Saturday, January 12, 2013

CFRW Capitol Update

Back to Bad Bills

The legislature is back in session and among a number of newly introduced bills regarding gun laws is AB 48 (Skinner- D), which would limit ammunition sales in CA. The bill would require those purchasing ammunition to provide identification, but would also require sellers to become authorized dealers and report all ammunition sales to the Department of Justice. It would also require the Department of Justice to alert local law enforcement if a person other than a peace officer buys an excessive number of rounds within five days. This bill comes at a time when legislators across the country are introducing gun restriction bills. At the federal level, Diane Feinstein has vowed to introduce a bill that would include a number of sweeping restrictions on citizens’ constitutional rights. Feinstein’s bill would widen the definition of assault weapons, place a $200 “fee” on each firearm owned and prohibit the transfer of assault weapons upon death. These pieces of legislation represent how the Democrats at both the state and federal level are capitalizing on the Sandy Hook tragedy and using it to infringe even further upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. There is little evidence that limitations on guns or ammunition will decrease the number of gun-related murders or violent acts. These bills, therefore, target law-abiding citizens and fail to address broader societal problems.

Among the list of unnecessary bills introduced this week is Assemblyman Roger Hernandez’s AB 55 (Hernandez-D), Native American Day, which would replace Columbus Day as a paid, government holiday. Now, we like a paid holiday as much as the next person, but isn’t this a little much? It has been 500 years since Columbus sailed the ocean blue… seems like a long time to hold a grudge against the guy.

Better Bills!

This week Republican Assemblyman Jeff Gorrell and Senator Anthony Cannella both introduced bills that would put Prop 30 money where Governor Brown’s mouth is. AB 67 (Gorrell- R) and SB 58 (Cannella-R) would freeze tuition for college students in California, since proponents of Prop 30 claimed that our college students wouldn’t see a rise in their tuition if they helped pass Prop 30’s “temporary” tax increases. And since Governor Brown actually increased education spending in his proposed 2013-2014 budget, it stands to reason that a tuition freeze should be supported. But Democrats won’t support this legislation. In fact, they will ignore it and hope it just goes away because they have no intention of using Prop 30 funds to reduce or freeze college tuition. The fact of the matter is that Prop 30’s language does not require that its revenue be spent on education. This is the type of legislation that Republicans need to introduce and publicize. Hold the Democrats’ feet to the fire when they claim that our college students’ needs are important to them. We hope to see more of this intelligent and creative legislation from our Republican representatives to combat the Democrat supermajority.

Brown’s Budget

Governor Brown unveiled his 2013-2014 proposed budget earlier this week. Brown claims that “we” have to “live within our means,” yet increased spending by 4%. Like an interior decorator, it must be nice for Governor Brown to spend other people’s money. The proposed budget is considered “balanced”, thanks to a $50 billion tax increase. Unfortunately there was no mention of job creation, regulation reform or long term budget solutions for California when Governor Brown revealed the first edition of his budget. Much could change between now and the Governor’s May budget revise.

CFRW Winter Conference!

Join us February 8-10 in sunny San Diego for our Winter Conference! This conference will be unlike any other CFRW conference- with more dialogue, more discussion and more ideas than ever before! Meet other Republican Women from across the state and learn the tools to combat liberalism with style and grace! ◼ CLICK HERE for registration information and more!

GOLD SHEETS!

Club membership chairs and presidents, please remember to get your Gold Sheets in! They are crucial and much needed for our CFRW records. For more information, ◼ CLICK HERE. (login required)
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When you join Humboldt Republican Women, Federated, you're joining forces with women throughout the state and across the nation, women who share your ideals and your goals for our country.

OBAMA ECONOMY HITS MEDIA: NYT, TIME ANNOUNCE MAJOR LAYOFFS


As many as 700 -- almost ten-percent of the overall staff -- are on the chopping block at Time Magazine. According to New York Magazine, a whole herd of top-level sacred cows at the New York Times will be given the non-choice of a buyout or a forced layoff within the next few weeks. - John Nolte/Breitbart

And in both cases, it's due to "rapidly declining advertising revenue."

Yeah, that's a shame.

This is what you call going down with the ship. Time and the NYT are Exhibits A and B in the case to expose everything wrong and self-defeating with today's mainstream media. Rather than do the job honestly (which would undoubtedly improve the customer base), and wake up to the reality that the Internet has removed the monopolistic distribution bottleneck on the flow of information that kept them alive for so long, both publications chose instead to double down when it came to pushing a left-wing agenda.

...It's just a fact that if the economy was doing better, advertising revenue would be doing better, and as a result, fewer people at Time and the NYT would be losing their jobs today.

No matter what, though, no matter how bad things get for them personally or for our country as a whole, nothing will ever give these institutions the unselfish moral courage to admit a mistake was made.

Old Media Belatedly Discovers That Elections Have Consequences - Ed Driscoll/PJM

Of course, blaming their layoffs is a dual-edged sword for both Time and the New York Times (especially the New York Times). Fareed Zakaria, the erstwhile Obama advisor who contributes to both Time and CNN, the television network owned by Time-Warner, said in December of 2010 that Americans needed to reduce their consumption...

Well, hey, good news! The American public voted twice for the president these publications openly championed. The economy, influenced by his actions, has slowed dramatically. That economy has forced consumers to consume less. Consuming less means less to manufacture and promote. Which means less advertising, which means less money changing hands with publications. Which means less money for payroll.

Which means less journalists on the payroll.

As the Mencken quote that has continually made the rounds since early 2009 goes, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

But the common people getting it good and hard also has ramifications for those who believed they were insulated from such suffering....

◼ In a loosely related story: NEWSPAPER OWNERS PLAY HARDBALL WITH UNION: AGREE TO OUR PROPOSED CUTS OR FACE ‘LIQUIDATION’ - Becket Adams/The Blaze

The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News were recently acquired by new owners who apparently have no patience for union contract negotiations: They’ve threatened to “liquidate” both papers if concessions aren’t made.

“In a letter to members of the Newspaper Guild, union president Dan Gross and executive director Bill Ross say that Interstate General Media — which bought the papers last year, along with Philly.com — is seeking $8 million in immediate wage and benefit cuts from the editorial staffs of those papers, even though the guild’s contract runs to October 2013,” Philadelphia Magazine reports....

Feinstein Gun Ban Just Tip of Iceberg!


While Senator Feinstein's soon-to-be-introduced bill to ban semi-automatic firearms and standard capacity magazines is garnering the most attention from anti-gun politicians and their media allies, attacks on our Second Amendment rights are by no means limited to this one proposal, nor to just Congress. - NRA-ILA

Based on bills introduced on the first day of the 113th Congress, we clearly face the most serious threat to our fundamental Second Amendment rights in the last 20 years, and law-abiding gun owners need to ACT NOW to ward off an ◼ unprecedented onslaught on our rights. Here are just some of the proposals pending in Congress:

H.R. 138 would ban transfer or possession of standard-capacity magazines, targeting those that hold more than 10 rounds.

H.R. 141 would impose federal regulation of gun shows. This legislation would require background checks on all gun sales at guns shows, and impose addition federal regulations on these traditional local events.

H.R. 142 would ban Internet or mail order ammunition purchases, require a federal license for all ammunition sellers and mandate reporting of "bulk" ammo purchases.

