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, March 22, 2008
Merging of the U.S. Canadian Military
Update - See:U.S. Northern Command, Canada Command establish new bilateral Civil Assistance PlanPhoto by U.S. Army North Public Affairs Office: U.S. Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, and Canadian Air Force Lt.-Gen. Marc Dumais, commander of Canada Command, have signed a Civil Assistance Plan that allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a civil emergency. the signing took place at the U.S. Army North headquarters, Fort Sam Houston, TX, Feb 14, 2008
The following two articles present some startling information concerning not only the integration but the potential merger of the Canadian and US military and the use of the military of one country within the borders of the other. The ARRA editors have not confirmed the information (other than links) but do note this information provided from both sides of the U.S. - Canadian border merits review and consideration. While we can identify with both the need for Military commanders to aid in responding to global attacks by terrorists, we also identify with the citizens of both the United States and Canada who are concerned with their national sovereignty.
Canada's military in no longer substantively independent from the U.S. military command structure . . . This Agreement also obliges Canada to provide financial and military personnel support to the U.S. in Iraq . . . Indeed, this fundamental breach of Canadian sovereignty is being carried out under the terms of the Security and Prosperity and Partnership North American Union (SPP-NAU) agenda, that in term has been substantively legitimated by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA uses the pre-text of trade as a political deception for the take-over of Canada by the U.S. political-military-industrial complex
In Canada, this Agreement which paves the way for the militaries of the U.S. and Canada to cross each other's borders to fight "domestic emergencies," was not announced either by Prime Minister Harper's administration or the Canadian military. The Agreement met with protests and demonstrations by Canadians who are opposed to such treaties with the U.S. Bush administration. . . . [Read More]
In a political move that received little if any attention by the American news media, the United States and Canada entered into a military agreement on February 14, 2008, allowing the armed forces from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a domestic civil emergency, even one that does not involve a cross-border crisis, according to a police commander involved in homeland security planning and implementation. It is an initiative of the Bi-National Planning Group whose final report, issued in June 2006, called for the creation of a "Comprehensive Defense and Security Agreement," or a "continental approach" to Canada-US defense and security.
. . . the agreement -- defined as a Civil Assistance Plan -- was not submitted to Congress for debate and approval, nor did Congress pass any law or treaty specifically authorizing this military agreement to combine the operations of the armed forces of the United States and Canada in the event of domestic civil disturbances ranging from violent storms, to health epidemics, to civil riots or terrorist attacks.
"This is a military plan that's designed to bypass the Posse Comitatus Act that traditionally prohibited the US military from operating within the borders of the United States. Not only will American soldiers be deployed at the discretion of whomever is sitting in the Oval Office, but foreign soldiers will also be deployed in American cities," warns Lt. Steven Rodgers, commander of the Nutley, NJ Police Department's detective bureau. . . .
The military Civil Assistance Plan is seen by critics as a further incremental step toward creating a North American armed forces available to be deployed in domestic North American emergency situations. According to the NORTHCOM press release, the plan "allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a civil emergency." The agreement was signed at US Army North headquarters, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, by US Air Force General Gene Renuart, commander of NORAD and US Northern Command, or USNORTHCOM, and by Canadian Air Force Lt. General Marc Dumais, commander of Canada Command. . . . [Read More]
Tags:Canada, international agreement, military, NAFTA, National Defense, national security, national sovereignty, NAU, SPP, terrorism, United StatesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Bob Parks, Outside the Wire: While drinking my morning coffee, I watched an editorial from the president and general manager of our local ABC affiliate. He seemed to be genuinely hurt by the turn the presidential primaries has taken. He concluded,
“And the most toxic political ism of all, racism, has sparked a firestorm touching all voters --- black, white, male, female, young and old. This week Senator Obama felt he had to address the elephant in the room. Even at the highest levels -- whether it is a prominent minister or a former vice-presidential candidate --when it comes to the issue of race, Americans harbor beliefs and private hurts that erupted in public. Let open and constructive debate continue on a festering problem plaguing America -- it's a discussion long overdue.” – Bill Fine, WCVB
I believe America IS ready for the next female or Black president. However, should that happen, that person will not be a Democrat, as that party has yet to acknowledge it’s racist and sexist past, and we all know what happens to those who don’t learn from the sins of their past.
