mainstream must avoid the ‘psychological entrapment of Black ‘middleclassness’ that hypnotizes the successful brother or sister into believing they are better than the rest and teaches them to think in terms of ‘we’ and ‘they’ instead of ‘US’!’” (Op.cit. p. 284)
In 1996, Obama ran for the Illinois State Senate. He received the endorsement of the Chicago branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). “DSA describes itself as the largest socialist organization in the United States and the principal U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International. The Socialist International (SI) has what is called ‘consultative status’ with the United Nations.” ("Is Barack Obama a Marxist Mole?” Accuracy in Media Report, March 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-report/is-barack-obama-a-marxist-mole/)
“Later, the Chicago DSA newsletter reported that Obama, as a state senator, showed up to eulogize Saul Mendelson, one of the ‘champions’ of ‘Chicago's democratic left’ and a long-time socialist activist.” Chicago Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky endorsed Obama and “was honored in 2000 at a dinner sponsored by the Chicago chapter of the DSA.” (Cliff Kincaid, "Obama's International Socialist Connections," Accuracy in Media, Feb. 14, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-international-socialist-connections/)
With DSA encouragement, U. S. Senator Obama sponsored “The Global Poverty Act” (S.2433), which “commits the U.S. to spending hundreds of billions of dollars more in foreign aid on the rest of the world, in order to comply with the ‘Millennium Goals’ established by the United Nations.” Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Obama’s vice presidential pick, pushed S.2433 through the committee. It is currently awaiting a vote by the full Senate. (Op.cit.)
Much has been written about William Ayers, the self-admitted and convicted Weather Underground domestic terrorist, and Obama’s working friendship with him. Obama served on the board of the Woods Foundation and authored the foreword to Ayers’ book. Ayers and his wife Bernadette Doerhn, another Weather Underground terrorist, helped launch Obama’s state Senate campaign by hosting an early “Meet and Greet” party in their home.
Few have looked at Obama’s on-going relationships with other Chicago radical leftists. Carl Davidson is active in the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS), an offshoot of the old CPUSA; he “helped organize the 2002 rally where Obama came out against the Iraq War.” (Cliff Kincaid, "Obama's Communist Mentor," Accuracy in Media, Feb. 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/)
Another CCDS activist is Leslie Cagan, who organizes anti-Iraq War demonstrations through a group called United for Peace and Justice (UPJ). Herbert Romerstein, a former Congressional investigator on communist activities, said the CCDS has “a close working relationship with the Stalinist remnants in the former East Germany, now called the Party of Democratic Socialism.” ("Is Barack Obama a Marxist Mole?” Accuracy in Media Report, March 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-report/is-barack-obama-a-marxist-mole/)
Lance Fairchok wrote accurately, “Barack Obama has a thing for Marxists. He befriends them, listens to their counsel, and he even hires them to work in his campaign. And they seem to feel the warmth.” For example, Sam Graham-Felsen is Obama’s official presidential campaign blogger. He also a writer for the Socialist Viewpoint, the mouthpiece of the Socialist Workers Organization (SWO). Graham-Felsen, “after being expelled from Socialist Action in 1999,” helped found the SWO “in an attempt to carry on the project of building a nucleus of a revolutionary party true to the historic teachings and program of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky.“ (Lance Fairchok, "Another Obama Marxist," American Thinker, April 2008 http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/another_obama_marxist.html and Socialist Viewpoint socialistviewpoint.org)
"Marx once compared revolutionary struggle with the work of the mole, who sometimes burrows so far beneath the ground that he leaves no trace of his movement on the surface. This is the old revolutionary ‘mole,' not only showing his traces on the surface but also breaking through." Frank Chapman, a CPUSA supporter, penned these words in a letter to the party’s newspaper “hailing the Illinois senator's victory in the Iowa caucuses.” (Cliff Kincaid, "Obama's Communist Mentor," Accuracy in Media, Feb. 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/)
It is the result of having read both of Obama's books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope. In them is revealed the degree to which Obama has been and continues to be influenced by the principles of Marx and Marxism. Likewise, his continued relationships with radical leftists, whom he refuses to disavow, also show it. Finally, his actions as an Illinois State Senator and a U.S. Senator illustrate his commitment to radically changing America’s economic system of capitalism.
As a youth, Obama disdained American middle-class values, what Marx would have ridiculed as “bourgeois” [capitalist] values. “Theirs [his white grandparents] were the faces of American Gothic, the WASP bloodline’s poorer cousins…the world in which my grandparents had been raised, the dab-smack, landlocked center of the country, a place where decency and endurance and the pioneer spirit were joined at the hip with conformity and suspicion and the potential for unblinking cruelty…where fear and lack of imagination choke your dreams…” (Dreams from My Father, Three Rivers Press: New York, pgs. 12-13; 15)
Obama’s white mother, who grew up in the Midwest, tried to instill her values (“Honesty – Fairness - Straight talk - Independent judgment”) in him, but he rejected them. “My mother could give voice to the virtues of her Midwestern past…I would dutifully nod my assent, but she must have known that many of her ideas seemed rather impractical…My mother’s confidence in needlepoint virtues depended on a faith I didn’t possess…a faith that rational thoughtful people could shape their own destiny…” (Ibid. pgs. 49-50) Later, he wrote, “…Her [his mother’s] faith in justice and rationality was misplaced, that we couldn’t overcome after all, that all the education and good intentions in the world couldn’t help plug up the holes in the universe or give you the power to change its blind, mindless course.” (Ibid. p. 96)
One of Obama’s early mentors, a kind of father figure during his teen years in Hawaii, was a man he calls by only his first name, “Frank,” in Dreams from My Father. He warned Obama as he prepared to enter college, “Understand something, boy. You’re not going to college to get education. You’re going there to get trained. They’ll train you to want what you don’t need. They’ll train you to manipulate words so they don’t mean anything anymore. They’ll train you to forget what it is that you already know. They’ll train you so good, you’ll start believing what they tell you about equal opportunity and the American way and all that shit…” (Ibid. p. 97)
Who was this “Frank”? He was a black poet named Frank Marshall Davis. He was also a card-carrying member of the Communist Party U.S.A. [CPUSA] during the years it was controlled by the Soviet Union. Davis joined the CPUSA during World War II and never resigned before his death in 1987. His membership was confirmed in a 1951 report of the Commission on Subversive Activities to the Legislature of the Territory of Hawaii and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). He moved to Honolulu from Kansas in 1948 and wrote columns for the Honolulu Record. Davis was a friend of Obama’s white grandfather, who introduced the young Obama to Davis.
Professor Gerald Horne, a contributing editor of the Communist Party journal Political Affairs and a history professor at the University of Houston, talked about the relationship between Obama and Davis in March 2007 in a speech, "Rethinking the History and Future of the Communist Party," at the Tamiment Library at New York University where CPUSA archives are housed. “Davis ‘befriended’ a ‘Euro-American family’ that had ‘migrated to Honolulu from Kansas and a young woman from this family eventually had a child with a young student from Kenya East Africa who goes by the name of Barack Obama.’” Horne wrote Davis “became the young man's mentor, influencing Obama's sense of identity and career moves.” (Cliff Kincaid, "Obama's Communist Mentor," Accuracy in Media, Feb. 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/)
Dr. Kathryn Takara, a professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa did her dissertation on Davis. She confirmed Davis was the “Frank” in Obama’s first book. She notes that Davis had “‘an acute sense of race relations and class struggle throughout America and the world’ and that he openly discussed subjects such as American imperialism, colonialism and exploitation.” He "espoused freedom, radicalism, solidarity, labor unions, due process, peace, affirmative action, civil rights, Negro History week, and true Democracy to fight imperialism, colonialism, and white supremacy." (Ibid.)
Writing of his days at Occidental College, Obama heeded his mentor’s advice, “To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets…We were resisting bourgeois society’s stifling constraints.” (Op.cit. pgs. 100-101) While there, he became involved in the efforts to force Occidental College to divest its investments in apartheid South Africa. Among his efforts was “contacting representatives of the African National Congress to speak on campus” (Ibid. p. 105) The African National Congress [ANC] was and is a communist-backed front group.
Obama completed his undergraduate studies at Columbia University in New York City. He continued his Marxist studies, where, “Political discussions…came to take on the flavor of the socialist conferences I sometimes attended at Cooper Union or the African cultural fairs that took place in Harlem and Brooklyn during the summers – a few of the many diversions New York had to offer…” (Ibid. p. 122)
Upon graduation, Obama set out to become a community organizer. However, he could not find a job in that field. “Eventually a consulting house to multinational corporations agreed to hire me as a research assistant. Like a spy behind enemy lines, I arrived every day at my mid-Manhattan office.” (Ibid. p. 135) Frustrated working in a capitalistic, profit-making enterprise, “In search of some inspiration, I went to hear Kwame Touré, formerly Stokely Carmichael of SNCC and Black Power fame, speak at Columbia. At the entrance to the auditorium, two women, one black, one Asian, were selling Marxist literature and arguing with each other about Trotsky’s place in history. Inside Touré was proposing a program to establish economic ties between Africa and Harlem that would circumvent white capitalist imperialism.” (Ibid. pgs. 139-140)
Finally, Obama was hired by Marty Kaufman, a white Chicago community organizer and moved to Chicago. There he “came into contact with more far-left political forces, including the Democratic Socialists of America, which maintains close ties to European socialist groups and parties through the Socialist International (SI), and two former members of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), William Ayers and Carl Davidson.” Marx founded the SI.
After two-and-a-half years, Obama decided to enroll in law school. His stated purpose was to learn “power’s currency in all its intricacy and detail, knowledge that would have compromised me before coming to Chicago but that I could now bring back to where it was needed…bring it back like Promethean fire.” (Ibid. p. 276) He returned to Chicago after receiving his law degree from Harvard Law School and went to work as a Civil Rights attorney. Later, he was a part-time professor of Law at the University of Chicago.