H.R. 21 would ban all private firearms transfers.

H.R. 34 & H.R. 117 are both gun registration bills overriding long standing protections of gun owner privacy.

Remember, this fight is not just limited to the halls of Congress. ◼ Already dozens of states are seeing a flurry of anti-gun bills introduced, and anti-gun crusaders at the state level will stop at nothing to pass them. Look no further than anti-gun New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who recently said, "Confiscation could be an option."

Make no mistake, we are in for the fight of our lives, as the pace and scope of what the enemies of the Second Amendment are seeking to do to restrict our Second Amendment rights and destroy our Association are unprecedented!

NRA alone can't win this fight for you, but we can win this fight WITH you!

While it is of the utmost importance that you contact your own members of Congress, you must also make sure all lawmakers in Washington, D.C. and your state capital are contacted. You must act as a force multiplier; not only taking action to contact your lawmakers yourself, but making sure every Second Amendment supporter you know hears our message and takes it to lawmakers.

Let lawmakers know that when it comes to protecting the Second Amendment, we will stand on the side of freedom and defend our right to keep and bear arms with everything we have!

For contact information on lawmakers in Washington, D.C., as well as state lawmakers, use the ◼ "Write Your Reps" feature at ◼ www.NRAILA.org. You can reach your member of Congress by phone at 202-224-3121.

To download a two-page flyer that you can copy and distribute on these issues, please ◼ click here. (PDF)

COURT RULES UNBORN IS 'CHILD'


Judges 'affirmed the value of all life, including those most vulnerable of all' - Bob Unruh/WND ◼ Image Source

A ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court has concluded that a reference in state law that prevents exposing children to dangerous chemicals also protects an unborn child.

While the decision itself is unrelated to abortion, in a court where at least one justice has advocated overturning Roe v. Wade the decision today in Ankrom v. State undoubtedly will be referenced again.

The case upheld the convictions of two women, Hope Ankrom of Coffee County and Amanda Kimbrough of Colbert County, who were prosecuted for using drugs during their pregnancies.

The state law originally was intended to prevent parents from operating meth labs around children, or allowing children to be in meth labs, and does not mention the unborn.

But the decision said “The plain meaning of the word ‘child’ in the chemical endangerment statute includes unborn children.”

Treasury: Trillion-dollar coin would not be legal


Forget about the government minting a $1 trillion coin to solve its debt-limit crisis. - US News & World Report

Treasury Department spokesman Anthony Coley said Saturday that neither his department nor the Federal Reserve believes the law can or should be used to produce such a coin to avoid a coming battle with Congress over government borrowing.

Some of President Barack Obama's liberal allies have been promoting the coin strategy.

THE TRILLION-DOLLAR PLATINUM COIN: THE DEMOCRATS’ “NEW NUCLEAR OPTION” - NRCC

...NRCC Communications Director Andrea Bozek said today that our country doesn’t need higher taxes or platinum coins, but simply to acknowledge that Washington has a serious spending problem.

“Washington Democrats believe our country’s fiscal mess can be saved by minting magic coins,” said NRCC Communications Director Andrea Bozek. “They are bankrupting our country. It’s time for liberals to tell President Obama and Nancy Pelosi that spending is the problem.”

AS HOLLYWOOD COWERS, TARANTINO STANDS ALONE AGAINST GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP



On one side you have pushy journalist, England's "Channel 4 Evening News" host, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, desperate to make a political headline. On the other you have an Academy Award-winning director obviously tired of seeing his latest film used as a pawn in a left-wing political debate. - John Nolte/Breitbart

...the headlines and press have been overwhelmingly nasty because, according to the media, Tarantino's on the wrong side of this issue. Yes, that's right, the government is threatening censorship and Tarantino is on the wrong side because he opposes censorship.

Is this still America?

Top Senate Dems Urging Obama To Raise Debt Ceiling All Voted Against Raise In ‘06


On Friday the Democratic leadership of the Senate — Majority Leader Harry Reid, Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin, Conference Chair Charles Schumer, and Conference Secretary Patty Murray — wrote to President Obama urging him to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling in the event that Republicans either block such an increase or attempt to pass one “as part of unbalanced or unreasonable legislation.” - Byron York/Washington Examiner (◼ Image Source )

“We believe that you must make clear that you will never allow our nation’s economy and reputation to be held hostage,” the Democrats wrote. “We believe you must be willing to take any lawful steps to ensure that America does not break its promises and trigger a global economic crisis — without congressional approval, if necessary.”

Put aside the picture of leading lawmakers, usually so jealous of their constitutional prerogatives, asking the president to ignore Congress. What is striking about the letter is that every one of its signers — Reid, Durbin, Schumer, and Murray — voted against raising the nation’s debt ceiling just seven years ago.

On March 16, 2006, the Senate held a vote on a measure to raise the debt ceiling by $781 billion — the fourth such vote of George W. Bush’s presidency. Republicans controlled the Senate, and Democrats spent much of the debate railing against Bush’s spending. “When it comes to deficits, this president owns all the records,” said Reid. “The three largest deficits in our nation’s history have all occurred under this administration’s watch.”

Declaring themselves outraged by such spending, Reid, Durbin, Schumer, and Murray all voted against raising the debt limit. So did every other Democrat — including Sen. Barack Obama. But on Friday, the four lawmakers urged now-President Obama not only to raise the ceiling but to do it in a constitutionally risky fashion by going over the head of Congress....

Braces for the Kids Just Got More Expensive: Obamacare Tax Hike Case Study


In 2013, the tax increases in Obamacare will increasingly conspire against kitchen-table family healthcare decisions. - Americans For Tax Reform

As just one example, below are some of the taxes that will impact the purchase of dental braces:

Obamacare Medical Device Tax: As of Jan.1, Obamacare imposes a new tax of 2.3 percent on medical device manufacturers, including those who make dental braces. The tax is imposed on gross sales -- even if the company does not earn a profit in a given year. While the tax will be paid to the IRS by the manufacturer, the tax will be passed along as a higher cost of the product, ultimately to be borne by the parent buying the braces for their child. With the cost of braces being as high as $7,625 this new tax could raise the cost of these braces by $175.

Obamacare Flexible Spending Account Cap: As of Jan. 1, the 30-35 million Americans who use a pre-tax Flexible Spending Account (FSA) at work to pay for their family’s basic medical needs face a new government cap of $2,500. This will squeeze $13 billion of tax money from Americans over the next ten years. (Before Obamacare, the accounts were unlimited under federal law, though employers were allowed to set a cap.) A parent looking to sock away extra money to pay for braces would find themselves quickly hitting this new cap, meaning they would have to pony up some or all of the cost with after-tax dollars. Needless to say, this tax will especially impact middle class families.

Obamacare “Haircut” to the Medical Itemized Deduction: Faced with higher prices for braces and a reduced ability to pay for them with their FSA, parents might decide to deduct the cost of braces on their tax returns. Unfortunately, Obamacare makes this harder, too.

Before Obamacare, Americans facing high medical and dental expenses were allowed a deduction to the extent that those expenses exceeded 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI). As of Jan. 1, Obamacare imposes a threshold of 10 percent of AGI. Therefore, Obamacare not only makes it more difficult to claim this deduction, it widens the net of taxable income.