Think about it. It’s the liberal theology that deems it necessary to segregate students. Almost every high school and college has a Black Student Union. That thinking has also spawned feminist groups, Latino groups, gay groups, and whatever other “group” that they deem worthy of additional recognition. It’s liberal thinking that has created a hypersensitive atmosphere in the workplace. It’s progressive thinking that’s dictates that some people need a special advantage to compete with the mainstream. It’s their policies that make it so people have to watch what they say (depending on whom they are talking about) in order not to offend.
A more mainstream electorate supports Black Republicans by nature, while they are opposed and hated by white and Black Democrats alike. Racial slurs directed towards Black Republicans are tolerated and even performed by white liberals with glee. This I know from experience. The first Black Secretary of State was a Republican. The first Black National Security Advisor was a Republican. The first Black female Secretary of State was a Republican. With that, I predict, the next female or Black person to become President of the United States will be a Republican. Democrats just haven’t “grown” enough. . . . [Read More] Tags:black Americans, Bob Parks, Outside the Wire, Politics, PresidentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
March 31 Special Session for Severance Tax Increase
Gov. Mike Beebe will call the Arkansas legislature into special session beginning March 31 to address the address a severance tax on natural gas extraction in Arkansas. The Governor's proposed tax is expected to raise an estimated $57 million in taxes next year and about $100 million annually by 2012. The Governor wants the taxes to be used for roads.
Beebe obtained commitments from legislators before calling the special session. Beebe said 80 House members and 31 senators were committed to the increase; he needed a commitment from 75 representatives and 27 senators. If the tax is passed by the legislature, the issue will not go to the voters in November for a vote. In a news conference, Beebe said, "We do not want to hurt a wonderful industry and economic boon to our state that's providing jobs and resources. But we do want them to pay for posterity and fairness and equity, a severance tax that is designed to pay for a nonrenewing, finite resource that our children and grandchildren won't have the benefit of."
Beebe said raising the tax was the best way to provide additional money for state highways without raising taxes on gasoline or diesel as fuel prices are already high. However, he also said that $100 million won't be enough for highways but is "a step in the right direction." State highways commission has identified that they will need $16 billion more than will be available over the next 10 years.
With a special session, legislators may try to fix a typographical error in a marriage-age law that inadvertently allows children of any age to marry if they have their parents' permission. And legislators might be asked to provide further incentives for the North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special school districts to carry out desegregation without federal intervention. House Speaker Benny Petrus (D-Stuttgart) said that Rep. Chris Thyer (D-Jonesboro) is drafting a bill to repeal the marriage-age law enacted last year and the bill would reinstate 17 as the marriage age for boys and 16 for girls. Rep. Will Bond (D-Jacksonville) is drafting legislation extending the deadline for North Little Rock and Pulaski County schools to seek unitary status.
Republican legislators including the House Minority leader Johnny Key have opposed Beebe's proposal severance tax increaseidentifying that a tax could hurt business. But several Republican lawmakers have now announced they were supporting the increase. In addition, Sen. Bob Johnson (D-Bigelow), who had been a vocal opponent of the tax hike, said he was not going to organize any opposition to Beebe's tax proposal. Tags:Arkansas, employment, increased taxes, jobs, Johnny Key, legislature, Mike Beebe, natural gas, severance tax, special sessionTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
McCain is facing a barrage of questions about who he might choose as a running mate. Perhaps because of his own public vetting years ago, the Arizona senator is being uncharacteristically tight-lipped. . . . Many believe that voters' concern about McCain's age -- he will be 72 on inauguration day -- means his choice for the No. 2 spot will carry a great deal of weight. . . .
