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, June 14, 2008
Liberalism Gone Wild – Americans Will Die
Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families: The shockingly bad 5-to-4 Supreme Court decision yesterday to award the right of “habeas corpus” to enemy combatants is a glimpse of what our future will look like if Barack Obama wins in November and if the political Left increases its majorities in Congress. Habeas corpus is the right we have as American citizens to challenge detention by the government. The five justice liberal majority yesterday extended that right to jihadists captured abroad. The prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay will now be able to demand in federal court the same right that you have. The government will be required to present evidence to justify their continued detention. What evidence? The battlefield is not a crime scene. Soldiers don’t read the enemy their Miranda rights. Fingerprints are not taken in war. The court’s liberal majority has written an absurd opinion that appears to be totally divorced from reality. Justice Scalia, one of the four dissenting conservatives, predicted that the majority’s decision will result in Americans dying. He is right.
In World War II, we held 400,000 prisoners of war on U.S. soil. Even though they were held here, they were not given the right just awarded to the terrorist allies of the thugs who killed 3,000 of on 9/11. And if the Guantanamo prisoners have these rights, then it is only a matter of time before the jihadist prisoners being held in Iraq and Afghanistan will be granted them, too. Our Founding Fathers would be shocked to see what has been done to the document they created. Notice that the decision was five-to-four. A narrow one-vote majority has turned our effort to defeat Islamic terror upside down. The Constitution our young men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan are defending can now be used as a weapon against them.
Of the five justices responsible for this fiasco, one, of them, Justice Stevens, is 88-years-old and another, Justice Ginsburg is 75. If a President McCain gets the opportunity to replace either of them, this obscene ruling could be overturned. If a President Barack Obama, after consulting with his friends at the ACLU and MoveOn.org, puts two new young liberals on the court to replace them, we will get more self-destructive rulings for decades. And don’t forget that this isn’t the only 5-to-4 vote we are facing on fundamental questions of values and national security. I’d like to see President Bush fight back. Just say, “No,” Mr. President. Send new legislation to Capitol Hill outlining how the jihadist thugs will be handled. Remind the court that the Constitution specifies only one commander-in-chief during war – you. And to my friend Senator McCain – Barack Obama embraced this decision yesterday with no hesitation. Take him on, and show the American people why this foolishness will endanger our country – and do it now! Tags:detainees, Gary Bauer, Guantanamo Bay, Islamic terrorist, Miranda rights, Supreme Court, Supreme Court Judges, terroristTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
McCain calls Supreme Court decision on terrorist detainees 'one of worst'
H/T The Conservative Voice: Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday sharply denounced a Supreme Court decision that gave suspected terrorist detainees a right to seek their release in federal courts. "I think it's one of the worst decisions in history," McCain said. "It opens up a whole new chapter and interpretation of our constitution."
McCain is one of the authors of the 2006 Military Commissions Act which set up procedures for the handling of detainees. The act denied the detainees access to federal courts. The Supreme Court on Thursday said that provision of the law violated the constitution. McCain on Thursday said he had not read the ruling and reserved his criticism. But on Friday, speaking to about 1,500 people at a town hall meeting in Pemberton, N.J., he attacked the decision, saying the law he helped write "made it very clear that these are enemy combatants, they are not citizens, they do not have the rights of citizens."
The issue could be potent for McCain, who often encounters questions from audiences about how he would go about selecting potential justices for the court. McCain often cites Chief Justice John Roberts as the type of justice he would nominate. On Friday he especially praised him for his dissent in the detainee case. McCain spoke to reporters after the town hall, accompanied by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who helped him write the military commissions law. "What happened yesterday was unprecedented," Graham said. "Americans are going to be shocked to find that that mastermind of 9-11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, now has the same legal standing as an American citizen." Tags:detainees, Islamic terrorist, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Supreme Court, terroristsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
American Solutions: As gas prices are at an all-time high, the American people are demanding that Congress take action to drill here and drill now. More than 650,000 Americans have signed the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" petition, and that number keeps growing rapidly each day. Increasing domestic energy resources is not a Republican or Democrat issue; it's about lowering gas prices for hard-working American families. With more than 650,000 Americans on board, a groundswell of grassroots support is rising up to pressure Congress to stop playing partisan politics and start using more of our domestic energy resources.
We're excited that Chuck Norris is supporting our "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" campaign. Chuck Norris is fed up with soaring gas prices. He wants to Drill Here, and Drill Now.
Help reach a goal of 1,000,000 signatures by July 4 by forwarding this email to 5 friends and encouraging them to sign the petition and join the movement at www.AmericanSolutions.com/DrillNow. Tags:American Solutions, Chuck Norris, domestic drilling, gas prices, oil drillingTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
H/T Club for Growth:The Fox News Channel had a great special report several days ago that exposed the questionable earmarks sponsored by four members of Congress.
Tags:Congressional Pork, earmarks, 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!
LA House Passes Bill Allowing Criticism of Evolution
Kim Trobee, Turn Signal: If the Louisiana Senate concurs, public schools in the state will be able to offer evolution theory and other theories about the earth’s origins thanks to the Louisiana Science Education Act. Gov. Bobby Jindal has said he will sign the bill! Tags:academic freedom, Bobby Jindal, CitizenLink, critical thinking, education, evolution, Louisiana, pro-family, scienceTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
William J. Murray, Chairman Religious Freedom Coalition:DEMS DEMAND HIGHER GAS PRICE - Democrats failed to pass the "cap and trade" legislation last week that would raise the price of gasoline by 56 cents per gallon. So this week they tried to pass a "windfall profit" tax on energy companies. The tax would of course be passed on to consumers, thus raising gasoline prices even more. Let us get honest: the Democrats want to price gasoline out of the reach of the average American. Most of the Democrats' money comes from Hollywood elites and liberal billionaires who believe in the "green religion." They want all cars parked, except their own limos, to "protect the planet." The masses of people (That would be you and me) can then be forced to live in apartment clusters and use mass transportation. The "green religion" sees individual home ownership as destructive to the environment. It is also more difficult to control people who live in individual homes and have private transportation.