According to the IRS, 10 million families took advantage of this tax deduction in 2009, the latest year of available data. Almost all are middle class. The average taxpayer claiming this deduction earned just over $53,000 annually. ATR estimates that the average income tax increase for the average family claiming this tax benefit will be $200 - $400 per year. To learn more about this tax, ◼ click here. (2013: Obamacare “High Medical Bills Tax” to hit 10 Million Middle Class Families)

This is just a small example of how a simple, everyday, kitchen table decision has been fundamentally altered by the tax hikes in Obamacare. It does not even take into account the indirect effects of the rest of the tax hikes in the law, which will reduce family income and kill jobs.

Follow the authors on Twitter ◼ @JohnKartch and ◼ @RyanLEllis

Follow us: ◼ @taxreformer on Twitter

Vallejo was the scene of a lively 2½-hour gun control debate Wednesday night. It was sponsored by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, who was appointed by Nancy Pelosi to head the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

Vallejo town hall hostile to gun-control congressman - Dave Roberts/Cal Watchdog

Thompson likes to tout his firearms bona fides: hunter, gun owner and a tour in Vietnam with an assault rifle. But the National Rifle Association doesn’t consider Thompson a gun rights supporter, scoring him just 17 percent on gun rights votes in 2012. There’s also not a lot of gun rights support on the rest of the task force — eight of its 12 members received scores of zero by the NRA.

As a result, it’s likely that the task force’s recommendations will be in line with liberal orthodoxy, similar to what the NRA experienced in its meeting with Vice President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday....

Thompson’s task force plans to issue its recommendations in early February.
__________________

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Email Thompson via Webform: "If you would like to send me an e-mail, please enter your zip code below and press submit so we can verify that you live in the First District of California. If you do not know the 4 digit ending to your zip code, you can find it by visiting USPS Zip+4 Lookup page."

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Vallejo, CA 94592
Phone: (707) 645-1888
Fax: (707) 645-1870
Office hours: 9:00am - 6:00pm, Monday through Friday

SANTA ROSA DISTRICT OFFICE
Phone: (707) 542-7182
Fax: (707) 542-2745

Friday, January 11, 2013

Pedometers track your physical activity, by measuring the steps you take each day. Now, they're being used in several local schools to track the physical activity of students. Should schools require students to wear them?

Tipline: Are Pedometers in School a Good Idea? - wgrz.com

Several parents tell 2 On Your Side that they're refusing to have their kids wear them and a prominent local attorney says they're onto something.

..."I think we're teaching our kids to give away personal information far too easily," said Kelly Labonte, who has three kids in North Tonawanda. Her kids just told her that they have to wear the devices, including one who's a special education student.

"It just baffles me, how they can force this upon you? I think it should be a choice and I think some kids will choose to do it," she said.

Paul Cambria, a civil and criminal attorney says, "this is an invasion of privacy because it's morning to night, and it measures your body, your body's activity."

Cambria adds that specifically, the schools need to get permission to do this, "the question is whether that is an invasion of privacy and whether a state entity, which a school is can invade your privacy without a court order."

The program, which originates from the U.S. Department of Education says students K-12, except those with serious physical problems are to wear them all the time...

The school districts...are expecting anywhere between 230-thousand dollars to 725-thousand dollars from the federal government to offer the program.

#FF (FollowFriday) #TGDN UPDATED 2/2/13

This week's FOLLOW FRIDAY is a doozy. Connect with thousands of other Conservatives by FOLLOWing everyone on (ATTN: LISTS HAVE MOVED, SEE BELOW FOR UPDATED LIST LINKS)

@ToddKincannon#TGDN lists.

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#TGDN: Hashtag to power! Grassroots set up Twitter Gulag Defense Network - Twitchy explains the origins of the #TGDN list.

That’s a difference between the Right and the Left. The Left seeks to silence anyone whom they deem is an “other.” The Right will, and does, protect all.

#TGDN boot camp: Twitter Gulag Defense Network founder shares tips for avoiding #TwitterGulag

The buzz continues to build for the Twitter Gulag Defense Network, a grassroots project launched last weekend by Twitter user Todd Kincannon. Using the hashtag #TGDN, the project connects conservative activists and helps Twitter users combat the abusive flag-spam tactics used by some leftists to silence conservative voices.

#TGDN has been trending off and on since Saturday, Jan. 5, and more than 4,000 happy warriors have joined the network. This morning, Kincannon reached out to #TGDN members with his suggestions for staying out of the dreaded Twitter Gulag. His ideas include methods to thwart flag-spam trolls and tips to avoid triggering Twitter’s automatic suspension algorithms.

THE TWITTER GULAG DEFENSE NETWORK - John Hayward/Human Events
Things you'll need to learn about:
The 2000 Following Limit On Twitter - Twittnotes
The New TCOT? Twitter Gulag Defense Network #TGDN - Politisite

Maybe not a replacement for #TCOT (Top Conservatives on Twitter), but rather in addition to, and in defense of, that original concept.

And while you're at it, check out ◼ What's #TCOT (Top Conservatives On Twitter



◼ NEW!!! Twitter Gulag Defense Network’s website goes live, offers tips for conservative tweeters - Twitchy

Twitter user @Triple888s has set up ◼ TwitterGulagDefenseNetwork.com as an “easy-to-read field guide on discovering, identifying and handling Gulagers,” those who post ”rude and offensive messages on Twitter in effort to disrupt the sanity of meaningful and peaceful participants.”

As Twitchy has reported, #TGDN has also assisted conservatives in finding each other and building their online networks.



TwitterGulagDefenseNetwork.com



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Thursday, January 10, 2013

National Organization for Women: ‘President Obama, where are the Women?

The nation’s leading liberal women’s group, the National Organization for Women, is demanding to know why President Barack Obama has failed to make more high-profile appointments of women to his administration. - Caroline May/Daily Caller

“President Obama has made a number of high-profile appointments recently — four at last count — and they are all white men,” NOW said in a blast email to supporters Thursday evening, with the subject line, “President Obama, Where are the Women?”

...“I am concerned that the current trend in your Cabinet appointments has excluded women and people of color. Women, especially women of color, are being disproportionately affected by current debates over the federal budget, education policy and access to health care, and their perspective needs to be represented among your top advisers,” NOW’s petition reads. “There is no doubt that qualified women exist for each and every position you will be called to fill, so there is no excuse to consign the vast majority of decision-making power and authority to men.”

The Obama administration has come under fire in recent days for the lack of diversity in his Cabinet, and particularly for the dearth of women in his inner circle. On MSNBC on Thursday, New York Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel called the criticisms “embarrassing as hell.”


White House pic: Boys rule, girls drool! Obama keeps women out of inner circle; Update: WH releases ‘hey, guys, he totally loves women’ photo - Twitchy

Love Among the Missiles and Gulags

The more North Korea changes, the more it stays the same. - Peter Hannaford/American Spectator 1.10.13

Hope springs eternal, even in geopolitics. In 2011 when North Korea’s Kim Jong-il died, he bequeathed his leadership position to his third and youngest son, Kim Jong-un. Quite a few of those who keep a close watch on the Hermit Kingdom, saw positive signs

Young Kim’s Swiss schooling, for example, was seen as a civilizing influence. He made some hints — only hints — that some reforms were in the offing. Then, not so long ago we saw photos of him strolling hand-in-hand with — surprise — his new bride. This was the first time since the founding of the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” that a leader’s wife had been mentioned, let alone seen in public, smiling shyly.

