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)
Tell Democrat Leadership to Support the Alexander English Amendment!
Eagle Forum Alert: How many times have you walked into a business where employees speak a language other than English? It can be very frustrating. Some businesses, such as the Salvation Army, have begun requiring employees to speak English while on the job. However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued the Salvation Army because they believe requiring employees to speak English violates their civil rights!
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) agrees with you and recently offered an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill (H.R. 3093), to prohibit federal funds from being used by the EEOC to sue employers for requiring English on the job. The Alexander English amendment passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and was included in the final version that passed the Senate on October 16. When the House and the Senate met in a conference committee to reconcile their CJS bills, the House voted 218-186to instruct the House conferees to agree with the Senate and keep the Alexander language.
However, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) have ordered that negotiations be indefinitely halted because they oppose allowing the Alexander English amendment being included in the CJS bill when it is sent to President Bush. This is dirty politics at its worst!Your calls and activism are needed to tell Democrat leadership to stop holding the English language hostage! Both the House and Senate will be in recess over Thanksgiving. Drop by their district offices or call to let your Senators and Representatives know you want English spoken in the workplace! Support the Alexander English amendment in the CJS conference! Businesses should not be worried they will be sued for requiring their employees to speak English on the job! English is the key to success in America.
The CJS conference committee should immediately reconvene and vote to keep the Alexander English amendment that prohibits the EEOC from suing businesses that require English in the workplace. House CJS Conferees: Mollohan, Kennedy, Fattah, Ruppersberger, Schiff, Honda, DeLauro, Price, Frelinghuysen, Culberson, Rogers, Latham, Aderholt, Obey, Lewis (CA) Senate CJS Conferees: Mikulski, Inouye, Leahy, Kohl, Harkin, Dorgan, Feinstein, Reed, Lautenberg, Shelby, Gregg, Stevens, Domenici, McConnell, Hutchison, Brownback, Alexander, Byrd and Cochran Democratic Leadership: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Tags:Democrat, Eagle Forum, EEOC, English, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Salvation ArmyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Top Three Democrats Favor King & King Homosexual Fairy Tale
Education Reporter: Recently in New Hampshire, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards affirmed that King & King, a homosexual fairy tale, was appropriate for 2nd-graders. King & King is a picture book about a prince seeking a princess to marry. To his mother's surprise, he decides to marry one of the princesses' brothers instead. The book has caused controversy in districts where teachers have read it to elementary school children. In Massachusetts, parents protested the book without success even though the state requires parental notification before sex ed lessons.
"Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts but most of you oppose it. Would you be comfortable having this story read to your children as part of their school curriculum?" asked Allison King of New England Cable News at the debate.
"Yes, absolutely," was Edwards's resounding reply. "I want my children to understand everything about the difficulties that gay and lesbian couples are faced with every day. . . . I don't want to impose my view. Nobody made me God," he explained. Edwards did promise that although he opposes gay marriage, he will extend to homosexual couples all benefits available to married heterosexual ones, will do away with the Defense of Marriage Act and will abolish the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Obama agreed with Edwards and added his signature rhetoric of hope, reason and tolerance opposing fear, conflict and division.
"I really respect what both John and Barack said," affirmed Sen. Clinton. She did not answer the question directly, but urged respect for other people and their choices, and passage of the federal Hate Crimes bill. "We haven't been able to get it passed, and it is an important measure to send a message that we stand against hatred and divisiveness. And I think that, you know, that's what the Democratic Party stands for in contrast, all too often, to the other side."
Republican primary candidate Mitt Romney criticized the Democrats' responses. "This is a subject that should be left to parents, not public school teachers. We need to strengthen our families by passing a federal marriage amendment and also insisting on marriage before having children." Romney has already sparred with Obama on sex ed and the appropriateness of sex ed topics for kindergarten students. Tags:Barack Obama, debate, Democrats, Election 2008, Hillary Clinton, Homosexual Agenda, John Edwards, New HampshireTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Club for Growth Releases Updated Huckabee White Paper
Patrick J. Toomey,President, Club for Growth>: The Club for Growth released an updated white paper on former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. The Club for Growth originally released the Huckabee white paper on January 29, 2007, the first in its presidential white paper series. As the presidential race developed over the past ten months, many readers have expressed comments and questions, and new information about Governor Huckabee’s record has come to light. In order to ensure that the presidential white papers continue to be thorough and relevant, the Club for Growth decided to issue an updated account of Mike Huckabee’s economic record.
“Over the pas ten months, Governor Huckabee’s embrace of his liberal economic record as governor and his populist, protectionist rhetoric on the campaign trail has only confirmed the Club for Growth’s original assessment,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “Huckabee himself admits that he is a ‘different kind of Republican,’ a code word for more government involvement, less personal freedom, and greater dependence on government bureaucrats.”