Obama remained true to his Marxist disdain of the bourgeoisie, even when he began visiting Trinity Christian Church in Chicago and consulting with its pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Tellingly, he wrote, “There was one particular passage in Trinity’s brochure that stood out…’A Disavowal of the Pursuit of Middleclassness,’ the heading read. ‘While it is permissible to chase ‘middleincomeness’ with all our might,’ the text stated, those blessed with the talent or good fortune to achieve success in the American mainstream must avoid the ‘psychological entrapment of Black ‘middleclassness’ that hypnotizes the successful brother or sister into believing they are better than the rest and teaches them to think in terms of ‘we’ and ‘they’ instead of ‘US’!’” (Op.cit. p. 284)
In 1996, Obama ran for the Illinois State Senate. He received the endorsement of the Chicago branch of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). “DSA describes itself as the largest socialist organization in the United States and the principal U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International. The Socialist International (SI) has what is called ‘consultative status’ with the United Nations.” ("Is Barack Obama a Marxist Mole?” Accuracy in Media Report, March 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-report/is-barack-obama-a-marxist-mole/)
“Later, the Chicago DSA newsletter reported that Obama, as a state senator, showed up to eulogize Saul Mendelson, one of the ‘champions’ of ‘Chicago's democratic left’ and a long-time socialist activist.” Chicago Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky endorsed Obama and “was honored in 2000 at a dinner sponsored by the Chicago chapter of the DSA.” (Cliff Kincaid, "Obama's International Socialist Connections," Accuracy in Media, Feb. 14, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-international-socialist-connections/)
With DSA encouragement, U. S. Senator Obama sponsored “The Global Poverty Act” (S.2433), which “commits the U.S. to spending hundreds of billions of dollars more in foreign aid on the rest of the world, in order to comply with the ‘Millennium Goals’ established by the United Nations.” Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Obama’s vice presidential pick, pushed S.2433 through the committee. It is currently awaiting a vote by the full Senate. (Op.cit.)
Much has been written about William Ayers, the self-admitted and convicted Weather Underground domestic terrorist, and Obama’s working friendship with him. Obama served on the board of the Woods Foundation and authored the foreword to Ayers’ book. Ayers and his wife Bernadette Doerhn, another Weather Underground terrorist, helped launch Obama’s state Senate campaign by hosting an early “Meet and Greet” party in their home.
Few have looked at Obama’s on-going relationships with other Chicago radical leftists. Carl Davidson is active in the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS), an offshoot of the old CPUSA; he “helped organize the 2002 rally where Obama came out against the Iraq War.” (Cliff Kincaid, "Obama's Communist Mentor," Accuracy in Media, Feb. 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/)
Another CCDS activist is Leslie Cagan, who organizes anti-Iraq War demonstrations through a group called United for Peace and Justice (UPJ). Herbert Romerstein, a former Congressional investigator on communist activities, said the CCDS has “a close working relationship with the Stalinist remnants in the former East Germany, now called the Party of Democratic Socialism.” ("Is Barack Obama a Marxist Mole?” Accuracy in Media Report, March 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-report/is-barack-obama-a-marxist-mole/)
Lance Fairchok wrote accurately, “Barack Obama has a thing for Marxists. He befriends them, listens to their counsel, and he even hires them to work in his campaign. And they seem to feel the warmth.” For example, Sam Graham-Felsen is Obama’s official presidential campaign blogger. He also a writer for the Socialist Viewpoint, the mouthpiece of the Socialist Workers Organization (SWO). Graham-Felsen, “after being expelled from Socialist Action in 1999,” helped found the SWO “in an attempt to carry on the project of building a nucleus of a revolutionary party true to the historic teachings and program of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky.“ (Lance Fairchok, "Another Obama Marxist," American Thinker, April 2008 http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/another_obama_marxist.html and Socialist Viewpoint socialistviewpoint.org)
"Marx once compared revolutionary struggle with the work of the mole, who sometimes burrows so far beneath the ground that he leaves no trace of his movement on the surface. This is the old revolutionary ‘mole,' not only showing his traces on the surface but also breaking through." Frank Chapman, a CPUSA supporter, penned these words in a letter to the party’s newspaper “hailing the Illinois senator's victory in the Iowa caucuses.” (Cliff Kincaid, "Obama's Communist Mentor," Accuracy in Media, Feb. 18, 2008 http://www.aim.org/aim-column/obamas-communist-mentor/)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Voting Recommendations for Duval County [Florida] Residents
Below are my recommendations for Duval County residents. As you will see, I have split my ballot more than I usually do. Whomever you chose to support, what matters most is that you exercise your right to vote.
President: John McCain (REP)
Congressional District 4: Jay McGovern (DEM)
Public Defender: Bill White (DEM)
Clerk of Courts: Jim Fuller (REP)
City Council-at-large, Group 2: John R. Crescimbeni (DEM)
School Board, District 1: Stan Jordan
School Board, District 3: W. C. Gentry
Soil & Water Conservation Board, Group 2: Jonathan McGowan
Soil & Water Conservation Board, Group 3: Victor L. Wilhelm, Jr.
Soil & Water Conservation Board, Group 4: Katrina L. Finley
On the judges, I could find no agregious decisions, so I voted to retain all.
Here are my recommendations on the Amendments:
#1: No (A 'yes' vote would give "equal rights" to illegal aliens under Florida's Constitution and prohibit the Legislature from "discriminating" against those who are in the United States illegally.)
#2: Yes (This amendment puts the current definition of marriage under Florida statute in the Constitution to prevent activist judges from ordering Florida to allow homosexual marriages. Current law defines marriage as between a man and a woman. This amendment will have no other impact.)
#3: Yes (This gives homeowners the incentive to make hurricane protection and energy conservation improvements without penalizing them with higher property tax assessments.)
#4: Yes (It encourages property owners to maintain their undeveloped property for conservation purposes with tax breaks.)
#5: Removed from ballot by the Florida Supreme Court
#6: Yes (It requires property tax assessments on working waterfront properties to be assessed according to their current usage, not future or potential usage. It protects small businesses, such as marine repair, commercial fishers, and marinas, from being forced out of business by higher assessments because their properties could be used for condos or resorts, etc.)
#7: Withdrawn
#8: No (This amendment would allow an increase in sales' taxes. Although the purpose is good, increasing taxes on anything at this time of economic turmoil is bad.)
Again, I hope this helps you and please, get out and vote! Deo Vindice, Sue
President: John McCain (REP)
Congressional District 4: Jay McGovern (DEM)
Public Defender: Bill White (DEM)
Clerk of Courts: Jim Fuller (REP)
City Council-at-large, Group 2: John R. Crescimbeni (DEM)
School Board, District 1: Stan Jordan
School Board, District 3: W. C. Gentry
Soil & Water Conservation Board, Group 2: Jonathan McGowan
Soil & Water Conservation Board, Group 3: Victor L. Wilhelm, Jr.
Soil & Water Conservation Board, Group 4: Katrina L. Finley
On the judges, I could find no agregious decisions, so I voted to retain all.
Here are my recommendations on the Amendments:
#1: No (A 'yes' vote would give "equal rights" to illegal aliens under Florida's Constitution and prohibit the Legislature from "discriminating" against those who are in the United States illegally.)
#2: Yes (This amendment puts the current definition of marriage under Florida statute in the Constitution to prevent activist judges from ordering Florida to allow homosexual marriages. Current law defines marriage as between a man and a woman. This amendment will have no other impact.)
#3: Yes (This gives homeowners the incentive to make hurricane protection and energy conservation improvements without penalizing them with higher property tax assessments.)
#4: Yes (It encourages property owners to maintain their undeveloped property for conservation purposes with tax breaks.)
#5: Removed from ballot by the Florida Supreme Court
#6: Yes (It requires property tax assessments on working waterfront properties to be assessed according to their current usage, not future or potential usage. It protects small businesses, such as marine repair, commercial fishers, and marinas, from being forced out of business by higher assessments because their properties could be used for condos or resorts, etc.)
#7: Withdrawn
#8: No (This amendment would allow an increase in sales' taxes. Although the purpose is good, increasing taxes on anything at this time of economic turmoil is bad.)
Again, I hope this helps you and please, get out and vote! Deo Vindice, Sue
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Invitation to Pray & Fast
Two weeks from today is Election Day. Many Americans are voting already in early voting and via absentee ballots. There is still much electioneering to do. I plan to devote every spare moment to the effort to get John McCain elected President. However, there is more to be done by Christians than the usual blogging, emailing, phone calling, letter writing, pamphlet distribution, and sign waving.
The Bible recommends prayer and fasting for the nation in times of trouble. The Lord advised Solomon: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (1 Chron. 7:14).
The prophet Jonah went to Nineveh and prophesied that the city would be destroyed in forty days. The people of Nineveh “declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth” (Jonah 3:5). The King ordered, “Let everyone call urgently on God” (Jonah 3: 8). Thus, God chose to withhold his anger and the city of 120,000 was saved from destruction.
God promised Abraham that whoever blessed Israel would be blessed, but whoever cursed Israel would be cursed (Gen. 12:3). National security is an important issue in this election. The Bible instructs, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you [Jerusalem] be secure’” (Ps. 122:6).
Please join me during the next two weeks in praying and fasting for our nation. Ask God that our new President be a true man of Christ and a follower of the Bible. Please join me in begging God that we remain faithful to our promises of protection to Israel. Plead that the next President will be the one who will appoint judges who will end the holocaust of abortion. Our nation needs spiritual revival; ask God for an outpouring of His Spirit upon us.
The Bible recommends prayer and fasting for the nation in times of trouble. The Lord advised Solomon: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (1 Chron. 7:14).