As with many hopes in the world of geopolitics, the ones arising from these “signs” were to be dashed. Under the adroit tutelage of his aunt’s husband,Chong Song-taek, the young leader quickly ingratiated himself with the elite of the military. Uncle Chong is a member of the powerful National Defense Commission. On it he is the director of the Administration Department. Far from being a boring backwater, the Administration Department oversees the Ministry of Public Security and the State Security Department, pivotal positions that help insure the ongoing importance of the country’s military elite.

Kim Jong-un doubtless learned from his late father the secret of North Korea’s decades-old strategy: periodically threaten dire action to frighten neighbors and the United States to bargain with them for food in exchange for promises to behave peaceably. The food and — at one point — equipment even for peaceful nuclear power — permitted the Kim family to maintain a closed, repressive state with a well-fed, perk-greased military establishment.

Uncle Chong no doubt reminded his young charge of this successful strategy and recommended something dramatic to bring the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea and Russia back to the table. North Korea should shoot off a new missile. The cover story was to be that it would launch a weather satellite. No one believed this, of course. Instead, it was seen as a precursor for a nuclear-tipped long-range missile that might even hit the U.S. West coast.

The missile went off. The Obama Administration, used to putting out fanciful cover stories (see “Benghazi”), spread the idea that the missile was in an irregular orbit. Independent monitoring sources, however, showed it was right on orbit.

Through it all, Kim Jong-un seems to be everywhere, reviewing troops, inspecting factories, meeting dignitaries — with many smiles. And while he and his bride bill and coo in private, they await word from the U.S. and others that it is time to resume the Six-Party Talks.

Meanwhile, the fifty-year-old North Korean gulag continues to function with its usual efficiency, keeping the population cowed. The second edition came out recently of “The Hidden Gulag,” by the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. It details the chilling story of the network of slave labor camps in the north and north-central mountains of the country.

In 2009, North Korea, in a formal report to the United Nations Human Rights Council declared that the term “political prisoners” is not in its vocabulary and therefore political prison camps do not exist there.

Yet “Hidden Gulag” has the testimony of hundreds for escapees from these labor camps who now live in South Korea. The new report also has detailed satellite photos of several of the camps. It estimates that there are currently 150,000 to 200,000 people detained in these camps.

Even though efforts by the U.S. and its allies have had some success the thwarting North Korea’s currency counterfeiting efforts and interdicting several shipments of arms bound for such places as Syria, smiling Kim Jong-un is now awaiting the call for more multi-state meetings after the launch of his new satellite and its implicit threat of worse to come.

While the “hope” in “hope springs eternal” may have been dashed for now, another famous old saying is more true than ever: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
__________________

Mr. Hannaford is a board member of the Committee on the Present Danger. He was closely associated for a number of years with the late President Reagan, beginning in the California Governor’s office. His latest book is Presidential Retreats.

Sarah Palin: “Obviously I’ve witnessed the left’s bullying behavior up close and personal when it’s been directed at those so close to me,” Palin said, noting “there’s something especially ugly about the way the left goes after children of conservatives.”

PALIN: READ BEN SHAPIRO'S BOOK 'BULLIES' TO LEARN HOW TO FIGHT BACK - Tony Lee/Breitbart

In a Facebook note, Palin wrote: “Please read Ben’s book and consider his advice about how we must stand up and push back twice as hard against this bullying.”

Bullies: How the Left's Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences Americans - at Amazon




Glenn interviews Ben Shapiro, author of ‘Bullies’ - Glenn Beck

How do conservatives move forward when the left tries to shut down every argument and ostracize them and their ideas? Shapiro and Glenn discussed the issue on radio. (transcript)

Pravda: Americans, never give up your guns

For those of us fighting for our traditional rights, the US 2nd Amendment is a rare light in an ever darkening room. Governments will use the excuse of trying to protect the people from maniacs and crime, but are in reality, it is the bureaucrats protecting their power and position. - Stanislav Mishin/Pravda

This will probably come as a total shock to most of my Western readers, but at one point, Russia was one of the most heavily armed societies on earth. This was, of course, when we were free under the Tsar. Weapons, from swords and spears to pistols, rifles and shotguns were everywhere, common items. People carried them concealed, they carried them holstered. Fighting knives were a prominent part of many traditional attires and those little tubes criss crossing on the costumes of Cossacks and various Caucasian peoples? Well those are bullet holders for rifles....

For those of us fighting for our traditional rights, the US 2nd Amendment is a rare light in an ever darkening room. Governments will use the excuse of trying to protect the people from maniacs and crime, but are in reality, it is the bureaucrats protecting their power and position. In all cases where guns are banned, gun crime continues and often increases. As for maniacs, be it nuts with cars (NYC, Chapel Hill NC), swords (Japan), knives (China) or home made bombs (everywhere), insane people strike. They throw acid (Pakistan, UK), they throw fire bombs (France), they attack. What is worse, is, that the best way to stop a maniac is not psychology or jail or "talking to them", it is a bullet in the head, that is why they are a maniac, because they are incapable of living in reality or stopping themselves.

The excuse that people will start shooting each other is also plain and silly. So it is our politicians saying that our society is full of incapable adolescents who can never be trusted? Then, please explain how we can trust them or the police, who themselves grew up and came from the same culture?

No it is about power and a total power over the people. There is a lot of desire to bad mouth the Tsar, particularly by the Communists, who claim he was a tyrant, and yet under him we were armed and under the progressives disarmed. Do not be fooled by a belief that progressives, leftists hate guns. Oh, no, they do not. What they hate is guns in the hands of those who are not marching in lock step of their ideology. They hate guns in the hands of those who think for themselves and do not obey without question. They hate guns in those whom they have slated for a barrel to the back of the ear.

So, do not fall for the false promises and do not extinguish the light that is left to allow humanity a measure of self respect.

Federal Regulators Admit That Clinton's Mortgage Scam Caused the Economic Crisis

"Federal regulators for the first time are laying out rules," this is from the AP, "aimed at making sure that people who borrow money for mortgages can afford to repay them." Do you realize what this means?" - Rush Limbaugh

I'm telling you: It's a tantamount admission that the subprime mortgage mess was exactly what it was. It was people who were given loans that could never pay 'em back, and they were not picked on. It was not predatory lenders that went out and found them. This was social engineering by Democrats. (summarized) "The American dream is everybody should have a house. It's not fair that certain Americans should have houses and other Americans don't."

So here came the subprime mortgage plan, and it basically was a federal program that ordered banks to lend money to people that had no way of paying it back, lend money to people that didn't have to take a credit test and pass it, lend money to people that everybody knew would never pay it back. By the way, if you're new to the program, I want to explain this again. Because the economic mess that we are in was caused and is the result of, predominantly, this....

So they're admitting here what caused the financial crisis. "Lenders will be required to verify and inspect borrowers' financial records." Now, I know you're saying, "Wait, I had to go through that every time I got a loan." Right, you have. Understand what this was. This was for people who never were going to be able to repay. They didn't have to go through it like you did. That's what the scam of the program was.

