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)
Tags:Barack Obama, civilian national security force, national security force, Election 2008, news, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Michael Reagan, GOPUSA: Barack Obama is given to calling the GOP a party captive of hateful special interests. It takes a lot of what my Jewish friends call "chutzpah" to suggest that unnamed special interests control the Republican Party when his own party is totally captive to the most wealthy and powerful special interests in the nation.
Obama and the national Democratic Party is owned lock, stock and barrel by the teachers' unions, the bosses of big labor, cash-heavy, tree-hugging environmental groups, and Planned Parenthood and its allies in the sleazy abortion industry. And boy, do Obama and his fellow Democrats dance to their tunes! . . .
In February 2008, Obama spoke to reporters from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel saying, "Let's see if this [school voucher] experiment works, and then if it does, whatever my preconception, you do what's best for kids." He danced a different waltz on Saturday, July 12, when he told the American Federation of Teachers (which, with the National Education Association, owns the Democratic Party) that like them he was opposed to vouchers, and when his campaign . . . released a statement saying, "Senator Obama has always been a critic of vouchers."
. . . Then there's . . . oil prices. One patently obvious answer to the problem of relaxing our dependence on foreign oil supplies is to exploit the massive oceans of oil . . . in the waters offshore, and in Alaska. . . . Any five-year-old . . . would understand that given the vast supplies of oil available to us here at home it is just plain idiocy to keep ourselves utterly reliant on foreign sources of the stuff.
Mr. Obama and his fellow Democrats don't see it that way. They're not allowed to. Their elitist lords and masters in the environmental movement won't permit it, and should they defy the tree huggers they'd lose all those lovely dollars the greenies keep shoveling into their coffers and those of their candidates running for re-election to Congress. So they fall back on the old canard that even if we started drilling here it would take years for the United States to see any results, ignoring the fact that by telling all those Arab potentates and the Marxist dictator in Venezuela that the gravy train is going to come to a grinding halt in the near future, we're warning them that if they don't increase supply now we'll stop buying from them as soon as we can. . . . The environmentalist lobby -- which hates automobiles and fossil fuels almost as much as they hate people -- owns Barack Obama and his Democratic Party, and they say "no drilling." Barack Obama and the Democratic Party obey.
Then there's big labor, which is running short on members whose compulsory dues they use to finance Democratic candidates. They want an end to secret balloting in certain labor elections, and Obama bends his knee and pledges to do big labor's bidding, and to heck with workers' rights. Then there's the abortion industry. When they say killing the unborn is just dandy, Obama agrees. And the big bucks from the multi-billion dollar baby-killing industry flow into his coffers. He knows who his bosses are.[Complete article: The Real Party of Special Interests] Tags:Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Democrats, Michael ReaganTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Democrats Won't Allow Votes to Help Lower Gas Prices
Rep. Tom Cole, Chair National Republican Congressional Committee: Please consider the latest outrageous action by Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat leadership in Congress. When Americans are canceling vacations because gasoline is over $4.00 per gallon, Democrats plan to adjourn work for a month-long vacation the first of August WITHOUT holding a vote to drill for American oil. This is inexcusable.
I know you’ll agree with me that there should be no recess without voting on legislation that can help lower gas prices. No wonder the new Gallup Poll shows Congress’s approval rating has slipped to an all-time low of 14%. It’s not hard to figure out why. The Democrat Majority in Congress is putting their extremist ideology ahead of common-sense solutions to bring down the price of gas and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources in unstable regimes.
If you are as outraged as I am, I need you to do 2 things:
Send a strong message to Pelosi and the Democrat majority to vote now. Sign our online petitiondemanding Congress take immediate action to lower gas prices before taking their vacation.
Help us spread the word by forwarding this message on to their friends!
I hope you join our efforts to force the Democrat leadership to vote and lower gas prices today! Nancy Pelosi plans to begin her month long vacation in two short weeks so please make sure to sign the petition today!
-------------- Also, Contact your representatives! Tags:domestic drilling, gas prices, Nancy Pelosi, NRCC, Tom ColeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Obama Iraq Documentary: Whatever the Politics Demand
The Obama Iraq Documentary: Whatever the Politics Demand." Examining his many statements on Iraq over the last several years, the video is a timeline of Barack Obama's political positioning on the most critical national security issue America faces today. As the video concludes, Barack Obama's positions on Iraq are shaped by "whatever the politics demand."
Tags:Barack Obama, documentary, Election 2008, Flip-Flop, Iraq War, national security, Politics, presidential candidates, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Gary Bauer: "In my weekly Human Events column, I examine more thoroughly Barack Obama’s accusation that enforcement of our immigration laws amounts to “terrorism” against certain communities. It’s a disgusting and demoralizing slander against the men and women who bravely risk their lives to enforce our laws.