CONGRESS AND THE PRICE OF GAS - When the Democrats took control of the House and Senate in January of 2006 the average price of gas nationally was $2.33 per gallon. The current average per gallon is now $4.06. During less than two years in power Senator Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have helped drive up the cost of gas almost $2.00 a gallon. How? The traders and speculators know that with the Democrats in control there will be no drilling for new oil, no nuclear plants built and no gas refineries expanded. With out those options the speculators know they can push prices up. Thank you Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi for doubling the price of gas. See Also:Gas Price Protest Tags:Democrats, gas price protest, gas prices, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Religious Freedom Coalition, William J. MurrayTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Last night, John McCain held the first of what he hoped would be ten joint town hall appearances with Barack Obama. Unfortunately, Senator Obama chose not to attend. The town hall meeting, at Federal Hall in New York City, was broadcast live on The Fox News Channel. This historic location is where President George Washington first took the oath of office. At the event, John McCain answered questions about important issues facing voters this year, including the economy, energy prices and the war. Prior to this town hall meeting, John McCain also appeared at a town hall meeting in Nashua, N.H
Last week, John McCain invited Senator Obama to participate in this event, hoping to start what would be a series of ten town hall meetings where both candidates would travel the country to answer questions from real voters. Senator Obama has yet to agree to meet us in these town halls, which would revolutionize our political process and start a real change in the tone of politics. John McCain believes in this effort and is putting it into action. There will be another town hall meeting next Thursday, so be sure to check JohnMcCain.comsoon for more information.
Tags:Barack Obama, Election 2008, John McCain, meeting, New York City, presidential candidates, TownhallTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Boozman / Ross & Congress Applaud Ozark National Forest
Representatives John Boozman (AR-03) and Mike Ross (AR-04) Monday applauded passage of a resolution congratulating the Ozark National Forest on its 100th anniversary. House Resolution 1158 passed the full U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote. The legislation was introduced by Boozman and cosponsored by the entire Arkansas Congressional Delegation.
“Thousands of families from Arkansas and all across the United States have had the good fortune to experience the beauty of the Ozark National Forest,” Boozman said. “This resolution commemorates the legacy of this great national resource and its enjoyment for generations to come.”
A proclamation from President Theodore Roosevelt on March 6, 1908, dedicated the Ozark National Forest as the first federally protected stand of hardwoods in the U.S. 917,944 acres of land was set aside by President Roosevelt for the forest that currently covers more than one million acres in the third and fourth congressional districts of Arkansas. Tags:Arkansas, John Boozman, Mike Ross, Ozark, Ozark Forests, RepresentativeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor: The Senate is in recess until until 2 PM on Monday. A redo of the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the House-passed tax extenders bill (H.R. 6049) is scheduled for 5:30 PM that day. Senate Republicans blocked the bill earlier in the week because it includes new tax increases. Yesterday, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Medicare payments bill (S. 3101).
Congress can and should be doing something about the energy supply problem. But Democrats have repeatedly refused over many years to allow more domestic oil and gas production.
From Senate & News Sources: In an editorial today, Investor’s Business Daily estimates just how much oil is potentially available in the United States but is in areas that have been placed off-limits by Congress. IBD writes, “The biggest obstacle to putting more domestic oil in the pipeline is not economics or tech hurdles, though. It is the pro-OPEC, Democratic-majority, maddeningly irrational U.S. Congress.”
The Corner notes a press conference Senate Democrats will be holding today “to discuss what Democrats have done to strengthen the economy, address the energy crisis, cut taxes and create jobs.” Clearly, Kathryn Jean Lopez is correct in observing that it must be a short one. Tags:tax extenders bill, domestic oil pipeline, 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, Editor, ARRA News: Former Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is bringing his political expertise to Fox News Channel as a a political commentator. Huckabee, Arkansas' governor for 10 1/2 years, pulled off a stunning victory in the Iowa caucus and followed with primary victories in seven other states despite running his campaign on a shoestring.The Hope native ended his campaign March 4 after McCain attained the requisite number of delegates to clinch the party's nomination.
Bill Shine, the senior vice president of programming for FNC, calls Huckabee "a great addition" to the cable network's election coverage. Huckabee will regularly contribute to FNC's America's Election HQ coverage. In a statement , Huckabee said:
”I have signed on to be a part of the Fox News Channel family. I hope to bring the unique perspective from “inside the dragon’s belly” as well as to try and speak for the millions of hard-working middle class Americans who really do feel that their voices are not being heard. I saw that on the campaign trail and continue to see as I speak to groups of all kinds around the country as well as campaign for other candidates.
I’m looking forward to what I hope will be a very satisfying relationship not only for the Fox News Channel and me, but even more for the people of America.”
Previously this year, Huckabee launched "Huck PAC." So, Huckabee will both helps provide election coverage and will work to help elect conservatives to office. Although not detailed in by Huckabee's or Fox New's press releases, one wonders if Huckabee would have accepted this position if he was still a contender for Vice President. It appears there is No VP for Huck's near future with the convention being only a few months away. But don't count Huckabee out either in the short term or for future elections as a U.S. senator, U.S. representative or a future presidential contender. Hucks' Army remains ready in the wings!Tags:commentator, elections, Fox News, Mike Huckabee, PoliticsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tonight in Huston, TX, Ron Paul officially ended his campaign for the Republican nomination for president. In an official press release he thanked his supporter saying:
For 17 months we brought the message of peace, freedom , and prosperity to millions of Americans. The response overwhelmed me: more Americans believe in liberty and the Constitution than I ever imagined. I am deeply moved and honored by your hand work and sacrifice on behalf of our cause.