But there is little consensus within the party about what issue will define McCain's choice. Should his team look to a candidate who could shore up his economic credentials? Should he choose a partner who could allay suspicions among some conservatives that McCain is too liberal? Or does he have the latitude to choose a candidate who might broaden the appeal of the Republican Party? McCain's most obvious task is finding someone the American people would view as a suitable stand-in as commander in chief. . . .
A lot of conservatives fear he's going to change [the party] in some way and redraw it with them on the outside looking in," Keene said. "If you select the right person, you go a long way toward solving that problem. "You can hit a grand slam home run, which might be a [Gov.] Mark Sanford of South Carolina, or a home run with Mitt Romney, or a double or a triple with a [North Carolina Sen.] Richard Burr, or a [Wisconsin Rep.] Paul Ryan . . . . Or you can screw it up." Others, like Ken Duberstein, a chief of staff to President Reagan, say the field is open: "Does the right wing have veto power? The answer is no. Conservatives have a role to play, but it is not to dictate who the vice presidential candidate is." . . .
Several charismatic governors with close ties to McCain are getting attention as well: Charlie Crist of Florida, Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and South Carolina's Sanford. . . . Crist is likely to be "on McCain's short list of three or four." With approval ratings topping 70%, he "would about put a nail in it for the general election" by helping McCain win Florida, . . . One of the most daunting tasks will be vetting the candidates to avoid any surprises. . . . It will be important . . . to choose a leader who's "been around the track several times and who knows where skeletons usually are -- what to ask and how to ask."McCain strategist Charles Black said the campaign planned to "drag the net widely" and to keep the process secret to avoid "humiliating" candidates who weren't chosen . . . [Read More]
Tags:Alabama, Election 2008, John Mccain, Republican Assembly, vice presidentTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Michael Wickline, Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported thatU. S. Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR) defended congressional earmarks, saying they aren’t a controversy to him. “Being an appropriator, I like earmarks, make no apologies for them,” to about 140 people at a Political Animals Club luncheon in Little Rock. Berry said the last appropriations bill that Congress passed totaled $ 2. 7 trillion and included $ 17 billion in earkmarks. “I am perfectly willing to pay the deal on anything I ever put in one of those bills, and there are a lot of good things that have come from it,” Berry said. “The alternative would be to turn all spending decisions over to the administration, whoever that might be, and that is not a comforting thought at all to me.”Tags:Arkansas, Congressional Pork, earlmarks, Marion Berry, Representative, US HouseTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families: The past week has clearly taken a toll on the Obama campaign. Multiple surveys indicate that his poll numbers are falling like a rock, and so far his speech seems to have done little to slow his descent. Gallup reports that Hillary Clinton has taken a statistically significant lead among Democrats nationally for the first time in a month. Just one week ago, Obama was leading Clinton 50%-to-44%. Today, Clinton leads Obama 49%-to-42%.
In the all-important Pennsylvania primary, where an Obama victory next month would knock Hillary out of the race, Clinton's average lead in all Pennsylvania polls over the last two weeks is 16 points. But in the most recent survey, taken over the weekend as the Jeremiah Wright controversy was breaking, Hillary opened up a massive 26-point lead.
The latest Rasmussen Reports poll of Democrat primary voters gives Obama a three point lead nationally, but that's down from eight points just six days ago. Worse for Obama, he has posted a net negative favorability rating for the past four days now, with 49% of the public viewing him unfavorably and 48% viewing him favorably. One week ago, Obama registered an eight-point positive favorability rating, with 52% of the public viewing him positively and 44% viewing him negatively.
