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, January 26, 2008
225,000 Take Part in 2008 National March for Life
We end this week with an update on the National March for Life in Washington D.C. as reported by John-Henry Westen: Hundreds of thousands of pro-life activists gathered on the national mall in the nation's capital yesterday (Tuesday) standing in the cold on a cloudy day with a slight rain. The weather however did nothing to dampen the spirits of the vast crowd nor the political and spiritual leaders who addressed them prior to the march. . . . Powerful addresses were made by spiritual leaders and with a prayer and a rousing rendition of America, the march commenced. What would normally be a 15 minute walk took the line of marchers hours to complete. Fifty across and thousands deep the march was an unbelievable sea of people. Some near the front who had completed the march went for lunch and returned to their hotel rooms only to see thousands of marchers still progressing toward the Supreme Court.
LifeSiteNews spoke with John Alger, the Convention Director of the March for Life about the attendance at this year's march. "The largest estimate to date was 225,000," said Alger. "But we think this was at least as big as the largest if not larger, it was just an overwhelming turnout." Leading the March were a large group of women who had had abortions and regretted them. At one point the March stopped briefly as Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King invited the marchers to join her in singing "We will overcome". At the conclusion of the March those women shared their testimonies in front of the Supreme Court. After the women were finishing their presentations, a rainbow appeared just over the Court building. [Don't Miss the Great Photos ... Read More]Tags:2008, anti-abortion, March for Life, pro-life, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Tim Martin: Michigan will no longer let illegal immigrants get driver's licenses, a practice just seven other states continue to allow.Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, who oversees the motor vehicle department, announced the new policy Monday and said it takes effect Tuesday. . . . Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington do not require drivers to prove legal status to obtain a license . . . [Read more] Tags:driver license, illegal aliens, illegal immigrants, MichiganTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Alabama Republican Assembly (ALRA) has endorsed Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul for President. The ALRA is an affiliate of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA), known as the Republican Wing of the Republican Party. Ronald Reagan once referred to the NFRA as “the conscience of the Republican Party.”
“We congratulate Ron Paul on winning the ALRA endorsement,” said Elaine Little, Chairman of the Alabama Republican Assembly’s endorsing convention. “It’s evident that the overwhelming majority of delegates determined that Congressman Paul best represents the Republican platform and the conservative values of limited government and personal freedom. Ron Paul has clearly excited many new people and energized them to get involved in the political process. The Republican Party should be grateful for all the "new blood" coming in as a result of Congressman Paul’s message of freedom and returning to the Constitution, said Tom Davis, Vice President of the ALRA and delegate to the endorsing convention.
The NFRA was founded in 1997 to promote conservative values and principles in the Republican Party. The ALRA also hosted a corresponding straw poll that was open to the public while the endorsing convention was taking place. The winner of the straw poll was Ron Paul 81%; Mike Huckabee was second with 13% and Mitt Romney received 6%. Tags:Alabama, ALRA, Election 2008, endorsement, presidential candidates, Republican, Republican Assembly, Ron PaulTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Richard A. Serrano, Los Angeles Times: After two middle-school boys in camouflage gear shot and killed four classmates and a teacher here, leaving 10 others wounded and a community shattered, it seemed inevitable that someone would see opportunity in the tragedy for a book deal.Indeed, within days a publisher agreed to pay $25,000 to an Arkansas writer to produce a book on youth violence.
Victims' families were outraged. They called the payment blood money and said the author was cashing in on their pain. They demanded that the money go to the school, victims' relatives or scholarships for the wounded, not to the writer's personal bank account. He refused. That the author was Mike Huckabee, Arkansas' governor at the time, made their resentment all the stronger." He took advantage of us," said Pam Herring, whose daughter, Paige Ann, had just turned 12 when she was shot to death. . . .
But when the book was rushed to print a month after the shootings, it was titled "Kids Who Kill." The cover is a photo of a boy about the age of the Jonesboro killers pointing a gun at the reader. The back cover promo states: "The quest for quick answers has robbed us of the truth" about Jonesboro. "Until now."The opening pages begin: "Just after lunch on March 24, 1998, a sudden burst of gunfire cut through the crowded schoolyard of Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas." . . .
Huckabee again vowed it would be "blood money" for the shooters, with Huckabee adding this time: "No one should profit."Then, ten days after the shooting, it was announced that Huckabee had signed his own book deal, to be written with George Grant, a prolific author of Christian books. . . . [Read More] Tags:Arkansas, blood money, Jonesboro, kids, Mike Huckabee, youth violenceTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Arkansas, blood money, Jonesboro, kids, Mike Huckabee, youth violenceService. Thanks!
Arkansans learned a lot from their experience with the Clintons. Now they wish to show other Americans the way to Prosperity!
Tags:Arkansas, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, political humorTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) positions are more in line with The New York Times than conservatives. More often than not, Senator McCain has found himself to be the only Republican who could find himself the running mate of Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and even John Kerry:
John Kerry Said McCain Approached Him About Being His Vice President. CNN's SUZANNE MALVEAUX: "In an online interview, Kerry says Senator John McCain approached him about being his running mate…." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 4/3/07)
McCain Said He Would Entertain Being John Kerry's Vice President. SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: "John Kerry is a very close friend of mine. We've been friends for years. Obviously, I would entertain it." (ABC's "Good Morning America," 3/10/04)
McCain's Chief Political Strategist Said McCain Talked To Democrats About Leaving The Republican Party. FOX NEWS' BRIT HUME: "McCain though denies he ever considered leaving the party. But, his chief political strategist, John Weaver, tells the paper that McCain did indeed talk to Democrats about moving across the aisle." (Fox News' "The Special Report," 3/29/07)
Tags:Democrat, Election 2008, John McCain, Politics, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Could Mexico Cabinet Member Be A U.S. Cabinet Member?
