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)
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Arkansas Meeting on illegal immigration
Keep Arkansas Legalhas posted that The Arkansas State Legislature will have a meeting to discuss the cost of illegal immigration to Arkansas. Details below:
Tuesday, Sept 18, 2007 10:00 AM; Room 171, State Capitol Little Rock, AR - Call to Order & Minutes of Aug 13, 2007 Mtg - Comments by Chairs: Sen Faris, Chair, Senate Comm & Rep. Saunders, Vice-Chair, House Comm - Interim Study Proposal 2007-189 by Rep Rick Green, et al. & Sen Whitaker, et al. requesting that the House & Senate Interim Committees on State Agencies & Gov't Affairs Study the Impact of Legal and Illegal Immigration on Various State Agencies - Comments by Sponsors, Rep Rick Green and Rep Jon Woods & Sen Whitaker - Update on Immigration Fact Sheet, Kristen Sharp, Bureau of Legislative Research - Unfinished Testimony: AFL-CIO, Alan Hughes, Director; Ricky Belk, Sec./Treasurer; Dennis Donahue, Carpenter's Union; Matt Fair, Plumber's Union; Gary Jones, Trades Council - Testimony by State Agencies - Dept of Educ: Dr. Diana Julian. Deputy Commissioner & Jim Boardman, Asst Commissioner, Research & Tech.; Dept of Health: Dr. Joseph Bates, Deputy State Health Officer & Assoc. Director of Science; & Jodiane Tritt, Director of Community Support;. Dept of Human Services: Janie Huddleston, Deputy Director, & Dawn Zekis, Senior Policy Analyst, Director's Office; Workers' Compensation Comm: Butch Reeves, Chair; Karen McKinney, Commissioner; Philip Alan Hood, Commissioner; Alan McClain, CEO; & Judy Jolley, Special Fund Administrator; AR State Police: Winford Phillips, Director & Tim K'Nuckles, Chief of Staff - Other Testimony: AR Hospital Assoc., Bo Ryall, Exec. VP; AR State Chamber of Commerce, Kenny Hall, Exec. VP; AR Farm Bureau, Rodney Baker, Director, Gov't Affairs - Committee Discussion & Other BusinessTags:Arkansas, House, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, Senate
Editorial, Washington Times: There's barely more than a week to go before Army Gen. David Petraeus arrives in Washington with his eagerly awaited assessment of progress in Iraq, and the Democrats are making their own war strategy abundantly clear. Gen. Petraeus must be portrayed as a White House stooge and the men and women risking their lives to defeat jihadists in Iraq but his innocent lackeys. The propagandists mean to demoralize the troops by declaring their efforts doomed to failure . . . The most disgraceful player so far is Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) . . . who in speech ridiculed as "desperate" the successful strategy implemented by Gen. Petraeus, which has dramatically reduced violence in Anbar province and saved both American and Iraqi lives. The alliance between the U.S. military and Sunni tribesmen has encouraged the Sunnis to stand against al Qaeda. "Are we placing our faith in the future of Iraq in the hands of some warlords?" asked Mr. Schumer with a sour verbal sneer. "Some tribal leaders who at the moment dislike al Qaeda more than they dislike us? Is this the vaunted clarion cry for democracy in the Middle East that the President announced when he started the build-up in Iraq?... This is a policy of desperation."
Only a poisonous partisan - or someone ignorant of history and geopolitical reality - could say something like that. Using the Schumer standard, FDR and Churchill were wrong to form an alliance with Soviet dictator Josef Stalin because he was an evil man who didn't share our regard for "democracy." The World War II leaders of the West rightly judged that Hitler and the Axis powers posed a greater threat to U.S. interests than Stalin at the time . . . . No one now pretends that Sunni tribesmen have very much in common with Thomas Jefferson or James Madison. But only fools would take Mr. Schumer's advice to give the back of the hand to the Arab Muslims who are willing to join the fight against our mortal enemy.
Mr. Schumer's remarks are but step one in the latest Democratic initiative to "support the troops." . . . Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin and House Democrat Cong. Campaign Comm. Chris Van Hollen seek to discredit Gen. Petraeus' findings before he reports them, depicting him as a White House mouthpiece who can't be trusted. Many prominent Democrats are heavily invested in an American defeat in Iraq, and Gen. Petraeus stands in their way. The debate is about to get ugly. . . . [Read More] See alsoBetween Iraq report and a hard place Tags:Charles Schumer, Democrats, General David Petraeus, Iraq War
by Mordecai,Words & War: Newt Gingrich is without any doubt one of the greatest political thinkers of our times. His speech to the American Enterprise Institute is brilliant oratory that everybody should listen to. He describes the West’s reaction to the Jihad flawlessly. Yet he talks about the “Radical Wing of Islam” instead of the Jihad. So in the end he himself does what he accuses the political establishment of doing.
Muslims launched a Jihad, Islamic Holy War, against us. They intend to keep on fighting until they either convert us or kill us. The only way to stop the Jihadis is by killing them until they can fight no more. If we lose, our children will be Muslims. Our daughters will wear Burkas. And our constitution will be the Koran. Terrible thought? Then do whatever it takes to prevent this awful fate. Start by not allowing ANY Muslims into the country, until the risk has been eliminated. [Visit Original Source] Tags:Anti-Semitism, Fatah, Hamas, Hate, Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Islamism, Israel, jihad, liberal, Muslim, Newt Gingrich, Palestine, Politics, Saudi Arabia, Syria, terrorism, USATo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Hillary's donor linked to China missile trader -- Is the Hsu about to drop?
WorldNetDaily: A shady Chinese megadonor to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign has close ties to an aerospace mogul accused of placing his business interests before national security by sharing missile secrets with Beijing during the Clinton administration. Before his forced resignation last week, Norman Yuan Yuen Hsu sat on the board of trustees of the liberal New School Univ. in New York with former Loral Corp. head Bernard L. Schwartz, who was allowed to transfer restricted satellite and missile technology to a People's Liberation Army front after contributing a record amount of cash to President Clinton's 1996 campaign.