The prophet Jonah went to Nineveh and prophesied that the city would be destroyed in forty days. The people of Nineveh “declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth” (Jonah 3:5). The King ordered, “Let everyone call urgently on God” (Jonah 3: 8). Thus, God chose to withhold his anger and the city of 120,000 was saved from destruction.
God promised Abraham that whoever blessed Israel would be blessed, but whoever cursed Israel would be cursed (Gen. 12:3). National security is an important issue in this election. The Bible instructs, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you [Jerusalem] be secure’” (Ps. 122:6).
Please join me during the next two weeks in praying and fasting for our nation. Ask God that our new President be a true man of Christ and a follower of the Bible. Please join me in begging God that we remain faithful to our promises of protection to Israel. Plead that the next President will be the one who will appoint judges who will end the holocaust of abortion. Our nation needs spiritual revival; ask God for an outpouring of His Spirit upon us.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Follow the Money: Palestinians Make Illegal Donations to Barack Hussein Obama
A review of Barack Hussein Obama’s Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reveals that he has accepted illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and they exceeded the maximum allowed from individuals. Federal election laws forbid all campaign contributions from foreigners. If received, the law requires that such contributions be returned to the donors promptly. Moreover, the maximum amount allowed from any single donor is $2,300 per campaign.
Obama received illegal donations to his presidential campaign from Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, beginning in September 2007. The FEC records show three contributors: Monir Edwan (or Adwan), Hosam Edwan, and Osama Edwan. Monir, an accountant, has given $28, 380. Hosam, also an accountant, donated $7,502. Osama, a trader, has given $1,809. Thus, two have exceeded the limits for contributions by individuals.
These three brothers reside in the Tal Esaltan neighborhood of Rafah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. They are not Americans living abroad, who would be allowed to make contributions; they are all Palestinians. The brothers claim not to be members of Hamas, but other members of their family are in leadership positions with this terrorist group.
In fact, the FEC filings from his campaign appear to be an attempt to disguise or hide these donations. These donations are listed under the state of Georgia (GA). The street address is listed as “Tal Esaltan” or “Tal esoltan 295/5”, the city as “Rafah,” and zipcode “972xx” in “GA.” (See http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppRefreshTran.do?tranComeFrom=stateMap&cand_id=P80003338&cand_nm_title=&tranType=stateZip&showType=all&stateName=GA&zip_3=972 and http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=GA&cand_id=P80003338 )
No atlas shows a town named “Rafah” in the U.S. state of Georgia. Georgia post office zipcodes range from 300xx to 398xx. The “972” in the filings is actually the telephone area code for Israel, including the Gaza Strip.
When caught, the Obama campaign claimed that these donations had been returned. However, according to Monir Edwan, “No, we did not receive any money back from the Obama campaign at any time.” He tried to deny these were political contributions to World Net Daily’s Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein. Instead, he claimed the brothers had purchased $29,000 worth of Obama T-shirts to sell to Obama supporters in Gaza. When asked, he could not explain how these supposed shipments could have been received. At the time, the Gaza Strip was closed by Israel to imports from June 2007 until June 2008. However, even if he had received the tee shirts, it would still constitute an illegal contribution. All monies used to purchase items in the “Obama store” on his website are considered campaign donations. (See “Illegal cash to Obama: WND stands accused. Website suggests donation scheme concocted to make Dem look bad,” Word Press, August 7, 2008: http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/illegal-cash-to-obama-wnd-stands-accused-website-suggests-donation-scheme-concocted-to-make-dem-look-bad/ )
Asked why he supports Obama, Monir said, “We just like Obama and believe he will be the best for the Palestinians and for the world." He went on to say, “Not just the people in Gaza but people from all over the world are rooting for this great man.” (See Aaron Klein, “Illegal Obama donors: Middle Eastern Arabs,” World Net Daily, August 4, 2008: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71431 )
The FEC has challenged Obama’s filings repeatedly for illegal foreign contributions. “On 4/15/08 the FEC sent a letter requesting additional information for 36 contributors the Obama campaign had submitted. There is an attachment to this letter with the names, dates and amounts,” including seven of Hosam’s donations. Obama filed the required amended filing on May 15, 2008 for contributions received between October 10 and December 31, 2007. On July 30, 2008, the FEC requested clarifications or corrections on an additional sixteen pages of this same filing. Twenty contributions from Monir Edwan were questioned. (See http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/ )
This may be just a small part of a much larger problem. According to Pamela Geller, author of the Atlas Shrugs blog who does extensive investigative reporting, “An auditor for the Federal Election Commission is attempting to have his bosses seek a formal investigation into the collection by the Obama for President campaign of more than $200 million in potentially illegal political donations, including millions of dollars of illegal, foreign donations, and has sought a request for assistance from the Department of Justice or Federal Bureau of Investigation.” (See Pamela Geller, “Obama Foreign Illegal Contributions: Infiltration at FEC, DOJ, and FBI,” Atlas Shrugs, October 2, 2008: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/obamas_foreign_contributions/ )
Researchers have found suspicious contributions from over 68 foreign cities and nations to Obama’s campaign in FEC filings. There are also suspicious patterns to some of these contributions. For example, the same donor makes multiple small contributions on the same day or over a period of a few days. Other donors listed have names, occupations, and cities of residence that are either gibberish or obviously phony. Examples include: A donor named “Jkbkj Hbkjb,” working for a fictitious Kuman Bank as a “Balanon Jalalan” and living in the city of “Jkbjnj,” gave $1,077.23 on April 30, 2008. A donor named “Doodad,” employed by “FDGFDGF” as a “DFGFDG,” gave 1,044 donations totaling $10,780. (See Pamela Geller, “Obama’s Foreign Donors: The media averts its eyes,” American Thinker, August 14, 2008: http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/obamas_donor_contributions_sil.html )
On Monday, October 6, 2008, the Republican National Committee (RNC) finally filed a complaint with the FEC over Obama’s alleged foreign contributions. The FEC will have no choice but to investigate and rule on this complaint. Unfortunately, it will happen long after Election Day, November 4th.
Obama received illegal donations to his presidential campaign from Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, beginning in September 2007. The FEC records show three contributors: Monir Edwan (or Adwan), Hosam Edwan, and Osama Edwan. Monir, an accountant, has given $28, 380. Hosam, also an accountant, donated $7,502. Osama, a trader, has given $1,809. Thus, two have exceeded the limits for contributions by individuals.
These three brothers reside in the Tal Esaltan neighborhood of Rafah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. They are not Americans living abroad, who would be allowed to make contributions; they are all Palestinians. The brothers claim not to be members of Hamas, but other members of their family are in leadership positions with this terrorist group.
In fact, the FEC filings from his campaign appear to be an attempt to disguise or hide these donations. These donations are listed under the state of Georgia (GA). The street address is listed as “Tal Esaltan” or “Tal esoltan 295/5”, the city as “Rafah,” and zipcode “972xx” in “GA.” (See http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppRefreshTran.do?tranComeFrom=stateMap&cand_id=P80003338&cand_nm_title=&tranType=stateZip&showType=all&stateName=GA&zip_3=972 and http://www.fec.gov/DisclosureSearch/MapAppState.do?stateName=GA&cand_id=P80003338 )
No atlas shows a town named “Rafah” in the U.S. state of Georgia. Georgia post office zipcodes range from 300xx to 398xx. The “972” in the filings is actually the telephone area code for Israel, including the Gaza Strip.
When caught, the Obama campaign claimed that these donations had been returned. However, according to Monir Edwan, “No, we did not receive any money back from the Obama campaign at any time.” He tried to deny these were political contributions to World Net Daily’s Jerusalem bureau chief Aaron Klein. Instead, he claimed the brothers had purchased $29,000 worth of Obama T-shirts to sell to Obama supporters in Gaza. When asked, he could not explain how these supposed shipments could have been received. At the time, the Gaza Strip was closed by Israel to imports from June 2007 until June 2008. However, even if he had received the tee shirts, it would still constitute an illegal contribution. All monies used to purchase items in the “Obama store” on his website are considered campaign donations. (See “Illegal cash to Obama: WND stands accused. Website suggests donation scheme concocted to make Dem look bad,” Word Press, August 7, 2008: http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/illegal-cash-to-obama-wnd-stands-accused-website-suggests-donation-scheme-concocted-to-make-dem-look-bad/ )
Asked why he supports Obama, Monir said, “We just like Obama and believe he will be the best for the Palestinians and for the world." He went on to say, “Not just the people in Gaza but people from all over the world are rooting for this great man.” (See Aaron Klein, “Illegal Obama donors: Middle Eastern Arabs,” World Net Daily, August 4, 2008: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71431 )
The FEC has challenged Obama’s filings repeatedly for illegal foreign contributions. “On 4/15/08 the FEC sent a letter requesting additional information for 36 contributors the Obama campaign had submitted. There is an attachment to this letter with the names, dates and amounts,” including seven of Hosam’s donations. Obama filed the required amended filing on May 15, 2008 for contributions received between October 10 and December 31, 2007. On July 30, 2008, the FEC requested clarifications or corrections on an additional sixteen pages of this same filing. Twenty contributions from Monir Edwan were questioned. (See http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/ )
This may be just a small part of a much larger problem. According to Pamela Geller, author of the Atlas Shrugs blog who does extensive investigative reporting, “An auditor for the Federal Election Commission is attempting to have his bosses seek a formal investigation into the collection by the Obama for President campaign of more than $200 million in potentially illegal political donations, including millions of dollars of illegal, foreign donations, and has sought a request for assistance from the Department of Justice or Federal Bureau of Investigation.” (See Pamela Geller, “Obama Foreign Illegal Contributions: Infiltration at FEC, DOJ, and FBI,” Atlas Shrugs, October 2, 2008: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/obamas_foreign_contributions/ )
Researchers have found suspicious contributions from over 68 foreign cities and nations to Obama’s campaign in FEC filings. There are also suspicious patterns to some of these contributions. For example, the same donor makes multiple small contributions on the same day or over a period of a few days. Other donors listed have names, occupations, and cities of residence that are either gibberish or obviously phony. Examples include: A donor named “Jkbkj Hbkjb,” working for a fictitious Kuman Bank as a “Balanon Jalalan” and living in the city of “Jkbjnj,” gave $1,077.23 on April 30, 2008. A donor named “Doodad,” employed by “FDGFDGF” as a “DFGFDG,” gave 1,044 donations totaling $10,780. (See Pamela Geller, “Obama’s Foreign Donors: The media averts its eyes,” American Thinker, August 14, 2008: http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/obamas_donor_contributions_sil.html )
On Monday, October 6, 2008, the Republican National Committee (RNC) finally filed a complaint with the FEC over Obama’s alleged foreign contributions. The FEC will have no choice but to investigate and rule on this complaint. Unfortunately, it will happen long after Election Day, November 4th.