Could a former Mexican Cabinet Member Serve as U.S. Cabinet Member? The answer is yes! Discounting the that Democrat presidential candidates could do this, consider that this could possibility occur with two Republican candidates: John McCain and Mike Huckabee. Both have had close ties with former Mexican President Vicente Fox. McCain Pushed for amnesty for 12 million illegal aliens. Huckabee agreed to and supported the opening of a Mexican Consulate in Arkansas.
Besides former Mexico President Fox, a major player is U.S.-born dual citizen Dr. Juan Hernandez who served the Mexican Government in Fox's cabinet as Director of the Office for Mexicans Living Abroad and is notorious for having said of Mexican Americans on Nightline on June 7, 2001, "I want the third generation, the seventh generation, I want them all to think 'Mexico first.'"
Reports have identified that Dr. Juan Hernandezis working for the John McCain Campaign as McCain’s “Hispanic Outreach Director." Bryan at Hot Air reports:
Here’s a photo of him, found on McCain’s daughter Meghan’s blog. It’s from the December 10, 2007 blog entry titled “Univision Debate Gallery,” 7th photo down.
Below represents how a few others are reacting today at this news:
Mark Krikorian: . . .”Does McCain agree with this? Has he offered Hernandez, a former high-level foreign government official who presumably swore an oath to uphold the Mexican constitution, a place in a future McCain Administration? That’s not a rhetorical question.”
Gateway Pundit: “When Senator McCain insisted that he had not changed his position on immigration in an interview after the South Carolina Republican Primary, he wasn’t kidding!”
Jake Jacobsen: “You have got to be freaking kidding me.” . . . This is out of hand! Juan Hernandez? JUAN HERNANDEZ!
Sundries Shack: “Let’s ask his Hispanic Outreach Director whether he’d work for a politician who intended on securing the borders before offering amnesty. What do you think his answer would be?”
Tags:illegal aliens, illegal immigrants, John McCain, Juan Hernandez, Mexico, Mike HuckabeeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor: Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM today and resumed consideration of S. 2248, the FISA modification bill. The FISA bill is based on the bipartisan bill passed out of the Senate Intelligence Committee sponsored by Sens. Rockefeller (D-WV) and Bond (R-MO).
Yesterday a substitute amendment with the text of the Judiciary Committee’s bill, which does not include immunity for telecom companies that assisted with terror surveillance, was rejected, 60-36. Republican Leader McConnell filed cloture on the Intelligence Committee bill yesterday and a vote has been scheduled at 4:30 PM on Monday. Majority Leader Reid knowingly that FISAsa expires in Feb 1, said on the floor this morning that Democrats may not vote for cloture, which jeopardizes the opportunity Congress has to pass the bill in the Senate and House before Friday. Reid then introduced an amendment to the bill which would extend the current FISA law by 30 days and filed for cloture on his amendment yesterday. A vote on that amendment is expected on Monday if the McConnell cloture motion fails. [Does anyone suspect Ried is willing to risk FISA and national security in an effort to push President Bush on other issues?]
On Monday, President Bush will deliver his final State of the Union address to a Joint Session of Congress.
From Senate & News Sources:On Feb. 1, a week from today, the current law modifying FISA, the Protect America Act, expires. As Jed Babbin writes in Human Events today, “If it expires, our intelligence gatherers here and abroad will be rendered blind and deaf because the legality of their operations will be put in limbo.” The Senate Intelligence Committee has produced a bipartisan bill supported by the White House and Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, yet Senate Democrats seem reluctant to move forward on the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has called for a 30-day extension of the current law, but the Senate has been aware of the problems with FISA since April and quite a bit of floor time has already been spent considering the bill at various times. Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) told Jed Babbin, “Congress has had six months to act. To stall legislation needed to help our intelligence community prevent attacks and protect American lives is not only irresponsible, it’s dangerous.”
On the economic front, a stimulus plan was unveiled in the House yesterday, of which one component is tax rebates. However, The New York Times reports today that the IRS may have difficulty getting the checks mailed quickly, thanks in part to Democrats’ irresponsible delays in passing a fix to the alternative minimum tax last year. Tags:FISA, 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!
Dr. Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: What if Sen. John McCain were to become the Republican presidential nominee and reached outside of the party to his friend Sen. Joe Lieberman to be his choice for Vice President. Or if Lieberman had a midnight conversion to a Republican? We need to know that McCain will only seek a viable proven Republican for Vice President
Why be concerned? Senators McCain and Lieberman are very close friends. Lieberman endorsed McCain as the nominee for the Republican nomination. Lieberman, a former Democrat, is now an Independent but still caucuses with the Democrats. Lieberman is continually referred to by McCain in his comments on issues. Lieberman and McCain have been in close agreement on a majority of issues in the Senate. Both are Hawks on the Iraq War. Both agreed on the Senate immigration bill that would have granted amnesty to up to 12 million illegal aliens.
Today on MSN, McCain said, "Joe Lieberman and I, one of my favorite Democrats and I have proposed -- we did the same thing with acid rain. They're doing it in Europe now, although not very well. What we're saying is look, if you can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, you'll earn a credit. . . ." In the past, McCain and Lieberman teamed up to sponsor a bill rejected by the Senate that mandated caps on carbon dioxide and a market-oriented system for trading them. Those who needed more energy could theoretically buy credits from those who could make do with less. In 2005, McCain, Kerry and Lieberman voted for an "greenhouse gas" amendment to the energy bill that was rejected by 60% of the Senate. In a National Review article, Marlo Lewis in June 2004 wrote, "Who does Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) think he is fooling? McCain's Climate Stewardship Act, cosponsored with Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CN) is a political road map back to the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations global-warming treaty that the Senate preemptively rejected by a vote of 95-0 in July 1997." McCain and Lieberman were both part of the Gang of 14.