The New School has removed Hsu's name from its list of trustees. But the old list showing both Hsu and Schwartz is still captured on Google's cache files. Here is the screen shot. Schwartz, vice chairman of the New School board, was among officials who introduced Hsu to the school's administration, WND has learned. Last November, Schwartz and Hsu chaired a New School banquet at the Mandarin Oriental in New York which featured Sen. Clinton as keynote speaker. Clinton steered a $1 million federal grant to the college. More recently, Schwartz and Hsu appeared together at the New York Yacht Club for Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy's 40th birthday bash.
The pair are . . . major donors to Clinton's war chest – with Hsu raising more than $1 million for her campaign. Hsu, like Schwartz, has lobbied the U.S. government to relax trade rules with China. Before he was a Friend of Hill, Schwartz was a Friend of Bill. In fact, then-President Clinton feted Schwartz on his 71st birthday at a White House dinner. Sources say Schwartz vouched for Hsu at New School, even though he was a fugitive convicted of grand theft in California. New School President Bob Kerrey assumed . . . Hsu, a self-described apparel magnate, made his money in the garment industry. But even that claim is now in question. It turns out that the various companies Hsu listed on federal campaign filings with the FEC no longer exist, and may always have been fictitious. Last decade Hsu declared bankruptcy. The FBI has opened a criminal investigation into Hsu's fund-raising activities.
Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, see parallels to last decade's Chinagate fund-raising scandal, and are clamoring for public hearings to get to the bottom of what may be a new chapter in an old tale of corruption, foreign influence-peddling and espionage. All told, 22 Democrat donors were convicted in the Chinagate probe, which the Justice Department officially closed a few years ago.
After he was convicted of fraud last decade, and allegedly kidnapped by a Chinese gang in San Francisco, Hsu fled to Hong Kong, where he was born and raised. He returned to the U.S. not long after Hillary Clinton won her Senate seat. Then – for the first time – he started donating heavily to Democrats. He gave no political campaign gifts in the U.S. before 2004. "The source of Hsu's income at this point is unknown," . . . "It begs the question, where did he get the resources to contribute so much money?" . . . [Read More] ARRA Question: With the Norman Hsu being allowed to be bonded out of jail after being a fugitive for 15 years on a $2 million bond, we must ask why was he not in jail? Why was he allowed to keep his passport? Has he fled back to China again? Or is he dead? With a bond payment of $2 million dollars, is the bonding agency seeking the help of "bounty hunters" to find and return Hsu to justice? Or were they paid off as well? Tags:Bernard Schwartz, campaign funds, China, Democrats, fraud, Hillary Clinton, New School, Norman Hsu, Patrick KennedyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Club for Growth - released its presidential white paper on Republican presidential candidate former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson. The sixth in a series of white papers on the pro-growth records of presidential candidates, the attached report provides an extensive summary of Fred Thompson's economic policies during his eight years in the U.S. Senate. "Fred Thompson's eight-year record is generally pro-growth with an excellent record on entitlement reform and school choice and a very good record on taxes, regulation, and trade," said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. "His belief in a limited federal government is demonstrated by his numerous votes against government intrusion in the private sector and increased federal spending. His fondness for Tennessee pork aside, Thompson consistently voted against increased spending and new government projects, at times, one of only a handful of senators to do so." The white paper provides an in-depth look at Thompson . . .
Summation: Thompson's eight-year record in the U.S. Senate demonstrates an admirable commitment to limited government and free-market principles. His record on entitlement reform and school choice is excellent, while his support for lower taxes and free trade is very good. On Social Security reform in particular, Thompson courageously supported personal accounts at a time when few politicians were willing to risk their necks taking on the third rail of American politics. His record on spending (save the occasional pork project) is generally impressive, as demonstrated by his votes to restrict the growth and reach of the federal government. On regulation, too, Thompson voted generally against government intrusion in the private sector. Many Republican politicians talk about limited government and the principle of federalism but Thompson exemplified those ideas, often voting against bills that would have made it easy for a political opponent to paint him in a negative light. . . . [Read Report] Tags:Club for Growth, Economics, Fred Thompson, GOP, presidential candidates, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Mike Huckabee to Fred Thompson: "Let's Debate" - Huckabee's 3.6% GOP Poll Numbers not a Strong Inducement to Debate
ARRA confirmed with Mike Huckabee's campaign staff that a formal letter signed by Huckabee was faxed to Fred Thompson's campaign. It remains unclear if Fred Thompson reference to comprehensive debate was intended for 2nd tier candidates or was exclusively for top tier candidates. Obviously, a 2nd tier candidate has more to gain by such a debate. There was no indication that the Huckabee campaign issued or intended to issue a similar letter of challenge to any of the other top tier candidates. As of this comment, Mike Huckabee averages only 3. 6% on all political polls of GOP candidates listed on Real Clear Politics - Polls. [Click to see today's polling numbers by Rasmussen Reports]. Huckabee campaign Press Release: Manchester, NH – Former AR Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee challenged former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson to a comprehensive, one-on-one, Lincoln-Douglas styled debate, beginning in New Hampshire . "I am aware of your comments on Fox News that you would like to participate in a series of Lincoln-Douglas styled debates. I would like to officially accept your offer," wrote Huckabee in a Sept. 7, 2007 letter to Senator Thompson. Huckabee said what is needed is a "real discussion by the candidates about their vision for the future of our country." He said he contacted Thompson following the former Senator's appearance last night on Fox News Channel's Hannity and Colmes program. During that interview, Thompson expressed his preference of a series of Lincoln-Douglas styled debates in which two candidates would debate a single issue for an hour or an hour and a half. "I share your view of the debates and agree that Newt's 'Nine Nineties in Nine' concept is a far better way to make sure America's next President has the character and capacity to lead our nation forward, that's why I have already signed that pledge. I agree that what is needed is a real discussion by the candidates about their vision for the future of our country," wrote Huckabee. . . . [Read More] Tags:debate, Election 2008, Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidates, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Rasmussen Reports: In the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination, Likely Republican Primary Voters prefer
Rudy Giuliani 25% Fred Thompson 22% Mitt Romney 14% John McCain 13% Mike Huckabee remains atop the second tier at 5% [See recent daily numbers] Favorably Viewed by GOP Voters: Giuliani 70%; Thompson 60%; Romney 59%; McCain 58%. McCain, however, is viewed unfavorably by 38% of Republican voters. Unfavorables for the other three range from 24% to 27%.