“Huckabee is proud of his tax hikes, his spending increases, and his regulatory expansions as governor, and he has not indicated that he would govern any differently as president. Nominating Mike Huckabee for president or vice-president would constitute an abject rejection of the free-market, limited-government, economic conservatism that has been the unifying theme of the Republican Party for decades.” [To Read the Report] Recommend reading in detail the updated footnote comments comparing documents, documents & comments! One example: "While Huckabee repeatedly claims that 80% of Arkansas voters approved the gas and diesel fuel tax increases that he backed,[24] the frequency of his repetition of this claim does not make it true. In fact, the claim is false. The Arkansas Legislature passed two bills in March of 1999 to pay for transportation projects, a gas and fuel tax hike, not subject to voter approval, and a bond issue that was contingent on voter approval.[25] Huckabee signed the gas and diesel fuel tax increases into law on April 1, 1999; the tax hikes began taking effect that day.[26] Voters approved the bond issue, but this referendum did not include the gas and fuel tax increases [27] and did not take place until June 15, 1999. [28] Importantly, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette made this clear when it wrote, "the tax increases [signed by Huckabee] will stay whether voters approve the bond issue or not."[29]" Additional Club for Growth Reports are published forJohn McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred ThompsonandRon Paul. Tags:Club for Growth, Economics, Election 2008, fiscal, Mike Huckabee, Patrick Toomey, presidential candidatesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Fred Thompson, Candidate for President: I’m no tech head, but I think I know a thing or three about the Internet and how it works. And as far as I can tell, it works pretty well.
More than 1.4 billion people around the world seem to be emailing each other a lot, and those emails get delivered a lot faster and more reliably than “snail mail.” Lots of people are innovating around the Internet – voice calling over the Internet, e-commerce, blogs, education, employment, and healthcare services, music and video streaming and downloads, and such – and lots and lots of people are profiting from those innovations and the websites and companies that operate online.
So if things are going so well, why is it that some folks are seriously thinking about taking management of the Internet away from the United States and handing control to the United Nations? Foreign government officials from around the world meeting at a U.N.-sponsored conference in Brazil actually discussed this notion last week. It didn’t get much attention, but as we all know, that’s how bad ideas get traction.
Despite what Al Gore may think, the Internet was an invention of the U.S. government and a number of universities and other entities a couple decades ago. As the Internet became what it is today, the government created a nonprofit organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, to manage what was then a growing network of networks. Today ICANN does things like manage the assignment of Web sites domain names – the .coms, .orgs, .edus – for example.
But countries like China aren’t happy about U.S. control of “the tubes.” They’d rather have the U.N. run it. I wonder how the U.N. would’ve handled the situation in Burma recently when the government cut off all Internet access to all anti-government protesters, or how it would’ve handled the imprisonment in China of dissidents and reporters who emailed news out of the country.
My hunch is that we’d see the same level of management of the Internet from the U.N. that we’ve seen when it came to peacekeeping operations in Africa. Or its management of Saddam Hussein’s “Oil for Food” program. Or its monitoring of Iran’s nuclear program. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if when you look up “fool’s errand” in the dictionary, you find: “Role for United Nations’” as the definition. The notion of surrendering management of the Internet – a global, strategic infrastructure for communications and commerce – to the UN is just a plain dumb idea. We shouldn’t be handing over something that works right to an institution that has difficulty doing anything right. For Background See Also:Talk of Internet limits dominates U.N. forum Internet control by U.S. promises to be hot topic at U.N. forum UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) Tags:Fred Thompson, internet, presidential candidate, UNTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
"Pen the Conservative Tail" by Cartoonist Rob Smith, Jr
Most "Likely Republican Voters" are still deciding on who will be their candidate.
Rob Smith's cartoon provides interesting insight into the dilemma of some conservatives.
Tags:Alan Keyes, conservative, Duncan Hunter, Election 2008, elephant, Fred Thompson, John Mccain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, political cartoon, Republican, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Tom TancredoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Harry Reid: The War is Lost! Fact: No Harry, the War is not Lost. Harry Reid: The Troop Surge will not work! Fact: No Harry, the Troop Surge is working. Harry Reid: I am loved by my constituents! Fact: No Harry, you are being rejected by your constituents and a "super" majority of Americans. Harry Reid: But, I will make them love me! I will stop the funding for the IRAQ and Afghanistan troops. And, I went to Senator's Byrd birthday party & then told everyone watching C-Span. Fact: Harry, do you really believe that your Democrat colleagues don't know that you are incompetent. You are placing our Nation at risk; pandering to a group of liberal bloggers who didn't vote for you; setting an all time record for failed political gamesmanship by forcing the President to veto excessively laden pork bills and you have not provided for the continued funding appropriations needed for the rest of the Federal Government to operate. Truth:Harry Reid - You are the Poster Child for Incompetence! Tags:Harry Reid, incompetenceTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by David Freddoso, National Review:Thank House Democrats when your tax refund is late. A deadline looms today, and it will not be met. Unless Congress fixes the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), the IRS will have no choice but to print next year’s tax forms based on current law, which would force 25 million taxpayers to pay, on average, an unexpected, additional $2,000 in taxes. If the AMT is fixed after today’s deadline, the Treasury Department announced in a letter to Congress, then the delay in printing proper IRS forms will create confusion for millions of taxpayers this spring and delay tens of millions of taxpayers’ refund checks by up to two and a half months. Democrats are the ones responsible for this — for creating the tax in the first place, for raising it, and for failing to fix it in time. Most responsible of all for the current mess, and for Congress’s failure to act, is House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY). . . .
