News Blog for social, fiscal & national security conservatives who believe in God, family & the USA. Upholding the rights granted by God & guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, traditional family values, "republican" principles / ideals, transparent & limited "smaller" government, free markets, lower taxes, due process of law, liberty & individual freedom. Content approval rests with the ARRA News Service Editor. Opinions are those of the authors. While varied positions are reported, beliefs & principles remain fixed. No revenue is generated for or by this "Blog" - no paid ads - no payments for articles.Fair Use Doctrine is posted & used. Blogger/Editor/Founder: Bill Smith, Ph.D. [aka: OzarkGuru & 2010 AFP National Blogger of the Year] Contact: editor@arranewsservice.com (Pub. Since July, 2006)Home PageFollow @arra
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics
is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. -- Plato
(429-347 BC)
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Social Liberals Long Shots for GOP Nomination
by David Limbaugh, Human Events: For the longest time I have believed -- and continue to believe -- Republicans will not nominate a social liberal as their presidential candidate, but even more so that if they do, they will severely handicap themselves in the general election.The Washington Times reports that some Republican Party officials are concerned their party is drifting away from social conservatism in anticipation of the 2008 election. . . .
For those who might have forgotten, the mainstream media, which was immeasurably more powerful at the time of Reagan's rise, tagged Reagan as a dangerous extremist. They said his tax-cutting policies would bankrupt America, his social policies would send women to the back allies for abortions, and he would ignite World War III with the Soviet Union. The GOP social liberal who urges the party leftward in the name of sound strategic analysis is allowing his own policy preferences to skew his thinking. For if he truly understood history or the pulse of the conservative movement that still drives the GOP, he would see the folly of his prescriptions for the party.
Those GOP "moderates" can't seem to get past their own belief that pro-life conservatives are indeed extreme and so assume it will be easy for Democrats to paint them as such in the election. But most Americans are less likely to view those defending innocent life as extreme than those defending its extermination in the name of women's rights. They are less apt to consider the championship of traditional marriage as extreme than forcing society to sanction, even celebrate homosexual unions. Interestingly, Democrats instinctively understand the awesome power of social conservatives -- they call them values voters. That's why for the last three or four years we've seen . . . Democrats' "new" efforts to woo values voters . . . [Read More] Tags:conservative, David Limbaugh, Election 2008, GOP, Human Events, liberals, presidential candidates, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Aaron Sadler, The Morning News: Lawmakers last week overwhelmingly approved broad ethics and lobbying rules crafted in response to corruption scandals that beset Congress a year ago. The Senate voted 83-14 and the House 411-8 . . . The ethics bill bans lawmakers from accepting gifts from lobbyists or their clients and forces elected officials and presidential candidates to pay the full charter rate for trips on noncommercial planes. It sets new guidelines for public disclosure of individual projects, or earmarks, 48 hours before a vote. Earmark sponsors would be required to declare they have no financial stake in the project.Opponents said the bill didn't go far enough toward providing full earmark disclosure. . . . the bill prohibits senators from taking lobbying jobs until two years after they leave office. The window for House members would be one year.It would also require lawmakers to name lobbyists who raise more than $15,000 for them from different sources over a six-month period. [Read More] [Note: The entire Arkansas voted for the reform bill: Sens. Blanche Lincoln & Mark Pryor & Reps. Marion Berry, John Boozman, Mike Ross and Vic Snyder ]See Also:Draining the 'Swamp' Is Not So Easy: Skeptics Question Bite of Ethics Rules Tags:earmark reform, earmarks, Ethics, ethics reform, gifts, lobby reform, lobbying, lobbyist, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Right-Of-Center Bloggers Select Most & Least Desired 2008 Republican Nominee (3rd Qtr 2007 Edition)
Update: See the Right Wing News report for the 4th Qtr 2007 Edition: [Summary: Fred Thompson continues as candidate of choice for right-of center bloggers.] 8/06/07: Right Wing News surveyed more than 230 right-of-center bloggers and asked them to send us a ranked list 1-5 of the candidates that they would most like to take the Republican nomination for President in 2008 and the 1-5 candidates they'd least like to see . . .
Most Desired GOP Nominee (desired position: 1st)
11) Tommy Thompson (5) - dropped out
10) Sam Brownback (5) - dropped out
9) Ron Paul (9.5)
8) Newt Gingrich (15.0)
7) John McCain (17.0)
6) Tom Tancredo (27.5)
5) Mike Huckabee (31.25)
4) Mitt Romney (56.25)
3) Duncan Hunter (60.0)
2) Rudy Giuliani (70.0) 1) Fred Thompson (86.5)
Least Desired GOP Nominee (desired position: 11th) 11) Fred Thompson (6.0) 10) Newt Gingrich (7.5)
9) Duncan Hunter (9.5)
8) Mike Huckabee (20.0)
7) Rudy Giuliani (20.5)
6) Mitt Romney (21.5)
5) Tom Tancredo (39.5)
4) Tommy Thompson (45.5) - dropped out
3) Sam Brownback (56.0) - dropped out
2) John McCain (61.0)
1) Ron Paul (87.0)
Net Score For The GOP Nominees (Positive Minus Negative - desired position: 1st)
11) Ron Paul (-77.5)
10) Sam Brownback (-51) - dropped out
9) John McCain (-44)
8) Tommy Thompson (-40.5) - dropped out
7) Tom Tancredo (-12)
6) Newt Gingrich (7.5)
5) Mike Huckabee (11.25)
4) Mitt Romney (34.75)
3) Rudy Giuliani (49.5)
2) Duncan Hunter (50.5) 1) Fred Thompson (80.5) [Read More] Tags:GOP, online polls, Republican, republican candidates, Right Wing, election 2008To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by David D. Kirkpatrick, The New YorkTimes: . . . The first worry was what lobbyists are calling the new “temptation rules.” Not only do they bar lawmakers and aides from accepting any gifts, meals or trips from lobbyists, they also impose penalties up to $200,000 and five years in prison on any lobbyist who provides such freebies. . . . under the new law he is required to certify each quarter that none of the 50 lobbyists in his firm bought so much as a burger or cigar for someone on a lawmaker’s staff. . . .