However, after much serious thought, I have decided to end my campaign for the Presidency of the United States. It is time now to take the energy this campaign has awakened and channel it into long-term efforts to take back our country. We have some exciting plans and projects to move the revolution forward that will come together in the next several months.
I will wok my last breath on behalf of this great message. That I promise you. We don't have to live in the kind of America the two major parties have in store for us. Together, let us continue to lay the foundations for an America worthy of our Founding Fathers.
Paul told his faithful followers that he will keep spreading his message as he tries to help elect libertarian-leaning Republicans to offices around the country. "The campaign is going to shift gears. It's going to accelerate. It's going to get much bigger. To me, it's a technical change." Paul told bloggers and supporters that he didn't plan to endorse Republican presidential nominee John McCain because of their disagreement on issues especially the war. Paul want the Iraq War to end an all the troops brought home. He did not address the current success in Iraq.
Ron Paul's campaign has about $4.7 million in the bank. Jesse Benton, a campaign spokesman, said Paul is beginning a "Campaign for Liberty." Benton called the effort a "permanent campaign. We're going to work with the grassroots. People are really eager to continue and grow these efforts." Paul also plans to host an alternative mini-convention on Sept. 2 in Minnesota to coincide with the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Tags:Election 2008, presidential candidate, Ron PaulTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, FRC Washington Update: With Americans driving less and paying more when they do, some members of Congress are looking to bring some much-needed relief to people at the pump. Yesterday, House Republicans strengthened their call to begin drilling off the nation's coast in what is believed to be an extremely oil-rich area. Although the drilling would be at least 50 miles away from shore and reap "enough oil to replace Middle East imports for 35 years," Democrats stubbornly refused and deep-sixed the proposal by a 9-6 party-line vote. For almost three decades, a federal law has prevented drilling in U.S. waters, but the area under new scrutiny would be well beyond the moratorium's reach. While the liberal leadership sits on its environmental laurels, the frustration is building. Reports that China is drilling for oil 60 miles outside of Cuba is adding more fuel to the fire. Pretty soon, the rest of the world will be racing to our shores to unlock the natural resources we refuse to touch.
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) was just one of the many frustrated members angered that Congress is leaving billions of barrels of American oil untapped. "Democrats were voting in line with their leadership, but they certainly weren't voting in line with the 104 million American families struggling to make ends meet in a world of $4.05 gasoline." Of course, the "green" crowd has been lobbying leaders to oppose the drilling and embrace biofuels as the "moral" alternative. They would rather starve the earth's poor of its food supply to make their ethanol than intrude on two miles of animal habitat. Tell me, where is the morality in that? See Also:House Subcommittee Rejects Plan to Open U.S. Waters to More Oil ExplorationTags:DOMA, FRC, gay marriage, homosexual activism, marriage amendment, Massachusetts, Tony Perkins, Washington UpdateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
H.J. Res. 89 has picked up 54 cosponsors, one of which is Mike Ross (D-AR)…. I’ll never understand why a guy who is a 2nd amendment rights guy, who is Pro-Life, who supports Traditional Marriage enough to be a cosponsor of the legislation, and is economically conservative enough to be a Republican, chooses to carry the banner of the pro-gay, abortion loving, socialize the oil companies and socialize everything else for the fun of it party, aka the Democrat Party…. He has also endorsed Obama which makes you wonder why this guy will stand up for whats right when its time to vote but then won’t when it’s time to endorse candidates….
Also missing from the list of cosponsors is Congressman Boozman….
Arkansans Call Rep John Boozman! And if you are outside of Arkansas, check the sponsor list and if they are not on the list Contact your representatives!It is time to protect traditional marriage under attack by liberal activist state judges and governors. Tags:Federal Marriage Amendment, John Boozman, Mike Ross, Rett HatcherTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: John Brummett is an Arkansas political columnist who continually displays a nostalgic belief that Democrats Party still reflects conservative ideals. There may be some conservative democrats in the region, but they are floundering in a party controlled by liberals. Brummett, being pro-democrat and an associate of democrats, appears to understand his local brand of democrats. He appears to find Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be more conservative than Sen. Barack Hussein Obama. While Obama is a black male and Clinton is a white female, remove their sex and race and they are both equally suited liberals. Hillary Clinton does have more "life experiences" than Barack Obama and is clearly "native born." But being tired of us Arkansans, Hillary kept her beloved ex-president, migrated to liberal-land New York, and walked right into the Senate a full fledged liberal.
Brummett's association with the people and attitudes within the Democrat Party in Arkansas and Oklahoma affords us insight into the region's Democrat backlash against Barack Obama as their presidential nominee. The backlash even seems more strident with the likelihood that Clinton will not be their vice presidential nominee. In a recent article that appeared in The Morning News, Brummett comments:
"I wrote about a palpable lack of fire for Obama among Arkansas Democratic officeholders -- such as Gov. Mike Beebe, who cited a "deep-seated fear" of Obama in Arkansas, and U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, who said his tank of enthusiasm had pretty nearly run dry -- there was a related development in the section of Oklahoma that abuts the western Arkansas border.
"U.S. Rep. Dan Boren is a third-term conservative Democrat representing the 2nd Congressional District of Oklahoma, which starts at the Arkansas line and runs to Kansas on the north and Texas on the south. It's just across the state line from Siloam Springs and Fort Smith and Mena and De Queen, not so far from Texarkana. It bounds our 3rd District, which is Republican already, but it also bounds our 4th District, which has a Democratic congressman in Mike Ross. . . .