Everyone expects the AMT to be fixed this year for the same reason it always has been fixed in the past — failure to do it could cause a taxpayer rebellion. If, as appears likely, Congress fails to pass a real AMT fix before today’s deadline, it will probably be fixed eventually. But many taxpayers will end up with obsolete tax forms (12 different forms are affected by the AMT), creating a huge snag for the IRS. An astounding $75 billion in tax refunds to as many as 50 million people could be delayed for up to ten weeks. That’s great news if you’re a government bean-counter, because you’re essentially getting an interest-free loan of $75 billion from American taxpayers. I t’s very bad news, though, if you are a taxpayer trying to pay your energy bills, your child’s tuition, or your overpriced mortgage. It might also be bad news if you are a Democratic politician who helped create the Great Tax Confusion of 2008. . . . [Read More] See AlsoJudgment Day
Tags:alternative minimum tax, AMT, Democrats, increased taxes, taxesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families (11/16): Congressional Democrats did it again. After going 0-for-40 on legislation to force America's "retreat and defeat" in Iraq, the House voted 218-to-203 last night to provide only a quarter of the funding for the war in Iraq that President Bush requested. Worse, the bill came with strings demanding hard deadlines for troop withdrawals. This vote came in spite of the fact that progress is being made - progress even the New York Times has acknowledged - and some troops are coming home.
The Senate took up the bill this morning, but it failed to get enough votes to overcome a Republican filibuster. The anti-war liberals in Congress are drawing a line in the sand to appease their radical leftwing base at MoveOn.org. Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid has essentially told the president, "Take it or leave it." According to the Associated Press, "Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said this week that if Congress cannot pass legislation that ties war money to troop withdrawals, they would not send Bush a bill this year."
The results could be staggering. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that if full funding isn't provided soon, "he is faced with the undesirable task of preparing to cease operations at Army bases by mid-February, and lay off about 100,000 Defense Department employees and an equal number of civilian contractors." A White House spokesman responded to Congress' failure to fund our troops by saying, "We'd rather see the Department of Defense, the military planners and our troops focusing on military maneuvers, rather than accounting maneuvers as they carry out their mission in the field."
Congress' behavior is grossly irresponsible - especially as we are making progress. Serious nations and responsible legislators do not cut off their troops on the battlefield. They do whatever is necessary to win. Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut recently accused liberal anti-war Democrats of being "emotionally invested in a narrative of retreat and defeat, even as facts on the ground show that we are advancing and winning." Sadly, it seems Senator Lieberman is right. Unfortunately, disdain for our troops is not isolated to liberals in Congress.
There is a pathetic report today out of the leftwing enclave of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Evidently, a local Boy Scout troop was collecting donations of toiletries, magazines, candy and other items to make care packages for our soldiers serving overseas. Scout Patrick O'Connor of Troop 45 got the idea after a relative serving in Iraq was injured by an IED, and he wanted to do something "to make a lot of troops happy" for the holidays.The Scouts got verbal permission to place donation boxes at polling stations during the city's recent municipal elections for an "Election Day collections drive." Unbelievably, someone complained that the donation boxes amounted to a "political statement," and city bureaucrats removed them. So even providing candy and magazines to our soldiers is too much for some liberals. No doubt the individual who complained was equally offended that the effort was being conducted by Boy Scouts, who happen to believe in (gasp!) God and Country. Fortunately, not all Cambridge citizens are anti-American scrooges. Vice Mayor Timothy Toomey said in a written statement: "Boy Scouts Troop 45's efforts to support our troops are a benefit for the entire community, and the council will be working with them to ensure that their goals are fully realized." Tags:anti-war, Democrats, Gary Bauer, military defense, military fundingTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Dick Cheney Guest for Republican Party of Arkansas Fundraiser
Today, Vice President Dick Cheney was the guest at a closed-door reception and fundraiser for the Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA). Cheney addressed about 130 people in Little Rock. The admission for the reception was $250 per person reception in downtown Little Rock. The state party also offered photo opportunities with Cheney for $1,000 a person.
U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-AR said Cheney's visit shows the importance of Arkansas in the 2008 presidential election. Cheney touted the Bush administration's tax cuts and said the situation is improving in Iraq and "The vice president gave us a little pep talk." Arkansas GOP Chairman Dennis Milligan said, "The vice president spoke about a number of things, most of all how happy he was to be here in Arkansas and looking forward to going duck hunting." Milligan did not know yet how much money was raised from the fundraiser. RPA state director Karen Ray says the money will go toward Arkansas Victory 2008, the state party's efforts supporting federal candidates for office in Arkansas. Update/Added 11/18:The Morning News - Cheney Rallies Republicans In Little Rock Tags:Arkansas, Arkansas Republican Party, Dick Cheney, fund raiser, GOP, RPATo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
FOX's Neil Cavuto: "A year ago today, House Democrats embracing NancyPelosi as their new leader. They said that they would bring gas pricesdown then. Here is where they are now: up, way up as we kick off thebusy holiday travel season. So what gives?" FLASHBACK -Then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): "Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices..." (Release, 4/24/06) Tags:gasoline, Nancy Pelosi, prices, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
UPDATED 10:01 am: From Senate sources: This morning, the Senate is in the middle of a series of important votes prior to Congress’ Thanksgiving recess. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates discussed the consequences of Democrats’ mismanagement of government and military funding yesterday, warning of what would be required to continue the war effort in the absence of a bridge fund. According to Sec. Gates, without bridge funds for the troops, “The military would cease operations at all Army bases by mid-February next year. This would result in the furloughing of about 100,000 government employees and a like number of contractor employees at Army bases. These layoffs would have a cascading effect on depots and procurements. Similar actions would follow for the Marine Corps about a month later.” Sec. Gates also noted that some Defense Department employees be getting pink slips in December without adequate funds.