In race for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, Likely Democrat Primary Voters prefer: Hillary Clinton 45% Barack Obama 23% John Edwards 13% [See recent daily numbers] Bill Richardson, Joe Biden &and Dennis Kucinich each 3%. [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, presidential candidates, Rasmussen Poll, Rasmussen ReportsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Rep. John Boozman Condemns Mexican Trucks Rolling on American Roads - Calls trucks a “serious” threat to American jobs and security
Washington, Sept 7: U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR) today condemned the beginning of a pilot program allowing up to 1,000 Mexican trucks access to the whole American roadway system, decrying the move as a “serious threat to American jobs and security.” “There has been no guarantee made that the proper safeguards are in place to require Mexican motor carriers to comply with our immigration standard and laws,” Boozman said. “I have grave concerns this program will give Mexican truckers unfettered access to the interior of the United States without any way to verify their identities, immigration status, or even their length of stay in our country. I believe the Administration has made a mistake in moving forward with this program without meeting the requirements Congress has laid upon them in a bipartisan manner.”
This year, Congress passed H.R. 1773, the “Safe American Roads Act of 2007,” by a vote of 411-3. This legislation provided strict requirements that the Department of Transportation, and the pilot program, would follow national security guidelines and that an independent panel would assess their progress in ensuring the safety of the American public. Similar language was added to Public Law 110-28, the FY07 supplemental appropriations act. Boozman supported both measures.“Simply put, we’re going to put a thousand Mexican trucks on the road with no way to ensure they are following the strict motor carrier policies we have in place to keep our roadways safe. This will adversely affect American-based motor carriers by putting them in a situation where they would have to operate on one set of rules, while the truck in the next lane is on another set of rules, or even no rules at all. These facts lead me to the conclusion that the current pilot program is a serious threat to American jobs and security, which is something I cannot support,” Boozman said.
Boozman, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, signed a July letter to President George W. Bush expressing the concern of a bipartisan group of House Members of the Mexican trucking program, specifically identifying security and safety concerns which have yet to be addressed. In March, Boozman co-sponsored the NAFTA Trucking Safety Act of 2007, which prevents Mexican truck drivers from driving in the United States until American law enforcement possess the ability to verify the driver’s identity as well as their driving record and criminal history, as well as confining Mexican carriers to the current commercial zone along the U.S.-Mexico border until certain conditions were met. [Source] Tags:John Boozman, Mexican trucks, NAFTA, Representative, trucking, US House
U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln's bill - Tyson's dirty water bail-out
by Belleann Dumont, Joplin Independent: . . . a bill introduced last spring by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) that would amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 to provide that manure shall not be considered a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. . . . Lincoln, who says she's from a seventh-generation Arkansas farm family, was re-elected in 2004 after a landslide victory . . . Apparently, she's convinced her constituents that she's there for working families and, as her website suggests, as a "leading voice on national priorities like health care." Has she asked herself why health care has become such a priority? However, run-off from manure into the groundwater doesn't add to any health issue. It's not a source of contamination, she says.
Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmonson disagreed when he filed a lawsuit against 14 Arkansas poultry companies claiming that run-off from their improper land application methods and storage of hundreds of thousands of tons of poultry waste have polluted the Illinois River watershed and Lake Tenkiller, eventually affecting more than 20 Oklahoma public water supplies. "This waste can also contain high levels of arsenic, zinc and copper, Edmonson reported. "It creates high phosphorus levels that cause excessive algae growth and eventually can cause high levels of carcinogens in drinking water. We are extremely concerned about the impact this waste could have on human health.” . . . [Read More]Tags:Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln, clean water, farming, manure, Oklahoma, US Senate
Tancredo: 'We are at war with radical fundamentalist Islam'
Union Leader, Manchester, N.H: Colorado congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo declared yesterday that the United States was the last great hope for western civilization. "I believe we are in a clash of civilizations," said Tancredo. "Terror is a tactic but not the thing we are at war with. We are at war with radical fundamentalist Islam." . . . Tancredo also had harsh criticism about the United Nations and the Unites States role in it. Describing the U.N. as a waste of time and money, he added that it has been corrupted up to the highest level and turned into "an anti-America debating society." "We give 24 percent of the budget and receive 100 percent of the grief," Tancredo said . . . [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, Islamist, presidential candidate, Republican, terrorism, Tom TancredoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
WSAZ News: . . .Tom Tancredo says the congressman will not take part in West Virginia's nominating convention this February . . . West Virginia will hold the convention on February 5th as part of Super-Duper Tuesday, a day in which 20 states will hold primaries or caucuses to pick candidates for president. "It wasn't a mistake. It was a planned action," Tancredo spokesperson Alan Moore told the Rocky Mountain News. Instead Tancredo will focus on Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, states that hold votes in January. Ten candidates paid the $5000 filing fee to join the convention in West Virginia. Fred Thompson, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are among those who will participate. [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, presidential candidate, Tom Tancredo, West VirginiaTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On Eve Of Announcement, Fred Thompson Increases Lead Among Conservatives
Grassfire.org Press Release:Maxwell, IA.Survey of 39,000 Grassroots Conservatives Also Gives Ron Paul Biggest Gain, Signals End to McCain’s Campaignand Notes Hillary’s Rise A nationwide Straw Poll conducted by Grassfire.org in the week prior to Fred Thompson’s presidential bid announcement finds that grassroots conservatives favor Fred Thompson by a greater than 2-to-1 margin over his nearest competitor -- a 4% increase since May. When asked whom they would vote for if the Republican primary were held today, 28% preferred Fred Thompson (up from 26% in May), whose closest rival, Mitt Romney, gained 14% of the vote (down 2% from May). “Despite talk of Thompson’s stalled campaign this summer, conservatives have not lost confidence in the former Senator,” says Grassfire.org President Steve Elliott. Rep. Ron Paul showed the biggest gain from Grassfire’s May poll, rising from seventh position (6%) to a solid third position (13%). Mike Huckabee’s support rose, from 3% to 7%. . . . [Read More] Tags:Fred Thompson, Grassfire.org, Ron Paul, Steve Elliot, straw pollTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
ARRA Comment: Our friend Bob Parks at Balck & Righthas highlighted a quote by Rush Limbaugh that is worth repeating below: If John Edwards is going to require every one of us under his universal health care plan, socialized medicine, to go to the doctor all the time — it's going to be mandatory; the government is going to make us go to the doctor — then I have an idea.