But then again it’s par for the course for the party that has accused our military of being “cold-blooded killers,” of “terrorizing women and children” in Iraq and compared our guards at GITMO to Nazis. Sixties hippies called our police officers “pigs,” and Obama has excited the former radicals, like Bill “the Bomber” Ayers and other “Blame America First” nuts, like no candidate since ’68. I hope and pray that America’s “Silent Majority” will once again speak up loudly and clearly on Election Day, just like it did in 1968." [Gary Bauer's column: Will Obama’s 'Hateful Rhetoric' Draw Hispanic Voters?] Tags:Barack Obama, border enforcement, Gary Bauer, Human Events, illegal immigrantsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
by Ken Blackwell: House Speaker Pelosi is hinting at reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, and many of her liberal colleagues in Congress are doing the same in both chambers. Alleging the press isn't "balanced," they say government should be making sure that all viewpoints — meaning the left's — are "fairly" represented. I agree the press isn't balanced, but Mrs. Pelosi has it backward; liberalism dominates the press, including the three major networks and most major newspapers.
Though originally the Fairness Doctrine did not require that opposing time be equal, it came to be the standard. The concern at the time was the prevention of a single viewpoint from dominating the news and biasing the people. By the 1980s, there were many radio and TV stations available. And many believed the Fairness Doctrine was unconstitutional in any event. So in 1987, Ronald Reagan's Federal Communications Commission repealed the Fairness Doctrine, opening every press outlet to freely decide what content to carry. The Democrat-controlled Congress at the time passed legislation to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine, but President Reagan vetoed the bill.
This led to the birth of talk radio. The doctrine's reinstatement would kill conservative talk radio. Radio stations that carry Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck would have to create liberal shows of equal length. And when those shows fail to make money and the station takes a loss, their only option in cancelling those shows would be to cancel the conservative shows as well.
Free speech would lose. Americans would lose. . . . [Read remainder of The Gathering Threat] Tags:fairness doctrine, free speech, Ken Blackwell, Nancy Pelosi, talk radioTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Rasmussen Reports latest telephone survey in the Natural State finds John McCain leading Barack Obama 47% to 37%. When “leaners” are included, the GOP is ahead 52% to 39%. . . . Arkansas has cast its six Electoral College votes for Republican candidates in five out of the last seven Presidential elections. . . . McCain is backed by 91% of Republicans in Arkansas Obama earns support from 67% of Democrats. Among unaffiliated voters, McCain leads 67% to 16%.
There is a huge racial divide as well. McCain leads 55% to 27% among white voters in Arkansas, while Obama leads 93% to 2% among black voters. The Republican has a 52% to 33% advantage among men, but the two candidates are essentially even among women. . . . [Rasmussen Report: Arkansas: McCain Up by Ten]Tags:Arkansas, Barack Obama, Election 2008, John Mccain, Rasmussen Poll, Rasmussen ReportsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the Democrats’ energy speculation bill (S. 3268). A cloture vote on the motion to proceed is expected Tuesday.
Yesterday, the Senate confirmed two New York district court judges. Democrats continue to stall on circuit court nominees. Yesterday marked one year since Judge Robert Conrad was nominated to the 4th Circuit, and today marks 750 days since Peter Keisler’s nomination to the DC Circuit.
From The News:Judicial nominations: Ever wonder if Reid is auditioning for a lead role in a new edition of the show "Lost in Space." CitizenLink reports that on the floor yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., claimed the issue of judicial nominees doesn’t matter to Americans. “I’m telling you, Madam President, I can't ever remember going home and somebody saying, ‘Could you guys (confirm) some more judges? We need to take care of this judges problem.’ ” Reid said. “Frankly, judge(s) is not a big issue (compared) to all of the other problems we're facing in America.” Tom McClusky, vice president for government affairs at the Family Research Council, said America’s problems are exactly why judicial confirmations are necessary.
Energy & Gas Prices: Next week, the Senate is set to begin a long overdue debate on energy and gas prices. Unfortunately, instead of offering a balanced piece of legislation to address both supply and demand, Democrats have put forward a narrow bill aimed at blaming energy traders and markets. The New York Times reports that financial industry executives are already concerned about the bill, and are “saying it could unsettle already nervous markets and push more energy trading abroad, beyond the reach of domestic regulators.”
Both sides of the aisle agree on the need to strengthen regulatory bodies, though Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington has taken a bizarre approach. According to a McClatchy report, Cantwell is concerned that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is not properly regulating oil markets. Her solution? Blocking three nominees to the commission.
Democrats are certainly aware of the public clamor for more domestic energy production, but instead of joining with Republicans to boost energy supplies, they spent yesterday on proposals more concerned with “showing” that they’re “responding” to high gas prices. The result was what the Los Angeles Times describes as bills “with catchy names, [that] are unlikely to become law.” Indeed, The New York Times notes that House Democrats failed yesterday to pass a bill they were calling the “Drill Act” that would not have opened any new areas to oil exploration.Tags:energy bill, gas prices, judicial appointments, oil drilling, 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!
Jennifer Mesko, CitizenLink: Pro-family legislators threatened by those pushing the homosexual agenda. For 95 years, Massachusetts has declined to provide marriage licenses to couples who can't legally wed in their home states — which includes most same-sex couples.
Now it looks like that 1913 law — which was upheld by the state's highest court just two years ago — will be repealed, pushing gay "marriage" on the entire nation. The state Senate voted Tuesday to repeal the law; the House is expected to vote soon. Gov. Deval Patrick has indicated he will sign the legislation.
Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute said, "The Massachusetts Senate has no right to infringe on the internal issues of how other states define marriage, but that's exactly what they voted to do." [View: Massachusetts Moves to Define Marriage] Tags:angry, white man, gay agenda, homosexual marriage, marriage, MassachusettsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Big Mack Associates Fined $1 Million for Hiring Illegals
Legal residents in Nevada especially high school students, seniors and others are celebrating the return of job opportunities. Not only had jobs been knowingly given to illegal aliens by a Nevada McDonald's franchisee, Mack Associates Inc, but top management had been offering illegals new names and social security numbers which belonged to other people. The company operated 11 McDonald's restaurants in Nevada.
US Justice Department officials said the company pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Las Vegas to conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien's unlawful residence in the United States and aiding and abetting an alien to remain in the country. The company was fined $1 million after pleading guilty to employing 58 illegal immigrants. In addition the Director of Operations and a former Vice President plead guilty to aiding and abetting an alien to remain in the country and face possible sentences of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
This legal victory, although to date rare, in the government's crackdown on employers of illegal aliens is the one of the critical tools that the government can use to reduce enticing illegal aliens to seek employment within the United States. We also need mandatory employee verification which has been blocked by activist judges and a comprehensive immigration reform plan similar to the plan detailed by former Sen. Fred Thompson. Tags:conspiracy, employment, fines, illegal aliens, jobs, McDonald's, Nevada, US Justice DeptTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
As we face the shock of this day which used to come earlier in the year, let's review the facts related to the day in a post by Warner Todd Huston, Publius Forum: Yesterday was finally the end of the days this year when you were working to pay the government its exorbitant fees. That’s right, July 16 was Cost of Government Day for the average American. Grover Norquist . . . has once again crunched the numbers and determined how long it takes most of us to finally pay off our own personal bloated government debt and begin, at last, to make money for ourselves.
This year Americans have worked until today, July 16, to pay for the total costs of federal, state and local government. This is 197 days of the year consuming 53.9 percent of national income. Over the past 22 years, in only four years (1982, 1983, 1991 and 1992) did Cost of Government Day fall later in the year.
Its simply outrageous that it takes 197 days of a year to finally pay off our government obligations and utterly criminal that more than half our income is consumed by bloated, needless bureaucracy.
Federal spending will consume 83.7 days. State and local spending will consume 50.5 days effort. Federal regulations cost 4l.7 days and State regulations cost 20.9 days. The spending data is precise, the regulatory burdens are understated.
. . . Reagan was right. Lower taxes means pro-growth. Let’s hope the next president does not torpedo the relatively good economic times we’ve had these last 15 years in favor of higher, economy killing taxes. The burden on the taxpayer is far too much and regulation is stifling to us all. [More about Tax Freedom Day] Tags:Budget, corruption, economy, Finances, Freedom, government, government regulation, government spending, government waste, state government, taxes, US CongressTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Oil & Technology that Environmentalists Don't Want You to Know About
It is time to dust off a relevant March 6, 1997 editorial: "World has more oil than far left environmentalists admit." Did the environmentalist and liberal democrats in Congress think that we would not remember or note that the technology exists to exact more oil from former U.S. wells? No wonder they would also like to control the flow of information on the Internet, talk radio and between elected representatives and their constituents.
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: Far-left environmentalists claim that the World Oil reserves are running out. However, reported new discoveries, advanced technology and untapped oil reserves (save the caribou program) prove they are again expressing fiction. In a left leaning biased New York Times article the truth "gushes out. the article, Oil Innovations Pump New Life Into Old Wells, revealed that "engineers here started injecting high-pressured steam to pump out more oil. The field, whose production had slumped to 10,000 barrels a day in the 1960s, now has a daily output of 85,000 barrels. In Indonesia, Chevron has applied the same technology to the giant Duri oil field, discovered in 1941, boosting production there to more than 200,000 barrels a day, up from 65,000 barrels in the mid-1980s. ... Within the last decade, technology advances have made it possible to unlock more oil from old fields, and, at the same time, higher oil prices have made it economical for companies to go after reserves that are harder to reach. With plenty of oil still left in familiar locations, forecasts that the world’s reserves are drying out have given way to predictions that more oil can be found than ever before." And this technology can be applied to American oil fileds when the extraction of oil slows down in the Arab oil fields (figure at right).
"The four giant oil fields ... located under thousands of feet of water off the coast of Louisiana, are just beginning to pump their first barrels. At their peak rates later in the decade, they'll produce some 500,000 bbl. per day, an amount akin to floating a small Middle Eastern country such as Syria or Yemen into the Gulf of Mexico. "Add them together, and it's a massive step change," says David Eyton, BP's vice-president for deepwater in the Gulf. "The investment we're making will more than offset declines we're seeing in Alaska and the Continental Shelf."
And we have not even detailed the oil fields where the left-wing don't want us to drill. Well excuse us and get out of the way!
New Life for Old Oil FieldsTags:crude oil, domestic drilling, drilling, environmentalists, gas prices, oil drilling, oil reserves, technologyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor: Sen. Reid is expected to begin debate on the motion to proceed to his bill to regulate energy speculators (S. 3268). Later in the day, the Senate could consider several judicial nominations, though it’s unlikely those will include Judge Robert Conrad, who has now been waiting a year for a vote. Yesterday, the Senate passed the global AIDS relief bill (S. 2731) after rejecting four more amendments to it.