By requiring them to certify the good behavior of their employees, the law puts lobbyists at new legal risk and could subject them to new pressure from prosecutors. And new centralized disclosures of lobbyists’ campaign contributions, fund-raising activities and even their achievements - in the form of Congressional earmarks in spending bills - make it only easier for federal investigators to paint unflattering portraits of lobbyists’ influence. . . . Stanley Brand, a longtime Washington defense lawyer who usually represents Democrats, said the law was a sea change. “It should send shivers down lobbyists’ spines,” Mr. Brand said. “It is a minefield now.” These are hardly the first restrictions, of course. Internal rules already barred lawmakers or senior staff members from accepting a gift or a meal worth more than $50 from a lobbyist. But the rules were rarely, if ever, enforced and did not govern lobbyists. President Bush has not said whether he would sign the bill . . . [Read More] Tags:lobby reform, lobbying, lobbyist, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Burt Prelutsky: I grew up in a home in which Franklin Roosevelt was regarded as a saint. Is it any wonder that it took me so many years before I finally saw the light? As a rule, I don’t approve of people who lay their own shortcomings at the feet of their parents, but when I realize that for no other reason than the way I was raised that I actually voted for Jimmy Carter, it’s awfully tempting to blame my folks.
But whoever is at fault, it is certainly high time to acknowledge how much harm was done to this country during FDR’s administrations, and how much spin left-wing historians have put on his record . For instance, he has often been credited with keeping America from going Communist during the Great Depression. But you might say the same about the leaders of Germany, Italy and Spain.
The fact is, Roosevelt simply introduced an American form of Communism, one the country was willing to swallow. There were no gulags or show trials; instead, there was an alphabet soup of new federal departments and bureaucracies, whose sole purpose was to diminish the power of the states and its citizens. FDR tried and pretty much succeeded in turning the federal government into a grotesque, power-crazy, creature that was all mouth and no brain. . . . [Read More] Check out Burt Prelutsky book:Conservatives Are from Mars, Liberals Are from San Francisco: 101 Reasons I'm Happy I Left the Left Tags:Burt Prelutsky, Democrats, liberals
Women deserve right to informed choice Mothers should know about pain felt by unborn child
U.S. Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) announced his co-sponsorship of legislation which provides expectant mothers with important information on the health of their unborn child. The “Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act,” offered by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), would require abortion providers to notify women seeking an abortion after 20 weeks that their unborn child may feel pain, and allow mothers to request anesthesia for their unborn child to reduce or eliminate pain caused by the abortion process. “This is common-sense legislation which will provide mothers with important information while they make the choice on whether to have an abortion, or not,” Boozman said. “As a medical professional, I know the importance of having all the available information before choosing a course of action.”
Boozman noted that the partial-birth abortion ban trials leading up to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ban have drawn new attention to the pain that unborn children feel during an abortion. In expert testimony during those trials, Dr. Kanwaljeet Anand, Director of the Pain Neurobiology Lab at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute explained, “the human fetus possesses the ability to experience pain from 20 weeks of gestation, if not earlier, and the pain perceived by a fetus is possibly more intense that that perceived by term newborns or older children.”
“The unborn child feels pain after 20 weeks. This is information every mother should have so that they may make a more informed choice,” Boozman, a member of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus said. “In this regard, we must respect the advancement of scientific knowledge and research. It makes sense to offer the ability, at 20 weeks and beyond, to give mothers the knowledge needed to understand that, and offer the opportunity to choose to give anesthesia to remedy that situation.”
The “Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act” was first introduced in the 109th Congress, and was co-sponsored by Boozman. It was considered under a suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority to pass. In December 2006, the bill garnered 250 votes, a majority, but below the two-thirds threshold. “It is important to note a bipartisan majority voted to give America’s mothers the capability of being more fully informed as to the health of their unborn child,” Boozman said. “Women deserve to be given the right to an informed choice. I call on the House leadership to allow this measure to come to the floor for a vote.”