Even with The New York Times reporting “a sharp decrease in the number of roadside bombs” in Iraq today, Democrats continue their amazing rhetoric to talk down progress in Iraq. During floor debate this morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, “It’s indisputable that the goals of the surge have failed.” No wonder the the latest Gallup poll shows “Americans widely disappointed with Democrats in Congress.”
Investors’ Business Daily takes Democrats to task today for their “shameful attempts to withdraw troops from an active theater of war” and declares this Congress “to be one of the least-accomplished Congresses in the last century.”
On The Floor: In the first vote this morning, the Senate failed, 45-53, to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the GOP emergency supplemental appropriations bill (S. 2340), which would have provided $70 billion in war funding through the spring without having forced deadlines.
Update: On a 53-45 roll call, Democrats fell seven votes short as Republicans effectively blocked a House-passed bill (H.R. 4156) providing $50 billion in emergency funds but also demanding that President Bush agree to the goal of ending most U.S. combat operations by the end of next year. These votes will bring the total of Iraq votes in this Congress to 63.
Update: The Senate also blocked a $286 billion farm bill (H.R. 2419), a blow to farm-state lawmakers, who wanted to give their constituents expanded subsidies before next year's elections. Democrats failed to get the 60 votes they needed to cut off debate on the measure. The final vote was 55-42. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has prevented Republicans from offering amendments to the 1600 page bill. Tags:Farm bill, military funding, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Following up on his tough Border Security and Immigration Reform Plan which emphasizes the need to secure our borders and enforce the law, Senator Fred Thompson launched a new 30-second television ad, titled "No Amnesty." The 30-second spot is set in a diner, featuring the Senator sitting at a counter discussing the problem of illegal immigration. [More info ...]
Tags:amnesty, Election 2008, Fred Thompson, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, political ad, presidential candidateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, Family Research Council: For a case with such enormous implications, Tuesday's ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court has received relatively little media attention. The Rocky Mountain region is poised to take an enormous step in the movement to defend and define the personhood of the unborn. By a unanimous 7-0 decision, the high court gave its approval to language for a ballot initiative that pro-lifers hope to put before voters in November 2008. If successful, the campaign would make Colorado the first state to vote on the question of when life begins. Even more importantly, it would give voters the opportunity to establish a human life in the womb as a "person" under state law. As such, even the smallest unborn child would receive the constitutional protections of "inalienable rights, justice, and due process." A victory would strike at the very heart of Roe v. Wade and have far-reaching significance in addressing the legality of abortion. While social conservatives have a momentous task before them--collecting 76,047 signatures in the next six months to secure the amendment's place on next year's ballot--they believe the momentum is building in their favor. If you live in Colorado, I encourage you to get your family and church involved in this petition drive. For those of you watching this debate unfold from afar, consider starting a movement in your own state or get involved in one that has already begun. Similar proposals in Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Montana, Mississippi, and Oregon are already underway. Regardless of where you live, your family can enter the battle in the most crucial way of all--by committing to pray that the voters of Colorado spark all Americans to revisit the dignity of life at every stage. See also:Colorado Supreme Court Approves Ballot Language for Abortion AmendmentTags:abortion, Colorado, Family Research Council, FRC, pro-life, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Key & Hopper Announce as GOP Candidates for State Offices
State Rep. Johnny Key of Mountain Home announced he will be a Republican candidate for State Senate District 1. Key cannot seek re-election to the state House of Representatives because of term limits. He holds a number of leadership positions in the House, including vice-chairman of the House Public Health, Welfare, and Labor Committee and House Republican Leader. I am seeking this office so I can continue to be a strong, conservative voice in the Arkansas General Assembly," Key said, adding he is dedicated to low taxes, less government and pro-family policies. He said challenging issues facing Arkansas in the near future include Medicaid reform, education and jobs growth. . . . Key believes he can appeal to voters across the political spectrum. "In the era of term limits, having someone at the Capitol with legislative experience and knowledge is critical for a growing area like North Central Arkansas," Key said. "During my tenure in the House, I have demonstrated that I can work with state and local officials of both parties to get things done." Sen. Shawn Womack, who has been serving District 1, announced his intention to run for circuit judge earlier this month. Senate District 1 includes Baxter County, Marion County and half of Boone County. . . [Read More]