The bitterness among Democrats is creating major problems for their eventual nominee. In hypothetical November match-ups, pollster Scott Rasmussen discovered that Hillary Clinton would attract only 55% of the African-American vote if she were the Democrat nominee against John McCain. Should Obama win the nomination, Rasmussen found that only 36% of white voters would support him. In either case, McCain is the clear frontrunner in the race for the White House, leading Barack Obama 49%-to-42% and defeating Hillary Clinton 51%-to-41%. Tags:Barack Obama, Election 2008, Gallup Poll, Gary Bauer, Hillary Clinton, John Mccain, presidential candidatesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, Washington Update: California families received an alarming wake-up call last month with the decision of the Second District Court of Appeals to essentially declare home-schooling to be illegal in California. The court even threatened that parents and unlicensed private school teachers who chose to educate children could be subject to criminal action. The Alliance Defense Fund has filed an appeal and is supported by both Governor Schwarzenegger and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. We have faith that the decision will be overturned. However, parents must understand that this is not an isolated case of activist judges. Rather, the decision by Judge H. Walter Croskey is indicative of a larger trend towards a socialized, government-run definition of family. FRC's Senior Fellow of Family Empowerment Ken Blackwell has a column in this week's Townhall.com which explains these trends. Ken draws on his experience as a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to illustrate the dangers inherent in the global march to "children's rights" as opposed to parental rights. Any movement towards an education monopoly poses great concern to parents. Meanwhile, the powerful liberal National Education Association has vowed to do everything it can to uphold the California court's decision. See also:Homeschoolers in the Crosshairs of the NEA Tags:Activist Judges, Alliance Defense Fund, California, FRC, home school, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Homeowners nationwide know that their property taxes are too high, and are getting higher. But many of them may not realize why: not because of an increase in their property’s value, but the expansion of government spending. Paul T. Wink seeks to dispel some misconceptions about what is driving up the costs of property taxes in his opinion piece, “Blame more spending, not reassessments, for high property taxes”:
“Our property taxes are too high. But this has nothing to do with assessments or reassessments. An annual reassessment does not result in a penalty to taxpayers as claimed, so long as all properties are treated the same. Whether properties are assessed at full value or a portion, or reassessed annually has nothing to do with your taxes. Only the increased spending by the taxing authorities (largely schools when discussing property taxes) increases your taxes…
“This is a point that has been missed by a number of people in authority, like Michael Rights, the Town of Southeast supervisor, who recently proposed a freeze on assessments that was smartly rejected by the majority of the Town Board. While such a proposal serves the political purpose of making it appear that he is doing something to reduce taxes, it has no such effect. Only reduced spending will lower taxes [emphasis added].” . . . [Read More]
Tags:government spending, increased taxes, property taxesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Foundry, Morning Bell: . . . Whether or not polling shows the American people care about out-of-control pork-barrel spending, they should. Earmarks are terrible for the U.S. because:
They Invite Corruption: Congress does have a proper role in determining the rules, eligibility and benefit criteria for federal grant programs. However, allowing lawmakers to select exactly who receives government grants invites corruption. Instead of entering a competitive application process within a federal agency, grant-seekers now often have to hire a lobbyist to win the earmark auction. Encouraged bylobbyists who saw a growth industry in the making, local governments have become hooked on the earmark process for funding improvement projects.
They Encourage Spending: While there may not be a causal relationship between the two, the number of earmarks approved each year tracks closely with growth in federal spending. DeMint explains why this relationship may be more than a coincidence: "I talked to colleagues who would say, 'DeMint, I gotta vote for this bill because it has my project in it,' even though the bill was way over budget."
They Distort Priorities: Many earmarks do not add new spending by themselves, but instead redirect funds already slated to be spent through competitive grant programs or by states into specific projects favored by an individual member. So, for example, if a member of the Nevada delegation succeeded in getting a $2 million earmark to build a bicycle trail in Elko in 2005, then that $2 million would be taken out of the $254 million allocated to the Nevada Department of Transportation (DOT) for that year. So if Nevada had wanted to spend that money fixing a highway in rapidly expanding Las Vegas, thanks to the earmark, they would now be out of luck. . . . [Read More]
Tags:earmarks, Congressional Pork, bicycle trail, DOT, NevadaTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tags:Barack Obama, Gary McCoy, GOPUSA, Jeremiah Wright, political cartoonTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Ken Blackwell: Barack Obama just gave an eloquent speech, but one that does not address the underlying nature of Senator Obama's beliefs. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, like Mr. Obama, believes in a state-centered 21st century form of big-government socialism. This 21st century form of socialism is at the heart of the Liberation Theology Rev. Wright preaches from the pulpit. Today, Mr. Obama again made it clear, with all his eloquence, that he still embraces these beliefs that would require dismantling the free-market system that has made our country's economy the most prosperous in all of human history.