In the last year, Boozman has co-sponsored and called for passage of several pro-life pieces of legislation, including: the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, giving parents the right to know when their child is taken across a state line to undergo the abortion procedure; the Pregnant Women Support Act, providing resources, including health insurance, which enable pregnant women to choose life; and the Post Abortion Research and Care Act, providing funds for the National Institutes of Health to research the emotional impact of abortion on women. [Source]Tags:Arkansas, child pain, John Boozman, Republican, unborn, Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, US House
by David C. Polyansky: ABC News’s top editors agreed with us in meetings over the past several weeks that the FairTax has become increasingly newsworthy. Not only did ABC ask the GOP candidates about the FairTax in the latest Iowa GOP debate (to an estimated audience of 33.2 million), but they put the FairTax logo, Web site, and key points of the plan on the screen while George Stephanopoulos defined the FairTax proposal to the audience and the presidential candidates (Click here to watch the FairTax clip).Tags:ABC News, debate, FairTax Plan, GOP, presidential candidatesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Mike Huckabee is Decisive Winner of ABC GOP Debate
"They like Mike" by Mike Allen: Going into Sunday's Republican presidential debate, most of the Iowans . . . had never heard of Mike Huckabee, or knew very little about the ex-preacher and former governor of Arkansas. But by the debate’s end, they knew a lot more - and liked what they saw. . . . 29 GOP voters from the Des Moines area were assembled by Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster and political consultant. "Huckabee is hitting it out of the park with these people," Luntz, a Fox contributor, said as he listened to comments from this small but influential group of voters, whose reactions will be featured on Fox News. Their reasoning - he was appealing because he seemed like a non-Washington, regular guy - may sound a wake-up call for the leaders in the race. . . . Huckabee’s best moment - "Off the charts!" crowed Luntz - came when he attacked the Saudi royal family while talking about the importance of reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil. "Look, we've made them rich," Huckabee said. "Every time somebody in this room goes to the gas pump, you’ve helped make the Saudi royal family a little wealthier. And the money that has been used against us in terrorism has largely come from the Middle East." . . . [Read More]
The Massachusetts for Huckabee Blog reported: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee came out as the obvious winner in today's Iowa Republican debate in Des Moines, Iowa, according to news reports. The victory comes on the heels of Huckabee's strong showing in the latest ABC News-Washington Post telephone poll of 402 likely caucus-goers (conducted July 26-31). The new poll places Huckabee in a tie for third place among declared candidates – and gaining momentum. The campaign welcomed the good news, which comes in the final week before the August 11th Ames Straw Poll. Iowa voters saw Mike Huckabee define himself again today as a candidate with executive experience and a message focused on a strong, safe, economically vibrant America. . . . [Read More]
Tags:debate, Iowa, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidate, Republican, wins ABC debate, Election 2008, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
AMES - Supporters of Alan Keyes plan to attend the Iowa Straw Poll Aug. 11, to get Keyes' name before the public as a possible Republican presidential candidate. "We Need Alan Keyes for President," an organization of grassroots volunteers conducting a petition drive to draft Keyes, will hand out literature, donation forms, and sign-up sheets and show video clips of the former Reagan administration diplomat.
Keyes — who in 2000 drew 14 percent in the Iowa Caucus and averaged 16 percent in his best ten states during the presidential primaries — says he is open to the possibility of running, if enough support exists at the grassroots for his candidacy." I've told my supporters — who, by the way, are undertaking this effort on their own — that if they can demonstrate sufficient grassroots support for me to run, I will do so," Keyes commented. Stephen Stone, head of the draft-Keyes movement, said, "A recent AP poll suggested that the leading candidate among GOP hopefuls is 'none of the above.' One-fourth of respondents rejected all the current hopefuls . . . [Read More] Tags:Alan Keyes, presidential candidate, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by David Yepsen, Des Moines Register: Most of the Republican presidential candidates used Sunday's ABC-TV debate at Drake University to court the votes of social conservatives in Saturday's straw poll of Iowa GOP activists in Ames. With that as a yardstick, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney came out on top. He leads in public opinion polls of Iowa Republicans and is expected to win the straw poll. Nothing that happened Sunday knocked him off that course. He turned in his usual polished, executive-like debate performance. He also got off one of the best one-liners of the day when he attacked Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama. Romney said: "In one week, he went from saying he's going to sit down, you know, for tea, with our enemies, but then he's going to bomb our allies. I mean, he's gone from Jane Fonda to Dr. Strangelove in one week." . . . [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, debate, GOP, Iowa, Mitt Romney, presidential candidate, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Fred Thomson Wins NFRA Straw Poll - Giuliani and McCain Receive Resolutions of Strong Disapproval
by Dr. Bill Smith, ARRA Editor (note: I was not a delegate at the convention; only a news reporter):[Updated] The 2007 National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA) Convention was held in St. Louis this weekend. The convention began on Friday and ended Sunday evening. Over 250 people attended the convention.
Several speakers provided workshops for the delegates and guests. The Convention board had to make several last minute adjustment when scheduled Republican presidential candidates could not attend. Representatives Duncan Hunter and Ron Paul could not attend when the US House was kept in session. Others had to redirect their efforts to Iowa when ABC announced they would interview candidates Sunday morning. John Cox who had not been invited to participate in the Iowa interviews spoke at the convention. Campaign representatives for Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Duncan Hunter also spoke on behalf of their candidates.
A "straw poll" was conducted by secret ballot: Fred Thompson 33%
Mitt Romney 15%
Ron Paul 14%
Duncan Hunter 10%
Tom Tancredo 10%
John Cox 6%
Newt Gingrich 3%
Mike Huckabee 3% Tommy Thompson 2% John McCain 2%
Rudy Giuliani 1%
Sam Brownback 1%
In a separate session, convention delegates took action to determine if they would endorse a candidate. Rules required that the delegates cast their votes while in session for candidates that they wish to endorse. Only candidates receiving more than 15% of the delegates votes in the first round of voting may be considered for endorsement. After this first round of voting only two candidates received more than 15% of the delegates votes. Those candidates were Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter. For a candidate to be endorsed, it takes two-thirds of the delegates to agree with the endorsement. six more ballots and spirited debate, neither Thompson nor Hunter received the required two thirds vote by the delegates in order to be officially endorsed by the NFRA.
In addition, delegates introduced resolutions to "censure" two "top-tier" Republican presidential candidates. The word "censure" was amended to "strong disapproval." The delegates voted to express their "strong disapproval of Senator John McCain because of his actions in developing and promoting immigration reform that would have in essence granted amnesty to illegal aliens. Delegates also voted to expresse "strong disapproval" of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani because of his positions on marriage and civil unions for homosexuals, favoring gun control, and having positions conflicting with the pro-life platform of the Republican Party.