From Senate & News Sources: Today, Senate Democrats will offer their bill to regulate speculation in energy markets in an attempt to show they are doing something about energy prices. However, their bill is not a serious solution, and will do nothing to produce more energy. Senate Republicans have already offered a serious bill grounded in the basic laws of supply and demand to “Find More and Use Less” energy.
Clearly the fact that Democrats are even trying to move to an energy bill today, shows their nervousness about their months-long inaction on record gas prices. Roll Call reports that Democrats are looking to move energy bills prior to the August because they “have been worried that they haven’t responded quickly enough to the mounting gas price issue, especially since [President] Bush and Congressional Republicans have been pushing for legislation for several months and made the issue the focal point of GOP messaging.” The Hill reports that freshman Rep. Zack “Space and other Democrats say that gas prices have begun to overwhelm other issues.”
Large majorities of the public support increased domestic energy production and Congressional Republicans are on the same page. Earlier this week, GOP leaders in the House and Senate joined American Solutions to accept 1.3 million signatures urging Congress to “Drill Now.” Democrats appear to be aware of the growing call for more domestic energy production and are now per the AP: “scrambling to appear pro-drilling . . . even as their leaders appear dead set against reversing the long-standing drilling bans along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.”
Investor’s Business Daily writes, “House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer wants people to know that Democrats like oil drilling. A lot. They’re just very picky about where.” The AP notes that House Democrats are actually putting forward a bill they’re calling the “Drill Act.” Of course, “[a]sked a minute later if the proposed bill would allow new offshore drilling, Hoyer told IBD no.” The reaction of a Sierra Club lobbyist is telling. She told IBD, “The bottom line is they are opening no new frontiers. They are trying to take the heat off of new drilling in special areas.”
Though there are a number of rank-and-file Democrats who are warming to increased domestic production, Democrat leaders stubbornly continue to oppose producing more American energy. The New York Times today chronicles House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s one-woman crusade to block new offshore drilling, noting that such opposition is part of her “political DNA.” The Times writes, “she and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, appear intent on holding the line against calls to approve drilling in areas now off limits.”
Democrats are proposing unserious legislation to placate their base and not to address the problems facing Americans. Neither the deceptively-titled “Drill Act” in the House nor the energy speculation legislation in the Senate include responsible provisions from the Republican Gas Price Reduction Act which would actually open up new areas for energy exploration.
Americans want real energy solutions that actually address the problem, not smokescreens designed to provide political cover. Contact your senators!Contact your representatives! Tell them to get off their duffs and to remove drilling restrictions. Ask them why the U.S. subsidizes not opening existing oils wells in Texas, Oklahoma and in other parts of the county? New cost efficient technology existsto extract more oil from these wells than was previously extracted from these wells. Also ask them, when we are going to build more refineries in the United States?Tags:domestic energy, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, oil drilling, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Dr Bill Smith Special Press Credentials Covering the 2008 Republican National Convention
Update: (7/16/08) The Baxter Bulletin- front page story:Local blogger to cover GOP convention: An office overlooking the White River is a long way from the Twin Cities where the Republican Convention will be held in September. But thanks to the Internet, Baxter County resident Dr. Bill Smith is connected with the whole world and this connection is one of the reasons Smith received press credentials to cover the convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
Smith, also known as Ozark Guru, is a blogger who meets with politicians and members of think tanks on the Internet and then writes about those meetings. Smith is editor of the Arkansas Republican Assembly News Service. He is national political director of Let's Get This Right and contributor to the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, The NextRight, GrizzleyGroundswell and other blogs. . . . [Full Story]
Dr. Bill Smith (Ozark Guru), Editor of theARRA News Service, National Political Director of Let's Get This Right and contributor to National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA), The NextRight, and many other blogs has been issued Special Press Credentials covering the2008 Republican National Convention (Sept 1-4, 2008)
Please keep an eye out for him at the Convention, and pass this along! If you are able, stop by and meet Dr. Bill at the convention . . . otherwise keep an eye out for live coverage online! Tags:2008, ARRA, Bill Smith, press, Republican National ConventionTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
What in the World is Obama’s “Civilian National Security Force”?
Hat Tip Blue Collar Muse who reports: In a July 2 speech outlining plans to expand opportunities for people to serve in areas such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, Barack Obama makes the following statement with no explanation or amplification.
“We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”
When I read that, I furiously started looking for it on the web. Interestingly, I found only 3 references to it. The Chicago Tribune reported it. Joseph Farah at World Net Daily reported it. It’s reported that Congressional Quarterly reported it as well but I can’t find the article. Google searches reveal only blogs are covering it and none of the usual suspects have it. There are references to some discussion on Sean Hannity’s forums.
As both my friend and Joseph Farah observed,
The U.S. Army alone has nearly 500,000 troops. That doesn’t count reserves or National Guard. In 2007, the U.S. Defense budget was $439 billion.
Is Obama serious about creating some kind of domestic security force bigger and more expensive than that?