Identifying the above is to evidence their closeness over 22 years together in the Senate on issues that were not often supported by most Republicans. Will their past bipartisan efforts and friendship transfer to being together on the Republican ticket? Imagine the disappointment of a McCain - Lieberman ticket. Senator McCain, please clarify right now that although Lieberman is your friend, he will not be your choice for Vice President! Tags:Election 2008, Joe Lieberman, John McCain, presidential candidate, vice presidentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Ever wonder why so many Arkansas Conservative Republicans are alienated from Former Gov. Huckabee? After all he was their Republican Governor. Today The Washington Times published an article by Stephen Dinan addressing Huckabee's alienation of the GOP in Arkansas.
The Times article details much of the criticism and issues already address by numerous other articles and reports about Huckabee while governor. However, we noted some interesting twist regarding "access" to Hucakbee and use of Republican and PAC funds. Let's first examine "access" by Republicans to the governor:
Jake Files was a newly elected representative when all two dozen Arkansas House Republicans met for their first caucus in 1999. They had doubled their numbers in elections two months earlier, and were ready to join Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee in pushing for conservative government.
That was when Brenda Turner, the governor’s chief of staff, entered. “Just walked in, shut the door and said, ‘There’s two kinds of people in the world: those who are for Mike Huckabee and those who are against Mike Huckabee. I’ll do everything I can to help the first group. I’ll do everything I can to hurt the second,’ ” said Mr. Files, who left the legislature after two terms.
And that’s the way it was. “Not only would he not help you, he would go out of his way to do things in opposition to you,” Mr. Files said.
In Arkansas, hunting is more than important. Let review Huckabee's "tracks" via the Times report regarding the alleged "use and misuse" of Republican State Party and PAC funds:
The campaign finance records for Conservative Leadership for Arkansas PAC, Mr. Huckabee’s political action committee, also seem to bear out the charge that he was building his own organization.
Records kept with the secretary of state in Little Rock show that CLAPAC spent only a third of its money on candidates between 2001 and 2006, with the rest going to consulting, accounting and, in later years, travel and fundraising for Mr. Huckabee.
Mr. Huckabee gave contributions as well during those years to at least three Democrats. Given that $5,000 of CLAPAC’s money came in a 2003 donation from the state Republican Party, that means some Republican money was used indirectly to aid the party’s own opponents.
“Go out and ask those ladies at bake sales or out raising money if they thought that money would end up in the hands of Democratic candidates,” Mr. Hendren said. “That’s what drove us up a wall.”
One Democrat who received CLAPAC money was Barbara Horn. Mr. Huckabee supported her even though a Republican planned to run for the same seat in 2000. The Associated Press reported that Mr. Huckabee’s support for the Democrat chased the Republican from the race, delivering an open seat to the Democratic Party.
Let's summarize: Huckabee used a “conservative” PAC to raise money; received money from Republican Party of Arkansas which went into Huckaee's controlled PAC; then Huckabee used these funds to support Democrats. Is this summarized correctly? Now concerned Arkansas Republicans have recurring nightmares about the staff members Huckabee wanted in the Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA) headquarters. These staff members then wasted (ripped off) the RPA's funds. Was this mismanagement or intentional? Were some of the funds missing from the RPA given to the PAC and used to support Democrats? No wonder Arkansas Republicans are frustrated if not yet alienated.
The Times also reported that "Records for CLAPAC's activity in 2000 are missing from the secretary of state's office. The accounting firm Mr. Huckabee used said it couldn't provide records without the client's approval, and Mr. Huckabee's campaign didn't respond to requests to produce them." The Secretary of States offcie is run by a Democrat. Odd that the records are missing. Missing records seem to be part of Arkansas politics.
While Huckabee seemed to be adept at manipulating CLAPAC funds, the Times identifis Huckabee found an even more ingenious place to have a new PAC for his purpose of running for president.
In 2005, Mr. Huckabee registered another political action committee in Virginia, which has less stringent limits on campaign activity.
The stated goal of that PAC, Hope for America, was to aid state and local candidates nationwide. But records show it hasn't donated to a single candidate but instead has paid for Mr. Huckabee's consultants, travel and fundraising.
While some Baptist may remember Jesus turning over the money tables in the temple, it appears one Baptist Preacher politician noted how the priests set up their own sort of PAC scheme. Priest claimed they were helping the people, sold them less than quality goods at high prices and pocketed the profit. The politician following their example, sets up a PAC in another state, claims he is raising money "to aid state and local candidates," and uses the money for "consultants, travel and fundraising" - and "runs" for national office - the presidency. To quote comedian Yakov Smirnoff , "What a County!" Tags:Arkansas, campaign funds, Mike Huckabee, PAC, Republican Party of Arkansas, RPA
Several Lawyers for Fred Thompson Join Mitt Romney Campaign
With the withdrawal of Fred Thompson as a presidential candidate several members of the Lawyers for Fred Thompson have jointed in support of Mitt Romney for President. Joining Romney for President after having served as National Co-Chair of Lawyers for Fred Thompson, Victoria Toensing said, "Appointing strong judges is one of our President's most important responsibilities. The next President will make a number of appointments, and I am confident Governor Romney will nominate judges in the mold of President Bush's nominees, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito. I am proud to work with Governor Romney and this outstanding group of legal minds."
Also joining the Romney's Advisory Committee on the Constitution and the Courts from the Lawyers for Fred Thompson are Lizette D. Benedi, Rachel L. Brand, Reginald Brown, Charles J. Cooper, Joseph E. diGenova, Michael R. Dimino, Viet D. Dinh, Noel J. Francisco and Eileen J. O'Connor. Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova will also serve on the Steering Committee of Lawyers for Romney in addition to their roles on the Advisory Committee.
Eugene Scalia, who served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, has also joined the committee. "Governor Romney has the ability, experience, and values to serve as an exceptional President," he said. "He appreciates the role of the courts and rule of law in our society."
Governor Romney said, "It is an honor to have the counsel of so many distinguished men and women. Together, they represent years of experience in the legal field and their help to this campaign will be invaluable." . . . [List of names and credentials on Advisory Committee on the Constitution and the Courts] Tags:Election 2008, Fred Thompson, lawyer, Mitt Romney, presidential candidates, Republican, US ConstitutionTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor:Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM today and resumed consideration of S. 2248, the FISA modification bill. The FISA bill is based on the bipartisan bill passed out of the Senate Intelligence Committee. A substitute amendment with the text of the Judiciary Committee’s bill, which does not include immunity for telecom companies that assisted with terror surveillance, is expected to be the first amendment considered.