I think the government should make every American have access to a lawyer. I think the federal government should take over the whole legal field, just like they're taking over the whole health care industry. Take over the legal business. Set prices for all services. Set salaries for all attorneys. Everybody should be forced to go to a lawyer for preventive legal care. You must be sent to the lawyer for your will. You must be sent to a lawyer, a government lawyer, for your pre-nup. You must go to a lawyer for your real estate contracts and so forth. No lawyer will be allowed to make more than $200,000 a year, and every lawyer will be assigned an area of the country in which he will work.
If we're going to do this in health care, if John Edwards wants to do this to the medical industry, well, why don't we just look at the same way of behaving under the legal system in this country and virtually everything else? Tags:attorneys, Black and Right, Bob Parks, John Edwards, lawyer, Rush Limbaugh, Socialized medicine, universal healthcareTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags:debate, Election 2008, Fox News, Mike Huckabee, New Hampshire, presidential candidates, Republican, Ron PaulTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Sen Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Minority Leader: As Senators return to Washington, D.C., after four weeks of talking with constituents back home, they can’t help but bring with them the strong sense that we find ourselves at a pivotal moment for the nation and for Congress itself. Americans want cooperative action on Iraq. And they demand that Congress address a number of urgent domestic issues such as runaway spending and the high cost of health care. We can do all this, but only if we put aside the partisanship that marked the first eight months of this session. It’s time, in other words, for both parties get back to basics.
One of the greatest challenges we currently face is the culture of the endless political campaign. Democrats took over the House and Senate in January because the Iraq War was going badly. Voters were unhappy, so they shook things up. But over the past eight months, Democrats have sometimes confused the means to their victory with the reason we all sought office in the first place: to legislate. Witness the midnight votes on Iraq, the endless partisan investigations, the hijacking of a war spending bill for months, before passing it, in an effort to navigate the anti-war left. The list goes on. . . . With just four weeks to go before the new fiscal year, Democrats have not sent a single one of the 12 annual appropriations bills — the passage of which constitutes our most basic duty as legislators — to the president’s desk for a signature. . . . Senate Democrats will return to the Capitol this week with little more to show for themselves than a long to-do list. . . .
When they were not holding Iraq votes or issuing subpoenas, Senate Democrats found time over the past several months to propose ending the tax cuts that are behind our strong economy. The Senate also is poised to consider a number of tax hikes designed to pay for new or expanded federal programs. Americans need to know about these proposals, and Senators need the time to debate them. . . . With just four weeks to go before the start of the next fiscal year, it’s likely Democrats will be forced to pass a place-holder bill later this month that allows the government to continue to operate at the previous year’s funding levels. Which is ironic, since Democrats campaigned against Republicans for doing that very thing just last year. Our mistakes cost us at the polls, but we learned our lesson. Politics has its place, but every day can’t be campaign day. If it is, nothing is accomplished. And those who forget it always end up paying for it at the voting booth in the end. [Article sent to Roll Call] Tags:Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, US Senate, back to basicsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Fred Thompon Announces his Candidacy for President
Fred Thompon Announces his Candidacy for President
Tags:Election 2008, Fred Thompson, presidential candidate, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Fred Thompson Announces Candidacy on Tonight Show with Jay Leno
by Liz Sidoti: (AP) - Fred Thompson - veteran actor, former Republican senator - launched his bid for the presidency Hollywood style. "I'm running for president of the United States," Thompson told Jay Leno in a taped appearance on NBC's "Tonight Show" airing Wednesday night. Thompson called top opponents Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney formidable but added: "I think I will be, too" as he rejected the notion that he was getting into the race too late, only four months before voting begins. "I don't think people are going to say, 'You know, that guy would make a very good president but he just didn't get in soon enough,'" Thompson said as the studio audience laughed. Poking at his rivals who have been running since the year began, he added: "If you can't get your message out in a few months, you're probably not every going to get it out." In a multi-phased campaign rollout, Thompson also is calling attention to his candidacy with a 30-second ad broadcast during a Republican debate in New Hampshire that he is not participating in. He also is explaining the rationale for his candidacy during a 15-minute Webcast on his campaign Internet site just after midnight. . . . [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, Fred Thompson, Jay Leno, presidential candidate, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Matt Sedensky: The Rev. D. James Kennedy, a pioneering Christian broadcaster and founder of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, whose fiercely conservative worldview helped fuel the rise of the religious right in American politics, died Wednesday. He was 76. Kennedy died at his home in Fort Lauderdale from complications of a heart attack he suffered on Dec. 28 . . .
Kennedy's voice and face were known to millions through radio and television broadcasts, urging Christians to evangelize in their daily lives, while condemning homosexuality and abortion as assaults on the traditional family. His also preached on the major policy issues of the day, rejecting evolution and global warming. Kennedy was influential in the founding of the religious right, but did so more often from behind the scenes, as attention focused on his allies, the Revs. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. . . .
Kennedy was a founding board member of the Moral Majority, which Falwell formed in 1979. In 1996, Kennedy created Coral Ridge's political arm, called the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, to mobilize conservative Christians against gay marriage, pornography and what he called "judicial tyranny,"' among other issues. Kennedy also founded the Center for Christian Statesmanship, which organized Capitol Hill Bible studies and other events that attracted top government officials. He encouraged them "to embrace God's providential purpose for this nation." . . .
In 1959, the pastor started his congregation with about 45 members, eventually expanding into a megachurch that claims 10,000 members today. In the 1960s, when many conservative Christians were still debating how much to engage the broader culture, Kennedy jumped in and created Evangelism Explosion International, which trained Christians to share their beliefs with others. . . . Kennedy was the author of more than 50 books and founded two schools - Knox Theological Seminary and Westminster Academy, a K-12 Christian school near his church. Coral Ridge Ministries, his radio and TV outreach arm, claimed a weekly audience of 3.5 million people for all its broadcasts. . . .