"Boren's is a conservative district and one of the largest geographically in the country, owing to the sparse population. It went 66 percent for Hillary Clinton over Obama in the Democratic primary on Super Tuesday and it went heavily for George W. Bush in the general elections in 2000 and 2004. Boren, son of former U.S. Sen. David Boren, can read those returns. He told the Tulsa World that he could not endorse Obama. He said he admired Obama's rhetoric about a new politics, but pointed out that Obama had been rated the most liberal member of the Senate by the National Journal. He said that didn't seem so new to him. He said he had to respect the will of his constituents.
"In a way this means nothing. Obama can't compete in Arkansas without Hillary as his running mate. Obama is going to get pummeled in Oklahoma either way because Oklahoma is Arkansas without those enlightened (or static, if you prefer) Democratic influences. The point is that, for all the talk of a new day and of a race that is the Democrats' to lose, the Democrats find themselves in old and familiar territory. That is to say they have a nominee whose competitiveness seems foreclosed in large sections of the country, primarily ours. . . ."
Tags:Arkansas, Barack Obama, Bill Smith, Democrats, Election 2008, Hillary Clinton, John Brummett, Oklahoma, Politics, presidential candidatesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Today in Washington D. C. - June 12, 2008 - “It’s Domestic Energy, Stupid!”
On The Floor: The Senate resumed consideration of the motion to proceed to the Medicare payments bill (S. 3101). The Medicare bill would prevent a pay cut for doctors and replace it with a 1.1% pay raise, but would pay for that by cuts to private Medicare Advantage plans which Republicans oppose. At 3 PM, senators will vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to the Medicare bill. ARRA Editor: Where in the Constitution did Congress get the right to regulate the pay / incomes of private citizens (in this case doctors). Considering the long-term impact of these inept elected officials, seniors may find their future access to healthcare limited and the government making the choice whether an individual should or should not receive healthcare services based on the individual's economic cost or worth to society.
Gas Prices - It’s Domestic Energy - Stupid! In light of the judgement of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Democrats leaders on gas prices, Sen. Mitch McConnellthis morning again questioned their judgment: “If people are being forced to change their lifestyles, if the price of goods is skyrocketing, that’s apparently all right, according to our friends on the other side. Their Presidential nominee even admits it. He says the high price of gas isn’t the problem. The problem, he says, is that prices went up too quickly. If he had his way, he would have raised prices much more slowly. He would have preferred that gas prices go up more slowly than the $1.00 increase we’ve seen under the new Democrat Congress over the last year.”
After yesterday's criticism of Obama appeared on TV, radio, blogs and news publications, an Obama spokesperson finally responded on Fox News: “It shows is how John McCain’s allies in Washington are trying to distract voters from the fact that just yesterday, they voted again to protect Big Oil’s profits—while we’re paying record prices. Senator McConnell knows exactly what Barack Obama meant: the huge strain caused by high gas prices is made even worse when they climb so quickly.”
There’s little controversy as to how Obama feels about the rate of change in gas prices. As the ARRA News reported yesterday, Obama said, “I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment. The fact that this is such a shock to American pocketbooks is not a good thing.” The problem is that Obama seems to be okay with the direction prices are going. Senate Democrats leaders are in the same camp. Sen. Charles Schumer, chair of the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee told Roll Call that when it comes to coordinating the message between Senate Democrats and the Obama campaign, “It won’t be that hard because we’re already singing from the same page.”
Sen. McConnell summary of the Democrats’ approach to the problem of gas prices: “In a month when gas prices have hit record-highs, Democrats have proposed three things: a massive carbon tax, a tax on energy companies, and allowing trial lawyers to sue our trading partners. This isn’t an energy plan. It’s a caricature. It’s a caricature of a party that seems incapable of conceiving any solution to any problem that doesn’t involve taxation or litigation.” However,Investor’s Business Daily summed it up best: “It’s Domestic Energy, Stupid!” Tags:Barack Obama, Charles Schumer, domestic energy, gas prices, healthcare, medicare, Mitch McConnell, US Congress, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Campaign for Working Families has prepared a detailed visual comparison of the voting records of Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama. It compares votes on key issues over a four year period when the candidates voted with conservatives and when they voted against conservative positions. Recommend Reading! Tags:Barack Obama, Election 2008, John McCain, voting recordTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Steven Waldman, president & editor-in-chief of Beliefnet.com on the WSJ Political Perceptions: Conventional wisdom holds that John McCain is struggling to win evangelical voters. Evangelical leader Mark DeMoss predicted last week that he’d run weaker than any Republican since 1976 . . . Sen. McCain has been criticized by prominent Christian leaders such as James Dobson . . . In the primaries, most Christian leaders backed Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee. More recently, Sen. McCain’s decision to jettison two prominent conservative Christians – John Hagee and Rod Parsely – has sent his ratings plummeting . . . .
But is this conventional wisdom really true? Or to be more precise, Sen. McCain clearly has a problem with evangelical leaders — but does he really have a major problem with evangelical voters? On the contrary, Sen. McCain won the nomination in part because he did far better than expected with rank-and-file evangelicals. . . . For instance, in New Hampshire, among the 21% of the Republican electorate that was evangelical or “born again,” Sen. McCain won 29%, Mr. Romney 28% and Mr. Huckabee 27% — even though Mr. Huckabee is a former evangelical preacher and Mr. Romney had the endorsements of many key Christian leaders. . . .