'Your Little Book’



“My little book? That’s the Constitution of the United States. It’s our founding document, Piers.” - Joel Pollak/Breitbart

IN DEBATE WITH BREITBART'S SHAPIRO, CNN'S PIERS MORGAN CALLS THE CONSTITUTION 'YOUR LITTLE BOOK'

That was the climax of a heated debate between Breitbart News Editor-at-Large Ben Shapiro and CNN’s Piers Morgan on live television this evening--one in which Morgan came off much the worse for wear.

Shapiro began by pointing out that for weeks, Morgan had bullied guests who defend the right to bear arms by "standing on the graves of the children of Sandy Hook."
“How dare you,” said a rattled Morgan.

“I have seen you do it repeatedly,” Shapiro replied.

He challenged Morgan to explain whether he wanted to ban all guns, not just “assault rifles,” since the vast majority of gun deaths involve ordinary handguns. “Why don’t you care about banning the handguns in Chicago?” Shapiro asked him.

Morgan, who later stated that he supported Americans’ right “to defend themselves with a handgun or a pistol,” pointed out that the weapons used in recent sensational mass shootings had been “assault rifles,” and insisted that the debate was not one of “left and right,” because his position ought to be the consensus, as in Britain. Shapiro countered that the basis of the Second Amendment was not self-defense or hunting, but the ability to resist government tyranny--a point that Morgan attempted to mock, unsuccessfully.

Shapiro’s statement is worth quoting in full:
Shapiro: I think the reason that it’s about left and right here is because fundamentally, the right believes that the basis for the Second amendment--and they believe in the Second Amendment--the basis for the Second Amendment is not really about self defense, and it's not about hunting. It's about resistance to government tyranny. That’s what the Founders said, and that’s what the right believes in this country.

Morgan: Which tyranny are you fearing, yourself?

Shapiro: I fear the possibility of a tyranny rising in the country in the next fifty to a hundred years. Let me tell you something, Piers. The fact that my grandparents and great grandparents in Europe didn't fear that is why they're now ashes in Europe. So this kind of leftist revisionist history where there's never any fear of democracy going usurpatious or tyrannical, is just that. It’s fictitious.
CNN'S MORGAN SLAMS DOWN CONSTITUTION, CALLS IT 'YOUR LITTLE BOOK' - Breitbart TV

Ben Shapiro schools Piers ‘Musket’ Morgan on Second Amendment; Morgan calls Constitution ‘your little book’ - Twitchy

Your Little Book’

"We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment.

After Meeting, NRA Says White House Has 'Agenda to Attack the Second Amendment' - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard

"The National Rifle Association of America is made up of over 4 million moms and dads, daughters and sons, who are involved in the national conversation about how to prevent a tragedy like Newtown from ever happening again. We attended today's White House meeting to discuss how to keep our children safe and were prepared to have a meaningful conversation about school safety, mental health issues, the marketing of violence to our kids and the collapse of federal prosecutions of violent criminals," reads the NRA statement.

"We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment. While claiming that no policy proposals would be “prejudged,” this Task Force spent most of its time on proposed restrictions on lawful firearms owners - honest, taxpaying, hardworking Americans. It is unfortunate that this Administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation's most pressing problems. We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen. Instead, we will now take our commitment and meaningful contributions to members of congress of both parties who are interested in having an honest conversation about what works - and what does not."

Gov. Bobby Jindal calls for elimination of all Louisiana income and corporate taxes

Jindal said the plan would be revenue-neutral and that the goal would be to keep sales taxes "as low and flat as possible." - Jeff Adelson/NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune

"The bottom line is that for too long, Louisiana's workers and small businesses have suffered from having a state tax structure that is too complex and that holds back economic prosperity," Jindal said in a statement released by his office. "It's time to change that so people can keep more of their own money and foster an environment where businesses want to invest and create good-paying jobs."

...The governor's office has not yet confirmed or denied an article in The Monroe News-Star that reports eliminating the state income tax could require increasing the state sales tax from 4 percent to 7 percent....

"Eliminating personal income taxes will put more money back into the pockets of Louisiana families and will change a complex tax code into a more simple system that will make Louisiana more attractive to companies who want to invest here and create jobs.

"Tax reform will remove administrative burdens from families and small businesses and improve Louisiana's business prospects; create more business investment opportunities with increased job growth; and raise the state's profile in national business rankings.

"The bottom line is that for too long, Louisiana's workers and small businesses have suffered from having a state tax structure that is too complex and that holds back economic prosperity. It's time to change that so people can keep more of their own money and foster an environment where businesses want to invest and create good-paying jobs."

Republican governors, lawmakers look to cut taxes in 2013 - AP via nola.com

Bobby Jindal: Eliminate La.’s personal, corporate income taxes - Twitchy

“The Founding Fathers never envisioned Executive Orders being used to restrict our Constitutional rights,” he said in a press release. “We live in a republic, not a dictatorship.”

Gun Confiscation By Presidential Decree? - Matthew Vadum/FrontPage

Although many law enforcement personnel would probably refuse to enforce something as profoundly un-American as a gun-confiscation diktat, it is not at all clear where Obama would get the legal authority to unilaterally impose new gun control measures. Even liberal constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe concedes that –at a minimum– the Second Amendment safeguards the individual right of Americans to “possess and use firearms in the defense of themselves and their homes.”

The Supreme Court has blown away gun grabbers in recent years. In the landmark case of District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the high court struck down the draconian ban on gun ownership that had long been in effect in the nation’s capital. The court found for the first time that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, affirming what serious constitutional scholars had known for years....

Will any of these legal concerns matter to President Obama who regards the Constitution at best as a living document and at worst as an inconvenience?

As gun and ammunition sales skyrocket nationwide, it is clear the public isn’t taking the chance that Obama will feel restrained by the laws of the land.

As new fiscal crises near, Democrats seek more tax increases

In case you thought there was no risk of your taxes going up again, think again. Washington isn’t done with you yet. - McClatchy

This is the season of Epiphany, when the renewal of light and revelation are celebrated in the liturgy of the Catholic, Episcopal, and Eastern Orthodox churches.

On our new path we seek everyday epiphanies--occasions on which we can experience the Sacred in the ordinary--and come to the awakening... that we cannot longer afford to throw away even one "unimportant" day by not noticing the wonder of it all. We have to be willing to discover and then appreciate the authentic moments of happiness available to all of us every day. Sarah Ban Breathnach: Simple Abundance

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

THREAT OF EXECUTIVE ORDER ON GUNS: CHICAGO THUGGERY

In a gun-grabbing scheme as desperate as it is wrong, President Obama is threatening to bypass Congress and go it alone via Executive Orders if legislators don't move fast. - Awr Hawkins/Breitbart

The sudden rush to Executive Orders comes as Obama sees the writing on the wall: the American people do not want more gun control, and the Republican Congress is listening to the people.

Thus, Obama's roots are showing -- his Chicago thuggery is coming out. And through the threat of Executive Orders, he's basically telling citizens that he will get what he wants... and they will like it.

Even using Republicans as proxies, there was little remotely conservative about fascism. Hitler and Mussolini were probably to the right of our left-leaning media and education establishments, but labeling Tea Partiers as fascists doesn’t indict the Right. It indicts those declaring so as radically Left.