Dennis James Kennedy was born Nov. 3, 1930, in Augusta, Ga., and his family moved in 1936 to Chicago and in 1945 to Tampa. . . . Kennedy earned multiple degrees, including a doctorate from New York Univ. Pastor Kennedy is survived by his wife of 51 years, Anne Lewis, and a daughter, Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy. Both were by his bedside when he died. Tags:D. James Kennedy, dies, Christian, evangelist, religious rightTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
FoxNews -DEVELOPING STORY: California businessman Norman Hsu, a former New York apparel executive and major contributor to Democrat candidates and causes, failed to appear for a bail reduction hearing Wednesday, leading to speculation that he again is a fugitive from the law, FOX News has learned. Hsu's attorneys say they do not know his whereabouts, and that their client did not surrender his passport. Hsu turned himself in to authorities last week after more than 15 years on the run from a felony conviction of grand theft. He admitted to defrauding investors of $1 million in a bogus investment scam. He failed to appear in court for sentencing on that 1991 conviction, a revelation that prompted high profile Democrats -- including presidential candidate Hillary Clinton -- to return thousands of dollars donated by Hsu. Tags:campaign funds, Democrat, fugitive, fund raiser, Norman Hsu
Ohio 5th District Republican Rep. Paul Gillmor, age 68, was found dead in his apartment in the nation's capital Wednesday. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, told fellow congressmen on the floor of the House that their colleague died "suddenly overnight." "He was a good friend to all of us," said a somber Boehner. "He's going to be missed by us all."
Gillmor, the deputy minority whip, was in his 10th term in the House and was a member of the House Committee on Financial Services, and the ranking Republican on the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit. He also served on the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored-Enterprises and the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
He was elected to Congress in 1988, after serving in the Ohio State Senate for 22 years, where he was elected Republican leader five times. Gillmor was born Feb. 1, 1939, in Tiffin, Ohio. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Ohio Wesleyan Univ. and a law degree from the Univ. of Michigan Law School. The 2006, Roll Call newspaper listed him as the 43rd richest member of Congress, with an estimated net worth of $6.16 million. He formerly ran a financial services company. Gillmor was a Captain, USAF and a Vietnam Veteran (1965-1966). He is survived by his wife Karen Gillmor, vice chairman of the State Employment Relations Board in Ohio and a former state senator., and their two daughters, Linda and Julie, and three sons, Paul and twins Connor and Adam.Tags:Ohio, Paul Gillmor, US HouseTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Huckabee's Statements Lead to Questions by Conservatives
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: I like Mike Huckabee and enjoy his Baptist preacher way of smiling and spinning a tale to support his position when speaking. It worked in the pulpit, found success in Arkansas and may be successful in his bid for the presidency. While Mike has declared to the press that he is not a liberal, he has openly acknowledged that he "is not shy in bucking his party on some matters." Now he has declared himself to be “centrist.”
Our former Gov. Mike Huckabee appears to be stumbling with conservatives as he attempts to reach out for more liberal voters. While governor, he tread to some degree on Arkansas families when he forced all schools to weigh students and to send weight "report cards" to parents and added to the tax burden to fund it (slimming the kids and fattening the state's coffers). After he left office, this procedure was repealed.
His comments on the campaign trail continue to raise concerns with conservatives. He has repeatedly identified that he believes obesity is one of America’s top problems. He has said will support a National Smoking Ban. While smoking for some may indeed be harmful and being overweight may have medical consequences, in the United States both smoking and eating are legal. While some States have exercised their right to limit smoking in public places, Huckabee is advocating a Federal smoking ban. As a Baptist preacher is he willing to force his morals on the nation - no smoking, no gluttony, etc.? Will he next tell the fast food industry what they can and cannot serve?
Now, Huckabee is treading on the constitution by saying that if he were president, he would sign the D.C. voting rights bill. In a teleconference with reporters, Huckabee said, “They’re American citizens. They pay taxes and it just doesn’t seem right that someone could be even partially disenfranchised.” DC residents are already entitled to vote. However, Huckabee failed to acknowledge that D.C. is not a State and therefore does not have a right under the constitution to a voting US Representative or Senators. "The Constitution says "the several states" shall send representatives to Congress - not the District or Territories." Previously, a proposed Constitutional Amendment on the issue of granting DC voting representation was not ratified. Now Huckabee seems to be playing to the crowd and is willing to support violating the Constitution via congressional fiat.
A March White House statement said that the president would be advised to veto the bill if it reached his desk, citing concerns that giving the district a representative would be unconstitutional. In an attempt to separate himself from President Bush, is Huckabee willing to separate himself from the US Constitution and Conservative Republicans? In an articleHuckabee backs D.C. voting rights bill"Huckabee acknowledged the reluctance of some of his fellow Republicans to back the bill. He has not been shy in bucking his party on some matters, saying, 'I’ve been running for president of the United States, I am not running for president of the Republican Party.'"
Even those of us who know Mike Huckabee are asking questions. He has said he is a centrist, what happened to being the "real conservative" running for president? Huckabee advocates, as we do, for the FairTax. He opposes the current Income Tax but because it is a “dismal failure.” However, he does not oppose the Income Tax because it is constitutionally flawed. This begs the question, what is his real reason for supporting the FairTax? In Arkansas, he sought new forms of taxation. Could he be looking for a new tax source to replace expected future declines in income taxes created by the importing low cost labor, outsourcing, and American jobs going overseas?
Huckabee supports voting representation for D.C. residents in violation of the Constitution. Will Huckabee propose the same for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and America Samoa who each also have a nonvoting member in the House of Representatives? Will he then oppose the Federal Government returning the remaining portion of D.C. to the sovereign state of Maryland as was done with the Virginia portion?
Is the entry of Fred Thompson, a Federalist, into the race, causing our friend Mike Huckabee to move away from conservatives to find new votes? We hope not! Our fellow Arkansan wants to be president of all the people. However, to gain the Republican nomination, Mike Huckabee must gain the vote of conservatives. As conservatives, we are looking for answers to our growing list of questions. Tags:Arkansas, conservatism, conservative, Election 2008, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, presidential candidate, U.S Constitution, Republican, ARRA, Bill Smith
by Jerome R. Corsi: A 1998 document . . .shows the North American SuperCorridor Coalition, or NASCO, was originally named the North American Superhighway Coalition. The document plays into an emerging debate in which a number of critics, including President Bush, want to deny that a NAFTA "Superhighway" exists . . . two 1998 letters: one, a June 10, 1998, letter written to Tiffany Newsom, executive director of NASCO, by Francisco J. Conde, editor and publisher of the Conde Report on U.S.-Mexico Relations; and the second, a June 10, 1998 letter written by Newsom to consultants . . . Conde addresses NASCO as North America's Superhighway Coalition and compliments Newsom and NASCO for supporting the Interstate Highway 35 Corridor Coalition consulting team . .