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
Below is the letter I sent this morning to Rep. Ander Crenshaw, my congressman, regarding the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. I am happy to report that the measure went down to defeat 228 to 205 with 1 not voting, as of the latest information on C-Span.
If you watched the vote in real time, it was exciting. For the first 8-9 minutes, the measure was passing. Then, for awhile, it flipped back and forth -- up by 1 or 2, then down by 1 or 2. Finally, in the last 5-6 minutes, the "nays" stayed ahead.
All readers are encouraged to continue to hold their congressmen and senators' feet to the fire. Keep your letters and calls flowing to their offices to let them know you do not want this bailout.
If you watched the vote in real time, it was exciting. For the first 8-9 minutes, the measure was passing. Then, for awhile, it flipped back and forth -- up by 1 or 2, then down by 1 or 2. Finally, in the last 5-6 minutes, the "nays" stayed ahead.
All readers are encouraged to continue to hold their congressmen and senators' feet to the fire. Keep your letters and calls flowing to their offices to let them know you do not want this bailout.
After reading the draft text of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, I can say, with great confidence, it will not work. It is a sausage of divergent courses of action. Worse, it does nothing to guarantee that the banks, once bailed out, cannot or will not repeat the practices that brought us to the precipice of financial collapse.
This act would be better entitled the Economic Destabilization Act of 2008. It is little more than a debt consolidation loan for Wall St. It clears the banks books of risky debt, allowing them to restart or continue their lending.
Consumer lenders like myself know that debt consolidation loans are dangerous and rarely solve consumer’s debt problems. The only way they help is if the consumer cuts up their credit cards, stops borrowing, and curtails their spending. Then, and only then, does a debt consolidation loan work.
Unfortunately, what usually happens when consumers take out debt consolidation loans is their best intentions of better managing their spending habits gets lost. In almost every case, these consumers continue using their credit cards or borrowing on their home equity credit lines. They only end up in deeper debt that they find impossible to pay. If they are unable to get more credit, they end up in severe economic distress and often are forced into bankruptcy.
The only way I could support this message before the House today and due to come to the Senate on Wednesday is if it had the regulatory teeth to stop the banks from their risky lending practices. Oh, I am sure the banking lobbyists are promising to mend their ways. The Treasury Secretary, SEC Chairman, and Federal Reserve Chairman are trying to assure legislators that the banks have learned their lessons.
Unless regulatory control is in the legislation, I do not hesitate to tell you to vote “Nay” on it. A group of 400 economists, including three Nobel Laureate prizewinners, have signed a resolution to the Congress that this measure will only make the problem worse in the longer term. The only thing this Act would assure is the inevitable collapse of the entire world’s economy, according to these economists.
Yesterday, I heard one economist on CNN state, we can either allow an 18-month recession by not passing this measure or we can have a “decades-long depression.” I encourage you to vote “No” on this Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
For further information on the root causes of this crisis, please go to my blog at http://yankeereb.blogspot.com . There, you will find several essays posted in recent days on this subject.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Friday, September 26, 2008
Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac: “Just the Facts, Ma’am”
Previously, I looked at the systemic roots of the current economic crisis. Today, let us look at the near-term causes of why we are being asked to foot an additional $700 billion bailout of our credit markets. Everyone seems to be ignoring or has already forgotten that the taxpayers have already incurred a $780 billion bailout in the last two weeks when the federal government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac [M&M].
Every economist agrees that the need for a second bailout, this time of Wall Street, is the direct result of the housing bubble and the risky lending behind it. That lending was fueled by and supported by M&M. Before the Federal government was forced to take over M&M a few weeks ago, they owned or guaranteed “about $5.2 trillion worth of mortgages,” according to The Wall Street Journal. About 15 percent or $780 billion are in very risky “Alt-A” and sub-prime loans.
How and why did M&M get away with those kinds of risky business practices when they are government-sponsored entities, supposedly regulated by Congress? Well, M&M bought their protection from scrutiny.
M&M, over the past ten years, have spent over $200 million in lobbying expenses and campaign contributions to buy influence in Congress and protect them from stronger regulation. For the 2008 elections, they have contributed over $2 million to House and Senate members, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Who have been the beneficiaries of this largesse from M&M? Between 1989 and 2008, the top recipients of campaign contributions from M&M have been:
#1 Christopher Dodd received $165,400 ($116,900 from individuals and $48,500 from Political Action Committees)
#2 Barack Obama received $126,349 ($120,349 from individuals and $6,000 from PACs)
#62 John McCain who received $21,550 (all from individuals)
[Source: Center for Responsive Politics, The St. Petersburg Times PolitiFact Check http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/727/ and http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/2008/09/18/all-recipients-of-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-campaign-contributions-1989-2008/]
Why was Sen. McCain dead last among all Congressional recipients of M&M contributions? Sen. McCain joined Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R-NC] and Sen. John Sununu [R-NE] to co-sponsor the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 [S.190] authored by Sen. Charles Hagel, [R-NE]. This bill would have improved regulations on “secondary mortgage market enterprises” or M&M. In support of this legislation, Sen. McCain spoke on the Senate floor on May 25, 2006:
[Source: The Congressional Record http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060525-16&bill=s109-190]
The Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 passed the House of Representatives but was killed in the Senate by the Senate Banking Committee, chaired by Sen. Christopher Dodd [Democrat]. M&M’s contributions to Dodd, who received more than any other member of Congress, paid off handsomely by staving off stricter control and oversight by Congress.
The Democrats in Congress have repeatedly fought off Republican efforts to reform M&M. President Bush had proposed similar reforms in the previous Congress. “Democrats in Congress have sought to preserve the quasi-governmental status of the mortgage giants, seeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as places to locate former top Democratic Party operatives, where they have earned millions in compensation, despite a continuing series of financial scandals.” [Source: Jerome R. Corsi, ”Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac execs now offering advice to Obama Senator's links to mortgage giants also include campaign contributions,” WorldNetDaily, September 17, 2008 http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=75586]
During the current election cycle, Fannie Mae has given 56 percent of their total $1.1 million in contributions and Freddie Mac has given 53 percent of its $555,700 in contributions to Democrats.
Why would M&M give over $126,000 to a freshman Senator, Barack Obama? It is remarkable that in a mere four years Sen. Obama outstrips all but Sen. Dodd in total funds received from M&M over a twenty-year period. Is it because M&M expects a President Obama would continue the Democrats’ protection against reform of the financial markets?
Three of Sen. Obama’s top advisors were former M&M executives: Franklin Raines, James Johnson, and Jamie Gorelick. Raines, budget director under President Clinton, was CEO of Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998. He earned $21 million during his last year there. Johnson was a former aide to Vice President Walter Mondale and the successor to Raines as Fannie Mae’s CEO from 1999 to 2004, earning $90 million.
All three were involved in various scandals and questionable accounting practices while at Fannie Mae, according to reports from The Washington Post and The Associated Press. Raines is Obama’s advisor on housing. He had to return $15.6 million in Fannie Mae stock options in a settlement negotiated with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “Until a controversy concerning an alleged $7 millions in questionable real estate loans he received on favorable terms from failed sub-prime mortgage lender Countrywide Financial surfaced and forced him to step down,” Johnson led Obama’s vice presidential selection committee. Gorelick was accused of conflict-of-interest while serving as a member of the 9/11 Commission in 1995 when she attempted “to establish barriers that barred federal anti-terrorist criminal investigators from accessing various federal records and databases that may have assisted them in their criminal investigations.” Dean and professor of law at Harvard Law School Elena Kagan and others have said Gorelick is Obama’s choice for Attorney General if he wins the election. [Source: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=75586]
To be fair, Sen. McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis is a former lobbyist for M&M. Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., McCain’s vice presidential search committee head, was a former employee. Questioned about these links, McCain’s economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin responded, “Sen. McCain has favored GSE reform in the past and continues to favor GSE reform. That’s unchanged.” [Source: op.cit.]
Commentator and reporter John Gibson in a recent interview with Heather Nauert put these issues in perspective. He said:
“Freddie and Fannie used huge lobbying budgets and political contributions to keep regulators off their backs…Fannie and Freddie have been creations of the congressional democrats and the Clinton White House, designed to make mortgages available to more people, and as it turned out, some people who couldn’t afford them. Fannie and Freddie have also been places for big Washington Democrats to go to work in the semi-private sector and pocket millions…Now remember, Obama’s ads and stump speeches attack McCain and Republican policies for the current financial turmoil. It is demonstrably not Republican policy and worse, it appears the man attacking McCain, Senator Obama, was at the head of the line when the piggy’s [sic] lined up at the Fannie and Freddie trough for campaign bucks. Senator Barack Obama, number two on the Fannie/Freddie list of favored politicians after just four short years in the Senate. Next time you see that ad, you might notice he fails to mention that part of the Fannie and Freddie problem.”