ASUMH Associate Vice Chancellor Karen Hopper of Lakeview announced she will be a Republican candidate for State Reprentative District 81. Hopper is running for the seat being vacated by State Rep. Johnny Key (R), Mountain Home, who is leaving office due to term limits. . . . "The majority of voters in House District 81 have long supported those candidates who pledged to work for lowering taxes, supporting a conservative government, strengthening families, and seizing opportunities to steer funding back to this community for projects like education, health care and rural fire departments. I want to work to continue these efforts." Hopper said she believes her experience in government at all levels will give her insight into state legislative issues. She noted her first introduction to the area was as a news reporter. That experience allowed access to all aspects of local government, from school boards to city and county operations. She later served for more than five years as senior district representative to former congressmen Tim and Asa Hutchinson. She worked on both legislative issues and individual constituency matters, . . . Hopper is a member of the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Cameo Club. She is a former member of the Mountain Home Rotary Club, Chamber Ambassadors, Serenity House Board of Directors, and Chamber Rotary Youth Leadership. She is the recipient of the Chamber of Commerce's Opal Award for community service and Ambassador of the Year award. Hopper is the current Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Special Projects and Distance Learning for Arkansas State University Mountain Home. District 81 encompasses a portion of Baxter County including Mountain Home, Lakeview, Cotter, Gassville and Midway. . . . [Read More] Tags:Arkansas, Baxter County, Johnny Key, Karen Hopper, republican candidatesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
March for America: On Saturday November 17th, 2007 there will be a nation wide protest march in opposition to the Security & Prosperity Partnership of North Americaand establishment of a North American Union between the United States, Mexico and Canada. WE WILL MARCH TO DEMAND
* Withdrawal from the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) and NAFTA
* An immediate halt of government and corporate efforts to integrate the United States into a North American Union with Canada and Mexico.
* Restoration of the Republic by re-commitment and adherence to the Constitution by which our elected officials are accountable to American citizens.
* The defense of our national borders and enforcement of existing immigration law.
* An end to the sell-out of America to globalist interests that have resulted in our economic enslavement and have eroded our sovereignty. MORE INFO ON PLANNED MARCH LOCATIONS & INVOLVEMENT
Tags:March for America, NAFTA, SPPTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Calling all Veterans Tired of John Murtha's Slander
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: A ferocious battle will soon begin to remove from office Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) who has embarrassed U.S. Marines and all other military veterans beyond measure. Lt Col. William Russell’s campaign for Congress for the 12th District begins on Monday, November 19, 2007.
Russell and his wife, Kasia, were in the Pentagon when a hijacked jetliner crashed into the building on Sept. 11, 2001. They escaped unharmed. He understands that United States is now engaged in a great political battle to determine whether this nation, founded in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, can maintain the political resolve in its fight against a totalitarian political system, cloaked in religion, which is dedicated to the destruction of our liberty.
Complements to the Charleston Daily Mailfor an excellent summary of the problem with the AMT:The alternative minimum tax was imposed by a Democratic Congress 38 years ago to force 155 individuals to pay income taxes. Each made more than $200,000 -- 20 were millionaires -- but each paid zero federal income taxes, thanks to tax deductions and credits inserted into the tax code by Congress. That alternative minimum tax to snag 155 individuals has grown into a tax that burdens 21 million Americans, most of whom do not make $200,000 a year in today's dollars, let alone in 1969 dollars. It is set to hit people who make as little as $50,000 a year.
Those 21 million will be socked by $50.6 billion in taxes next year. The Democratic Congress proposes to relieve their burden by closing "loopholes" to collect $78.3 billion more from taxpayers. . . . House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) is planning for a trillion-dollar tax hike in 2009. The non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation took a look at Rangel's soak-the-rich tax increase and discovered that as early as 2011, 94 million families earning as little as $20,000 a year will see a tax increase. . . .
There are other ways to "pay" for the elimination of the AMT. Waste in government and pork-barrel projects would be a good place to start. . . .[Read More] As for stopping pork, we could begin with Rangle's pork. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) is hoping to steer $2 million to a building project at the City College of New Yorkthat will house -- not one, not two, but three construction projects that will bear his name. Yes, talk about gaudy, there is the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service, the Rangel Conference Center, and the Charles Rangel Library which will hold all of his not so important papers and will include a “well-furnished office” for Charlie Bro. Tags:alternative minimum tax, AMT, Charlie Rangel, Congressional Pork, income tax, increased taxes, pork-barrel spendersTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Congress - in a Mess: New Gallup pollshows “Americans widely disappointed with Democrats in Congress.” A majority o f Americans are “disappointed” or “angry” with Congress’ handling of Iraq, immigration, the deficit, health care, and the economy. The AP reported yesterday on the consequences of Congress not passing funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan on time. “In a recent letter to Congress, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England warned that the Army was on track to run out of money by February. England also said that without more money the military would eventually have to close facilities, layoff civilian workers and defer contracts. Also, the budget delay could disrupt training efforts of Iraqi security forces and efforts to protect troops against roadside bombs, he said.”