In a recent Rasmussen poll, Sen. McCain was winning 58% of evangelicals, and . . . Sen. Barack Obama, was winning 32%. . . . Why would Sen. McCain be doing so much better among evangelical voters than evangelical leaders? First, the leadership’s disgust with Sen. McCain stems from the candidate’s treatment of them. His “agents of intolerance” speech was not an attack on evangelicals, but on a few of their leaders. Second, some of the issues over which Christian leaders have chastised Sen. McCain are inside-the-beltway concerns that don’t resonate with rank-and-file voters. . . . Third, though he’s reluctant to talk about his personal faith, in many ways Sen. McCain is substantively in perfect alignment with today’s evangelical voters. . . . Fourth, Sen. McCain’s support of the Iraq war, his war-hero history and his emphasis on fighting terrorism appeals to those Christians who feel that fighting Islam has risen to the top of the list of important issues for Christians. . . . Sen. McCain’s problems with rank-and-file evangelical voters have been vastly overstated. . . . [Read More] Tags:Election 2008, Evangelicals, John McCain, value votersTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sannford to Speak at RPA's Dinner
The Republican Party of Arkansas's annual "Hi, I'm Frank White!" Dinner is this Friday, June 13, at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, and there are still some tickets remaining. Get yours today!
Special guest speaker for this year's event is the Honorable Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina. Sanford is a rising star in the Republican Party. Reception starts at 6 p.m. and dinner begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $125 per person. For more information, visit the Arkansas Republican Party website or call party headquarters at (501) 372-7301. Tags:Arkansas, Arkansas Republican Party, GOP, Mark Sanford, Republican, RPATo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
President Bush Acts to Limit Employment of Illegals on US Contracts
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: Although seven years late and millions of illegal aliens that could have been discouraged from entering the United States, President Bush took action to additional action to restrict illegals from being employed by business and contractors doing business with the United States Government. The President amended Executive Order (EO) 12989which required companies/contractors doing business with the Federal Government to use an electronic verification system that is linked to the Social Security database to ensure their workers can legally work in the United States. The move is another critical step in ratcheting up enforcement of immigration laws through tough measures. The need for this action was inherent in the results of several high-profile raids on work sites and factories across the country that yielded numerous illegals working on Government contracts. President Bush set forth his position in the EO as follows:
This order is designed to promote economy and efficiency in Federal Government procurement. Stability and dependability are important elements of economy and efficiency. A contractor whose workforce is less stable will be less likely to produce goods and services economically and efficiently than a contractor whose workforce is more stable. It is the policy of the executive branch to enforce fully the immigration laws of the United States, including the detection and removal of illegal aliens and the imposition of legal sanctions against employers that hire illegal aliens. Because of the worksite enforcement policy of the United States and the underlying obligation of the executive branch to enforce the immigration laws, contractors that employ illegal aliens cannot rely on the continuing availability and service of those illegal workers, and such contractors inevitably will have a less stable and less dependable workforce than contractors that do not employ such persons. Where a contractor assigns illegal aliens to work on Federal contracts, the enforcement of Federal immigration laws imposes a direct risk of disruption, delay, and increased expense in Federal contracting. Such contractors are less dependable procurement sources, even if they do not knowingly hire or knowingly continue to employ unauthorized workers.
Contractors that adopt rigorous employment eligibility confirmation policies are much less likely to face immigration enforcement actions, because they are less likely to employ unauthorized workers, and they are therefore generally more efficient and dependable procurement sources than contractors that do not employ the best available measures to verify the work eligibility of their workforce. It is the policy of the executive branch to use an electronic employment verification system because, among other reasons, it provides the best available means to confirm the identity and work eligibility of all employees that join the Federal workforce. Private employers that choose to contract with the Federal Government should meet the same standard.
I find, therefore, that adherence to the general policy of contracting only with providers that do not knowingly employ unauthorized alien workers and that have agreed to utilize an electronic employment verification system designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security to confirm the employment eligibility of their workforce will promote economy and efficiency in Federal procurement.
If State Governors would take similar action for those companies and contractors doing business with State Agencies and all entities within their states using state funds (including: cities, counties, public schools, colleges, etc.), illegal aliens would see the "not welcome" sign clearly displayed and a significant number of illegal aliens (or if you prefer the euphemism: illegal immigrants) would return home and others would be discouraged from sneaking into the United States. Hopefully, more American and lawful residents will then be able to find employment at these agencies funded with our tax dollars. In addition, there will be a significant reduction in government supported social services for illegals. For those American global warming enthusiasts, you would see a large "carbon footprint" leaving the United States. And most important, our National defense would be aided. As more illegals return to their countries of origin by choice or through Federal deportation actions, it will become easier to identify those illegal aliens who entered the United States not to find work but to terrorize, kill and destroy. Tags:economic cost, employing illegals, employment, executive orders, federal contracting, illegal aliens, illegal immigrants, illegal immigration, President George BushTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor: The Senate will then resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the Democrats’ energy bill (S. 3044). one in Virginia and two in Missouri. Sen. Reid filed cloture last night on the motion to proceed to the Democrats’ Medicare payment fix bill, setting up a likely cloture vote tomorrow. Yesterday, the Senate confirmed 3 district judges.
Also, yesterday, Democrats failed to get cloture on their energy package (S. 3044) that featured a windfall profits tax on oil companies and also failed to get cloture on a House bill (H.R. 6049) to extend some tax breaks while raising other taxes. Senate Republicans blocked the Democrat energy bill full of “the same failed ideas from the 1970s” which included a windfall profits tax on oil companies and price gouging investigations. Republicans have offered legislation that would actually increase domestic energy production and create American jobs, but Democrats continue to prevent it from coming to the floor.
From Senate & News Sources: Yesterday, in a CNBC interview, Sen. Barack Obama was asked whether increases in gas prices were a good thing and his response was that he “would have preferred a gradual adjustment.” Is he saying he has no problem with high gas prices? His Senate Democrat colleagues seem to agree, given the legislation they tried to move yesterday would have done nothing to lower the price of gas.
This morning, Sen. Mitch McConnellcriticized Sen. Obama and Senate Democrats: “The position outlined by the Democratic nominee shouldn’t be a surprise to most Americans, given that Washington Democrats have repeatedly refused to allow increased energy production here at home — even though, as we all know, increased supply leads to lower prices. It’s as if they are doing everything in their power to keep gas prices from going down.”