The questions are legion and the implications of such an organization are staggering! What would it do? According to the title, it’s a civilian force so how would it go about discharging “national security” issues? What are the Constitutional implications for such a group? How is this to be paid for? Is this accounted for in some of Obama’s currently proposed tax increases or will we need more taxes to fund this enterprise? The statement was made in the context of youth service. Is this an organization for just the youth or are adults going to participate? How does one get away from the specter of other such “youth” organizations from Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union when talking about it? Tags:Barack Obama, Blue Collar Muse, civilian national security force, Election 2008To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Tony Perkin, FRC Action Update: Buried deep within the latest poll by the Pew Research Center are some startling figures on voters' ignorance when it comes to where the two presidential candidates stand on key social issues. In a survey to gauge the interest in the 2008 race as compared to previous years, researchers were surprised to discover that Americans are far more interested in this year's election but also dramatically less informed on what Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama believe.
A little more than half (52%) rightly labeled Obama as pro-abortion while a mere 45% knew that McCain is pro-life. Amazingly, 10% od respondents wrongly said Obama was "pro-life," and 17% mistakenly cited McCain as "pro-choice." Even more troubling, a whopping 38% couldn't identify the candidates with either side on the abortion issue. Black voters were less informed on McCain's pro-life stance than whites.
These findings should erase any doubt that the sanctity of life is a prominent issue. Values continue to be a leading factor in voters' decision-making. As we discovered through a poll commissioned on FRC's behalf, voters also put great stock in nominees who support marriage protection amendments; 58% of Americans would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate if he endorsed an amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and woman. Additional Resources See also:LifeNews.com: Poll: Voters Don't Know Barack Obama Pro-Abortion, John McCain Pro-LifeandNational Right to Life Endorsed John McCain for President
Additional Note: The GOP nominee, whose daughter Bridget is adopted, answered questions about what type of parents are best suited for raising children. In response to New York Times reporters who said, "President Bush believes that gay couples should not be permitted to adopt children. Do you agree with that?" McCain said plainly, "I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family, so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption." When the Times pressed him with, "But your concern would be that the couple should be a traditional couple," McCain replied "Yes." Tags:adoption, Barack Obama, FRC, John Mccain, Pew Research, pro-life, Sanctity of Life, Tony Perkins, traditional family valuesTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Sen. John McCain raised $62.3 million for his presidential bid in the second quarter in conjunction with the Republican National Committee, according to campaign-finance reports filed Tuesday night. The campaign gathered most of the money using an unprecedented system that allows it to collect checks as large as $70,000 from an individual by parsing the money between the campaign, the national party and state committees in four states. That fund raised $41.2 million in the three-month period. . . . [Read More] [Source H/T eGOPNews ] Tags:Election 2008, fund raising, John McCain, RepublicansTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
From Senate & News Sources: The lack of action from the Democrat-led Congress on gas prices and its overall record of mismanagement and partisanship has the public expressing its displeasure again. In a previous Rasmussen Reports poll, Congress was rated at 9%. Now a Gallup poll also shows them with 14% approval rating -“the lowest congressional job approval rating in the 34-year Gallup Poll history of asking the question. . . . Approval of Congress has fallen below 20% only six times in the 34 years Gallup has measured it. Including the latest reading, four of those have come in the past year.”
Americans are looking for action from Congress, and more rank-and-file Democrats are acknowledging that message by signaling “receptiveness” to more domestic energy exploration. Senate Republicans have urged a strategy of “finding more and using less” energy. Democrat Sen. Kent Conrad tell CNN yesterday, “We have got to deal with conserving, using less. We also have to produce more.” While more recalcitrant Democrats have promoted a cute slogan, “Act More, Talk Less.” Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said this morning, “I couldn’t agree more with their new slogan, and I hope they take it seriously, too.”
The Wall Street Journal writes today, “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid faced more pressure to ease a congressional ban on expanded offshore drilling for oil, as both Republicans and Democrats sought to show they are responding to high energy prices in an election year.” Unfortunately, instead of scheduling a vote on offshore drilling, Reid “said he is ready to move a bill targeting what he called ‘greedy speculators.’”CQ Today notes that Reid “did not commit to allowing a drilling amendment.” Sen. McConnell had a warning about that kind of action: “Anything short of finding more and using less is not likely to fool the American people and not likely to be signed on to by the vast majority of the Republican conference.”
Iraq continues to show positive signs. However, some Democrats continue to prove themselves clueless about the situation there. The Washington Post takes Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to task for his “foolish consistency” on timetables for withdrawal. The Post writes, “The message that the Democrat sends is that he is ultimately indifferent to the war’s outcome -- that Iraq ‘distracts us from every threat we face’ and thus must be speedily evacuated regardless of the consequences.’” Dean Barnett, Weekly Standard points out that Senate Foreign Relations Comm. Chair Joe Biden (D-DE) declared yesterday that “the bad guys” we are fighting are not in Iraq. That must be news to all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines serving in the country.
And in the financial sector, commentators continue to be baffled by the actions of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that precipitated the collapse of IndyMac Bank in California. Examiner columnist Jay Ambrosewonders, “why in the name of political maturity, prudence and just ordinary common sense did Schumer do this incredible thing?” Ambrose concludes, “Because he is blessed with none of the above . . . .” Tags:Gallup Poll, Iraq, job approval, offshore oil, 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!