In the House: Last night, the House voted yet again on a measure to force withdrawal from Iraq, in complete disregard for the facts on the ground. The bill was narrowly approved and faces dim prospects in the Senate. President Bush has assured Democrats that he will veto this bill. Among the troubling provisions in the Democrats’ latest attempt to undermine progress in Iraq are requirements to begin troop withdrawals within 30 days (even though some troops have already begun to come home from improving areas), a “goal” of full withdrawal by December 2008, restrictions on CIA interrogation techniques including a ban on waterboarding, and part of the Murtha slow-bleed strategy from earlier this year, which requires certifications that deploying units are fully “mission capable.”
From Senate sources: Yesterday’s vote makes a grand total of at least 60 votes on Iraq-related measures during this Congress. Democrats’ mismanagement is on full display here as the Senate prepares to debate yet another bill Democrat leadership knows will be vetoed. Republicans have introduced a clean war funding bill (S. 2340) that would appropriate $70 billion for the Pentagon to fund operations through the spring. If the Democrats want to be responsible, that is the bill that should pass, not their latest attempt to substitute their political judgment for the tactical judgment of General Petraeus and our commanders on the ground.
Meanwhile, there is still NO FIX for the alternative minimum tax and Congress still has not passed a bill to fund veterans programs, days after Veterans Day. Senate Republicans and Pete Hegseth of Vets for Freedom will hold a press conference today at 3:30 to highlight Democrats’ mismanagement of funding for the troops in Iraq and our veterans here at home.
On The Floor: -Senate will again resume consideration of the farm bill (H.R. 2419). After almost two weeks of deadlock, a final agreement on amendments to the farm bill still has not been reached, thanks in part to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blockingRepublicans from offering amendments he didn’t approve of. Reid filed cloture on the bill yesterday in an effort to avoid non-germane amendments. A vote on cloture would likely come tomorrow, but could happen today if Senators agree. - In the next two days, Senate action is possible on the House-passed supplemental funding bill for Iraq which includes withdrawal language. - Yesterday, the Senate voted 95-0 to pass a re-authorization of the Head Start program. Tags:alternative minimum tax, AMT, Farm bill, federal funding, Gallup Poll, Iraq War, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The CDC found that more than 1 million cases of chlamydia were reported last year, the highest number ever reported for a sexually transmitted disease. It also reported that gonorrhea rates are up after hitting a record low -- and even more of those cases are resistant to common antibiotics. Lastly, the number of syphilis cases continues to climb, primarily among men having sex with men. And the rate of congenital syphilis, which can deform or kill babies, rose for the first time in 15 years. . . . The CDC estimates that 19 million new sexually transmitted infections occur each year, many of them undiagnosed or unreported, and they say almost half of the new infections occur among people ages 15 to 24. Much of the increase in gonorrhea and syphilis appears to be spurred by unsafe sex among gay men, particularly those who are too young to have watched friends die from AIDS.
"There's been a relaxation of standards, especially among men having sex with men, thinking the AIDS epidemic is under control" . . . Perhaps the most alarming figure, nationwide, is the surge in primary and secondary syphilis, the early stages that indicate recent infection. Only a few years ago, the disease was considered nearly eradicated, because syphilis rates across the country tumbled through the 1990s. In 1999, the U.S. surgeon general went so far as to predict that the disease would be eliminated by 2005. Since then, the rate in the United States has climbed steadily. From 2005 to 2006, the rate increased 14 percent, mostly among men, though increases were seen among women and newborns as well. . . .
Gonorrhea is the second-most-commonly reported infectious disease in the United States, with 358,366 cases reported in 2006. From 1975 to 1997, the rate of reported gonorrhea plummeted 74 percent, but it reached a plateau after that and has risen for the past two years. In 2006, the rate increased 5.5 percent from the previous year. Perhaps more disturbing is the fact that more cases are drug-resistant. In 2006, the CDC found 14 percent of gonorrhea cases were resistant to antibiotics previously recommended to treat the disease, up from 9 percent in 2005 and 7 percent in 2004 . . . [Read More]
Only effective abstinence programs can impact a reduction in STD. These programs help young people delay sexual involvement, reduce the number of partners, and plan for a healthy and sexually-fulfilled future. Tags:CDC, Centers for Disease Control, sexually transmitted, STDTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Coalition Stands Strong Against the 'Fairness Doctrine'
by Bobby Eberle: There are many bills in Congress with fancy, "happy-sounding" names. When one of these pops up, you can usually bet that it's a bad bill. Take the immigration bill known as the DREAM Act. It turns out that the DREAM Act was more of a nightmare than good legislation, and it went down in flames thanks to grassroots activism. However, one of the most misleading bills out there is the "Fairness Doctrine," and a coalition of Republican legislators is working to ensure that it never sees the light of day again.
Earlier this year, during a legislative battle over the "Fairness Doctrine," opponents of the measure where able to defeat it through an amendment to an FCC appropriations bill which banned the agency from using any funds to adopt a fairness rule. However, the issue is not completely dead as the possibility still exists that a future president may take executive action to force the media to adopt "Fairness Doctrine" policies. And that's where we now see the conservative coalition in action. . . .