Newsom's letter notes the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, or TEA-21, was signed into law by President Clinton June 9, 1998. Newsom writes, "This bill contains for the first time in history a category and funding for trade corridors and border programs." She continues, "The I-35 corridor is the strongest and most organized of the corridor initiatives so, if we play our cards right, we stand to get a part of the $700 million." Newsom was referring to a section of TEA-21 devoted to a new National Corridor Planning and Development program, identifying highway corridors that were specifically identified with international trade and a Coordinated Border Infrastructure program designed "to improve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods at or across the U.S./Canadian and U.S./Mexican borders." . . . [Read More] Tags:Jerome Corsi, NASCO, SuperhighwayTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Walter Williams: Economic theory does not operate in a vacuum. Institutions, such as the property rights structure, determine how the theory manifests itself. Similarly, the law of gravity isn't repealed when a parachutist floats gently down to earth. The parachute simply affects how the law of gravity manifests itself. Failure to recognize the effect of different property rights structures on outcomes leads to faulty analysis. Think about several questions. Which lake will yield larger, more mature fish — a publicly owned or a privately owned lake? Why is it that herds of cows flourished and buffalos did not? Who will care for a house better — a renter or owner? The answer to each question has to do with the property rights structure . . . [Read More] Tags:Economics, property rights, Walter E. WilliamsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
John Cox: Hardest Working Presidential Candidate You've Never Heard
Update - Read:John Cox: Why I am running for President by Beth LaMontagne: Chicago businessman John Cox is the hardest working (Republican) presidential candidate you've never heard of. This past weekend, Cox attended six events around the state . . . Although Cox has a New Hampshire campaign office on Elm Street and a state field coordinator, he has gotten little to no media coverage and has been excluded from participating in all of the televised presidential debates. He may not be registering, or even included, in the polls, but Cox is far from giving up. A staunch conservative who favors major tax reform, reducing regulation and school choice, he finds the current pools of Republican candidates lacking. In an interview with NHpols.com this week, Cox said he feels he is the fiscal and social conservative people are still looking for . . . [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, John Cox, presidential candidate, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Mike Huckabee Restakes Centrist Claim Joins Hillary Clinton in Supporting Universal Healthcare
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- (Former) Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee Sunday re-staked his claim as the GOP's best centrist candidate in the race for president. Huckabee's centrist claim is expected to be tested this week if former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, as expected, officially joins the pool of Republican presidential hopefuls. Speaking on ABC News' "This Week" program, Huckabee said Americans are tired of "Republicans vs. Democrats" and want a president who can govern conservatively while working across party lines. . . . Huckabee also said he wants to see universal healthcare but said the United States must move from an "intervention-based" system to a "prevention-based" one . . . [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, Mike Huckabee, Republican, universal healthcareTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Being A Democrat Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry
by Doug Patton: . . . While conservative Republicans have to live and die politically by the moral standards most Americans believe to be a reasonable code of personal behavior, Democrats have no standards for personal conduct. The litany of Dems who have thumbed their noses at decency in the name of political survival is long indeed.
President Bill Clinton refused to resign from office and served out the remainder of his term despite his crimes.
Sen. Ted Kennedy has been elected to seven more six-year terms since driving off that bridge at Chappaquiddick in a drunken stupor and leaving Mary Jo Kopechne to drown.
Rep. Gerry Studs, the first openly homosexual Member of Congress, had sex with male pages and then defiantly stayed in the House with the approval of his constituents and his Democrat colleagues.
Rep. Barney Frank hired a male prostitute with public funds, then looked the other way while his "aide" turned the congressman's home into a male brothel. Frank is now chairman of the powerful House Banking Committee.
Rep. Mel Reynolds was pardoned by his fellow deviant Bill Clinton after having sex with female pages.
The list goes on and on and on. And that doesn't even take into account the Democrat financial scandals that have plagued their party for decades. Remember Congressman William Jefferson, Democrat-Louisiana? The FBI found $90,000 in cash in his freezer last year. He's still in Congress.
Remember the videotape of Congressman Jack Murtha, Democrat-Pennsylvania, discussing a future bribe during the 1980 ABSCAM sting? He's still in Congress.
Remember Chicago Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee? Eighteen terms, seventeen indictments, yet the Dems let him serve right up to the moment the authorities hauled him off to jail.
But there is no hypocrisy here. How can there be, if they have no standards?
Republicans, on the other hand, are held to a higher benchmark, and rightly so. It is one we who believe in decency and traditional values have set for them, and one to which we should continue to hold them. Is it fair that Larry Craig is forced to resign from the Senate on the strength of such flimsy evidence? Not when held up to the Democrats' non-standard, but that is not our measure. . . . Democrat constituents apparently don't care what their elected officials do. As long as the goals of big government are served, sleaze and slime are just fine. Republicans do care. We don't want those representing us soliciting men for sex in bathrooms. We think there are lines over which we will not allow our public officials to cross. Going clear back to Watergate, Sen. Barry Goldwater led the Republican delegation to the White House to inform President Richard Nixon that he had to resign. . . . By contrast, we all remember Democrat congressional leaders circling the wagons around Bill Clinton as he lied through his teeth (to the public and under oath) about his disgusting behavior. Quite simply, being a Democrat means never having to say you're sorry. . . . [Read More] Tags:Democrats, Doug Patton, RepublicansTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Radical Liberals Attacks Democrat Congressmen for admitting truth about troop surge
by Greg Reeson: The Hill reported yesterday that the liberal group MoveOn.org was undertaking an advertising campaign against Democrat Congressman Brian Baird (Washington) because his recent trip to Iraq changed his mind about the President's "surge" of troops into Baghdad and al-Anbar Province. According to the Congressman, progress is in fact being made in Iraq, which immediately makes him public enemy number one for MoveOn.org, which will try to unseat him in favor of someone more anti-Iraq. . . . [Read More] Tags:Democrats, Iraq, Iraq War, liberal activistsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Huckabee Says He is Not a Liberal GOP Candidate, Can Beat Clinton & He is One Reason Thompson Delayed Running
News & Policy: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Sunday he would make a strong Republican opponent to Democratic front-runner and former Arkansas first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a race for the presidency. . . . "Quite frankly, Americans are going to look at a contest where there's contrast. That's what I bring to the race, someone who can contrast in terms of philosophy and record, but also who's going to be able to challenge her on key fundamental issues like educationand health care," Huckabee said.