The convention elected new NFRA national officers which will be reflected on their website. Of special note were the elections of Rod Martin as NFRA President and Chris Brown as Executive Vice President. Tags:Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mitt Romney, National Federation of Republican Assemblies, NFRA, republican candidates, Rudy Giuliani, straw poll, Election 2008To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
To quote from a recent op-ed by Jeffrey Gardner in the Albuquerque Times: "Here's an interesting quote from the New York Times: 'When men get in the habit of helping themselves to the property of others, they cannot easily be cured of it.' You'll be stunned to learn that those words were in reference to income taxes and not thievery - mere semantics, of course. Unfortunately they were written nearly 100 years ago, in a 1909 editorial protesting the first federal income tax, to be precise. That, as they say, was then, long before we became so inured to the notion of redistributing wealth. . . . A short hundred years ago, we were a tax-free land. Those days are long gone, of course. Now, the Democrats' addiction to higher taxes and their base's blind hatred of the president are about to drive a stake into the heart of an economy that's simply rocking."
Now we learn from an article by Edmund L. Andrews and Robert Pear that with New Rules, Congress Boasts of Pet Projects: If the idea was to shame lawmakers into restraint, it did not work. Eight months after Democrats vowed to shine light on the dark art of “earmarking” money for pet projects, many lawmakers say the new visibility has only intensified the competition for projects by letting each member see exactly how many everyone else is receiving. So far this year, House lawmakers have put together spending bills that include almost 6,500 earmarks for almost $11 billion in local projects, only half of which the Bush administration supported. The earmark frenzy hit fever pitch in recent days, even as the Senate passed new rules that allow more public scrutiny of them.
Far from causing embarrassment, the new transparency has raised the value of earmarks as a measure of members’ clout. Indeed, lawmakers have often competed to have their names attached to individual earmarks and rushed to put out press releases claiming credit for the money they bring home. The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), has obtained about $63 million worth of projects, most of them in or near her district in San Francisco. But Ms. Pelosi was overshadowed by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA), chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense, who obtained $163 million in pet projects . . . [Read More] ARRA Editor: I guess Congress will stop earmarks only "when pigs fly." Tags:Congressional Pork, earmarks, pork, pork-barrel spenders, US Congress, US House, John Murtha, PA, Nancy Pelosi, CATo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
House Approves Changes in Eavesdropping -- on Foreign Terrorists
by Carl Hulse & Edmund L. Andrews,The New York Times: . . . Racing to complete a final rush of legislation before a scheduled month long break, the House voted 227 to 183 to endorse a measure the Bush administration said was needed to keep pace with communications technology in the effort to track terrorists overseas. “The intelligence community is hampered in gathering essential information about terrorists,” said Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX). The House Democratic leadership had severe reservations about the proposal and an overwhelming majority of Democrats opposed it. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measure “does violence to the Constitution of the United States.” But with the Senate already in recess, Democrats confronted the choice of allowing the administration’s bill to reach the floor and be approved mainly by Republicans or letting it die. If it had stalled, that would have left Democratic lawmakers, long anxious about appearing weak on national security issues, facing an August spent fending off charges from Republicans that they had left Americans exposed to threats. . . . [Read More] Tags:surveillance, terrorist, US HouseTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Enough is Enough - Democrats Democrats Whitewash the Congressional Record
Democrats Ignore GOP Objection to Rules Violation, Then Whitewash Record to Cover It Up PROMISE MADE: “This leadership team will create the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.”(Then-Speaker Designate Nancy Pelosi, Release, 11/16/06) PROMISE BROKEN: “We control this House, not the parliamentarians!” (Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 8/2/07)
“The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his inquiry.
“Mr. BOEHNER. Madam Speaker, isn't it correct that the gentleman from Maryland engaged in debate, which allows the House to then proceed with up to 1 hour of debate on this resolution?
“The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman was not recognized as the Chair had not yet ruled that the resolution constituted a question of privilege.” The question is on the motion to table. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. BOEHNER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.”
(Congressional Record from 8/3/07, published 8/4/07)
Speaker Pro Tem (Rep. Ellen Tauscher): For what purpose does the gentleman from Maryland rise?
Rep. Hoyer: Madam Speaker, enough is enough.
Rep. Tauscher: [to the Parliamentarian] Does the what?
Rep. Tauscher: Does the gentleman have an amendment?
Rep. Hoyer: Madam Speaker, I move to table the resolution.
Rep. Tauscher: The resolution…
Leader Boehner: Madam Speaker! [no answer] Madam Speaker! [no answer] Madam Speaker! [no answer] Madam Speaker, I raise a point of order. The gentleman from Maryland engaged in debate…
Rep. Tauscher: The question is on the motion to table. All those in favor say aye…
Leader Boehner: Madam Speaker, isn’t it correct that the gentleman from Maryland engaged in debate, which allows the House to then proceed for up to one hour of debate on this resolution?
Rep. Tauscher: The Chair did not yet rule that the question constitutes a question of privilege. The question is on the motion to table. All those in favor say aye, all those opposed say no. In the opinion of chair, the ayes have it.
Leader Boehner: Madam Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.
U.S. House of Representatives, 8/3/07, transcribed from the video)
Tags:Enough is Enough, democrats, Politics, US House, Republican leader, John BoehnerTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Mark Earley: For the past several months, the media have been full of stories about outreach efforts to evangelical voters by candidates from the major political parties. The candidates have had faith forums, websites, as well as simply talking a lot about God. There's a place for religion in the public square, and any effort to make that bipartisan is welcome from me. But if Democrats--or Republicans--think that wooing evangelical voters is about "God talk," they are mistaken. . . .