Accuracy in Media (AIM) issued a press release last week calling attention to the actions in the Senate. AIM editor Cliff Kincaid noted that "Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry, two prominent members of the committee, have been quoted as saying they favor governmental action through a vehicle such as the so-called Fairness Doctrine to regulate and restrict conservative talk radio." . . . We need less government, not more... and politically motivated efforts by left-wing politicians to force the media to carry programs that fit their agenda is about as un-American as it gets. The government should stay out of the free speech business. The American people are the ultimate judges of what succeeds and what fails on the airwaves. . . . [Read More]See also:Summary of the Fairness Doctrine Tags:Bobby Eberle, fairness doctrine, GOPUSATo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
News video by KFI Radio Reporter Steve Gregory from Los Angeles. If this news piece and the following alert by Grassroots.org makes you upset, Contact your senators!
Carefully Crafted Amendment Expected On DHS Appropriations - Bill Makes Secure Fence Act’s Double-Layer Fence Mandate Obsolete Grassfire.org: With the upcoming DHS Appropriations bill, Congress is set to repeat a border fence funding hoax that makes the specific provisions of the Secure Fence Act of 2006 obsolete. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s staff has confirmed that the Senator is preparing to re-submit an amendment to the DHS Appropriations bill identical to the text of an amendment originally passed as part of the DOD Appropriations bill (SA 3176). “This amendment releases DHS from any requirement to build any amount of border fencing in any location,” says Grassfire.org President Steve Elliott. “Basically, DHS can choose to build no fence at all and the Secure Fence Act’s mandate of 854 miles of double-layer fencing becomes a meaningless political hoax.”
Excerpt from SA 3176: “Nothing in this paragraph shall require the Secretary of Homeland Security to install fencing, physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors in a particular location along an international border of the United States, if the Secretary determines that the use or placement of such resources is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain operational control.” Elliott says similar tactics were employed one year ago during the passage of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. “The timeline of events on the day that the Secure Fence Act passed makes it clear that Congress never intended to actually build a double-layer border fence,” says Elliott.
Grassfire.org has filed a Special Report on the Border Fence Funding Hoax, complete with timelines. Grassfire.org is today launching a grassroots campaign calling for the final DHS Appropriations Bill to stipulate: a) that any border security funding be specifically tied to the Secure Fence Act’s double-layer fencing mandate, and b) that DHS not be given discretionary power over the construction of the border fence and instead be required by law to fulfill the specific provisions of the Secure Fence Act of 2006. Tags:border fence, border security, Grassfire.org, Mexican Border Issues, Steve ElliotTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Our politics suffer when passions overcome reason and vitriol becomes virtue.by Peter Berkowitz, Opinion Journal: Hating the president is almost as old as the republic itself. The people, or various factions among them, have indulged in Clinton hatred, Reagan hatred, Nixon hatred, LBJ hatred, FDR hatred, Lincoln hatred, and John Adams hatred, to mention only the more extravagant hatreds that we Americans have conceived for our presidents.
But Bush hatred is different. It's not that this time members of the intellectual class have been swept away by passion and become votaries of anger and loathing. Alas, intellectuals have always been prone to employ their learning and fine words to whip up resentment and demonize the competition. Bush hatred, however, is distinguished by the pride intellectuals have taken in their hatred, openly endorsing it as a virtue and enthusiastically proclaiming that their hatred is not only a rational response to the president and his administration but a mark of good moral hygiene. . . . [Read More] Tags:anti-war protesters, hatred, President, President George Bush, protestorsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
From Senate sources: Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared that Democrats won’t agree to a $50 billion bridge fund for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan if it doesn’t include arbitrary withdrawal requirements. Reid’s latest pronouncement came on the same day the AP reported that a brigade of troops was heading home from Diyala province, among a number of other stories of progress in Iraq. Senate Armed Services Comm. Chair Carl Levin said to The Politico that though he supports a goal for withdrawing troops, “I would hope [Reid’s] strategy would be to get the votes for a bridge fund.”
Democrats’ mismanagement of war funding could have serious consequences. According to the AP , “If Democrats refuse to send Bush the $50 billion, the military would have to drain its annual budget to keep the wars afloat.” Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has warned that forcing the Pentagon to move its regular budget to war funding could mean closing military facilities, deferring contracts, and possibly even laying off civilian workers. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is scheduled come to the Hill today to discuss funding issues with members of Congress.
To get our troops the funding they need, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said yesterday that he would use Senate Rule 14 to put on the calendar legislation that would provide $70 billion to carry the military into the next year. The language comes from an amendment Sen. Ted Stevens offered during conference negotiations on the Defense appropriations bill.
On The Floor: Senate will resume consideration of the farm bill (H.R. 2419). The $283 billion farm bill is remains stalledon the floor,because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has prohibited Republicans from offering amendments. Reid complained this morning about Republican desires to offer amendments to the farm bill concerning border security and estate taxes.