In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Republican Leader John Boehner, and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson continue to work on a plan for an economic growth package. Details of a deal on the package could come sometime today. On Monday, President Bush will deliver his annual State of the Union address to a Joint Session of Congress.
From Senate & News Sources: As the Senate moves to the FISA reform bill this morning, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell expressed his hope that Congress will be able to come together and pass legislation which is critical to protecting Americans. Sen. McConnell said on the floor, “I was encouraged to see that my good friend the Majority Leader believes we can pass a FISA bill with sufficient time to get it signed before it expires. And I was very pleased to see that the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee believes the bipartisan version reported out of his committee last fall will be the one we ultimately pass by Feb.1. This is good news not only because the Intelligence Committee’s version is the best, but with some modification is also the only one the President will sign.”
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) said yesterday he thinks that his committee’s version will prevail and expected that threatened filibusters Democrats such as Sen. Chris Dodd would be defeated. Speaking at The Heritage Foundation yesterday, Vice President Cheney urged Congress to pass a FISA reform bill which takes account of the changes in technology since FISA was originally passed in 1978 and upholds the principle that “that those who assist the government in tracking terrorists should not be punished with lawsuits.” Tags:Dick Cheney, FISA, 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!
by Gary D. Halbert, Election 2008 – Extract from Where Are The Conservatives?: I will be the first to admit that I am as disappointed as you probably are with the current field of GOP presidential candidates. But consider the alternatives: Hillary or Obama. Do we want 4-8 more years of the Clintons in the White House, especially with Hillary’s agenda for socialized health care, higher taxes, her disdain for the military and her pledge to pull out of Iraq within 60 days of her inauguration? Do we want Bill Clinton as the “First Man?” I don’t think so.
Do we want a sophomore, left-wing ideologue, Barack Obama, with limited business or economic experience and no foreign policy expertise, running the country for the next 4-8 years, when we are likely to face some of the most challenging global economic conditions in years? Here too, I don’t think so. Obama could well take us back to the “tax and spend” years of the Carter presidency, or worse.
The present group of Republican hopefuls - while admittedly disappointing to most conservatives – is better than the Democratic field in my opinion. While they are not nearly as conservative as we might like them to be, none has remotely as liberal leanings as Hillary or Obama. And political pressures should prevent even the more moderate Republican candidates from going where Hillary and Obama are almost sure to go, should they win the highest office in the land.
Sadly, I hear from some Republicans who feel that it will be better for the Democrats to win in 2008 and inhabit the White House in 2009-2012, because they believe that we are headed for a bad recession during that period. As you know, The Bank Credit Analyst feels we may well encounter a potentially serious recession in 2010-2011. So some Republicans have taken the position: let it happen on the Democrats’ watch. Yet in my view, that is the wrong position to take. Assume a recession is in our future. Who do you want to be in charge in such a scenario? Hillary or Obama, who will opt for higher taxes and more government?
Or any one of the current GOP hopefuls who will not likely default to such liberal reactions? In my opinion, we all need to vote – don’t sit this one out. Just pick one candidate and go for it – that’s my advice. Our right to vote is a precious thing, and our vote should not be cast - or withheld - lightly. Tags:Democrats, Election 2008, recession, RepublicansTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has picked up an endorsement from former candidate Duncan Hunter Representative Hunter (R_CA) said that he thought the former Arkansas governor was most committed to strengthening national defense, getting a fence built along the U.S.-Mexico border and dealing with the China's role as an emerging economic and military superpower. Hunter's Statement:
I got to know Governor Huckabee well on the campaign trail. Of the remaining candidates I feel that he is strongly committed to strengthening national defense, constructing the border fence and meeting the challenge of China's emergence as a military superpower that is taking large portions of America's industrial base.
Along with these issues of national security, border enforcement and protecting the U.S. industrial base, I see another quality of Mike Huckabee's candidacy that compels my endorsement. Mike Huckabee is a man of outstanding character and integrity. I saw that character over the last year of campaigning and was greatly impressed. The other Republican candidates have many strengths and I wish them all well. My personal choice is Mike Huckabee.
Tags:Duncan Hunter, Election 2008, Mike Huckabee, presidential candidates, RepublicanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Gun Owners of America:GOA is actively working the Heller case as well. In fact,just today our legal and educational arm, Gun Owners Foundation, officially notified the Court of its intent to file an amicus brief. last week GOA issued a press releaseblasting the Solicitor General's action that was picked up bynumerous media outlets across the country.
Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) has sent the following letter to the WhiteHouse asking them to undo the huge harm they have caused the Second Amendment with the brief they filed in the DC gun ban case.
January 22, 2008 . . . Dear President Bush:
Your Solicitor General has just filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the D.C. v. Heller case arguing that categorical gun bans of virtually all self-defense firearms are constitutional if a court determines they are "reasonable" -- the lowest standard of constitutional review.
If this view prevails, a national ban on all firearms -- including hunting rifles -- could be constitutional, even if the court decides -- on ample historical evidence -- that the Founders intended the Second Amendment as an individual right.