It’s hard to know which is worse: that candidates think that talking about religion will make evangelical Christians forget why they care about politics—or that they might be right. Democrats and Republicans are suggesting that Christians set aside their concerns about the sanctity of life and preservation of the family: Indeed, the same period that saw all the stories about Democrats and religion saw stories about a “maturing” of the evangelical vote on the Republican side. By “maturing,” the commentators meant that Christians are willing to overlook where GOP hopefuls stand on abortion and same-sex marriage. But if we do that, we will have forgotten why we got involved in the first place. Like the candidates, we’ll be missing the point. As the country song says, “How about a little less talk, and a lot more action?” . . . [Read More] Tags:Christians, Democrats, Mark Earley, Politics, religion, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Dr. Bill Smith, Editor: In St. Louis, MO today covering the National Federation of Republican Assemblies. Numerous speakers from Phyllis Schlafly to former House Majority Leader Tom Delay spoke to convention delegates on various topics including Jhad and Islamic terrorism. John Cox, GOP presidential candidate, spoke along with representatives for other Republican candidates. Rep. Duncan Hunter and Rep. Ron Paul had to stay in Washington because the US House was kept in session. Other candidates who had committed to attend werecaught off guard when ABC announced a few days ago that they were going to interview candidates in Iowa tomorrow morning at 8 am. Stories will be filed over the next couple days. Tomorrow is the NFRA straw poll and a potential endorsement by the NFRA. Tags:2007, National Federation of Republican Assemblies, NFRA, Convention, St Louis, MO, MissouriTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Associated Press: Republican presidential hopeful John McCain on Thursday backed a scaled-down proposal that imposes strict rules to end illegal immigration but doesn't include a path to citizenship. The move away from a comprehensive measure is an about-face for the Arizona senator, who had been a leading GOP champion of a bill that included a guest worker program and would have legalized many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. . . . [Read More]
Henry Lamb: Fifty years ago, the term "social engineering" referred to government policies that forced people to live as government dictated. In the United States, it was a hated term. Americans died to defeat the social engineering that Hitler imposed on the Germans, and tried to impose on the rest of the world. Communism, as practiced in the Soviet Union, was social engineering -- the absolute opposite of the freedom Americans enjoyed and employed to limit the power of their government . . . [Read More]
Sad Day for House Events Which Led to Illegal Immigrants Receiving Benefits
Today, U.S. Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) expressed remorse at the events on the House floor late Thursday which led to a walk-out of Republican members after a GOP amendment to deny illegal immigrants benefits in the agriculture appropriations bill was seemingly defeated.
“What happened last night is an indicator as to the extent the House leadership will go to defeat common-sense legislation which a majority of Americans want,” Boozman said. “Last night, a majority of the House of Representatives voted to deny benefits to people in our country illegally. Instead, the leadership did not like that result, and proceeded to produce one more politically appealing to them - namely, allowing benefits to illegal immigrants.”
The controversy surrounded the gaveling of the vote on a Republican Motion to Recommit to the Agriculture Appropriations Bill, which would prohibit grant and rental housing assistance funding to illegal immigrants. At the time, the vote was 215-213 in favor of the motion, while the chair announced a 214-214 tie - which would result in the motion’s failure. Minutes later, the chair called the final tally 212-216, which included vote changes by Democrats after the vote had already been gaveled to a close. Had the Motion to Recommit been allowed to succeed, voting for the evening would have concluded, instead the House voted on final passage of the agriculture bill. As a protest, over 100 House Republicans walked out.
“It is a sad day for the House, and for America, as the Democrat leadership chose to void the vote of other Democrats, and Republicans, who came together in a bipartisan majority to protect the money of American taxpayers from being distributed to illegal aliens.”
Tags:Agriculture Bill, federal funding, illegal aliens, John Boozman, US HouseTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Robert Novak, CNSNews Commentary : Speaking at his $1,000-a-ticket fund-raiser at the J.W. Marriott hotel in downtown Washington Monday night, Fred Thompson began by introducing "my campaign manager -- oh, I mean my wife." That little joke about Jeri Thompson reveals how the prospective Republican presidential candidate regards the attack on his intelligent, beautiful wife. . . . That Thompson made light of this at his fund-raiser reflects the cool reaction to crisis he has displayed as GOP counsel of the Watergate investigation, U.S. senator from Tennessee and many dramatic roles (most recently district attorney of Manhattan). That he is in a commanding position for the nomination may explain the extraordinary attention paid to his wife.
Indeed, Fred Thompson's close associates maintain there was no chance he would be a candidate for president were he not married to Jeri. He tells friends the reason he abandoned what seemed a promising campaign for the 1996 nomination was that he did not feel he could manage that endeavor as a single man. The spectacle of Thompson's Republican adversaries demeaning his wife in conversations with newsmen suggests how seriously they regard his prospective candidacy. He starts his campaign in the top tier of candidates and is already the candidate of the South and the favorite of social conservatives. His test is how he will do after Labor Day, when his candidacy's phantom stage has been finished. Jeri Thompson will be at his side as an asset, not a liability.[Read More]
Tags:Fred Thompson, Jeri Thompson, presidential candidate, Republican, Robert NovakTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by PL Booth, The Blue Eye View: I recently wrote that the America I grew up within no longer exists. I also bemoaned lack of leadership within Congress, the GOP, and by our current President. Quite a number of respondents agreed but none had viable ideas of how to restore neither our sovereignty nor decency. Several respondents asked if I had authored a plan or knew how to correct the path of our demise. I didn't and don't.