Action is possible this week on the House AMT patch whichamounts to a tax hike. Tags:Harry Reid, Iraq War funding, AMT, AMT patch, farm bill, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. Inscribed on the black granite wall are the names of more than 58,000 who gave their lives or remain missing. Yet the Memorial itself is dedicated to honor the "courage, sacrifice, and devotion to duty and country" of all who answered the call to serve during the longest war in U.S. history. For twenty-five years, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – known today simply as The Wall – has inspired us as a nation. Since its dedication on November 13, 1982, The Wall has stirred probing questions and reflection about history, American culture and the cost of war. Equally as important, The Wall continues to influence greatly how we as a nation remember, honor and mourn. Tags:military, military troops, Vietnam Memorial, Vietnam WarTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Presidential candidate & Rep. Tom Tancredo appeared today on FoxNew's Hannity and Combs defended his latest campaign ad, "Tough on Terror," which depicts a terrorist planting a bomb in a crowded U.S. shopping mall and suggests that lax immigration policies have left the country vulnerable to such attacks. Tancredo expressed that purpose of the ad is to bring attention to a real national security threat and whether he wins or loses he must speak the truth about the dangers of terrorists using our insecure borders to enter the United States.
The proposition in Tancredo's ad is not far fetched or new. The same scenario is played out in NTI's short film "Last Best Chance" which stared Fred Thomspon as President and detailed the lack of control of global nuclear materials and how terrorists could smuggle "dirty bombs" into the United States.Readers may obtain ore information and a free copy of the film atLastBestChance.org.
Tom Tancredo Campaign Ad "Tough on Terror"
Tags:border security, campaign ad, Election 2008, Fred Thompson, Last Best Chance, presidential candidate, terrorism, Tom TancredoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Tony Perkins, FRC, Washington Update:In one Florida region, ending your marriage could be just a few mouse clicks away. The Sun Sentinel is reporting that the Broward County Clerk of Courts is now allowing residents to file for divorce online--"without leaving the house." According to Kris Mazzeo, a court employee, the service was launched this month in response to similar programs in counties like Palm Beach. Before long, local officials expect it to encompass other issues like paternity or property matters. The "self-service system," which sounds more like a supermarket checkout line than a way to break couples' vows, is "intended for people who can't afford an attorney or don't want to spend money on one." Besides, Mazzeo says, "People come downtown, and it's expensive to park. If we can keep them from making extra trips to the courthouse, it would be great for them." That's outrageous! Are local officials more concerned about the price of parking than they are about the social costs of divorce? These Florida counties have it completely backward. We shouldn't be making it easier for people to dissolve their marriages--we should be making it harder for them to overlook the resources to save their marriages. Decisions like this only serve to cheapen a sacred institution and belittle divorce's toll on families and children. Join us in urging Broward County to respect the significance of marriage enough to reverse this misguided policy. See Also:Broward residents can now go online to file for divorce, small claims Tags:Divorce, Family Research Council, Florida, FRC, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
0 for 40 - Democrats remain stalled on Iraq debate
The Politicopoints out the "0 for 40" record of House Democrats when it comes to changing things in Iraq:
As the congressional session lurches toward a close, Democrats are confronting some demoralizing arithmetic on Iraq. The numbers tell a story of political and substantive paralysis more starkly than most members are willing to acknowledge publicly, or perhaps even to themselves.
Since taking the majority, they have forced 40 votes on bills limiting President Bush’s war policy. Only one of those has passed both chambers, even though both are run by Democrats. That one was vetoed by Bush. Indeed, the only war legislation enacted during this Congress has been to give the president exactly what he wants, and exactly what he has had for the past five years: more money, with no limitations . . . [Read More]
House sources expressed that they now expect that vote number 41 will be offered this week, despite the fact that the surge is working, and troops are coming home - on a timeline set by generals, not congressmen. Tags:Democrats, federal funding, Iraq War, military, troop surgeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Gore Joins Major Venture Capital Firm to Focus on Green Technology
Hat Tip toJohn Anderson at THE CITIZENS JOURNALwho reports:H/T NewsBusters.Who said this wasn't about money ? Now not only will Gore purchase carbon credits from himself, he will be selling mystery tech to people convinced that the earth is dying. This from the AP, "Al Gore announced Monday he's joining Silicon Valley's most prestigious venture capital firm to help the private sector take on global warming, and perhaps make himself some money. . . ." Gore has got to be the most brilliant businessman I know; he created a market out of thin air by scaring millions into believing that the world was going to end, he then made a movie out of it, created his own carbon trading scheme, won a Pulitzer and now plans to create mystery technologies that will combat this mythical disease that is supposedly killing our planet. Where is his liberal ideology now, the one that compels him not to take advantage of the disenfranchised ? . . . [Read More] Tags:Al Gore, global warming, John AndersonTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
NY Gov. Spitzer Abandons driver license plan for illegals
Newsday - by Devlin Barrett: New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to abandon his plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants . . . The governor is due to meet Wednesday morning with New York's congressional delegation, many of whom have openly opposed the program. . . . [Read More]
Earlier today, NewsDay - Valerie Bauman had reported that New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to provide illegal immigrants with driver's licenses has sunk his favorability rating to an all-time low of 41%, and has left only 25% of voters planning to re-elect him . . . 46% had an unfavorable opinion of Spitzer, and 49% said they would "prefer someone else" as the next governor. Last month, 54% of voters had a favorable opinion of the governor. "Eliot Spitzer's standing with voters has fallen faster and further than any politician in recent New York history" . . . Half of those polled agreed that making licenses available to illegal aliens would pose a national security threat. . . . [Read More] Tags:driver license, Eliot Spitzer, illegal aliens, New York, polls, value votersTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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