In contrast to Liberation Theology, the Christian orthodoxy teaches about the nature of God, the nature of man, the relationship between the two in this life, and about the hereafter. Liberation Theology, on the other hand, is a belief system about political agendas, socialistic economic policy, and redistribution of wealth. Proponents of Liberation Theology, like Rev. Wright, teach that God commands us to form a government that will supervise our economy to create government-subsidized jobs under central-government planning; guarantee healthcare and education by having government control both; and achieve "economic equality" by redistributing wealth through massive taxes on the affluent and massive government entitlements for the poor. And it advocates replacing governments that do not embrace this socialistic agenda.
Those are the beliefs of Liberation Theology. Those are the offensive root beliefs underlying many of Rev. Wright's sermons. And though Barack Obama does not embrace Mr. Wright's offensive language, he does embrace this government-solves-everything-through-socialism worldview. . . . [Read More] Tags:Barack Obama, Jeremiah Wright, Ken Blackwell, Liberation Theology, redistribution of wealth, socialismTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Obama Sinks in Rasmussen Poll, Left Thrashes About
Obama Watch: For what it's worth, Barack Obama dropped seven points in yesterday's Rasmussen tracking poll that matches him against Hillary Clinton. Rasmussen calls last night's sample "very favorable for Clinton." Although we don't know exactly how favorable, simple math says Clinton beat Obama by a lot last night - well into double digits. It would seem a reasonable supposition that Obama's internal polls showed some similarly disquieting data, and those numbers triggered Obama's sprint around the media last night.
How much damage the Meshugenah Minister scandal will do to Obama remains anyone's guess. Hey, it's possible that by this time next week, the talk will have completely shifted to another topic. Then again, that other topic may be Michelle Obama's rhetoric which bears uncomfortable America-bashing similarities to Reverend Wright's, or why exactly the Obamas depended on the financial help of a Chicago political fixer to buy their dream home in a year in which they netted a cool $1.6 million in combined income. The reactions from the left regarding Obama's association with Reverend Wright have been interesting. Let me share a few . . . [Read More] Tags:Barack Obama, church, Election 2008, hate speech, Jeremiah Wright, Michelle Obama, Rasmussen PollTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
2008 Blogs4Borders! 03/17/08 In this weeks edition . . . Reconquista Part 3: Third Video in a three part series on reconquista: the bottom line!
Some of our good friends are honored by the SPLC, color us green with envy!
100% Preventable! Americans continue to bear the brunt of open borders! When will the madness end?
Tags:America, Blogs for Borders, criminals, deportation, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, invasion, Mexico, political video, Reconquista, SPLCTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Federal judge says students forbidden to vote on prayer
One News Now: A federal judge has prohibited the Round Rock school district from allowing students to vote on whether to have prayers at graduation.The ruling by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks is included in an agreement reached by the school district and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
The Washington-based group sued the school district in August on behalf of six parents and a former student . . .Sparks' judgment forbids the school district from holding any election or vote by students to have a prayer, benediction, invocation "or other religious communication" in any graduation unless the U.S. Supreme Court rules in future cases that such votes can be held . . . [Read More] Tags:National Day of Prayer, Public Schools, U.S. District Court, US District Judge, students, vote on prayer, Round Rock school districtTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
100,000 Petition Signatures Needed to Protect Children in Arkansas!
The Family Council Action Committee (FCAC) has begun gathering signatures to place the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act on the ballot in November.