[Source: Ed Morrissey, “McCain’s attempt to fix Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac in 2005; Obama can’t get AIG right,” HotAir, September 17, 2008 http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/17/mccains-attempt-to-fix-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-in-2005/]
Those are the facts. You decide which candidate -- Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama -- is most likely to reform our financial system as President.
Every economist agrees that the need for a second bailout, this time of Wall Street, is the direct result of the housing bubble and the risky lending behind it. That lending was fueled by and supported by M&M. Before the Federal government was forced to take over M&M a few weeks ago, they owned or guaranteed “about $5.2 trillion worth of mortgages,” according to The Wall Street Journal. About 15 percent or $780 billion are in very risky “Alt-A” and sub-prime loans.
How and why did M&M get away with those kinds of risky business practices when they are government-sponsored entities, supposedly regulated by Congress? Well, M&M bought their protection from scrutiny.
M&M, over the past ten years, have spent over $200 million in lobbying expenses and campaign contributions to buy influence in Congress and protect them from stronger regulation. For the 2008 elections, they have contributed over $2 million to House and Senate members, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Who have been the beneficiaries of this largesse from M&M? Between 1989 and 2008, the top recipients of campaign contributions from M&M have been:
#1 Christopher Dodd received $165,400 ($116,900 from individuals and $48,500 from Political Action Committees)
#2 Barack Obama received $126,349 ($120,349 from individuals and $6,000 from PACs)
#62 John McCain who received $21,550 (all from individuals)
[Source: Center for Responsive Politics, The St. Petersburg Times PolitiFact Check http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/727/ and http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/2008/09/18/all-recipients-of-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-campaign-contributions-1989-2008/]
Why was Sen. McCain dead last among all Congressional recipients of M&M contributions? Sen. McCain joined Sen. Elizabeth Dole [R-NC] and Sen. John Sununu [R-NE] to co-sponsor the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 [S.190] authored by Sen. Charles Hagel, [R-NE]. This bill would have improved regulations on “secondary mortgage market enterprises” or M&M. In support of this legislation, Sen. McCain spoke on the Senate floor on May 25, 2006:
Mr. President [of the Senate], this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives.
The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems.
For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.
I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S.190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole. [emphasis added]
[Source: The Congressional Record http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-s20060525-16&bill=s109-190]
The Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005 passed the House of Representatives but was killed in the Senate by the Senate Banking Committee, chaired by Sen. Christopher Dodd [Democrat]. M&M’s contributions to Dodd, who received more than any other member of Congress, paid off handsomely by staving off stricter control and oversight by Congress.
The Democrats in Congress have repeatedly fought off Republican efforts to reform M&M. President Bush had proposed similar reforms in the previous Congress. “Democrats in Congress have sought to preserve the quasi-governmental status of the mortgage giants, seeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as places to locate former top Democratic Party operatives, where they have earned millions in compensation, despite a continuing series of financial scandals.” [Source: Jerome R. Corsi, ”Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac execs now offering advice to Obama Senator's links to mortgage giants also include campaign contributions,” WorldNetDaily, September 17, 2008 http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=75586]
During the current election cycle, Fannie Mae has given 56 percent of their total $1.1 million in contributions and Freddie Mac has given 53 percent of its $555,700 in contributions to Democrats.
“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have also strategically given more contributions to lawmakers currently sitting on committees that primarily regulate their industry. Fifteen of the 25 lawmakers who have received the most from the two companies combined since the 1990 election sit on either the House Financial Services Committee; the Senate Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee; or the Senate Finance Committee. The others have seats on the powerful Appropriations or Ways & Means committees, are members of the congressional leadership or have run for president."[Source: Open Secrets.org http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/07/top-senate-recipients-of-fanni.html]
Why would M&M give over $126,000 to a freshman Senator, Barack Obama? It is remarkable that in a mere four years Sen. Obama outstrips all but Sen. Dodd in total funds received from M&M over a twenty-year period. Is it because M&M expects a President Obama would continue the Democrats’ protection against reform of the financial markets?
Three of Sen. Obama’s top advisors were former M&M executives: Franklin Raines, James Johnson, and Jamie Gorelick. Raines, budget director under President Clinton, was CEO of Fannie Mae from 1991 to 1998. He earned $21 million during his last year there. Johnson was a former aide to Vice President Walter Mondale and the successor to Raines as Fannie Mae’s CEO from 1999 to 2004, earning $90 million.
“Even after he left, Fannie continued to pay him an annual fee of at least $300,000 a year for consulting services and a $71,000 monthly pension, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission… Fannie also paid for Johnson’s support staff, communications services and provided him a car and driver.”[Source: Lisa Lerer, “Fannie, Freddie spent $200M to buy influence,” Politico, July 16, 2008 http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11781.html] Gorelick, Clinton’s deputy attorney general, was vice chair of Fannie Mae from 1998 to 2003. He earned $26 million in that role.
All three were involved in various scandals and questionable accounting practices while at Fannie Mae, according to reports from The Washington Post and The Associated Press. Raines is Obama’s advisor on housing. He had to return $15.6 million in Fannie Mae stock options in a settlement negotiated with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “Until a controversy concerning an alleged $7 millions in questionable real estate loans he received on favorable terms from failed sub-prime mortgage lender Countrywide Financial surfaced and forced him to step down,” Johnson led Obama’s vice presidential selection committee. Gorelick was accused of conflict-of-interest while serving as a member of the 9/11 Commission in 1995 when she attempted “to establish barriers that barred federal anti-terrorist criminal investigators from accessing various federal records and databases that may have assisted them in their criminal investigations.” Dean and professor of law at Harvard Law School Elena Kagan and others have said Gorelick is Obama’s choice for Attorney General if he wins the election. [Source: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=75586]
To be fair, Sen. McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis is a former lobbyist for M&M. Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., McCain’s vice presidential search committee head, was a former employee. Questioned about these links, McCain’s economic adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin responded, “Sen. McCain has favored GSE reform in the past and continues to favor GSE reform. That’s unchanged.” [Source: op.cit.]
Commentator and reporter John Gibson in a recent interview with Heather Nauert put these issues in perspective. He said:
“Freddie and Fannie used huge lobbying budgets and political contributions to keep regulators off their backs…Fannie and Freddie have been creations of the congressional democrats and the Clinton White House, designed to make mortgages available to more people, and as it turned out, some people who couldn’t afford them. Fannie and Freddie have also been places for big Washington Democrats to go to work in the semi-private sector and pocket millions…Now remember, Obama’s ads and stump speeches attack McCain and Republican policies for the current financial turmoil. It is demonstrably not Republican policy and worse, it appears the man attacking McCain, Senator Obama, was at the head of the line when the piggy’s [sic] lined up at the Fannie and Freddie trough for campaign bucks. Senator Barack Obama, number two on the Fannie/Freddie list of favored politicians after just four short years in the Senate. Next time you see that ad, you might notice he fails to mention that part of the Fannie and Freddie problem.”
[Source: Ed Morrissey, “McCain’s attempt to fix Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac in 2005; Obama can’t get AIG right,” HotAir, September 17, 2008 http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/17/mccains-attempt-to-fix-fannie-mae-freddie-mac-in-2005/]
Those are the facts. You decide which candidate -- Sen. John McCain or Sen. Barack Obama -- is most likely to reform our financial system as President.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Email Letter to Sen. John McCain
Dear Sen. McCain:
God bless you for putting country first before your political campaign. You are demonstrating the kind of courage we so desperately need. I do not know if the $700 million bailout can forestall an economic collapse into deflationary depression. I suspect it would only delay it, at best. Nonetheless, I trust that you will do your very best to protect the taxpayers of our country. I know you do not like the idea of government bailouts.
As far as all the silly talk about tomorrow night's debate, here's my suggestion if this vote cannot be accomplished by tomorrow. Sen. Barack Obama still does not seem to understand that when there is a crisis as serious as this one, routine has to be interrupted.
If Sen. Obama will not cancel the debate, then you should send Gov. Palin in your place. That's what a vice president does; she steps in for the president and represents him as requested.
Although everyone's expectation would be that she couldn't possibly stand up to Sen. Obama, I'll bet our "pitbull with lipstick" would clean his clock. Sending her to Ole Miss would shake up the Obama campaign like nothing else I can think of. If he refused to debate her, he would be accused of being too afraid to take her on. And, if he did, I am absolutely confident she could hold her own against him.
Looking forward to voting for you,
God bless you for putting country first before your political campaign. You are demonstrating the kind of courage we so desperately need. I do not know if the $700 million bailout can forestall an economic collapse into deflationary depression. I suspect it would only delay it, at best. Nonetheless, I trust that you will do your very best to protect the taxpayers of our country. I know you do not like the idea of government bailouts.
As far as all the silly talk about tomorrow night's debate, here's my suggestion if this vote cannot be accomplished by tomorrow. Sen. Barack Obama still does not seem to understand that when there is a crisis as serious as this one, routine has to be interrupted.
If Sen. Obama will not cancel the debate, then you should send Gov. Palin in your place. That's what a vice president does; she steps in for the president and represents him as requested.
Although everyone's expectation would be that she couldn't possibly stand up to Sen. Obama, I'll bet our "pitbull with lipstick" would clean his clock. Sending her to Ole Miss would shake up the Obama campaign like nothing else I can think of. If he refused to debate her, he would be accused of being too afraid to take her on. And, if he did, I am absolutely confident she could hold her own against him.
Looking forward to voting for you,
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Forgotten Wisdom: "Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be"
Will the proposed $700 billion bailout of the banking industry work? Or, is an economic collapse into a deflationary depression unavoidable? Maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that our economy is a house of cards, as I have warned for years.