Those questions caused me to study these problems in even greater depth, . . . To recap, any winning candidate, GOP or not, must formulate and proclaim ideologies and programs for beating our enemies within (socialists) and without (Islam), stop infiltration of our borders, punish and remove illegals and undesirables, educate and Americanize our immigrants and children in the ideals, laws, and mores that make America what she has been. He must convince us he will control Congress' tendency to raise taxes and increase governmental programs, end SS distributions to non-citizens, reject the LOS Treaty, reject globalization including the publicly ignored NAFTA Highway through Texas and Northward, fight abortion on demand, support marriage between a man and a woman, end all mandatory racial and gender discriminations, and make every effort to return to the States those rights and decisions constitutionally theirs.
It is quite an agenda for any candidate but no portion of it can be ignored without dire consequences to a Presidential Campaign and our nation. Only Fred Thompson (wisely) has yet to go public with his entire plan. All the rest of the GOPers are fatally flawed; fatal to the GOP and fatal to the Nation. I hope some of these candidates are paying attention to their Conservative Christian base. If the GOPers will not, a third party candidate is a likely consequence. The last time that happened, Clinton was the result, the only President to "never win" a majority vote. [Read More] Tags:PL Booth, op-ed, presidency, presidential candidates, presidentsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Senate Judiciary Committee Sends Judge Southwick's Nomination to the Full Senate
Today some good news good news came out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Judge Leslie Southwick. Thanks in part to Minority Republican Leader Senator Mitch McConnell’s amendment yesterday calling attention to the lack action on the nomination of Judge Southwick, the Judiciary Committee today returned to consideration of the nomination of Judge Southwick. The committee voted 10-9 to report his nomination to the Senate floor. The key vote was Sen. Dianne Feinstein voting with Republicans in favor of Judge Southwick.
Below is Senator McConnell’s statement on the vote: “With today’s vote to send Judge Southwick’s nomination to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to the full Senate, the Judiciary Committee took a step forward in ensuring we are able to confirm qualified judges to our nation’s courts. Judge Southwick is an outstanding jurist, and a bi-partisan majority judged him on his record of service.
“Judge Southwick, an Iraq war veteran, is superbly fit to continue serving his country, this time on the Fifth Circuit. His colleagues know this, as do his home-state senators. The American Bar Association knows this; it has twice given him its highest rating, ‘well-qualified.’ Even Democrats on the Judiciary Committee know this; just last fall all of them—again, all of them—looked at his record and approved him for a lifetime position on the federal bench. With today’s bi-partisan committee vote for Judge Southwick’s nomination, the full Senate should now move forward to his consideration on the Senate floor.” Tags:federal judges, Leslie Southwick, Mitch McConnell, US SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The following Nebraska based Center for Rural Affairs reporter wasn't too impressed by Arkansas Congressman Marion Berry. Hum! Dan Owens, Blog for Rural America: We've emerged from our collective post-House of Representatives farm bill funk to post some final thoughts. . . . Most absurd statement during the House floor debate, courtesy of Marion Berry (D-AR): "The only reason the farm bill exists is to ensure adequate food production and processing so the American people have enough to eat and clothes on their backs." That is probably a slight paraphrase but I wrote it down as he said it. If that is truly the case, then I suppose we can get rid of all conservation and rural development programs to start off. And the "clothes on their backs" line? That's in there for big cotton. Because, you know, you can't eat cotton, but they still average $213 per acre in government support. And I'm not sure where food "processing" comes in . . .[Read More] Tags:Farm bill, Marion Berry, absurd statement, US Representative, ArkansasTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Boozman Co-Sponsors Pardon Bill Resolution Calls for Swift Pardon of Border Patrol Agents
U.S. Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) today announced his co-sponsorship of legislation which calls for a swift pardon for Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. H.Con.Res. 37 expresses the sense of Congress that President Bush “should swiftly and unconditionally pardon Agents Ramos and Compean.” The Border Patrol Agents were convicted in the 2005 shooting of a Mexican drug runner attempting to smuggle 800 pounds of marijuana over the American border near El Paso, Texas. Boozman’s action follows his signing-on earlier this week to a letter to President Bush asking for the commutation of the men’s sentences. In January, Boozman agreed to co-sponsor legislation which would grant a Congressional Pardon to Agents Ramos and Compean.Tags:Arkansas, border guards, Border Patrol, Ignacio Ramos, John Boozman, Jose Compean, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
IowaPolitics: Followers of radical Islam must be deterred from committing a nuclear attack on U.S. soil, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo said Tuesday morning, saying that as president he would take drastic measures to prevent such attacks. "If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina," . . . "That is the only thing I can think of that might deter somebody from doing what they would otherwise do. If I am wrong fine, tell me, and I would be happy to do something else. But you had better find a deterrent or you will find an attack. There is no other way around it. There have to be negative consequences for the actions they take. That's the most negative I can think of."
. . . "The president and this country better figure out exactly what it can do to deter, I underline deter, the next attack," Tancredo said. "Deter, not just respond, deter, or else I assure you we are going to suffer. The extent of which of course I do not know. I know what they are planning and I know what they want. I do not know if they are going to be capable of doing this tomorrow, the next day or a month from now. I know right now at this moment there is nothing that deters them." Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff said earlier this month he had a "gut feeling" that nation could fall under another terrorist attack. Tancredo said it is possible potential terrorists are residing in this country.