This act will prevent children in the adoption and foster care system from placement with those who cohabitate outside of legal marriage. If passed, the Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act will prevent homosexuals from furthering their agenda at our children's expense!
The Family Council Action Committee has until May 15 to gather 100,000 signatures for placement on the November ballot, and your help is needed. Please get involved! Sign and circulate a petition today! Petitions can be requested at www.arkansasadoptionact.com. See also: Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act Tags:adoption, Arkansas, foster care, homosexualsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor:Congress's two-week Easter break began today. The only actions will be pro forma sessions by the Senate to keep President Bush from calling them back into session or appointing any recess appointments. The Senate will hold pro forma sessions on March 21, March 24 and March 27. The Senate and House will be back in session at 2 PM on March 31. For the second time in a month, the House of Representatives has left town without passing the Senate’s bipartisan FISA reform bill to address critical issues with our intelligence gathering capability. Instead the House passed a new bill, which is clearly unacceptable to the Senate, the White House, and the intelligence community. House Democrats even admitted that the bill has no chance of passing the Senate. ARRA News Service reported that the House Passes Unsuitable FISA Bill.
From Senate & News Sources:Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said, “This House vote represents a ‘cover vote’ which the Democratic leadership believes will allow them to go on their Easter recess claiming to have passed a bill that protects America. But instead, they’ve done great harm to the effort to enact a responsible strengthening of our anti-terror laws during this session of the Congress.” Sen. McConnell emphasized, “This latest House Democrats’ bill will not be signed into law. It’s irresponsible, and has set back every effort the Senate made on a bipartisan basis to enact responsible national security legislation this year.”
Editors at National Review Online had harsh words for House Democrats, writing, “Obviously embarrassed by the bad publicity they generated last time around, they’ve attempted to camouflage dereliction with chicanery, offering an alternative [FISA] proposal Democrats know to be so deeply flawed that it would be dead on arrival in the Senate — let alone at the White House, where it would be vetoed instantly. . . . “their [House Democrats]maneuver was opposed by Attorney General Michael Mukasey and National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell, respected non-partisan professionals, who’ve reported that we are already losing intelligence due to the House’s partisan intransigence.” On the Senate side, Roll Call reports today that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid essentially wants to have a replay of February when the chamber returns in two weeks by returning to a housing bill and having still more Iraq votes.
Vice President Cheney is in Iraq today, offering a more realistic view of events there, observing “dramatic” security gains (Reuters). The BBC reports a new poll suggesting more optimism among Iraqis, and the AP noted the sharp decline in TV coverage of Iraq. Amazingly, though, the decline is blamed on fatigue with the story, as opposed to the clear-cut drop in violence. The AP writes, “It’s possible to pinpoint the exact week that the switch turned off. The war averaged 30 minutes per week of coverage last year on the three network evening newscasts up until Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the U.S. forces, testified in September about the surge’s progress . . .” Tags:Easter, recess, Gen. David Petraeus, 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!
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: Happy St. Patrick's Day! With the "Luck O' the Irish" on your side and to have some fun, head over to join in the McCain 2008 Basketball Brackets. John McCain has made his picks, and this is your chance to compare your picks with his. You'll also be eligible for great McCain 2008 prizes. Click here to sign up and fill out your bracket. Picks must be made before the start of the first games on Thursday, March 20th so make your picks today! After you've signed up, send your friends a quick note to invite them to join in the fun.
When you make your picks, you can select your favorite college or university and your points from your correct picks will go to your school. As an OU alumnus, I am Irish enough to suggest choosing the Univ. of Okalhoma;Oh well - I tried! The school with the most points will win - so the more people you get to play, the better chance your school will have! Whether you're an alumni, current student or a fan, every correct point will help show your support for your school, even if they're not still playing in March! Be sure to spread the word to all of your friends to make sure they sign up today. Good luck with your bracket and don't forget to click here to make your picks before Thursday! Tags:basketball, Irish, Saint Patrick's Day, John McCainTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Bradley A. Blakeman, Freedoms Watch: Secret-ballot elections have long been used to ensure voters remain free of intimidation and fear of retribution based on their choice at the polls. It is disconcerting, then, that the big labor bosses and their allies in Congress are pushing for a system that authorizes unionization not by secret ballot, but by a decidedly non-secret system of card checks. It is deceptively called the Employee Free Choice Act.