I would ask that you direct the Justice Department to withdraw this unfortunate brief and to replace it with an opinion which reflects the right of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely yours, Virgil Goode
Rep. Goode is asking other members of Congress to add their signatures in anticipation of sending President Bush another copy of the letter. You can go to the Gun Owners Legislative Action Centerto send a pre-written message urging your Rep. to be a part of this important initiative. Or directly Contact your representatives! Tags:DC, District of Columbia, GOA, gun ban, Gun Owners of America, President George Bush, US House, US Supreme Court, Virgil GoodeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, Washington Update: TheWashington Timesfeatured front-page story on statistics showing that discharges from the armed services because of homosexuality have declined as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have continued. Activists who are pushing for the full acceptance of homosexual behavior in the military say that it shows that the military needs homosexual service members and cannot afford to discharge them in time of war. But that is not the only possible interpretation of the numbers. It may simply be that there are fewer homosexuals illicitly serving in the military now than there were in the 1990's.Homosexuals may simply not be enlisting in the military, either because we are at war or because they have come to realize that the statute which excludes them from military service will continue to be enforced. The Clinton compromise called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has given rise to a myth that homosexuals are "allowed" to serve in the military, just not "openly." But statutory law excludes them altogether. The reason was illustrated last summer by the little-reported story of a homosexual soldier at Fort Bragg who infected his male civilian lover with HIV. Does discharging service members for homosexuality waste military resources? Certainly--and homosexuals are to blame for illegally enlisting in the first place.Tags:enlistment, FRC, gays, homosexuals, military, rule of law, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor: Last night the Senate voted 91-3 to pass the revised fiscal 2008 Defense authorization bill (H.R. 4986). The Senate reconvenes at noon today. Following a half hour of morning business, the Senate will recess for Democrats’ weekly policy lunch. At 2:30 PM the Senate will resume and consider the American Indian health care bill (S. 1200). Roll call vote scheduled for 6 PM. After the Indian health bill is completed, the Senate is expected to move to the FISA reform bill (S. 2248). Senate Republicans will huddle at the Library of Congress between 9 AM and 4 PM to discuss palns for 2008. After which the GOP Senate leaders will hold a press conference.
From Senate & News Sources: Republicans are looking to move forward on FISA reform legislation which would allow wiretapping of terrorist phone conversations routed through the United States. The current law authorizing such surveillance expires on February 1st, and the House will need time to consider the bill. The New York Times reports today that some Senate Democrats were interested in delaying the FISA bill after it was delayed a first time in December. Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO), Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said, “To stall legislation needed to help our intelligence community prevent attacks and protect American lives is not only irresponsible, it’s also dangerous.”
In the House today, Democrats are not helping the recent spirit of bipartisanship by holding yet another override vote on President Bush’s last veto of the SCHIP expansion bill. Tags:American Indian Health, Defense funding, FISA, 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!
"Hubris" means, "Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance." Hillary Clinton’s picture should go next to it. - Cal Thomas Cal Thomas has identified that Judicial Watch, an organization that seeks to hold Democrats and Republicans accountable to the law, may have come up with its biggest find of all (so far). It has obtained records from the Clinton Presidential Library that reveal the internal workings and attitudes of people associated with Hillary Clinton’s National Taskforce on Health Care Reform. These documents penetrate Clinton’s carefully crafted personae, expose her true character and suggest what she and her Democratic allies would impose on the nation, if given the power. The documents could — and should — have an impact on her presidential candidacy.
According to Judicial Watch, a June 18, 1993 internal memorandum entitled "A Critique of Our Plan," authored by someone with the initials "P.S.," acknowledges that critics were correct when they questioned whether the plan would work. "I can think of parallels in wartime,” wrote "P.S.", but I have trouble coming up with a precedent in our peacetime history for such broad and centralized control over a sector of the economy. … Is the public really ready for this? ... None of us knows whether we can make it work well or at all…"
Had a majority Democratic Congress and a sophisticated "Harry and Louise" television campaign not stopped her, we would now know the answer to that question, with potential catastrophic results for America’s health care system.
Seeking to impose an unworkable plan on an unsuspecting public was bad enough, but the pain Hillarycare supporters were prepared to inflict on opponents demonstrates insensitivity in the extreme. A "confidential" memorandum written on May 26, 1993 by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, West Virginia Democrat, to Hillary Clinton was entitled "Health Care Reform Communications." The Rockefeller memo suggests Hillary employ "classic opposition research" to attack critics who were excluded by the administration from Task Force deliberations and to "expose lifestyles, tactics and motives of lobbyists" to counter and overcome criticism. Rockefeller also suggested news organizations "are anxious and willing to receive guidance (from the Clinton administration) on how to time and shape the (news) coverage." Rockefeller seems to accept the notion asserted for years by conservatives that the mainstream media are biased in favor of Democrats and their policies. For many, this will not be a revelation.
A Feb. 5, 1993 Draft Memorandum from Alexis Herman and Mike Lux to Mrs. Clinton spells out the Office of Public Liaison's plan for the health care reform campaign. It notes the development of an "interest group data base" detailing whether or not organizations "support(ed) us in the election." The database would also track personal information about interest group leaders, such as their home phone numbers, addresses, "biographies, analysis of credibility in the media, and known relationships with Congress people." . . . [Read More] Check out Cal Thomas' latest book: Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America
Tags:Cal Thomas, Health Care Reform, Hillary Clinton, HubrisTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Kenneth R. Timmerman, NewsMax: The firing of the Pentagon’s only resident expert on Islamic law, Maj. Stephen Coughlin, has begun to attract the attention of key members of Congress and the White House, which has launched a “fact-finding” mission into the case, . . . Coughlin, of the U.S. Army Reserves, was on contract to the Joint Chiefs of Staff to brief U.S. commanders en route to Iraq, as well as officers at various staff colleges around the country, on the role of Islamic teachings in the mind of America’s enemies. His contract was terminated several weeks ago after an encounter with a top aide to Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England . . .
The aide, Hesham Islam, is an Egyptian-born former U.S. Navy officer, who joined England’s staff while he was secretary of the Navy in 2001 and moved with him when England was promoted to the Pentagon’s No. 2 slot. Heshem Islam encouraged England to address the annual conference of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) last fall, even though federal prosecutors had named the group as an unindicted co-conspirator in a major terrorism funding case last year.Coughlin aroused the ire of Mr. Islam and others in September by authoring an analysis of a Muslim Brotherhood document entered into evidence in the Justice Department’s case against the Holy Land Foundation. In addition to naming ISNA . . . as members of the Muslim Brotherhood’s network in the United States, the Muslim Brotherhood document stated that its members "must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within… It is a Muslim’s destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes."