Ever since going off the gold standard, the economy has been based on worthless paper or, more accurately, paper that is worth only what the market pretends it is worth. It has no intrinsic value. Banks are holding piles and piles of mortgage papers that the market has now decided are worth zero. The banks have run out of fools to buy these "toxic" loans, so they are stuck with them. Thus, they are unable to borrow more funds from the Federal Reserve to continue lending additional monies to new or existing customers. These banks are at their lending limits under funds' reserve rules that require them to have a certain percentage of their total funds as "cash" on hand. This has frozen the credit markets.
Now, let me make clear I am not an expert on investment or mortgage banking; my expertise and experience is in consumer lending. But, I have been a student of banking and credit issues for many years, and I worked in credit card operations for one of the largest banks in the world. I have railed against many of the changes in our banking system for years.
How did we get into this crisis? First and foremost, we foolishly went off the gold standard. That was the first step down this road to economic oblivion. If we ever hope to have a truly stable economy again, we must return to a monetary system based on gold, a commodity with intrinsic value. We cannot do that suddenly or immediately. If we did, our economy would completely collapse. However, returning to the gold standard should be our ultimate goal. We must recognize that the transition will be painful but necessary for long-term stability.
The next most disastrous change made in the banking system was deregulation that allowed federal banks to go into the mortgage, securities, and insurance businesses. This is the direct result of a mass amnesia regarding our economic history, specifically the Crash of 1929. I do not know if it is a failure of history education or a certain innocence that causes us to think such a disaster could not happen again to us. Whatever it was, we as a nation collectively forgot the lessons of the Great Depression.
Before that catastrophe, banks were heavily involved and leveraged in mortgages, security investment schemes, and insurance or risk management. After the crash, regulations in the the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 were put in place that strictly separated banking from mortgages, securities, and insurance. Mortgages were offered by Savings & Loans. Securities were handled by stock brokers, and insurance was sold only by insurance agencies. Commercial (consumer) banks could not engage in investment banking. "Never the twain would meet" was the rule to keep these different financial businesses separate.
These regulations kept the financial markets relatively stable for over sixty years until 1999. Then, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, passed by the Republican Congress and signed into law by the Democratic President Bill Clinton, discarded these stabilizing rules. "Universal banking" became the standard, launching a feeding frenzy of larger national and international banks gobbling up local and regional banks. Banks, stock brokerages, and insurance companies cannibalized each other. The lines between commercial and investment banking blurred. Financial institutions ballooned in size and diversity of products offered.
Although the process is too complicated to explain in this essay, the end result of banking deregulation of U.S. banking was the transformation of our economy from one based on industrial capitalism to financial capitalism. For an excellent analysis of this process, go to http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/II06Dj01.html . There, Henry C. K. Liu, chairman of a New York-based private investment group, explains, "Finance capitalism is a system in which capital is only a notional value upon which to build a gigantic mountain of hidden debt." In such a system, financial instruments, including stocks, are traded with valuations not based on physical assets. Instead, their value becomes "conceptual," something that exists only in the ether of financial computer systems or cyberspace. Critics' concerns about institutional and economic risk exposure have been dismissed as silly and old-fashioned in a post-modern financial world without borders.
Liu wrote for Asia Times in 2007:
Liu understood that "the liquidity crunch is a symptom, not the disease. The disease is a decade of permissive tolerance for credit abuse in which the banks, regulators and rating agencies were willing accomplices." [Ibid.] The SEC is suppose to be the watchdog of these markets and an advocate or protector for investors. Liu said in 2007that there has been massive withholding of information from investors on the actual condition of many firms' books. He accuses, "The aim of this charade has not been to enhance the return on the public's investment, but to exploit the public trust to shore up a declining market and postpone the inevitable demise of wayward institutions." [Ibid.]
Liu warned in 2002 that unregulated markets always collapse. He went on to say,
Ultimately, our current financial crisis can be laid at the feet of our national foolishness in creating the Federal Reserve Bank. Our most esteemed founding fathers warned against ever establishing a central bank. Thomas Jefferson wrote, "If Americans ever allow banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children will wake up homeless." James Madison, father of the Constitution, understood the danger of tyranny if a central bank controlled the currency. He advised, "History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling the money and its issuance."
We did not listen, and we created a monster that was intended to protect free markets but is now about to devour our free market economy. As Liu states in his most recent essay,
This is exactly where we find ourselves today. We failed to learn the hard lessons of history. Treasury Secretary Paulson, along with the Federal Reserve Chairman and the SEC Chairman, are trying to persuade Congress and the American people that it is absolutely necessary to bail out the banks to the tune of $800 billion. The arguments of necessity can take away liberties as surely as conquering armies, as Thomas Jefferson warned.
Let us be very clear. If Congress approves this bailout, then we will cease being a capitalistic society. We will have slipped into national socialism if we nationalize our financial markets. We will no longer have a free market economy. Do we even remember who the last great advocate of National Socialism was? It was Adolf Hitler.
Ever since going off the gold standard, the economy has been based on worthless paper or, more accurately, paper that is worth only what the market pretends it is worth. It has no intrinsic value. Banks are holding piles and piles of mortgage papers that the market has now decided are worth zero. The banks have run out of fools to buy these "toxic" loans, so they are stuck with them. Thus, they are unable to borrow more funds from the Federal Reserve to continue lending additional monies to new or existing customers. These banks are at their lending limits under funds' reserve rules that require them to have a certain percentage of their total funds as "cash" on hand. This has frozen the credit markets.
Now, let me make clear I am not an expert on investment or mortgage banking; my expertise and experience is in consumer lending. But, I have been a student of banking and credit issues for many years, and I worked in credit card operations for one of the largest banks in the world. I have railed against many of the changes in our banking system for years.
How did we get into this crisis? First and foremost, we foolishly went off the gold standard. That was the first step down this road to economic oblivion. If we ever hope to have a truly stable economy again, we must return to a monetary system based on gold, a commodity with intrinsic value. We cannot do that suddenly or immediately. If we did, our economy would completely collapse. However, returning to the gold standard should be our ultimate goal. We must recognize that the transition will be painful but necessary for long-term stability.
The next most disastrous change made in the banking system was deregulation that allowed federal banks to go into the mortgage, securities, and insurance businesses. This is the direct result of a mass amnesia regarding our economic history, specifically the Crash of 1929. I do not know if it is a failure of history education or a certain innocence that causes us to think such a disaster could not happen again to us. Whatever it was, we as a nation collectively forgot the lessons of the Great Depression.
Before that catastrophe, banks were heavily involved and leveraged in mortgages, security investment schemes, and insurance or risk management. After the crash, regulations in the the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 were put in place that strictly separated banking from mortgages, securities, and insurance. Mortgages were offered by Savings & Loans. Securities were handled by stock brokers, and insurance was sold only by insurance agencies. Commercial (consumer) banks could not engage in investment banking. "Never the twain would meet" was the rule to keep these different financial businesses separate.
These regulations kept the financial markets relatively stable for over sixty years until 1999. Then, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, passed by the Republican Congress and signed into law by the Democratic President Bill Clinton, discarded these stabilizing rules. "Universal banking" became the standard, launching a feeding frenzy of larger national and international banks gobbling up local and regional banks. Banks, stock brokerages, and insurance companies cannibalized each other. The lines between commercial and investment banking blurred. Financial institutions ballooned in size and diversity of products offered.
Although the process is too complicated to explain in this essay, the end result of banking deregulation of U.S. banking was the transformation of our economy from one based on industrial capitalism to financial capitalism. For an excellent analysis of this process, go to http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/II06Dj01.html . There, Henry C. K. Liu, chairman of a New York-based private investment group, explains, "Finance capitalism is a system in which capital is only a notional value upon which to build a gigantic mountain of hidden debt." In such a system, financial instruments, including stocks, are traded with valuations not based on physical assets. Instead, their value becomes "conceptual," something that exists only in the ether of financial computer systems or cyberspace. Critics' concerns about institutional and economic risk exposure have been dismissed as silly and old-fashioned in a post-modern financial world without borders.
Liu wrote for Asia Times in 2007:
"As an economist, Ben Bernanke [U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman] no doubt understands that the credit market through debt securitization has in recent years escaped from the funding monopoly of the banking system into the non-bank financial system...The Fed can only intervene in the money market through the shrinking intermediary role of the banking system, which has been left merely as a market participant in the overblown credit market. Thus the Fed is forced to fight a raging forest fire with a garden hose." [Henry C.K. Liu, "CREDIT BUST BYPASSES BANKS Part 1: The rise of the non-bank financial system," Asia Times Online, September 6, 2007 http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/II06Dj02.html]
Liu understood that "the liquidity crunch is a symptom, not the disease. The disease is a decade of permissive tolerance for credit abuse in which the banks, regulators and rating agencies were willing accomplices." [Ibid.] The SEC is suppose to be the watchdog of these markets and an advocate or protector for investors. Liu said in 2007that there has been massive withholding of information from investors on the actual condition of many firms' books. He accuses, "The aim of this charade has not been to enhance the return on the public's investment, but to exploit the public trust to shore up a declining market and postpone the inevitable demise of wayward institutions." [Ibid.]
Liu warned in 2002 that unregulated markets always collapse. He went on to say,
"Such a decline can happen in a period of days in this age of program trading and socialized risk, even with circuit breakers and trading curbs. When that happens, structured finance will be a sea of dead and wounded in counterparty casualties, regardless of who won and who lost." [op.cit.]He was spot-on as proven by the headlines of this past weekend.
Ultimately, our current financial crisis can be laid at the feet of our national foolishness in creating the Federal Reserve Bank. Our most esteemed founding fathers warned against ever establishing a central bank. Thomas Jefferson wrote, "If Americans ever allow banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children will wake up homeless." James Madison, father of the Constitution, understood the danger of tyranny if a central bank controlled the currency. He advised, "History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling the money and its issuance."