In January, he completed more than 10 years as governor, and hails from the same Arkansas town of Hope as former President Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton, now a U.S. senator from New York, was first lady of Arkansas before her husband became president in 1993. "Hillary is a strong, strong candidate, much stronger than a lot of Republicans want to accept," Huckabee said. "But the reality is that if we put someone up whose views on some of the issues that rally our base don't rally our base, then we're going to be in big trouble."
Along those lines, he also suggested he could match Republican Fred Thompson's image as a mainstream conservative who could win votes. Thompson has done better in polls than Huckabee even though the former U.S. senator from Tennessee has not yet announced hiscandidacy. The former governor (Huckabee) said Thompson's delay may partly be due to Huckabee's profile. "I think that's one of the reasons that maybe he's delayed," Huckabee said. . . . [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, Fred Thompson, Hillary Clinton, Mike HuckabeeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Is Hutchinson In Running for U.S. Attorney General Post?
From David Kincade, PCRC: Former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson, the 2006 Republican candidate for Arkansas governor, has been mentioned as a possible replacement for U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who announced his resignation last week. utchinson, a former federal prosecutor and head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, told the Arkansas News Bureau that his name has likely been floated due to his previous experience working in the Department of Justice. But he noted that he's not pursuing the post, adding that he and his wife, Susan, are "very, very happy" in Arkansas. The Hutchinsons are both members of the Pulaski County Republican Committee. [Read full story] Tags:Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, Attorney General, U.S.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
4,000 ID's issued by Mexican consulate; Huckabee lobbied for it
Debbie Pelley, WPAAG: In a recent article, Bank Takes Mexican IDs, Joining Other Chains, we find that "Twin City Bank in Little Rock has joined other chains in accepting identification cards issued by consulates to Mexicans living abroad...The bank also provides tax identification numbers to customers that don't have Social Security cards... The consulate has issued 4,000 matricula consular cards and passports since it opened--a nearly overwhelming response for his 10 member staff. The bank also applied to join the Federal Reserve's Automated Clearing House, a system allowing its branches to send money from clients to approved banks in Mexico, Hardcastle said. That's a service that could draw more Mexican customers to the bank, as extra money often finds it way back to families still living there. Mexico estimates it received $23.1 billion in U.S. remittances in 2006." [That is $23.1 billion spent in Mexico instead of helping the economy in the US.]". . . the bank, which quietly rolled out its new programs, has not received any criticism for reaching out to Mexican immigrants, a state with one of the fastest-growing Spanish-speaking communities in the nation."
This road to this process began many years ago after former Gov. Mike Huckabee visited when Huckabee visited with Mexican President Vicente Fox in Mexico City. When Gov. Huckabee visited, they talked about the possibility of a consulate in Little Rock. After he left, the government began working on it. A good reference is an article that appeared in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: NWA’s Hispanic numbers help land Mexican consulate office. The article revealed that “Gov. Huckabee realized early on that states with Mexican consulates have done very well tradewise with Mexico. We did research and talked with the officials, we saw right away that we needed to be in play for the consulate,” he said. The consulate office itself will be a business draw to Little Rock as people come to conduct their affairs with the Mexican government, Trevino said. They will stay in Little Rock hotels, eat in local restaurants and get a chance to see the city and part of the state they might not have visited without the consulate’s presence. In 2004, Mexico’s then-consul general in Dallas, Carlos Garcia de Alba, announced the plan to build the consulate in Arkansas. Huckabee stood beside him when he made the announcement at the Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock. Huckabee said he actively sought a Mexican consulate for Arkansas, and its arrival would open up opportunities for Arkansas businesses." Perhaps Twin City Bank needs to hear from Arkansans, and perhaps the people in the rest of the nation need to know how presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's actions on illegal alien issues contrast with his rhetoric. Tags:Arkansas, Debbie Pelley, illegal aliens, matricula consular cards, Mexican consulate, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidate, Republican, WPAAGTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
No American Workers Need Apply Thanks To Immigration
Dr. Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: The American Worker Needs Your Help! The Arkansas Republican Assemblies news service is supporting a large coalition of groups running the above TV ad. The editors will relocate this post to the top of our postings through Labor Day. So bear with us when you see the ad reappearing - the message is important to 54 unemployed Americans and may unfortunately apply soon to you, a family member, a close friend or neighbor.
The ad has a brief clip of the outrageous training conference in which a law firm teaches businesses how to avoid hiring American workers so they can import more foreign workers. Please help get this word out by sharing this posting with others - and take time to comment on this post. Join in the effort to Tell ALL The Presidential Candidates You Agree With This Ad and Want Less Foreign Worker Importation by signing the petition identified below. Presidential candidates will give lip service to American workers and their families on this coming Labor Day holiday. But nearly all of them are making no promises to correct these abuses or to reduce the massive flow of foreign workers that has been depressing the wages of - and even taking the jobs away from - American workers. Most of the candidates support increasing the flow of foreign labor competition.
More than 27 million jobs in the U.S. are now held by foreign workers while more than 54 million working-age Americans don't have a job. Yet American jobs are being outsourced daily to workers in other countries. Even worse, Big Business has now teamed up with immigration and labor lawyers to avoid hiring American workers here at home. That's right.
Isn't it time to tell candidates that they can't expect American votes
if they constantly choose immigration policies that are
against the interests of the American workers?
Join in creating a mountain of petitions as fast as possible to deliver to the presidential candidates' campaign offices. Please sign the following petition urging our leaders to stand up for American workers! Then forward this info on to others. Sign the American Workers Petition . Tags:American workers, illegal immigrants, legal workers, petitions, presidential candidates, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Rep. Deal seeks to end birthright citizenship for illegals
by Herman Wang, The Chattanooga Times Free Press: For decades, immigration officials have granted U.S. citizenship to all children born on American soil. But Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., wants to see that practice end for children of illegal immigrants. "Birthright citizenship is one of those things that has become a magnet for illegal immigrants to come over here," said Rep. Deal, who has filed a bill that would restrict birthright citizenship to children who have at least one parent with legal resident status or U.S. citizenship.