Obama, Hitler, And Exploding The Biggest Lie In History - Bill Flax/Forbes

...It’s also ironic that even as orthodox Marxism collapsed due to economic paralysis, cultural Marxism predicated on race, sex and identity politics thrives in “Capitalist” America. The multiculturalists substituted race where the Soviets and Maoists saw only class. America’s civic crusade has become political correctness, aka cultural Marxism, preoccupied with race. Socialism wheels around again.

While political correctness as manifest in the West is very anti-Nazi and those opposing multiculturalism primarily populate the Right, it’s false to confuse fascism with conservatism. Coupling negatives is not necessarily positive. Because the Nazis would likely detest something that conservatives also dislike indicates little harmony. Ohio State hates Michigan. Notre Dame does too, but Irish fans rarely root for the Buckeyes.

America’s most fascistic elements are ultra leftwing organizations like La Raza or the Congressional Black Caucus. These racial nationalists seek gain not through merit, but through the attainment of government privileges. What’s the difference between segregation and affirmative action? They are identical phenomena harnessing state auspices to impose racialist dogma.

The Nation of Islam and other Afrocentric movements, like the Nazis, even celebrate their own perverse racist mythology. Are Louis Farrakhan and Jeremiah Wright conservatives? Is Obama?...

Good news -- it has become known that hidden deep within the massive 2800-page bill called Obamacare there is a Senate Amendment protecting the right to keep and bear arms.

OBAMACARE AMENDMENT FORBIDS GUN AND AMMO REGISTRATION - Awr Hawkins/Breitbart

It seems that in their haste to cram socialized medicine down the throats of the American people, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Barack Obama overlooked Senate amendment 3276, Sec. 2716, part c.

According to reports, that amendment says the government cannot collect "any information relating to the lawful ownership or possession of a firearm or ammunition...."

[Harry Reid] says he added the provision in order to keep the NRA from getting involved in the legislative fight over Obamacare, which was so ubiquitous in 2010.

NATION’S TAXPAYERS STILL PAYING FOR OWL FLAP, 22 YEARS LATER


Congressional Republicans are looking at an alternative fix to allow locals to raise their own funding again without burdening federal taxpayers, by giving them permission to cut down the trees and again reap the benefits of timber revenue - Audrey Hudson/Human Events @AudreyHudson

Christopher Weaver was one of thousands of prisoners released from Oregon jails last year until his “get-out-of-jail-free” card quickly turned into a round-trip ticket and he was arrested a few hours later for robbing a bank.

Local officials blamed the purge of 5,500 jailbirds including Weaver on dwindling federal funds marked for prison operations, but that revenue source was intended to be only a temporary economic fix. Those funds backfilled local tax revenue losses following the Oregon timber industry’s sharp decline in production after the 1990 spotted owl controversy.

“The release of these inmates from the Lane County Jail is directly related to the significant reduction in federal funding and is indicative of the lack of active management of the federal forests that make up half our land base,” Sid Leiken, Lane County commissioner said in a statement Dec. 1 after the Weaver incident.

“Congress has all but completely walked away from this promise,” Leiken said.

It has been two decades since Congress pledged to temporarily help communities get back on their feet after the Northern Spotted Owl was added to the endangered species list—a status that severely restricted the region’s essential source of revenue from logging and eliminated more than 100,000 jobs.

Despite the funding offer as a temporary solution to the rocky economic transition, billions of dollars in federal aid were distributed while many communities in the Pacific Northwest continued to struggle to pay for local services, all the while demanding federal dollars rather than raising local taxes.

But Congressional Republicans are looking at an alternative fix to allow locals to raise their own funding again without burdening federal taxpayers, by giving them permission to cut down the trees and again reap the benefits of timber revenue.

Tom Del Beccaro: Republicans, Sun Tzu And President Obama's Fiscal Cliff Victory

“War is…the continuation of politics by other means.” So said military strategist Carl Von Clausewitz. Many Americans these days believe the Republicans are not only losing this current political war, some think they are not even putting up much of a fight. Based on the recent results of the fiscal cliff negotiations, they may well have a point. - Tom Del Beccaro/Forbes

Perhaps they could benefit, in their battles with President Obama, from a few words of wisdom from another war-time philosopher/strategist, Sun Tzu.

...Republicans win the debate when it is centered on 3 things:

1) how much money government is wasting, and the related issue,

2) how to clean up government, and finally,

Republicans win when the issue is:

3) how to grow the economy – and therefore revenue.

At no time during the recent debate did Republicans even attempt to talk about government waste. If they had won that debate, then voters would not be inclined to give more money to government.

At no time during the debate did Republicans attempt to offer budget savings and sell them to the American people. If they had won that debate, there would have been less pressure to raise taxes.

Finally, and without question, Republicans for a long time have chosen to lose the prosperity argument. They allowed the Democrats to propagate the canard that the Bush tax cuts hurt the economy (however, apparently most of those cuts are suddenly ok according to this fiscal deal). Republicans literally and voluntarily have abandoned a pro-growth agenda.

In the final analysis, Republicans “negotiated” with Obama on his terms and how he framed the issue. Rather than do that, they also need to follow this advice from Sun Tzu: “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.” That means Republicans need to make the Democrats defend government waste – one of their weaknesses.

Forget The Whining, Here's A Plan For Republicans To Seize The Agenda - Tom Del Beccaro/Forbes

Higher health care premiums could cause Obamacare to death spiral

This weekend, the New York Times reported on a development that’s completely unsurprising to critics of President Obama’s national health care law: “Health insurance companies across the country are seeking and winning double-digit increases in premiums for some customers, even though one of the biggest objectives of the Obama administration’s health care law was to stem the rapid rise in insurance costs for consumers.” - Philip Klein/Washington Examiner @philipklein

...Should premiums continue to rise, more and more uninsured Americans are going to choose to pay the penalty rather than purchase expensive insurance. And those who go without insurance are more likely to be the ones who can afford to do so — young and healthy Americans with limited medical expenses. Should this occur, insurers would have to raise premiums even more to subsidize the expenses of the sicker beneficiaries they must cover under the law. This, in turn, would cause additional people to forgo insurance and pay the fine. And so on. This is known in the health care policy community as the “death spiral” and it’s one of the biggest threats to the structure of Obamacare....

Why can't Republicans enforce law against Harry Reid?

Many of the responses I’ve gotten to my article on the Republican plan to use the debt ceiling as leverage to force Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass a budget have been along these lines: If it is against the law for Congress not to pass a budget (and it is), and if Harry Reid is violating that law (and he is), then why can’t something be done about it? Why can’t Reid be charged with something? Or perhaps a lawsuit be brought? - Byron York/Washington Examiner

The answer is the law requiring Congress to pass an annual budget, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, doesn’t have an enforcement mechanism. Lawmakers are required by law to pass a budget each year by April 15, but there’s no provision to punish them, or even slightly inconvenience them, if they don’t. In Reid’s case, the Senate last passed a budget in April 2009, 1,351 days ago as of Wednesday.

“The law doesn’t have teeth,” says a Senate aide involved in the fight. “Sen. Sessions and others have proposed process reforms to give the budget law teeth (one reform would make it harder to pass spending bills without a budget), but the debt ceiling is the strongest leverage we have on this. This is the opportunity.”