We did not listen, and we created a monster that was intended to protect free markets but is now about to devour our free market economy. As Liu states in his most recent essay,
"The lender of last resort has become a predator of last resort, nationalizing all dying enterprises. But it seems to be racing headlong onto the road of nationalization not so much as to help the common people as to keep dying financial dinosaurs alive." [Henry C K Liu, "Too big to fail versus moral hazard," Asia Times Online, September 23, 2008 http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/JI23Dj13.html]
This is exactly where we find ourselves today. We failed to learn the hard lessons of history. Treasury Secretary Paulson, along with the Federal Reserve Chairman and the SEC Chairman, are trying to persuade Congress and the American people that it is absolutely necessary to bail out the banks to the tune of $800 billion. The arguments of necessity can take away liberties as surely as conquering armies, as Thomas Jefferson warned.
Let us be very clear. If Congress approves this bailout, then we will cease being a capitalistic society. We will have slipped into national socialism if we nationalize our financial markets. We will no longer have a free market economy. Do we even remember who the last great advocate of National Socialism was? It was Adolf Hitler.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West
The DVD Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West was distributed for free as an advertising supplement in newspapers across the country, including the Florida Times-Union, on Sunday. Today, I watched it. I encourage you to watch it if you have not done so already. It is a sobering explanation of who and what is behind radical Islamic jihad. Gather family, friends, and neighbors together to view it.
As the film makes clear, there are more than 1 billion Muslims in the world today, the vast majority of whom are peaceful and do not support Islamic terrorism. Experts estimate only 10-15% of all Muslims are believers in or supporters of violent jihad. However, that means there are 10-15 million radical Islamists in our midst around the world. They are in every country, and their numbers cannot be dismissed. We ignore or deny this threat at our own personal and social risk. Their goal is total, uncompromising destruction of America, Britain, the Jews, and all Western (Judeo-Christian) culture. They want global domination and surrender to Islam with Sharia law replacing democratic government and liberties.
After viewing it, I encourage you to go to www.radicalislam.org to learn more about the issues and what actions you can take to stop radical Islam's war against the West. If you did not receive one in your paper and cannot find a copy to borrow, go to http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/shop_dvd.php to purchase it. The price is $14.95 plus shipping. The run time is 77 minutes.
"Using images from Arab Television, Obsession reveals an 'insider's view' of the hatred the Radicals are teaching their children, their incitement of global jihad, and their goal of world domination. The film has first hand interviews with experts including a former PLO terrorist-Walid Shoebat, a Nazi youth commander-Alfons Heck, and the daughter of a martyred guerilla leader-Nonie Darwish.
"The film shows, clearly, that the threat is real. A peaceful religion is being hijacked by a dangerous foe, who seeks to destroy the shared values we stand for. The world should be very concerned."
As the film makes clear, there are more than 1 billion Muslims in the world today, the vast majority of whom are peaceful and do not support Islamic terrorism. Experts estimate only 10-15% of all Muslims are believers in or supporters of violent jihad. However, that means there are 10-15 million radical Islamists in our midst around the world. They are in every country, and their numbers cannot be dismissed. We ignore or deny this threat at our own personal and social risk. Their goal is total, uncompromising destruction of America, Britain, the Jews, and all Western (Judeo-Christian) culture. They want global domination and surrender to Islam with Sharia law replacing democratic government and liberties.
After viewing it, I encourage you to go to www.radicalislam.org to learn more about the issues and what actions you can take to stop radical Islam's war against the West. If you did not receive one in your paper and cannot find a copy to borrow, go to http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/shop_dvd.php to purchase it. The price is $14.95 plus shipping. The run time is 77 minutes.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Barack Hussein Obama Will Not Be America’s First Black President
Even if elected, Barack Hussein Obama will not be America’s first black president. He would become our first biracial president, if the American electorate were foolish enough. It is as inaccurate to say Obama is black as it would be to call him white. He is neither; his ethnicity is biracial.
Why does this matter? Well, words mean things, as Rush Limbaugh frequently repeats. And, some would like to make this election about race, when it is not and should not be. The race card is being played already among some Obama supporters.
Jack Cafferty on CNN’s “Cafferty File” segment of The Situation Room dealt the race card on Thursday. His question asked, if Obama is not elected, does it mean that America is still racist? This question will be asked more frequently the closer we get to November 4th, especially if Obama’s poll numbers continue their downward trend. Cafferty just happened to be the first one I heard do it, but it was predictable.
The premise of the questions is: If whites do not vote for Obama, it must mean they are closet racists. It is a subtle play on white guilt. It might work, too, if Obama were black, but he is not. Obama is as white as he is black. During the early primaries, this reality posed a problem for many black voters; Obama was not black enough for them. Since then, black voters have joined Obama in his denial of his white heritage. This allowed him to clinch the Democratic nomination.
This denial may be new to other blacks but not to Obama. By his own admission, Obama has been denying his 50% whiteness since his early teens. In his memoir Dreams from My Father, he remembered: “I ceased to advertise my mother’s race [white] at the age of twelve or thirteen, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.”(1)
Obama disdained his white grandparents’ and mother’s Midwestern roots. He wrote:
About his white grandparents’ reaction to the marriage of his white mother to his black African father, Obama opined:
Abandoned children often turn their missing parent into an idealized, heroic character. The pain of abandonment is too difficult to feel in its full reality. Therefore, abandoned children transform their pain into an intense, if misplaced, identification with the missing parent. Often, this is accompanied by an equal rejection of the parent and family who did not abandon them and is present in their lives. In fact, abandoned children often blame that parent for the missing parent’s leaving.
This was certainly true of Obama. He developed a fantasy vision of his African father and heritage while rejecting his mother’s. He wrote: “To be black was to be the beneficiary of a great inheritance, a special destiny, glorious burdens that only we were strong enough to bear.”(4)
Writing of his father Barack Obama, Sr., Obama, Jr. admitted:
Living in Hawaii with his white grandparents as a teen, Obama recalled:
On the basketball court, Obama befriended “blacks close to my age…whose confusion and anger would help shape my own.” Only rarely would he remember guiltily that he had white blood coursing through his veins:
Not only can Obama still not admit to being partially white, but also on his first trip to Kenya, he denied he was American. In an encounter in a Nairobi marketplace, Obama’s half-sister Auma translates a comment from an old woman, “’She says that you look like an American to her.’ ‘Tell her I’m Luo,’ I said, beating my chest.”(8)
No, Barack Hussein Obama can never be our first black president any more than he can be our 43rd white president. Obama could become our first biracial president. Too bad, if that should happen (God forbid), he would not want to be identified as an American president. No, as his writings prove, he would be our most racist president. Wake up, America.
1 Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, (Three Rivers Press, New York, NY) 1995, 2004, p. xv
2 Ibid, 12-13; 15
3 Ibid, 22-23
4 Ibid, 51
5 Ibid, 220-221
6 Ibid, 75-76
7 Ibid, 80-81
8 Ibid, p. 310
Why does this matter? Well, words mean things, as Rush Limbaugh frequently repeats. And, some would like to make this election about race, when it is not and should not be. The race card is being played already among some Obama supporters.
Jack Cafferty on CNN’s “Cafferty File” segment of The Situation Room dealt the race card on Thursday. His question asked, if Obama is not elected, does it mean that America is still racist? This question will be asked more frequently the closer we get to November 4th, especially if Obama’s poll numbers continue their downward trend. Cafferty just happened to be the first one I heard do it, but it was predictable.
The premise of the questions is: If whites do not vote for Obama, it must mean they are closet racists. It is a subtle play on white guilt. It might work, too, if Obama were black, but he is not. Obama is as white as he is black. During the early primaries, this reality posed a problem for many black voters; Obama was not black enough for them. Since then, black voters have joined Obama in his denial of his white heritage. This allowed him to clinch the Democratic nomination.
This denial may be new to other blacks but not to Obama. By his own admission, Obama has been denying his 50% whiteness since his early teens. In his memoir Dreams from My Father, he remembered: “I ceased to advertise my mother’s race [white] at the age of twelve or thirteen, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.”(1)
Obama disdained his white grandparents’ and mother’s Midwestern roots. He wrote:
Theirs [his white grandparents] were the faces of American Gothic, the WASP bloodline’s poorer cousins…the world in which my grandparents had been raised, the dab-smack, landlocked center of the country, a place where decency and endurance and the pioneer spirit were joined at the hip with conformity and suspicion and the potential for unblinking cruelty…where fear and lack of imagination choke your dreams…(2)
About his white grandparents’ reaction to the marriage of his white mother to his black African father, Obama opined:
Whether Gramps realized it or not, the sight of his daughter [Barack’s mother Ann] with a black man offered at some deep unexplored level a window into his own heart. Not that such self-knowledge, even if accessible, would have made my mother’s engagement any easier for him to swallow. In fact, how and when the marriage occurred remains a bit murky…The whole thing seems so fragile in retrospect, so haphazard. And perhaps that’s how my grandparents intended it to be; a trial that would pass…
The family from Wichita had in fact moved to the forefront of Kennedy’s New Frontier and Dr. King’s magnificent dream. How could America send men in space and still keep its black citizens in bondage? …With his black son-in-law and his brown grandson, Gramps had entered the space age.(3)
Abandoned children often turn their missing parent into an idealized, heroic character. The pain of abandonment is too difficult to feel in its full reality. Therefore, abandoned children transform their pain into an intense, if misplaced, identification with the missing parent. Often, this is accompanied by an equal rejection of the parent and family who did not abandon them and is present in their lives. In fact, abandoned children often blame that parent for the missing parent’s leaving.