Eagle Forum Alert: Senate Bill Threatens to Lift Ban on HIV/AIDS-Infected Travelers to U.S.
Last Friday, the U.S. Senate voted on a cloture motion to proceed to debate the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which includes a provision that would repeal the long-standing ban on individuals infected with the HIV/AIDS virus from visiting or immigrating to the United States.
Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) proposed that the repeal provision (section 305) be attached to the bill (S. 2731) during the committee mark-up earlier this year on April 15th, but the good news is that Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has offered an amendment to restore the ban. This amendment needs all the support it can get, so your calls to your Senators are vital! A vote is expected as early as tomorrow - Wednesday, July 16th.
Reasons your Senators Should Support the Sessions Amendment to Preserve the Ban on HIV/AIDS-infected travelers to the United States:
1. Everyone with HIV/AIDS inside the United States is eligible for free treatment at taxpayers' expense. Under a little-known interpretation of the Ryan White CARE Act, noncitizens, including illegal aliens, are entitled to "HIV/AIDS-related care and treatment, immunizations for children, non-Medicaid funded public health services, tuberculosis screening and treatment, and testing and treatment of communicable diseases."
2. This treatment incentive will entice and encourage more HIV-infected people to flock to the United States. There are an estimated 33 million people in the world with HIV/AIDS. At a time when politicians are touting "more affordable health care," this certainly is a sure-fire way to drive costs upward! The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that 4,300 immigrants with HIV/AIDS would enter the U.S. annually by 2013.
3.CBO estimates the cost of the AIDS travel repeal to be $83 million over the next ten years. The anticipated costs factor in the number of additional immigrants that would result from lifting the statutory ban on HIV-positive individuals from being eligible for visas or admission into the United States.
Tell your Senators to Restore the Ban by Supporting the Sessions Amendment! A vote on the Sessions amendment is expected as soon as tomorrow -- Wednesday, July 16th. 60 votes will be needed to pass this amendment and restore the travel ban. Please Contact your senators! Let them Know you expect them to vote YES on the Sessions amendment! Tags:aids, aids relief, alert, illegal immigrants, PEPFARTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Hans A. von Spakovskyn, National Review: Amid all the talk of new voters becoming involved in the election, hopefully one group of voters will not vote in November -- non-citizens, many of whom are illegally registered to vote all over the country, particularly in the southwest. Although there is no reliable method to determine the exact number registered aliens, there is evidence that this is a significant and growing problem.
The Government Accountability Office estimated that up to 3 percent of individuals called for jury duty from voter registration rolls in just one U.S. district court were not U.S. citizens. While that may not seem like a large number, it’s more than enough to tip close elections . . . [Read More] Tags:early voting, illegal aliens, illegal immigrants, voting fraudTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Senate reconvened at 10 AM today and will resume consideration of the global AIDS relief bill (S. 2731). Roll call votes on amendments to the AIDS bill are expected throughout the day. The White House: President Bush has scheduled a press conference for 10:20 this morning and is expected to veto the Medicare payments fix bill today.
From Senate & News Sources: As the markets continue to deal with the fallout from the failure of IndyMac bank, there are more questions than answers concerning why Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) leaked concerns about the bank’s health, which led to a run of depositors. The Wall Street Journal takes a dim view of Schumer’s explanations and describes his actions as “shouting ‘fire’ in a crowded bank.”
Americans also continue to demand action from Congress on high energy and gas prices. Investor’s Business Daily reports today on a new poll it conducted finding that of those polled “73% think ‘fuel prices at the pump’ are a bigger problem for the country than climate change.” The poll also reports that 64% favor offshore drilling and 65% favor development of Western oil shale. Little wonder, then, that The New York Times reports that “Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, faces an increasing uneasiness among his colleagues, who have signaled receptiveness to allowing more drilling.” Indeed, there have been statements from at least ten Senate Democrats expressing their newfound wiliness to consider offshore drilling.
With President Bush lifting the executive orders banning offshore drilling, this leaves only the prohibition on exploration by Congress. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said, “Now the only thing standing between consumers at the pump and the increased American energy they are demanding is the Democrat leadership in Congress. We should act and act now.” Harry Reid’s hometown paper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, echoes this in an editorial today, saying “The ball is with Congress.”
Unfortunately, Democrat Congressional leadership has apparently doubled-down on their blind opposition to expanding American energy supplies. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yet again felt she had to attack President Bush and oil companies, saying, “Once again, the oilman in the White House is echoing the demands of Big Oil. The Bush plan is a hoax.” And at a press conference, Reid declared that he would not allow the Senate to vote on offshore drilling. This prompted Sen. Pete Domenici, ranking Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, to say Reid is “scared chicken” to let senators vote on energy production.