Tancredo told the crowd officials recently broke up a illegal immigrant smuggling ring and discovered people of Middle Eastern descent were paying $25,000 to $50,000 to gain entry into this country. "You have to ask yourselves, why would anybody pay $25,000 to $50,000 to be smuggled into the United States?" Tancredo asked. "It's not to work over here at the Quick Stop or the 7-11. If you pay $50,000 to be smuggled into the United States or somebody is paying that for you, it's probably for some other purpose, not to just get a job that no American will take." [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, Iowa National Defense, presidential candidate, Republican, terrorism, Tom Tancredo To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Aaron Sadler, Stephens Washington Bureau: Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) urged renewal of tariffs on steel imports from China and other countries Tuesday, concerned that easing the trade barrier may cost Arkansas jobs. . . . Pryor testified before the U.S. International Trade Comm., . . . Pryor said American companies would be unable to invest in employees and technology without the tariffs."It's unfair and damaging when they are forced to compete against foreign steel producers who receive massive subsidies or those who engage in unfair trade practices." The domestic steel industry reported . . . that Chinese producers have received more than $52 billion in government assistance. Steel mills in Arkansas are located in Newport, Magnolia, Armorel, Fort Smith, Little Rock and Pine Bluff.
Tariffs in general are bad news economically, said Kathy Deck of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the Univ. of Arkansas. Deck said a better approach for the U.S. government would be to put political pressure on China and other countries to end subsidies to steel producers. . . . "In general, tariffs are bad because they protect one group at the expense of another," Deck said. "In this case, producers at the expense of consumers. There are many more consumers in Arkansas than producers." However, given that China is said to subsidize its producers, she said she understood why American manufacturers "get up in arms." . . . [Read More] Tags:Mark Pryor, steel industry, tariffs
CBS News: Can a boy born into modest circumstances in the small town of Hope, Arkansas go on to become governor of his state, and then presume to run for the Presidency? Yes, Bill Clinton already answered that question, but now 52-year-old Mike Huckabee, fresh from a 10-year-plus run as Arkansas governor, hopes to follow that unlikely path. He is cut from a very different cultural and political stripe: an ordained minister, a conservative pro-life Republican, he jokes about his roots by saying to Republicans: “all I ask is—give us another chance.” . . . [Read More]Tags:Arkansas, CBS, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidate, Republican
Voting Officials nationally Face New Rules to Bar Conflicts Arkansas Passes Act 489 in 2007
by Ian Urbina, The New York Times: The state officials who run the nation’s elections - most with little oversight - are facing new efforts to limit what have been widely criticized as political and financial conflicts of interest. Across the country, state voting officials routinely participate as candidates in races they are responsible for overseeing or act as leaders in their political parties. . . .
While federal ethics rules require lawmakers to wait a year after leaving office before they can take a job lobbying their former colleagues, no such rules exist for election officials, creating a revolving door between election administration and the voting machine industry. In recent years, top election officials in at least five states have moved from government posts directly into jobs as lobbyists for the voting machine industry, which itself grew immensely after Congress allocated billions of dollars to help states update equipment.
Accusations of overt impropriety or bias are rare. But voting experts and a growing number of lawmakers say the perception of conflicts of interest undermines public confidence in the integrity of the voting process. “I think we are reaching a crunch point where Americans are coming to realize that they cannot afford an election that is run by people who have a stake in the outcome,” said Robert Pastor, director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management at American Univ. and executive director of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, a panel convened in 2005 to recommend ways to improve elections. Past efforts have focused on fixing the machines rather than the people who run them, Dr. Pastor said. But recently, several states have taken steps to insulate election administration from the influence of money and politics. In the past year, Colorado, Massachusetts, Ohio and Virginia have enacted laws limiting the political activity of election officials. . . . [Read More] Arkansas: Arkansas passed ACT 489in 2007 legislative session. The Act establishes overlapping terms for county election commissioners and restrictions of certain political actions by county election officials. There appears to a be conflict between this new act and existing laws that identify who will be the election officials which in turn affects politics within the counties. Current Arkansas law designates that the chair of the Democrat and Republican parties as election commissioner unless they opt to give up the position. Since Act 489 restricts the actions of election officials, it appears that the many county political party leaders who also serve as election officials would not be able to assist, direct or personally campaign for the party's candidates. Some form of legal resolution may be needed to resolve the conflicts and head off the potential of a multitude of lawsuits. Tags:Arkansas, election commissioner, election reform, elections
[ARRA Editor's Note: This press release was held pending publication by other news sources. It is now printed for the ARRA general membership and our readers] ARRA Press Release [7/24] - Clarksville, AR - Delegates of the Arkansas Republican Assembly (ARRA) gathered for its 10th annual state convention on Saturday, July 21, 2007 in Clarksville, Arkansas. In addition to electing officers, workshops led by three assembly county leaders, and keynote speaker Eagle Forum Chairman Randy Minton, delegates voted in support of Fred Thompson for the GOP presidential bid.
Dr. Patrick Briney, ARRA President, opened the convention and addressed the delegates. He told the delegates that the Arkansas Republican Party needs the Arkansas Republican Assembly. The ARRA is referred to as the conscience of the Republican Party but is most often identified as the Ronald Reagan Republicans because the popular former president credits the Assemblies with his initial political pursuits. The ARRA is home to social, moral, and fiscal conservative Arkansans who believe in God, family, and country and who work together to strengthen and to uphold moral and traditional family values and Republican principles and ideals.
Briney recounted that in the past year ARRA conducted research and issued referenced position papers on several issues. These position papers were provided to conservative Arkansas Republicans to help them understand and to formulate positions on critical issues. As a result, several proposals advanced by liberals in the 2007 legislative session were defeated. Bills successfully defeated include the ERA amendment, the hate crime bill, the lottery proposal, the subversive plan to ditch the Electoral College, and tuition for illegal aliens. ARRA members also successfully supported legislative action to provide for “informed consent” requirements to a woman seeking an abortion, to require merchants to have “blinder racks” that cover the lower two-thirds of the covers of pornographic magazines on their display racks to protect children, and to prohibit sexually-oriented businesses from being located within 1000 feet of a child care facility, park, church, playground, public library, recreational area, residence, school, or other locations frequented by children.