. . . Rep. Sue Myrick, R-NC, . . . said last week that she was examining the possibility of holding congressional oversight hearings on Coughlin’s dismissal. . . . Myrick said. “This sounds like another example of someone protecting national security and being told to shut up, . . . If we don’t get over being politically correct, we won’t be here as a country.” Myrick co-chairs the bi-partisan House Anti-Terrorism Caucus with Rep. Jane Harmon, D-CA, which she started last year out of frustration that no one was educating the American people about the threat from Islamo-fascism. “President Bush does not talk to the American people about the long-term threat of radical islamofascism infiltration in America,” she said. . . .
Officers who have listened to Coughlin’s presentation on the Islamic underpinnings of the jihadist movement have come to his aid. “The termination of Stephen Coughlin on the Joint Staff is an act of intellectual cowardice,” Lt. Col. Joseph C. Myers, Army adviser to the Air Command and Staff College, . . . “Coughlin has briefed senior Marine Corps leaders and staff and has presented his thesis in various military education venues . . . . We have spent much intellectual capital revamping and analyzing our own doctrine as it relates to counterinsurgency. It’s time we do our homework on the threat,” . . . Former Army intelligence officer Jerome Gordon. . . told Newsmax that Hesham Islam is not Coughlin’s only enemy. “If there is a cabal that is opposing him, it’s in the military intelligence community . . . Clearly, they have been cowed by the significant entrée provided by the U.S. government to leaders of Muslim Brotherhood fronts here in America.” . . .
Dr. Walid Phares, director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, believes that Coughlin’s firing lies “at a very serious fault line” in U.S. defense strategies. “I don't understand why is there so much intellectual commotion about this matter in the West and in the US.,” . . . “Muslim scholars and historians agree that the theological texts have also a military dimension. In Islamic studies there is no debate about that. So why is there one in non-Muslim research and political circles, particularly in America? Major Coughlin was studying the texts used by the Jihadists to call for military action.” While politicians might attempt to separate Islam from Jihad for their own purposes, Phares added, “the study of the theological roots of Jihad is something else, and that is an academic not a political issue.” . . . [Read More] Tags:DOD, Gordon Englan, Hesham Islam, Islam, Islamic Society of North America, ISNA, jihad, Jihadist, Muslim, Muslim Brotherhood, national security, Stephen CoughlinTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Illegal immigrants fired in face of federal crackdown
"Studies show most illegal immigrants find work using Social Security numbers that are either stolen, purchased, borrowed, taken from dead people or simply invented." by NumbersUSA -- by Brian Donohue, Star-Ledger (N.J.):For six years, Modesto Roque went to work at the sprawling Silver Line window factory in North Brunswick -- a union job with health insurance and wages that started at $7.50 an hour and rose to $9.25. No one, he says, ever asked about his Social Security number, a bogus ID he used to get hired in 2001. Roque says a former co-worker at another job gave him the number to use when he first arrived in the country. "I don't know if it's false or illegal," he said. "But I applied (at Silver Line), they accepted it and I was off and working."
But Roque's cover was blown last year when the company was sold and the new owners, Andersen Corp., began auditing personnel records and discovered his Social Security number did not match any on file with the federal government. Roque was given two months to fix his paperwork -- an impossibility, he says, given his status as an illegal immigrant -- and was fired in November. In all, more than 230 workers at the Middlesex County factory have been fired in the past three months as part of the audit, according to the union that represents them, Teamsters Local 97.
. . . The number of workplace raids and prosecutions remains small and there have been no recent major prosecutions of employers in New Jersey, home to an estimated 430,000 illegal immigrants. Nonetheless, cases like the 2006 sweep of six Midwestern meat processing plants in which managers of the Colorado-based Swift & Co. were charged criminally, have struck fear in the hearts of employers -- especially companies like Andersen, with name brand reputations at stake. . . . The Teamsters Union, meanwhile, has filed a grievance to get the {illegal] workers rehired or compensated for the firings -- a delicate political stance for a union whose members often accuse illegal immigrants of stealing jobs from U.S. citizens. . . . The decision by the Teamsters local to challenge the firing illustrates a larger shift on the part of organized labor, which once saw illegal immigrants as the economic enemy. Today, unions like the Teamsters increasingly see immigrants -- legal or not -- as the most fertile ground for boosting membership. . . .
Supporters of tougher immigration laws are cheering the move by Silver Line and other companies, saying the federal crackdown on employers is one of the most important steps in reducing the nation's illegal immigration population, currently estimated to be about 12 million. . . . [Read More] Tags:false social security numbers, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, immigration enforcementTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
GOPUSA: As reported by the AP - A growing number of lawmakers in Congress are voluntarily giving up one of the biggest perks of office -- at the risk of alienating their constituents. More than 20 members of the House and Senate have vowed not to seek any new earmarks for their districts, saying they won't take advantage of a system pilloried for wasteful spending on projects such as the Alaskan ''bridge to nowhere'' and a teapot museum in North Carolina.
''There's a growing awareness that the system is broken and we aren't going to fix it unless some of us start taking a stand,'' said Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., a third-term congressman who decided last year to stop requesting so-called pork-barrel projects. Kline is part of a mostly Republican group of lawmakers opting out of a system they say is rife with abuse in spite of the promise of an overhaul. The list includes Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who for years have criticized earmarks as wasteful. They want to end a process in which earmarks are often based not on their own merit but on the clout and seniority of the member making the request.
Yet Kline has faced criticism back home, . . . Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, a freshman Democrat, is facing similar scrutiny . . . Widespread criticism of the earmark process hasn't stopped the vast majority of lawmakers from requesting them. The massive spending bill passed by Congress in December had nearly 9,800 earmarks at a total cost of more than $10 billion. . . . [Read More] Tags:Congressional Pork, earmarks, earmark reform, pork, pork-barrel spenders, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Sen. Fred Thompson Withdraws as Presidential Candidate
Senator Fred Thompson today issued the following statement about his campaign for President:
Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people.