At the crux of the issue is a clause in the 14th Amendment, passed in 1868 after the Civil War with freed slaves in mind, that granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." That last clause -- "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" -- has many conservatives and border-control activists arguing that the amendment was never intended to apply to illegal immigrants. . . .
Rep. Deal, whose Northwest Georgia district is heavily Hispanic, said the United States is an anomaly in a world where 122 countries do not grant birthright citizenship, including all of Europe, while 33 do, with the United States being the largest. He has introduced similar bills three previous years, and though he acknowledges that his bill likely will not be brought up for consideration, especially with Democrats controlling the House, he said his cause is gaining momentum, with 89 co-sponsors to the bill, all Republican, the most ever. "I think the climate is changing," Rep. Deal said. "Illegal immigration has become more of a national concern than it has been in the past."
Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., one of the co-sponsors, said the legislation would be a sorely needed deterrent to illegal immigration, particularly with comprehensive immigration reform stonewalled in Congress. Children of illegal immigrants, so-called "anchor babies," can sponsor their parents for legal permanent residency once they reach adulthood. "Clearly we need to send word all throughout Central and South America that if you have a baby in this country and you're not a U.S. citizen, (it) doesn't mean they're going to be a citizen," Rep. Wamp said. "This is not designed to be mean, it's just designed to basically curtail illegal immigration." . . . [Read More] See also:Birthright Citizenship Act of 2007Tags:14th Amendment, anchor babies, Birthright Citizenship Act, citizenship, illegal aliens, illegal immigrants, Nathan DealTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Ruling Keeps In-State Tuition For Illegal Immigrants In Kansas
A group of students paying out-of-state tuition to attend college in Kansas cannot challenge a state law allowing some illegal immigrants to pay lower in-state tuition, a federal appeals court said Thursday. The ruling dealt only with whether the plaintiffs could challenge the 2004 Kansas law and did not address the merits of the law.
A trial judge in Kansas had ruled the students lacked standing to challenge the law because they did not face a "concrete and imminent" injury. A three-judge panel of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed in its ruling Thursday. The plaintiffs, all U.S. citizens who did not live in Kansas, argued the state violated their constitutional rights to equal protection under the law by offering some illegal immigrants a benefit they couldn't get.
They described their injuries from the law as being the denial of equal treatment and having to pay higher tuition.
The appeals court said the students had not shown that they would have benefited, even if the law that they alleged was discriminatory was removed. Under the Kansas law, students are eligible for in-state tuition if they attended a Kansas high school for at least three years and graduated, or earned a general educational development certificate in Kansas. Illegal immigrants who meet those conditions also must show they are working toward legal immigration status. National organizations have said the outcome of the case could affect similar laws in eight other states: California, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington. [Source] Tags:education, illegal immigrants, Kansas, tuition, US Circuit CourtTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Bobby Eberle: Since the terrible events of Sept 11, 2001, the need for additional screening at airports has become apparent. A person doesn't need to travel with box cutters in order to get from A to B, so the new guidelines make perfect sense. Yet now, some are complaining of "racial profiling" because of a new policy of screening turbans at airports. The point here is simple: if you can hide explosives in a shoe, you can certainly hide them in a turban. . . . the new policy went into effect on August 4, "subjecting travelers to secondary screening at security checkpoints if they are wearing head coverings, such as cowboy hats, berets or turbans. The screenings could include a pat-down search of the head covering if the screener finds it necessary." The Sikh coalition is claiming that this new policy is going to lead to racial profiling. Don't even get me started on that one! The fact that ALL nineteen terrorists were radical Muslims seems to escape notice from some people. But, what this new policy is about is headwear -- all headwear. . . . [Read More] See also:Sikh Terrorism - Patterns of Global Terrorism. United States Department of State Publication 10321 & Expat-fueled terrorism Tags:airport, Bobby Eberle, Homeland Security, Sikh, terrorism, turbanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today's THV: The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Thursday endorsed Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Mike Huckabee for their parties' presidential nomination. . . . The union made a rare double endorsement. Union president Tom Bufffenbarter says Huckabee is entitled serious consideration from members because he showed he is willing to figure out how he and the union might be able to work together. The endorsement of Clinton was her second formal union backing this week. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of the largest trade unions, representing more than 720,000 active and retired members . . . [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, endorsement, Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, unionsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Virgina GOP Legislators Seek to Crack Down on Illegal Immigration
from Bacon's Rebellion: The Republican leadership of the General Assembly has proposed a number of measures to deal with the growing problem of illegal immigration in Virginia. According to a press release from the House Speaker's office, the key measures would:
Mandate that all local sheriffs, upon a lawful arrest for a crime, confirm that person’s legal presence in the United States using the nationwide databases of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ensure that at least one person on duty in every jail at all times has been certified to detain and begin deportation proceedings.
Create a presumption of no bail for any person who has been charged with an offense punishable by jail or prison time and who has been determined (through ICE databases) to be illegally present in the United States. This change will help stop controversial “catch and release” activities, one of the primary ways illegal aliens currently pass through existing government systems unchecked.
Make a federal conviction for hiring illegal aliens grounds for suspension of a business license issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This change will serve as an effective deterrent to the unlawful hiring of illegal aliens.
Prohibit illegal aliens from attending Virginia public institutions of higher education unless they have a valid student visa. Recognizing that college entrance slots are fixed and limited, this change will preserve state benefits for in-state students and their families.
Virginia Democrats appear to be divided on the issue of how to handle illegal immigration . . . [Read More] Tags:illegal aliens, illegal immigration, Representative, VirginiaTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Laura Kellams: The only Democrat who’s announced an intention to run against U. S. Rep. John Boozman is putting his candidacy “on hold” before the campaign really got started. John Burnett, an Atkins attorney who announced in December that he’d run against Boozman in 2008, said Friday that business obligations will keep him from devoting the attention the race needs right now.
. . . Burnett said he has a possible “television-related project” on the horizon but didn’t want to elaborate on the details. “I thought I’d know by now what’s going to happen one way or the other,” he said. “Since I don’t know, I feel like it’s not fair to raise money or campaign.” . . . [Read More] Tags:Arkansas, John Boozman, Representative, US House
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