Convention workshops were held by three County Republican Assembly presidents: Mike Sevak of Benton, Dr. Bill Smith of Baxter, and Randy Minton of Lonoke. They addressed perspectives on the issues of membership recruitment, recruitment of conservative Republican candidates, structure of assemblies, advancing influence in the state, and supporting the local republican committees and groups. Smith also presented an overview of the impact of the ARRA website and the Arkansas Republican Assemblies blog. During the last year, the blog has grown in national importance, is syndicated, and can be subscribed to at no cost.
The keynote speaker was Randy Minton of the Arkansas Eagle Forum. He addressed the issues of concern to conservatives. Minton detailed the position of each known potential Republican presidential candidate on these issues. Issues included pro-life values, illegal immigration solutions, traditional marriage positions, and taxation principles. In addition the “X-factor: who can win the election” was considered.
After Minton’s presentation, convention delegates conducted a secret straw poll vote resulting in a decisive 86% victory for Fred Thompson who is expected to declare his bid in the race in September. The straw poll was not a formal endorsement by the Arkansas Republican Assembly. However, the straw poll did provide the ARRA delegates to the 2007 Republican Assembly National Conventionwith a nonbinding expression as to whom the ARRA membership favors at this time. The National Convention meets in Saint Louis on August 3 - 5. In the fall, after presidential candidates have formally filed in Arkansas, ARRA delegates may endorse a candidate.
Officer election results were: ARRA President Dr. Patrick Briney, Vice President Duane Neal, Secretary Joyce Dial, Treasurer A.L. Hollingsworth, Chaplain Gerald Holland, Sergeant-at-Arms Vince Scarlata, and National NFRA Board Members: Duane Neal & Joyce Dial.
The ARRA was chartered Aug. 9, 1997 under the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA), which has a 70 year history of success as a true grassroots organization. The NFRA is our nation's oldest and largest Republican volunteer organization. ARRA is presently chartering county chapters and serving as a gathering point for fiscal and social conservatives. For more information: Visit the ARRA Websiteor contact Dr. Pat Briney at 479-443-0510. [End]Tags:Arkansas, Arkansas Republican Assembly, ARRA, conservative, Family Values, Patrick Briney, press release, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Judge Roy Moore: Many people in our country have a bleak view of the future. Political corruption, immorality, terrorism, threats to American sovereignty and the prospect of continued wars in the Middle East contribute to this dark outlook. However, long ago Jesus warned us that "wars and rumors of wars" must come to pass, "but the end is not yet." Neither do the formidable obstacles that confront us today signal the end of America in view of God's providential design for our nation . . . [Read More]Tags:American sovereignty, God, Roy MooreTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Mitt Romney, GOP Presidential Candidate: When I was recently in Colorado Springs, I spoke with a man whose son is serving in Iraq. He said the criticism at home of the war effort was demoralizing. He made the point that as our fighting men and women are defending our liberties overseas, we as Americans need to stand by them. Afterwards, my nephew suggested there should be a "surge of support" to go along with the troop surge. I told him that I couldn't agree more.
With many views being offered for how to handle the war in Iraq, I've been supportive of giving the troop surge on the ground in Iraq a chance to take effect. We owe that to our men and women in the military who are making the sacrifices they are today. There is no guarantee that the new strategy pursued by General Petraeus will ultimately succeed, but the stakes are too high and the potential fallout too great to deny our military leaders and troops on the ground the resources and the time needed to give them an opportunity to succeed.
While some Democrats in Congress say they support the troops who are making these sacrifices, many don’t support the work they are doing to make the surge a success. Rep. Clyburn, the third-highest ranking House Democrat, said it would be "a real big problem” for Democrats if progress is made in Iraq. That's not a problem but good news for all Americans.
Please take some time today and join a nationwide Surge of Support for our troops. This is something that all Americans need to come together on. You don’t play politics with foreign policy, particularly when men and women are taking bullets in Iraq for America. Visit the following organizations and send your support to our military men and women who are making such tremendous sacrifices for the safety of all Americans: America Supports You - a nationwide program launched by the DoD, recognizes citizens' support for our military and communicates that support to members of our Armed Forces. The Fisher House - recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the DoD and VA. Operation Shoebox - sends support, snacks and personal care items to our troops deployed outside of the USA and encourages citizens to support their fighting men and women deployed overseas. Operation Thank You - provides inspirational and patriotic resources and programs that honor God, country, servicemembers, veterans and military families. Packages from Home- donate goods for gift packages to remind troops that Americans support them; donating funds to defray mailing costs; or volunteer to wrap and mail gift packages to deployed troops serving overseas. A Soldier's Wish List - fulfilling the wishes of our troops to the best of our abilities. Letting our brave troopers know that we care about them and appreciate their sacrifices. USO Care Packages - packages to members of the U.S. Armed Forces deployed around the world to show them they have not been forgotten and to provide a "touch of home." Tags:Election 2008, Mitt Romney, presidential candidate, Republican, support troops, troop surgeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday offered a consumer-oriented solution to the nation's health care woes that relies on giving individuals tax credits to purchase private insurance. Critical to Giuliani's plan is a $15,000 tax deduction for families to buy private health insurance, instead of getting insurance through employers. Any leftover funds could be rolled over year-to-year for medical expenses . . . [Read More] Tags:healthcare, presidential candidate, Election 2008, Republican, Rudy GiulianiTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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by David Limbaugh, Human Events: For the longest time I have believed -- and continue to believe -- Republicans will not nominate a social liberal as their presidential candidate, but even more so that if they do, they will severely handicap themselves in the general election.The Washington Times reports that some Republican Party officials are concerned their party is drifting away from social conservatism in anticipation of the 2008 election. . . .