Both The Wall Street Journal and the Las Vegas Review-Journal admonish Democrats for their obstruction and knock down their excuses for opposing domestic energy production in editorials today. The American people are demanding action on gas prices. At noon, House and Senate Republicans will meet American citizens and representatives from Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions to receive the 1.3 million signatures on the “Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less” petition. Congress is taking notice that Americans want energy solutions to “Find More and Use Less,” but people need to keep up the pressure, since Democrat Congressional leaders continue to oppose commonsense proposals to increase domestic energy supplies.Tags:US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
The Morning Bell, Heritage Foundation: In 2004, after a tip from a whistle blower who was later fired, the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (Ofheo) issued a report finding that the government-sponsored entity Fannie Mae had engaged in Enron-like accounting machinations that allowed Fannie to overstate its earnings and underestimate the risk the company faced. The accounting wizardry Fannie engaged in was designed so that Fannie could meet profit targets to maximize bonus payments to company executives like Clinton administration deputy attorney general Jamie Gorelick and Carter administration assistant director for domestic policy Franklin Raines.
Kenneth Vogel on Politicol: Less than one month after signing on as a Fox News commentator, Mike Huckabee is working aggressively to expand his media presence. This week, Huckabee is meeting with Fox officials about plans to host his own show on the network. Plus, he’s subbing for Paul Harvey on ABC Radio Network and appearing on a number of existing Fox shows. . . .
After an appearance as a political analyst on one of MSNBC’s election-night broadcasts, Huckabee last month inked a one-year deal with Fox to provide commentary on a variety of the networks shows. A source with knowledge of Huckabee’s contract said it included tentative plans for him to host his own show. . . . in a Monday e-mail, Huckabee told supporters he’s looking to expand his media footprint on Fox and elsewhere. “I’m in New York for a few days to meet with Fox News officials and discuss a show I would host, as well as appear on numerous Fox programs in the next few days,” reads his email. “On Tuesday and Wednesday, a really special opportunity for me — I’ll be subbing for the legendary and immortal Paul Harvey on the ABC Radio Network.” Huckabee called the Harvey gig “truly a special honor” and asked his supporters to pray for him to have “clarity when substituting for Paul Harvey” as well as “wisdom in being on shows like Hannity and Colmes and O’Reilly.” . . . [Read More]Tags:commentator, Fox News, Mike HuckabeeTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
News Busted Jodi is off again so welcome Al Sonja Schmidt!
Topics in today's show (taped before Jesse Jackson's "nuts" comment):
--Real progress in Iraq as the good news keeps coming in
--Drilling for oil in Alaska? Yes say over 50% of Americans
--Hillary Clinton for pope?
--Starbucks continues hemorrhaging money
Tags:humor, News Busters, political humor, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families: When former Texas Senator Phil Gramm said last week that we have become “a nation of whiners,” the media and the Obama campaign pounced. Jesse Jackson’s offensive comments about Barack Obama were quickly shoved off the front pages so that liberal reporters could slam Phil Gramm and by extension John McCain. But lost in media’s McCain-bashing frenzy was another “gem” by Michelle Obama.
Speaking to an audience in Pontiac, Michigan, last week Michelle Obama mocked the government’s recent stimulus payments, saying, “You’re getting $600 - what can you do with that? …The short-term quick fix kinda stuff sounds good, and it may even feel good that first month when you get that check, and then you go out and you buy a pair of earrings.” Excuse me? Maybe that’s what Michelle Obama would have done with her stimulus check if she had gotten one, but I’m sure many hardworking families were grateful for those funds and did not spend them on a $600 pair of earrings. But, predictably, the liberal media gave Michelle a pass, even though her arrogant elitism was, once again, fully on display.
Earlier this year, speaking in Zanesville, Ohio, Michelle was giving one of her rants about how bad things are in America today. Trying hard to relate to the struggles of middle-class families, Michelle complained about the fact that she and Barack were spending as much as $10,000 a year on extra-curricular activities like dance and piano lessons for their two daughters. Now, the median household income in Zanesville, Ohio, is just over $37,000 a year. I suspect few in that audience could relate to spending a third of their income on extra-curricular activities for their kids, which may explain why Barack lost Zanesville and the surrounding area to Hillary Clinton by 36-points. Tags:elitism, Gary Bauer, liberal, Michelle ObamaTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
American Solutions: President Bush just signed an executive order to allow offshore drilling along our coast. This is a major victory in our effort to reduce gas prices, and it would have not happened without your help. Your petition signature allowed us to send a message to Washington that could not be ignored. President Bush's executive order will overturn an eighteen year-old offshore drilling ban imposed by President George H.W. Bush.
This is a significant victory, but we cannot stop there. Congress still must act before Americans can start searching for oil offshore, and we must keep the pressure on them until they take action to lower our gas prices. American Solutions plans to accomplish this by collecting 3,000,000 "Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less." petition signatures that will be presented to both the Republican and Democrat Conventions in August. You can help them reach this goal by signing if you haven't and by inviting your friends and family to sign their petition. Take Action Now!
If you missed this video on Jul 4th: Energy Independence Day
Tags:American Solutions, domestic drilling, offshore oil, oil drilling, President George BushTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
2008 GOP Platform Committee Launches Interactive Web Site
Republicans Across the Country to Actively Participate in Development of Party Platform
Republican National Committee Chairman Robert "Mike" Duncan, Platform Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (CA-22) and Platform Committee Co-Chairman U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.) announced the launch of www.GOPPlatform2008.com, the first, entirely web-based initiative that allows voters across the nation to actively participate in the development of the 2008 Republican Party Platform.