In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. Fred, you made a difference. We hate to see you leave the race! Michigan Redneck posted the following video as an excellent response to the news of Fred's withdrawal:
U.S. Rep. John Boozman(R-AR) today issued the following statement as thousands of Americans participate in the March for Life on the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court:
Every human life has dignity, and I stand with the millions of Americans who will solemnly mark the anniversary of a decision which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 50 million unborn children. While the pro-life movement has succeeded in saving countless lives through such measures as banning the gruesome practice of partial-birth abortions, preventing taxpayer money from use by abortion advocates overseas, and parental notification laws passed by the states, we must recommit ourselves to the notion that all lives are protected equally.
We can take another important step by urging the leaders of Congress to bring forward and pass the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which ensures that parents must grant permission for their child to cross a state line to obtain an abortion. It has passed the House before, and can do so again. We just need the will to do what is right. My prayers are with the families who will brave today’s cold weather to lend their voices to those who have no voice, as well as the millions of unborn children who rely on us to give them the opportunity to live.
Tags:John Boozman, March for Life, pro-life, Roe vs. WadeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Mark R. and Renee E. Taylor, Family Security Matters: Snake oil salesmen of the 19th Century used to comb the countryside, selling their remedies to unsuspecting consumers hoping for a cure, or at least a quick fix, for their ailments. Without much more than golden words out of the silver-tongued salesmen, they set alluring traps for their artful chicanery. Weeks later, those sold a bill of goods by the salesmen’s trickery were worse for the wear, the only benefit going to the deceptive salesmen - now long gone - with the victim’s hard earned gold in their pockets.
As long-standing residents of Arkansas, we are reminded of yesteryear’s snake oil salesmen when we listen to our former Governor, now presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, as he mesmerizes crowds across the country with golden words that defy his record in our fair state. With his pockets full of gold, we’re left with pockets full of dust. . . . [Read detailed account]
While some women will vote for Hillary just because she’s a “woman” and some blacks will vote for Obama just because he’s “black”, as a Southern Baptist white couple from Arkansas, we won’t play along with identity-based voting and support the Southern Baptist boy from Arkansas. We’ve had enough.Tags:Arkansas, Election 2008, Mike Huckabee, Republican, Silver-Tongued SalesmanTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, Washington Update: Today we celebrate a man who contributed greatly to both this nation and to the world. Dr. Martin Luther King's non-violent movement against segregation and injustice in the United States has inspired many to follow in his footsteps to fulfill the deeply rooted "dream" he spoke of, "that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'" There is irony in that Dr. King's observed birthday today comes the day before the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which forcibly legalized abortion in the United States. The legalization of abortion was the culmination of a dream of Planned Parenthood founder and icon Margaret Sanger. In 1939, Ms. Sanger started the "Negro Project." The aim of the program was to restrict, many believe exterminate, the African-American population, under the pretense of "better health" and "family planning." By all accounts her efforts have been highly successful. Statistics from the Guttmacher Institute (named after Sanger friend and fellow eugenics advocate Alan Guttmacher) show that African-American women account for 32 percent of those getting abortions nationwide, while they make up just 13 percent of the population. Additionally, 94 percent of all abortuaries are located in metropolitan areas, which generally have high African-American populations. Reverend King's niece, Alveda King, recognizes this genocide and speaks out valiantly against it. We must all work together to make sure that more future leaders like Dr. King are not exterminated before they are born. It is up to us as a society to decide if the dreams of freedom and equality, or the nightmares of Margaret Sanger, will prevail.Tags:abortion, African-American, eugenics, genocide, Margaret Sanger, Maring Luther King, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tomorrow on the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, the Family Research Council will host the 3rd annual "Blogs for Life" conference, where bloggers from across the nation will gather to stand for the rights of the unborn. Whether you're a blogger, blog reader, or simply concerned about the current state of the fight for life in America, you are encouraged you to join them from 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. EST Tuesday morning. The event is free, and you'll hear from speakers who champion life in a variety of settings, including Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), Hadley P. Arkes, Phill Kline, Jill Stanek, Dawn Eden, Michael J. New, and others. If you cannot be in Washington DC, the event will be webcast live at www.frc.org. See also:Blogs for Life website Tags:Blogs For Life, Family Research Council, FRC, free webcast, Roe vs. WadeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Will Hillary cry for votes in South Carolina or Florida?
The South Carolina Democrat primary is Saturday (Jan 26) and Florida's is a week from Tuesday (Jan. 29). Rumor has it that while waiting for Super Bowl 42 on Feb 3rd, the Democrat race has even captured the attention of the Republicans. Everyone in the Nation wants to know how Obama, Obama's campaign, or "stand by your woman" Bill Clinton will affect Hillary. Even overseas bookies are giving odds on will "Hillary Cry for Votes." Tags:Election 2008, Democrats, Hillary Clinton, political humorTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Gary Bauer, Human Events: Thirty-five years ago this Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that produced this provocative paradox: a moderately pro-life nation with the most anti-life abortion law in the West. Few court decisions have had as broad an impact on American life as Roe vs. Wade, which subsequent courts have interpreted as having discovered a constitutional right to abortion for any reason and at any time during pregnancy. Since Roe, at least 50 million abortions (equal to the combined populations of 25 states) have been performed, and its demographic repercussions continue to shape voting patterns and are a driving force behind America’s fast-approaching entitlements crisis. No other court decision looms as conspicuously over the 2008 presidential campaign. And for good reason . . . [Read More] See also:35 years of legalized abortion and The cost of Roe at 35 by Cal ThomasTags:abortion, Gary Bauer, Human Events, Roe vs. WadeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
U.S. Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA) has withdrawn as a candidate for the Republican nomination for president. He said yesterday, "Today we end this campaign. I ran the campaign exactly the way I wanted to, and at this point not being able to gain traction in conservative states of Nevada and South Carolina, it's time to allow our volunteers and supporters to focus on the campaigns that remain viable." He did not endorse any of the remaining candidates in the Republican nomination race.