...There’s no way to know precisely how the debt ceiling fight will play out, other than to say in the end the debt ceiling will ultimately be raised. But surely one result should be a strengthening of the requirement that Congress pass a budget. It would seem unnecessary — after all, it is a core constitutional responsibility of lawmakers — but Harry Reid has made a new, stronger law a real priority.

Hobby Lobby: Risking MILLIONS To Stand Against Obama For Religious Liberty!


Defying the Obama Administration on Religious Liberty - Amy Payne/Heritage Morning Bell

Hobby Lobby gained national attention when its leadership announced they would not bow to the Obama Administration’s violation of their religious liberty. Thousands of Americans pledged to shop at the retailer over the weekend to show their appreciation for this stand—a stand that could cost the company up to $1.3 million in fines per day.

Like many other companies, Hobby Lobby’s health insurance plan renewed on January 1, causing them to be subject to the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate under Obamacare. This mandate forces employers to pay for coverage of abortion-inducing drugs like the “morning after” and “week after” pills, which directly violates many Americans’ deeply held beliefs—including Hobby Lobby’s owners, the Green family. The Greens, who founded the company, close all its locations on Sundays and seek to operate in accordance with Christian principles—including offering an employee health care plan that aligns with those values.

The Obama Administration’s outrageous position is that business owners’ rights to religious freedom end when they walk into their workplaces, claiming that “for-profit, secular employers generally do not engage in any exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment.”

If employers don’t change their health plans to comply, they will be hit with fines—up to $100 per employee per day. But if they stop providing health coverage, Obamacare’s double whammy means that, come 2014, employers with more than 50 employees could instead be hit with fines for that.

Thirteen for-profit companies have received rulings touching on the merits of their cases from the courts so far. Ten have secured relief—though temporary—from having the mandate enforced against them. Three companies have been denied relief: Hobby Lobby, Autocam Corp., and Grote Industries.

Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green said, “The conflict for me is that our family is being forced to choose between following the laws of the country that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful and have supported our family and thousands of our employees and their families.”

Tragic letter from The Hobby Lobby CEO: results of personal freedoms slipping away - The Brenner Brief (image source)

Cincinnati TV Anchor Delivers Blistering Fact-Check of Piers Morgan’s Anti-Gun Claims

FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather

“In the UK, there are 2,034 violent crimes per 100,000 people...the U.S. has a violent crime rate of 466 crimes per 100,000 residents." - Greg Hengler/Townhall

Reality Check: Piers Morgan vs. Alex Jones, and the truth about gun homicide rates - Ben Swann/FOX19

REPUBLICANS SHOULD RECOGNIZE, REVEAL THE REAL BARACK OBAMA



Some people need a House to fall on them in order to see the light. - Dr. Susan Berry/Breitbart

Transparency is not only the right thing to do for the American people. It is the best way for Republicans to reveal the real Barack Obama.

Krauthammer warns ‘in a second term, Obama is going to show who he really is’

On Tuesday night’s broadcast of “The O’Reilly Factor,” Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer said President Barack Obama will show “who he really is” in his second term.

According to Krauthammer, Obama is already making good on his March 2012 comments to then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have “more flexibility” after Election Day.

“I think what’s happening here is that in his second term, Obama is going to show who he really is,” Krauthammer said. “Remember what he said to the Soviet president, ‘After the election, I will be more flexible,’ which means he can be more of who he wants to be. … [Former Nebraska Sen. and current defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel] is prepared to do the dismantling that Obama wants to do, would never have admitted he wanted to do, but [that] will likely be carried out now in the second term.”

Obama lurches left with pick of Chuck Hagel, denial of spending problem - Michael Barone/Washington Examiner @michaelbarone

10 Things Conservatives Got Right About Obama - Kyle Becker/Independent Journal Review

During the president’s re-election campaign, conservatives warned Americans about what a Barack Obama second term would look like. Now some Democrats are having buyer’s remorse after Obama’s re-election, it’s time to do a quick “I told you so” from the right’s perspective.

Biden: Obama Might Use Executive Order to 'Deal With' Guns


74% Think Americans Have Constitutional Right To Own A Gun: While most Americans are clear they want tougher rules for gun ownership, they also feel as strongly as ever that the average citizen has a constitutional right to own a gun. Only a plurality, however, feels that laws governing gun ownership should be a federal responsibility. - Rasmussen

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 74% of American Adults continue to believe the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of an average citizen to own a gun. Only 17% disagree, while nine percent (9%) are undecided.

Biden: Obama Might Use Executive Order to Deal With Guns - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard ◼ Via Drudge

Vice President Joe Biden revealed that President Barack Obama might use an executive order to deal with guns.

"The president is going to act," said Biden, giving some comments to the press before a meeting with victims of gun violence. "There are executives orders, there's executive action that can be taken. We haven't decided what that is yet. But we're compiling it all with the help of the attorney general and the rest of the cabinet members as well as legislative action that we believe is required."

GUN-GRABBING LEGISLATION SWEEPS NATION - Ben Shapiro/Breitbart

Remember when the left pretended they liked the Second Amendment? That’s passé. Today, Democrats around the country are preparing for a big gun grab, the likes of which the Republic has never before seen. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has actually publicly pitched all-out gun confiscation (or alternatively, forced gun buybacks), is now preparing grandiose new legislation designed to strip New Yorkers of “assault weapons,” as well as restrict the size of magazines. In the only provision actually designed to reduce crime, Cuomo will also propose harsher penalties for using a gun in the commission of a crime.

DRUDGE Headlines:

HIGH NOON: SHERIFF BIDEN, NRA SHOWDOWN - The Hill
'The president is going to act' - Washington Times
BANG BANG: CUOMO TO ANNOUNCE SWEEPING GUN LAWS - CBS NY
Iowa lawmaker calls for confiscation - Daily Caller
CT lawmaker calls for background checks to buy ammo - WFSB
Gun sales soar in Atlanta - AJC
'Folks are grabbing just about any gun they can get their hands on' - Washington Free Beacon
Piers Morgan and Guests Discuss Shooting Alex Jones...
Teachers In Ohio, Texas Flock To Free Gun Training Classes...
CUOMO TO ANNOUNCE SWEEPING GUN CONTROL LAWS - CBS NY
Gawker Website Posts Full List of All 'A**hole' New York City License Gun Owners - Ben Shapiro/Breitbart
CONGRESSMAN FLOODED WITH CALLS ON GUN CONTROL: 9-TO-1 AGAINST - Politico
Gun show sees record turnout; vendors running out of merchandise - KSL
AP: FEWER EXCITED GUN-BUYERS IN COLO, CONN.... Gun checks nearly double in both states - AP
Show Draws Thousands Looking to Stock Up in CA - NBC LA
CHICAGOLAND: Gun Shops Report Empty Cases, Bare Shelves, Phones Ringing Off Hook - CBS Chicago
OBAMA PLANS BROAD GUN-CONTROL - Washington Post

STALIN, HITLER, OBAMA, OH MY! - David Harsanyi/Human Events
Media, Left freak over Drudge headline likening Obama’s gun grab threat to Stalin, Hitler - Twitchy

Biden: Obama considering executive orders to deal with guns - Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin



Why we need gun rights… - John Seiler/CalWatchDog

Ten Outrageous Anti-Gun ’Journalists’ - Liz Thatcher/MRC

Media push agenda against 2nd Amendment while masquerading as objective.