This was certainly true of Obama. He developed a fantasy vision of his African father and heritage while rejecting his mother’s. He wrote: “To be black was to be the beneficiary of a great inheritance, a special destiny, glorious burdens that only we were strong enough to bear.”(4)
Writing of his father Barack Obama, Sr., Obama, Jr. admitted:
All my life, I had carried a single image of my father…The brilliant scholar, the generous friend, the upstanding leader – my father had been all those things…It was into my father’s image, the black man, son of Africa, that I’d packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin [Luther King] and Malcolm [X], [W.E.B.] Dubois and [Nelson] Mandela.(5)
Living in Hawaii with his white grandparents as a teen, Obama recalled:
I’d arrived at an unspoken pact with my grandparents: I could live with them and they’d leave me alone so long as I kept my trouble out of sight…I was trying to raise myself to be a black man in America, and beyond the given of my appearance, no one around me seemed to know exactly what that meant…I was living out a caricature of black male adolescence, itself a caricature of swaggering American manhood…(6)
On the basketball court, Obama befriended “blacks close to my age…whose confusion and anger would help shape my own.” Only rarely would he remember guiltily that he had white blood coursing through his veins:
White folks. The term itself was uncomfortable in my mouth at first…Sometimes I would find myself talking to Ray [a black friend] about white folks this or white folks that, and I would suddenly remember my mother’s smile, and the words that I spoke would seem awkward and false…Our rage at the white world needed no object…no independent confirmation; it could be switched on and off at our pleasure.(7)
Not only can Obama still not admit to being partially white, but also on his first trip to Kenya, he denied he was American. In an encounter in a Nairobi marketplace, Obama’s half-sister Auma translates a comment from an old woman, “’She says that you look like an American to her.’ ‘Tell her I’m Luo,’ I said, beating my chest.”(8)
No, Barack Hussein Obama can never be our first black president any more than he can be our 43rd white president. Obama could become our first biracial president. Too bad, if that should happen (God forbid), he would not want to be identified as an American president. No, as his writings prove, he would be our most racist president. Wake up, America.
1 Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father, (Three Rivers Press, New York, NY) 1995, 2004, p. xv
2 Ibid, 12-13; 15
3 Ibid, 22-23
4 Ibid, 51
5 Ibid, 220-221
6 Ibid, 75-76
7 Ibid, 80-81
8 Ibid, p. 310
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Barack Hussein Obama “Disses” Flag Again…and Again…and Again….
At the “green” Democratic National Convention in Denver, over 12,000 U.S. flags were trashed after Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field. I guess recycling does not apply to the American flag.
The flags were handed out to the crowds as they entered the stadium. They were waved throughout the convention’s closing event. Now, one would expect that the audience would want to keep their flags as mementoes of this “historic” event. And, that would happen except for one fact: these were Democrats.
Now, I’m sure a few did take their flag home and handled it with the respect it deserves. But that does not extirpate that 12,000 or more trashed their flags. After being alerted by an Invesco Stadium vendor involved in the post-speech clean-up, veterans retrieved the flags and sent them to McCain’s campaign for his Colorado Springs rally on Saturday, September 6th.
Realizing the potential for damage this story presents to Obama’s aspirations, the campaign went on spin cycle immediately. Damon Jones, spokesman for the Democratic National Convention Committee, claimed Republican operatives stole the flags for “a cheap political stunt calling into question our patriotism.” Another Obama campaign official reported, "All of the flags at Invesco were picked up and put in bags and into storage, along with the unused flags and campaign signs. The flags were going to be donated, and the signs were going to be sent out to be used elsewhere."
The problem with these denials is photographs clearly show the flags mixed in with other trash and left behind after the DNCC had vacated Invesco Stadium. Additionally, Boy Scouts had to sort through 84 bags of these flags in Colorado Springs because some were too soiled from other trash to be used at the McCain rally.
According to proper flag etiquette and federal statute [Title 4 Chapter 1 Section 8(k)], a flag should be disposed of only when it is “so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country.” Then, “it should be destroyed, preferably by burning in a dignified manner.” Traditionally, groups such as the American Legion, VFW, and the Boy Scouts conduct these ceremonies on Flag Day, June 14th. Under no circumstances, should a flag be thrown into the garbage.
Is Anyone Surprised? Look at the Acceptance Speech Admission Ticket
At the same event, the crowd had credentials with an upside down flag behind a photo of Osama-Obama. An upside-down flag is the universal symbol of distress. It is an insult to the flag except in a true emergency, such as a ship in imminent danger of sinking
On the ticket, the blue union is in the lower left of the flag, below the red and white stripes. Caught red-handed, Obama spokesman Matt Chandler spun an excuse to KUSA-TV (Denver) that “the flag isn't upside down; it was just stylized to blend the stars on Obama's shirt with the flag.” As one commentator remarked: "It's an upside down American flag…Declaring it is anything else is a lie. Deflecting attention from it is a typical political maneuver. Falling for it is more proof of the dumbing down of the American voter."
These Are Only the Most Recent Examples of Obama’s Disdain for the Flag.
After clinching the Democratic nomination, Obama leased a 757 jet as his private campaign plane from North American Airlines. Their planes are decorated with American flags on the tail and on both sides of the fuselage. Obama had the plane refurbished. He replaced the tail flag with his campaign’s symbol and the fuselage flags with his campaign slogan. Nowhere are their any American flags on the outside or inside of Obama’s campaign plane.
During the primaries, Obama was photographed with Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Ruth Harkin at a steak fry for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin. When the National Anthem was played, Richardson, Clinton, and Harkin placed their hands over their hearts. Obama, instead, stood with his fingers laced in front of him. When the National Anthem is played and a flag is present, proper etiquette is to face the flag and place one’s hand over one’s heart or, if in military uniform, stand at attention and salute.
For a long time, Obama refused to wear a flag lapel pin following the 9/11 attacks. When still an Illinois Senator, Obama told an Iowa television station, "I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest. Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great." More recently, Obama has been seen wearing a flag lapel pin.
Sources:
The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10398830
Digital Art Press http://digitalartpress.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/obama-denver-rally-throws-12000-american-flags-in-garbage-co-vets-save-them-and-use-them-at-mccain-rally/
Fox News http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/06/mccain-camp-to-chastise-dems-for-discarding-american-flags/
World Net Daily & KUSA-TV (Denver) http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72802
The flags were handed out to the crowds as they entered the stadium. They were waved throughout the convention’s closing event. Now, one would expect that the audience would want to keep their flags as mementoes of this “historic” event. And, that would happen except for one fact: these were Democrats.
Now, I’m sure a few did take their flag home and handled it with the respect it deserves. But that does not extirpate that 12,000 or more trashed their flags. After being alerted by an Invesco Stadium vendor involved in the post-speech clean-up, veterans retrieved the flags and sent them to McCain’s campaign for his Colorado Springs rally on Saturday, September 6th.
Realizing the potential for damage this story presents to Obama’s aspirations, the campaign went on spin cycle immediately. Damon Jones, spokesman for the Democratic National Convention Committee, claimed Republican operatives stole the flags for “a cheap political stunt calling into question our patriotism.” Another Obama campaign official reported, "All of the flags at Invesco were picked up and put in bags and into storage, along with the unused flags and campaign signs. The flags were going to be donated, and the signs were going to be sent out to be used elsewhere."
The problem with these denials is photographs clearly show the flags mixed in with other trash and left behind after the DNCC had vacated Invesco Stadium. Additionally, Boy Scouts had to sort through 84 bags of these flags in Colorado Springs because some were too soiled from other trash to be used at the McCain rally.
According to proper flag etiquette and federal statute [Title 4 Chapter 1 Section 8(k)], a flag should be disposed of only when it is “so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country.” Then, “it should be destroyed, preferably by burning in a dignified manner.” Traditionally, groups such as the American Legion, VFW, and the Boy Scouts conduct these ceremonies on Flag Day, June 14th. Under no circumstances, should a flag be thrown into the garbage.
Is Anyone Surprised? Look at the Acceptance Speech Admission Ticket
At the same event, the crowd had credentials with an upside down flag behind a photo of Osama-Obama. An upside-down flag is the universal symbol of distress. It is an insult to the flag except in a true emergency, such as a ship in imminent danger of sinking
On the ticket, the blue union is in the lower left of the flag, below the red and white stripes. Caught red-handed, Obama spokesman Matt Chandler spun an excuse to KUSA-TV (Denver) that “the flag isn't upside down; it was just stylized to blend the stars on Obama's shirt with the flag.” As one commentator remarked: "It's an upside down American flag…Declaring it is anything else is a lie. Deflecting attention from it is a typical political maneuver. Falling for it is more proof of the dumbing down of the American voter."
These Are Only the Most Recent Examples of Obama’s Disdain for the Flag.
After clinching the Democratic nomination, Obama leased a 757 jet as his private campaign plane from North American Airlines. Their planes are decorated with American flags on the tail and on both sides of the fuselage. Obama had the plane refurbished. He replaced the tail flag with his campaign’s symbol and the fuselage flags with his campaign slogan. Nowhere are their any American flags on the outside or inside of Obama’s campaign plane.
During the primaries, Obama was photographed with Gov. Bill Richardson, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Ruth Harkin at a steak fry for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin. When the National Anthem was played, Richardson, Clinton, and Harkin placed their hands over their hearts. Obama, instead, stood with his fingers laced in front of him. When the National Anthem is played and a flag is present, proper etiquette is to face the flag and place one’s hand over one’s heart or, if in military uniform, stand at attention and salute.
For a long time, Obama refused to wear a flag lapel pin following the 9/11 attacks. When still an Illinois Senator, Obama told an Iowa television station, "I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest. Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great." More recently, Obama has been seen wearing a flag lapel pin.
Sources:
The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10398830
Digital Art Press http://digitalartpress.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/obama-denver-rally-throws-12000-american-flags-in-garbage-co-vets-save-them-and-use-them-at-mccain-rally/
Fox News http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/06/mccain-camp-to-chastise-dems-for-discarding-american-flags/
World Net Daily & KUSA-TV (Denver) http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72802
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