Rep. Hunter launched his candidacy a year ago and emphasized a strong national defense and immigration in his campaign. Hunter did help influence the debate among Republican presidential hopefuls by urging the construction of a border fence with Mexico to counter illegal immigration and by warning of the threat posed by China's military and economic power. He said in concluding his race, "The failure of our campaign to gain traction is mine and mine alone. But we have driven the issues of national security, the border fence, the emergence of China and the need to reverse bad trade policy."
Conservative republicans greatly respect Rep. Hunter for his stalwart support in protecting our borders and supporting the military. Hunter had been elected to 14 terms in Congress and had previously announced he would not run for another term. His son, Captain Duncan D. Hunter, is running for his congressional seat. We hope his talent will be called upon to serve in the next Administration. With his military background and fervent support of the troops on our nation, he has great potential to be either the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Tags:Duncan Hunter, Election 2008, GOP, presidential candidateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Intelligent design theory, or ID, is opening new doors of scientific research, particularly in cancer and other disease research, according to its adherents, but a new movie, "Expelled" starring Ben Stein explores how an "elitist scientific establishment" is apparently muzzling and smearing scientists who publicly discuss ID. The First Amendment is under brutal attack in the scientific community, Ben Stein, a former presidential speechwriter-turned-actor and commentator, says in the film, which opens in theaters on Feb. 12.
Who: Ben Stein, in the new film EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed What: His heroic and, at times, shocking journey confronting the world’s top scientists, educators and philosophers, regarding the persecution of the many by an elite few. When: Coming to a theater near you Spring 2008 Where: Ben travels the world on his quest, and learns an awe-inspiring truth…that bewilders him, then angers him…and then spurs him to action! Why:Ben realizes that he has been “Expelled,”and that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the “crime” of merely believing that there might be evidence of “design” in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.To which Ben Says: "Enough!" And then gets busy. NOBODY messes with Ben. Tags:Ben Stein, Expelled, First Amendment, intelligent designTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Susan Jones: Dozens of states have reformed their eminent domain laws since a 2005 Supreme Court decision made land grabs easier, but California is not among them -- not yet. That may change, however, now that California secretary of state has certified the "California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act" for the June 2008 ballot.
A coalition of California property owners, Californians for Property Rights Protection, submitted more than a million signatures to get the measure, a proposed constitutional amendment, on the ballot. "Government should not be able to profit by seizing private property from unwilling sellers for retail or commercial projects," said former State Rep. Doug Ose, a supporter of the ballot measure. "Finally, Californians will have the opportunity to vote for real reforms that protect their homes, small businesses, family farms and places of worship from eminent domain abuse." . . . [Read More]Tags:California, Eminent Domain, property rightsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Bob Unruh, WorldNetDaily: An Islamic "jihad" is an effort by Muslims to convince "others to take up worthy causes, such as funding medical research," according to a middle school textbook used in California and other states. And even at its most violent, "jihad" simply is Muslims fighting "to protect themselves from those who would do them harm," says the "History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond" book published by Teachers' Curriculum Institute.
. . . "It makes an attempt to seem like an egalitarian world history book, but on closer inspection you find that seven (not all are titled so) of the chapters deal with Islam or Muslim subjects," . . . The textbook council, an independent national research group . . . quoted directly from the book to provide evidence of its bias:
The word jihad means "to strive." Jihad represents the human struggle to overcome difficulties and do things that would be pleasing to God. Muslims strive to respond positively to personal difficulties as well as worldly challenges. For instance, they might work to become better people, reform society, or correct injustice.
Jihad has always been an important Islamic concept. One hadith, or account of Muhammad, tells about the prophet's return from a battle. He declared that he and his men had carried out the "lesser jihad," the external struggle against oppression. The "greater jihad," he said, was the fight against evil within oneself. Examples of the greater jihad include working hard for a goal, giving up a bad habit, getting an education, or obeying your parents when you may not want to.
Another hadith says that Muslims should fulfill jihad with the heart, tongue, and hand. Muslims use the heart in their struggle to resist evil. The tongue may convince others to take up worthy causes, such as funding medical research. Hands may perform good works and correct wrongs.
Sometimes, however, jihad becomes a physical struggle. The Quran tells Muslims to fight to protect themselves from those who would do them harm or to right a terrible wrong. Early Muslims considered their efforts to protect their territory and extend their rule over other regions to be a form of jihad. However, the Quran forbade Muslims to force others to convert to Islam. So, non-Muslims who came under Muslim rule were allowed to practice their faiths."
The council, in describing the text as a book written by "dictation from Islamic sources," said such passages "should put speculation to rest about what California's seventh-grade students may learn about Islam. At the very least, the passages are incomplete. More precisely, they are dishonest." . . . [Read More] Tags:Arkansas Schools, globalization, Islamism, jihad, textbooksTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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We end this week with an update on the National March for Life in Washington D.C. as reported by John-Henry Westen: Hundreds of thousands of pro-life activists gathered on the national mall in the nation's capital yesterday (Tuesday) standing in the cold on a cloudy day with a slight rain. The weather however did nothing to dampen the spirits of the vast crowd nor the political and spiritual leaders who addressed them prior to the march. . . . Powerful addresses were made by spiritual leaders and with a prayer and a rousing rendition of America, the march commenced. What would normally be a 15 minute walk took the line of marchers hours to complete. Fifty across and thousands deep the march was an unbelievable sea of people. Some near the front who had completed the march went for lunch and returned to their hotel rooms only to see thousands of marchers still progressing toward the Supreme Court.
by Tim Martin: Michigan will no longer let illegal immigrants get driver's licenses, a practice just seven other states continue to allow.Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, who oversees the motor vehicle department, announced the new policy Monday and said it takes effect Tuesday. . . . Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington do not require drivers to prove legal status to obtain a license . . . 