This Is How a Secret Gun Provision Made its Way Into Obamacare Legislation - Billy Hallowell/TheBlaze

There’s a widely-unknown provision in the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) — legislative wording that is capturing attention in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Pushed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), a newly-noticed regulation that was placed deep within the bill back in 2010, among other things, bans doctors from documenting patients’ answers to questions that focus upon guns.

The Washington Post first reported on Dec. 30 about the presence of this controversial wording. Under a section with the headline “Protection of Second Amendment Gun Rights,” the NRA-advocated wording is nestled deep within the law. The Post called the inclusion, “a largely overlooked but significant challenge to a movement in American medicine to treat firearms as a matter of public health.”

As the outlet also noted, it was in the final stretch of the debate over Obama’s health care legislation that the NRA successfully pushed to insert this language.... More at The Blaze

PANIC: One Million AR-15 Magazines On Backorder - CNS News

Sales of firearms, ammunition and firearms accessories have surged in recent weeks over fears that the Obama administration will soon implement stricter gun laws.

Dianne Fenstien (D-Calif.) plans on introducing legislation that would ban military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Because the PMAG holds 30 rounds, it would fall under the definition of "high-capacity" in the Feinstein bill.

But, before any such legislation occurs, gun enthusiasts are scouring the nation to get their hands on what could be some of the last manufactured PMAGs.

Awesome! 15 year old defends home from burglars with Dad’s AR-15 - Poor Richard's News
The 15-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister had been home alone in the Mount Royal Village subdivision when around 2:30 p.m. a pair of burglars tried the front and back doors, then broke a back window.

The teenager grabbed his father’s assault rifle and knew what to do with it.
- Fish&Game.com

1,351 days without a budget from @SenateDems.

Last time they passed a budget was April 29, 2009.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Get A Bill Passed, Mr. Speaker

link - Hugh Hewitt/Townhall

There are at least three more showdowns with the president ahead, one of them in the immediate future as the debt limit looms. The president began this round last week, and was backed up in his posturing by Chuck Schumer. The president says he won’t negotiate over the debt limit. Schumer says “Yeah, that’s the ticket. No negotiation, unless taxes go up.”

Mitch McConnell has replied for the Congressional GOP and has done so forcefully, stating bluntly the tax hikes are over.

The Speaker has been silent and his leadership team has adopted his reticence.

The clock is ticking. The president and the Senate Dems are racing out to the same sort of lead that Alabama established last night. The House GOP has to get into the game, and soon.

Speaker Boehner has committed the House to return to “regular order.” I discussed this last week with Congressmen John Campbell and Paul Ryan and Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul and yesterday with Senator Pat Toomey.

“Regular order” means that the House will pass a bill, send it to the Senate and wait for its return in a wholly different form, or with slight amendment, and then summon a conference of House and Senate negotiators to hammer out the details pending final votes in both houses and then referral to the president for his signature or veto.

The promise to return to “regular order” comes as the Republicans in Congress prepare to confront the president over the country’s out-of-control spending binge. The president wants to raise the limit on the country’s credit card –the “debt ceiling”—and the Republicans won’t do that unless spending reforms are put into place, specifically, reforms of entitlement spending.

“Of course Al didn’t show up,” said one high placed Current staffer. “He has no credibility.... He’s supposed to be the face of clean energy and just sold [the channel] to very big oil, the emir of Qatar! Current never even took big oil advertising—and Al Gore, that bulls***ter sells to the emir?”

Current situation: Staffers talk about first meeting with Al Jazeera - Linda Stasi/NY Post

Just call him Al Gorezeera.

Yesterday morning, the still shell shocked staff at Current TV was called to an all hands staff meeting at its San Francisco headquarters, which was teleconferenced to their offices in LA and NYC, to meet their new bosses.

That would be two of Al Jazeera’s top guys: Ehab Al Shihabi, executive director of international operations, and Muftah AlSuwaidan, general manager of the London bureau.

Ominously missing was the creator of Current, the self proclaimed inventor of the Internet and savior of clean energy, Al Gore, although his partner, Joel Hyatt, stood proudly with the Al Jazeera honchos.

“Of course Al didn’t show up,” said one high placed Current staffer. “He has no credibility.

“He’s supposed to be the face of clean energy and just sold [the channel] to very big oil, the emir of Qatar! Current never even took big oil advertising—and Al Gore, that bulls***ter sells to the emir?”

The meeting, while not contentious, was, according to staffers who spoke on the condition of anonymity, miserable....

One person at the meeting, who has already announced that she’s leaving, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, tried to ask about severance packages for those who wouldn’t be staying.

“This isn’t the place to discuss this!” Hyatt barked at her.

“After that, everyone kept their questions pretty much to themselves,” according to the staff member.

How do they feel about Gore the savior of green energy now?

The displeasure with Gore among the staff was thick enough to cut with a scimitar.

“We all know now that Al Gore is nothing but a bulls***ter,” said the staffer bluntly.

We do stories on the tax code, and he sells the network before the tax code kicked in?

“Al was always lecturing us about green. He kept his word about green all right—as in cold, hard cash!”

Current TV Staffers Have a Moment of Clarity - Ed Driscoll/PJM

The New Liberal Aristocracy

Modern elitists are past masters at preaching one thing and practicing another. - Victor Davis Hanson/National Review

‘Limousine liberal” is an old American term used against those who inherited lots of money and then became “traitors to their class” by embracing populist politics.

The Roosevelts and Kennedys enjoyed the high life quite apart from the multitude that they championed. And they were exempt, by virtue of their inherited riches and armies of accountants and attorneys, from the higher taxes they advocated for others. Few worried about how their original fortunes were made long ago, or that as lifelong government officials they had their needs met by the state. Most were relieved instead that as very rich people they wanted less rich people to pay their fair share to help the poor.

But the new liberal aristocracy is far less discreet than the old. Most are self-made multimillionaires who acquired their money through government service, finance, law, investment, or marriage. If the old-money liberals lived it up tastefully within their walled family compounds, the new liberal aristocrats are unashamed about living openly in a manner quite at odds with their professed populist ideology.

Take former vice president Al Gore. He has made a fortune of nearly a billion dollars warning against global warming — supposedly shrinking glaciers, declining polar-bear populations, and the like — while simultaneously offering timely remedies from his own green corporations, all reminiscent of the methodology of Roman millionaire Marcus Licinius Crassus, who profited from fires and putting them out. Now Nobel laureate Gore has sold his interest in a failing cable-television station for about $100 million — and to the anti-American Al-Jazeera, which is owned by the fossil-fuel-rich royal family of Qatar. Gore rushed to close the deal before the first of the year to avoid the very capital-gains tax hikes that he has advocated for others less well off. That’s a liberal trifecta: enhancing a fossil-fuel consortium, attempting to beat tax hikes, and empowering an anti-American and anti-Semitic media conglomerate run by an authoritarian despot — all from a former vice president of the United States who crusades for ending our reliance on fossil fuels and for raising taxes on the wealthy.... Read the Whole Thing AT THE LINK.