Currently, workers decide whether to join a union in federally supervised secret ballot elections. However, under the Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041), that secret ballot is replaced with a process that merely requires a majority of workers to sign a card to authorize organizing a union. These cards can be viewed by the employee's co-workers, superiors…and union organizers, subjecting workers to intimidation from union organizers to sign the card.
Here's another reason card check is so troubling. Even with their dwindling numbers, the big labor bosses remain powerful political players - this year alone they could spend half a billion on politics to help elect liberals. The more local shops that unionize and join the national effort, the larger financial and political footprint large labor coalitions will have in our national dialogue. The labor bosses have political power that is disproportionate to membership - and it will only get worse with card check. See also:‘Card Checks’: Fast Track To Monopoly Unionism Law That Would Further Entrench This Big Labor Tactic Is Just What the Public Doesn’t Want Then Contact your senators! Tell them you do NOT support the Employee Free Choice Act. Tags:Bradley Blakeman, Card Check, Employee Free Choice Act, big unions, unions, civil unions, Freedoms Watch, US SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, FRC Washington Update: China may have agreed to start talking about human rights, but getting officials to act on them is an entirely different matter. In the last year, hundreds of church leaders have been brutally arrested and detained. Others have been sent to remote labor camps, where the regime plans to "reeducate" them on matters of faith. However, as the situation worsens in China and more Christians are persecuted, the U.S. is letting the opportunity to demand better behavior slip away on the eve of the Beijing Olympic Games. Rather than leverage the influence of the international community to pressure the Chinese to clean up their act, the State Department has taken an unusually mild approach to the scores of human rights violations perpetrated by China. Just months before Beijing takes the global stage as host of the 2008 Games, China is absent from the list of the world's most "systematic human rights violators" in the latest U.S. report. Instead, the Chinese were listed with other nations which "continue to deny citizens basic human rights." The administration's position undermines human rights advocates around the world who see the Olympics as a chance to prod China to end its cycle of abuse. Now the State Department seems more intent on befriending the Chinese than spotlighting their legacy of violence and oppression--a legacy that FRC has repeatedly asked the Department to address. Our December letter, and that of a dozen congressmen, which called for U.S. intervention in the case of 21 captive pastors, continues to go unanswered by the administration. We haven't received so much as a generic reply on the matter. China has not earned this rhetorical detente, and the apparent concessions in this year's human rights report are unwarranted. See Also:The Future of Freedom in the People's Republic of China Tags:China, Christians, FRC, Olympics, persecution, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Foundry, Morning Bell: It is not common to advocate for tax increases as the economic outlook darkens, but that is exactly what liberals in Congress did yesterday [3/14/08] when the House and Senate passed budget blueprints. Sympathetic minds in the press are determined to portray the budget proposals as only letting “tax cuts expire“, but the American people are smart enough to know that only in Washington can increasing the tax burden of Americans by $683 billion be considered anything but a massive tax hike. Liberals will claim they are only taxing the rich, but the Democrat budget voted for by Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would raise taxes on individuals making as little as $31,850 and couples earning $63,700.