Today the Los Angeles Times, not known for having a conservative editorial board, lambasted the Senate: “Trying to find an economist who thinks a windfall-profits tax is a good idea is like searching for a climatologist who thinks global warming is caused by trees. Such a tax unfairly targets the oil industry, which is already amply taxed and whose profits aren’t far out of line with other U.S. industries when considered as a percentage of sales. It also would discourage oil companies from investing in new supply, which is precisely what happened when Congress imposed a similar tax in 1980. The result might be even higher oil prices.” Tags:US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C., Democrat, Medicare payment fix billTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Rumors and Lies can be distructive.The real scoop by Gary Bauer: Over the past 24 hours, I have received numerous emails from conservatives reacting angrily to the news that Sen. John McCain rejected an offer to meet with Reverend Billy Graham. Rush Limbaugh reported the story on his show yesterday, as well. The story is false and, to his credit, Rush later acknowledged that. But, e-mails are now swirling around cyberspace alleging that the Republican presidential nominee has spurned one of America’s most beloved Christian leaders. Here are the facts.
Several months ago, Senator McCain’s campaign contacted Franklin Graham’s office directly, letting them know that the senator would be willing to meet with the Graham family. In recent weeks, Texas Pastor Brian Jacobs contacted the McCain campaign offering to arrange a meeting between the senator and Billy Graham. The McCain campaign, knowing that there had already been contact with Franklin Graham, politely declined the offer.
Here’s just the first sentence of a statement released yesterday by a spokesman for Franklin Graham: “The offer to meet with Mr. Graham was extended by someone who is not in an official capacity to arrange such a meeting, nor is he affiliated with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.” The spokesman later added, “We don’t know who this Brian Jacobs is – we had to Google him to find out.” Unfortunately, for whatever reason, certain individuals, whose agenda remains unclear, and who were not speaking for Billy Graham, went to the press to make a story out of a non-issue. One of the individuals involved, by the way, has issued a press release announcing that he is making himself available for media interviews!
My friends, allow me to speak bluntly: This kind of embarrassing nonsense has got to stop. Our movement is on the verge of being totally overwhelmed by the Left, while some on the Right are engaged in petty, self-destructive bickering, doing the Left’s work by dividing and demoralizing fellow conservatives. The primaries are over. Either Barack Obama or John McCain will be president. Period. And there are very clear differences between them. (Click here to learn more.)Now is the time for us to work together to prevent the election of the most radical candidate in my lifetime. If we were serious about winning and serious about defending our values, all conservatives would be coming together to prevent a national disaster on Election Day.
I realize that many conservatives have disagreements with John McCain on some issues. So do I. But in this election, Senator McCain is not our enemy. Yet, as long as our movement remains divided and splintered, we will guarantee our defeat. Remember Ross Perot? Remember Ralph Nader? If Obama wins in November, every conservative in this country will be forced to watch for four or eight years while the values we cherish are attacked and destroyed. I don’t know how many different ways I can say this, but I will continue saying it until Election Day, because too much is at stake for men and women of faith and conservatives of all stripes to sit out this election. As Edmund Burke so rightly observed, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Conservatives who cannot appreciate the differences between John McCain, who suffered tremendously while defending his country, and Barack Obama, who opposes virtually everything conservatives cherish, will, in my opinion, bear considerable responsibility for the judges Obama will appoint, for the continuation of Roe v. Wade, the likely redefinition of marriage in every state of the union and for whatever foreign policy and economic disasters result from the election of such an inexperienced and naïve leftist.Tags:Barack Obama, Billy Graham, conservatives, Election 2008, John MccainTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Mad Irish Man's Conservative Consortium: Sometimes politicians, journalists and the liberal left exclaim; "It's just a tax cut for the rich!" and it is just accepted to be fact. But what does that really mean? Just in case you are not completely clear on this issue, I hope the following will help. Please read it carefully. Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
a.. The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
b.. The fifth would pay $1.
c.. The sixth would pay $3.
d.. The seventh would pay $7.
e.. The eighth would pay $12.
f.. The ninth would pay $18.
g.. The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." Dinner for the ten now cost just $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, so the first four men were unaffected. The first four would still eat for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to eat their meal. So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay. And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
a.. The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
b.. The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
c.. The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
d.. The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
e.. The tenth (the richest) now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!" "That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!" "Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something very important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start eating overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier. H/T Ted Salamon Tags:capital gains taxes, Democrats, liberals, Mad Irish Man, tax cutTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
H/T The Lonely Conservative for the following insights: Fred Thompson gave a speech ["Adhering to the Principles that Keep America Prosperous & Free"] Friday in Hershey PA and Townhall has the transcript. Maybe he can give John McCain some pointers on what to say to win over conservatives and Americans in general. He began the speech pointing out the principles upon which our nation was founded.
From these principles we developed a market economy, with the rule of law, a system of trade with other nations, and a strong national defense. From the prosperity, freedom and strength that came from this system we became a friend and example to all those around the world who aspired to those same things. We won wars, including the Cold War, and enhanced world stability and a friendlier environment within which others could pursue their own freedom. This of course enhanced our own security as Americans.
But today many of the principles that made our country great are under assault. Some of our fellow Republicans say that things are different now and we must change with the times. We recognize that appropriate change is necessary, just as the conservative thinker Edmund Burke did when he supported the American Revolution.
However we must ask those who would modify our principles, “When did freedom and liberty become outdated?” Then, “What part of our Constitutional framework needs to be abandoned?”
Maybe he was referring to Barack Obama who, in a recent speech said he wants to "re-make this great nation". If it's so great, Barack, why do you feel the need to remake it? Tags:Barack Obama, founding principles, Fred Thompson, GOP, John McCain, RepublicansTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkins, FRC, Washington Update: David Ben Gurion, the first Israeli Prime Minister, once said, "The test of democracy is freedom of criticism." Nowhere have politicians more miserably failed that test than in Alberta, Canada, where the gatekeepers of political correctness--the Human Rights Commission (HRC)--have sentenced a pastor to a lifetime of silence.