Democrats declined to explain yesterday [3/14/08] how their plans to raise taxes could possibly help the ailing U.S. economy. After all, just last month Congress passed a stimulus package based on the idea that giving Americans a tax rebate would help economic growth. Apparently something happened in the intervening weeks that made letting Americans keep and spend their own money bad for the economy. Perhaps liberals remembered the 1993 tax hikes and now believe that taxing and spending is the best path to economic recovery. This is just not so. A review of recent literature on tax hikes and economic growth shows cutting taxes is far more strongly linked to economic growth. Furthermore, a specific look at the 1993 tax hikes shows that not only was the economy entering its eighth quarter of recovery by the time they were enacted, but the growth that succeeded them was much smaller than the growth after the 1997 tax cuts. The tax increases in the House budget will significantly harm the economy . . . [Read More] Tags:Democrats, increased taxes, tax increases, The Foundry, US Budget, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Mexican Consulate Claims San Diego Return to Mexico
Americans for Legal Immigration: This video came in from our friends in the San Diego area. It appears that a Mexican Consulate employee has been caught on film saying San Diego once belonged to Mexico and will again one day. So much for all those that claim there is no Reconquista or desires of the Mexican government to take control of part of the US. Mexican consulate employees are considered official spokespeople for the Mexican Government.
Please Contact your senators! and your representatives! to ask them to instruct the US Ambassador to Mexico to demand an immediate retraction and apology for this statement. Tags:ALIPAC, California, Mexican consulate, Mexico, Reconquista, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: If you are considering why this year's presidential election is important, view the video of Newt Gingrich discussing the war on terror at the National Press Club last year. If you agree with Newt Gingrich about the overwhelming treat of Islamic terrorism to our county, our way of life and our children, then you can see why allowing a Obama or Clinton to be elected president would be a travesty. John McCain, the presumptive nominee for the Republican party, has repeatedly warned that this threat is real. Also, consider that dictators who hate America are also on the rise.
Republican groups can argue all day about various nuances of which group is or candidate was more conservative, but survival trumps our personal viewpoints. National security is too important to entrust to either Clinton or Obama. Republicans need to stop "belly aching" about the fact their candidate did not get the nomination. Independents need to set their displeasure that the two parties are doing it all wrong. You like others may be right to some degree but being right is not going to address the current threat. Conservative democrats need to acknowledge that the extreme liberal wing of their party has taken control. It has put forth two candidates who by their own words are in appeasement mode. They are both unwilling and too inexperienced to address and fight a war against terrorism.
All of us are somewhat discontent. We live in dangerous times and we don't like it. We believed the end of the cold war meant long term peace. We wanted to get on with our personally shaped visions of the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. But the fact is while we were snug in pursuits, we failed to notice that others hated both us and our way of life. Unfortunately, their hatred had grown to the point of their making plans and performing action for our destruction. Our wishing that this situation did not exist or wishing they would go away or believing that we can just talk to them and they will leave us alone is sticking our collective heads in the sand with our butts showing as targets.
Face it; we are collectively hated. It is not nice but it is true. They hate the our general ways of worship. They hate our materialism and what they perceive as our excessive living styles. They hate homosexuals, Christians and Jews. They hate women having the same freedoms and rights as men. They prefer to wrap their women in black cloth. They hate our form of government. They hate our movies and music. They hate our right to vote and our constitutional rights. They hate, hate, hate! They wish to destroy not only us but also our economy which affords us our standard of living. They wish to destroy our very way of life and to doom our grandchildren to a miserable state of existence. It is not that Islamist terrorists are poor, they are spending billions to destroy us. No, their way of life is not charitable, open and loving but regimented and controlled by religious zealots who hate us.
It is time for us to face this danger. It is a real threat and it is not several years away. It has already visited our door step and intends to do so repeatedly until their objectives are achieved. Tags: Bill Smith, Islamist, John McCain, Newt Gingrich, presidential candidate, terrorism, terrorist, threat assessment, video, War on TerrorTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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Update - See: U.S. Northern Command, Canada Command establish new bilateral Civil Assistance Plan Photo by U.S. Army North Public Affairs Office: U.S. Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, and Canadian Air Force Lt.-Gen. Marc Dumais, commander of Canada Command, have signed a Civil Assistance Plan that allows the military from one nation to support the armed forces of the other nation during a civil emergency. the signing took place at the U.S. Army North headquarters, Fort Sam Houston, TX, Feb 14, 2008