The case was initiated in 2002, when Rev. Stephen Boissoin published letters to the editor opposing same-sex "marriage" in the Red Deer Advocate. At the time, Canada was embroiled in a debate over whether to legalize counterfeit marriage across the country. When Professor Darren Lund of Calgary read Boissoin's editorials, he filed a complaint with the Alberta HRC, alleging that the content of the articles was "hateful." The Commission appointed a tribunal to investigate Boissoin, led by an unelected bureaucrat Lori Andreachuk. Last November, Andreachuk found Boissoin guilty of discrimination and, without the benefit of his testimony, forbade him from uttering "anything disparaging about homosexuals."
Notice that Andreachuk does not ban him from speaking about anything "illegal" but bars him from any negativity toward gays and lesbians. The official punishment, issued without so much as a public hearing, includes everything from personal emails to congregational sermons. As if the lifetime speech ban were not tyrannical enough, Andreachuk also ordered Boissoin to compensate Professor Lund, who was not a victim of the so-called "hate crime," $5,000. Under the terms of his sentencing, the Reverend must "cease publishing...remarks about homosexuals" and submit a written apology to Lund for publication in the Red Deer Advocate.
Ezra Levant, who is under similar scrutiny for printing cartoons about Mohammed, notes in a new column, "[Boissoin] has to publicly humiliate himself, by publicly declaring his contrition--a contrition he does not feel--and his abandonment of his deeply-held religious beliefs... Does that happen anywhere outside of Communist China?" Conservatives across Canada are in an uproar over the ruling and many are demanding that Premier Ed Stelmach follow through with his promise to review the unbridled "censorship powers" of the HRC. If he refuses, Alberta's thought police can indict any pastor or average citizen who holds political or moral views contrary to the powers-that-be. Also Read:Ezra Levant: What could Mark Steyn's punishment look like? Look at Alberta Tags:Canada, Ezra Levant, FRC, free speech, freedom of speech, hate crimes, hate speech, homosexual activism, human rights commission, religous freedom, Tony Perkins, Washington UpdateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor: Senate reconvened and will begin the day with two cloture votes on motions to proceed to the Democrats’ energy bill (S. 3044) and their legislation to extend popular tax breaks (H.R. 6049). Calling the Senate Democrats’ legislation an “energy bill,” is a bit of a misnomer, though, considering nothing in the bill actually does anything about energy production. The Senate will vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill. If the cloture vote fails, the Senate will then vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to the tax extenders bill If cloture fails on the tax bill, the Senate will then vote on the confirmation of three district judges.
From Senate & News Sources:The AP reports that the centerpiece of the bill is a “windfall profits tax” on oil companies, more accurately described by Roll Call today as “a measure to punish oil companies for making record profits.” As Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said on the floor this morning, “If the idea had any merit at all, Republicans would consider it, but of course it doesn’t.” The idea has been tried before: According to the Congressional Research Service, President Carter’s windfall profits tax was a failure and resulted in reduced domestic production and increased reliance on foreign oil.
The other provisions in the Democrats’ bill include more backward-looking ideas: punishing alleged “price gouging,” attempting to sue OPEC, and raising other taxes on oil companies. Many of these proposals date back to the 1970s. Does that sound like change we can believe in? Imagine trying to sue OPEC - talk about "cutting off the hand that feeds you!"
The Wall Street Journal zeroes in on a highly touted provision in the Democrat bill: “an increase in margin requirements for those who wish to trade oil futures,” which is designed to reign in speculators. “This would of course make it more expensive to trade in U.S. futures markets, which in a world of computerized, instantaneous trading means that those trades would merely move to markets overseas.” Republicans oppose most of the measures in the bill outright but Democrats have refused to allow Republicans to offer the Republican energy plan as an amendment.
The other bill expected to come up for a vote today is referred to on the Hill as a “tax extender” bill, which would extend popular tax breaks for research and development and alternative energy and the sales tax deduction. Unfortunately, Democrats have decided that extending these tax breaks, which are part of existing law, should be paid for by permanently raising other taxes. Republicans disagree and also object to a provision in the bill giving preferential tax treatment to trial lawyers.
The Wall Street Journaleditorial today highlights an ongoing issue that has received little attention: “What do the farm bill, the cap-and-trade global warming bill, the clean water bill, the housing bailout bill, and the school construction bill all have in common? Not much, except that in each one and countless others the Democratic majority in Congress has inserted ‘prevailing-wage’ requirements that amount to a super-minimum wage.” “Prevailing wage” requirements are often referred to in Washington as Davis-Bacon requirements, after a 1931 law. According to The Journal, “Today, its main impact is to require de facto union wages.” This all fits the Democrat pattern of paybacks to Big Labor going all the way back to last year’s card check bill. Tags:capital gains taxes, energy bill, US Congress, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The so-called Freedom of Choice Act could wipe away every state law limiting abortion.by Jennifer Mesko, managing editor, CitizenLink: Last year, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL, made a promise to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund: He said, "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act."
The so-called Freedom of Choice Act could wipe away every state law limiting abortion, undoing decades of legal work, research and educational successes. Obama has co-sponsored the legislation with 18 other senators. The bill has the support of 109 members of Congress. "Thirty-five years after Roe, abortion supporters, like Senator Obama, are dismayed that abortion remains a divisive issue and that their radical agenda has not been submissively accepted by the American public," writes Denise M. Burke, vice president of Americans United for Life. "Rather than confronting legitimate issues concerning the availability and safety of abortion, they choose to blatantly ignore the concerns and interests of everyday Americans, as well as the growing evidence that abortion hurts women."
Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union, said even the federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act could be overturned. “This shows exactly how dangerous this man is to unborn children," he said. "We are killing off our children, and this is something we really have to pay attention to.” FOR MORE INFORMATION:Americans United for Life takes a closer look at the so-called Freedom of Choice Act.Read more:Sen. Obama's pro-abortion legacy.Tags:abortion, Barack Obama, Freedom of Choice act, Planned ParenthoodTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Year after year, decade upon decade, the U.S. Senate's network of restaurants has lost staggering amounts of money -- more than $18 million since 1993, according to one report, and an estimated $2 million this year alone, according to another. The financial condition of the world's most exclusive dining hall and its affiliated Capitol Hill restaurants, cafeterias and coffee shops has become so dire that, without a $250,000 subsidy from taxpayers, the Senate won't make payroll next month.
The House is expected to agree -- its food service operation has been in private hands since the 1980s -- and President Bush's signature on the bill would officially end a seven-month Democratic feud and more than four decades of taxpayer bailouts. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), chairman of the Rules and Administrations Committee, which oversees the operation of the Senate, said she had no choice. "It's cratering," she said of the restaurant system. "Candidly, I don't think the taxpayers should be subsidizing something that doesn't need to be. There are parts of government that can be run like a business and should be run like businesses."
In reading this article, one wonders why it took decades upon decades to make such a basic and common sense change. Kudos to Senator Dianne Feinstein for speaking up on behalf of US taxpayers. Undoubtedly there are other warrens of taxpayer waste to be uncovered! Tags:Dianne Feinstein, Politics, social networking, US SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Vermont Undermining Virginia Marriage Law & Sovereignty
WorldNetDaily: The Virginia State Supreme Court whiffed . . . on an opportunity to preserve state sovereignty and solidify traditional marriage laws. Instead, the court upheld a ruling that may allow states like Massachusetts and Vermont to export homosexual marriage laws across the country. The case centers on the fate of Isabella Miller, a 6-year-old girl born in Virginia to her mother, Lisa, while Lisa was bound in a civil union (performed in Vermont) to Janet Jenkins. Lisa later became a Christian, left her lesbian relationship and moved permanently to Virginia with her daughter. When she sought to dissolve her civil union, however, Jenkins, who lives in Vermont, sought custody of the child. Though Virginia's law specifically disregards homosexual civil unions from other states, a Vermont court ruled that it – and not Virginia – had jurisdiction over the custody battle.
Vermont's court then ruled that though Jenkins had never adopted the child, she still had parental visitation rights based on her former civil union with Miller. . . . Though a Virginia county court agreed with (Miller), the appeals court did not. . . . (and) ignored an argument . . . to recognize Virginia's new Marriage Amendment (defining marriage between one man and one woman) . . . the appeals court cited a federal law that compels states to honor other state's claims to jurisdiction. The court decided in favor of Jenkins. The Virginia State Supreme Court could have made a ruling to put the issue to rest. Instead, it also chose to ignore the implications of Virginia's Marriage Amendment, and ruled that as no new arguments were presented in the case, the appeals court ruling must stand. . . . Vermont is trying to undermine Virginia law and sovereignty. . . . if Jenkins or the state of Vermont attempt to enforce the stipulations of the civil union custody ruling in Virginia, Miller will have to start over again at county court. The arguments on her behalf in the next round of legal wrangling, however, will center on Virginia's Marriage Amendment . . . [Read More] Tags:child custody, courts, gay marriage, marriage amendment, Vermont, VirginiaTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Jobs Americans Won't Do? Are American kids losing summer jobs to illegal immigrants by greedy and unethical employers? Yes - We investigate.
100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders. When will the madness end?
Why We Do What We Do.
Tags:Blogburst, video, criminals, deportation, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, Mexico, open borders, visasTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Bill Smith, ARRA News: Congress and the Administration has failed to secure our borders. Although 90% of the illegal immigrants detained at the U.S.-Mexico border are Mexican, the number of non-Mexicans entering across our borders is increasing. Mexican cartels, "coyotes," or smugglers specializing in crossing the U.S. border are making money sneaking people across our Southern Borders. And wonders, how many illegals are entering via our Northern borders and our Eastern and Western coastal ports. Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador historically are the main sources of immigrants other than Mexico. However, in the first eight months of the Federal fiscal yr (Oct - Sep), 512 Chinese have been caught. Chinese and fellow "other than Mexican" illegal immigrants are processed and released with a date to return for a court hearing. The process was known as "catch and release." Only about one third of those OTMs showed up in court, according to a 2005 report prepared for Congress.
Local police are accustomed to dealing with illegal border crossings, but they were astounded by the video of 15 Chinese immigrants unfolding themselves from the back of a red Suburban near this small border town. . . . Two (2) more Chinese immigrants would be picked up nearby later that day and another group of nine was caught near the border about 50 miles away a few days later. . . . The specifics of how any of the Chinese ended up in South Texas are unknown, but the methods and routes have been evolving for more than a century. Most pay on average $55,000 to be shuttled from China to a final U.S. destination by an elaborate smuggling operation. If they get caught, they request asylum and lawyers are often hired by the Chinese smugglers, who will not get full payment unless the immigrants arrive at their destination. . . . Just days before the 17 Chinese were picked up in La Joya, 13 Eritreans and five Ethiopians were caught in nearby Hidalgo. . . . [Read More]
Tags:border control, Chinese, illegal aliens, illegal immigrants, Mexico, Bill Smith, Dan Garcia, KAUZ NewsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
NBC asks its two experts, Jim Cramer and Erin Burnett, about the solution, and both agree:
Cramer is exactly on point here. We need to be less selfish and start producing as much of our own oil as possible. Tags:domestic drilling, drilling, Erin Burnett, Jim Cramer, NBC, oilTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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