"For more than 150 years, Republicans have met every four years to adopt a platform that outlines the principles and policies upon which the Party stands. We are proud that the development of the 2008 Republican Party Platform will be more interactive, inclusive, and open than any other in political history," Duncan said. "We are seeking the most input through this historic opportunity to use a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week Internet town hall," McCarthy said. "We know Washington is not a place for solutions, so we are reaching out across the nation to create a forward-looking platform rooted in our core values with solutions that create prosperity today and for the next generation." Burr said, "We are excited that this process will facilitate greater transparency and participation in the development of the 2008 Republican Party Platform than ever before. This process will allow voters to provide input on a variety of issues important to the American people. Creating an account on www.GOPPlatform2008.com allows voters to have full, interactive access to the Web site.
Account holders can use the text and video submission tools, participate in in-site polling, and monitor individual entries on a personalized index page. Every submission will be cataloged and reviewed leading up to the official Platform Committee meetings at the end of August in Minnesota to ensure every participant's voice is heard. As part of its efforts to hold the most technologically savvy convention in GOP history, the 2008 Republican National Convention remains committed to providing increased interactive accessibility to millions of Americans through numerous innovative initiatives including social networks, YouTube, Ustream.tv and the convention blog.
About the 2008 Republican National Convention: Will be held at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center from Sept. 1-4, 2008. Approximately 45,000 delegates, alternate delegates, volunteers, members of the media and other guests are expected to attend the convention. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is expected to receive an estimated $150-$160 million positive economic boost from the four-day event. For more info about the 2008 Republican National Convention: Website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube. Tags:Election 2008, platform, Republican National Committee, Republican National Convention, RNCTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
On The Floor: On Friday, the Senate sent the housing bill (with a motion to disagree with House amendment #3 to H.R. 3221) back to the House. Today, the Senate reconvenes at 2 PM. Expected to proceed to the global AIDS relief bill (S. 2731) which they invoked cloture on on Friday. Senate Foreign Affairs Comm Chair Joe Biden will offer a substitute amendment expected to be the basis for debate. An agreement has been reached to allow Republicans to offer 10 amendments.
From News & Senate Sources: Friday’s news that California-based IndyMac Bank was seized by federal regulators in the third-largest bank failure in US history has concerned many lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Particularly concerning are the statements from federal regulators pointing to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as “the immediate cause” of IndyMac’s failure. The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, “The director of the Office of Thrift Supervision, John Reich, blamed IndyMac’s failure on comments made in late June by Sen. Charles Schumer (D -NY), who sent a letter to the regulator raising concerns about the bank’s solvency. In the following 11 days, spooked depositors withdrew a total of $1.3 billion. Mr. Reich said Sen. Schumer gave the bank a ‘heart attack.’” Erick Erickson in Redstate reported today on Schumer’s statements and involvement in the IndyMac collapse.
Energy prices continue to be the top public concern. The military is also facing problems from high energy prices (LA Times). Today, President Bush will announce that he is lifting the executive order banning new offshore oil drilling, clearing the way for Congress to act to lift its ban. The Washington Post reports on the debate among lawmakers and the Fairbanks News-Miner chronicles the Alaska delegation’s fight to open up more areas in that state.
Senate Republicans have been pushing for action to address supply issues, while Democrats continue to try to point fingers at their preferred bogeymen: oil companies and futures traders. Democrats are expected to offer a new energy proposal this week, but seem to have little to offer beyond more regulations and threats. Roll Call writes today, “Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) appears intent on preventing votes on opening more areas to offshore drilling despite the stirrings of a revolt by rank-and-file Democrats after months of concerted efforts by House Republicans.” The NewHampshire Union-Leader has heard enough silliness from Democrats on energy markets and says it’s time to “[i]mmediately enroll every Democratic member of Congress in an entry-level economics class.” Yesterday, the ARRA News Serviceposted "Pelosi is Clueless!"
While all this is going on, Senate Republicans have not forgotten about Democrats’ broken promises on judicial nominees and are holding a forum today to discuss the issue. Tags:bank failure, Charles Schumer, IndyMac Bank, Nancy Pelosi, offshore oil, oil drilling, 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!
Speaker Pelosi Clueless! Arkansas Rep. Mike Ross Gets it!
Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: When it comes to addressing our national energy crisis, drilling for oil and protecting America and American interests, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative is clueless. Even the liberal New York Times has taken notice.
On Friday, Carl Hulse in an NYT article title "Democrats Dig In as G.O.P. Presses for Oil Exploration in Protected Areas" depicts the logger-headiness of Pelosi. The article is long but worth reading. Some limited excerpts will reveal Pelosi's failure to comprehend our internal National crisis and her inept understanding of the role of the National Strategic Petroleum Reserves in a time of global crisis with existing threats against America and American interests:
House Democratic leaders took a hard line Thursday against opening up restricted areas to oil production as Republicans threatened to try to keep Congress in session this summer unless they got a vote on new drilling opportunities.
As the political and policy fight over gasoline prices escalated, the White House rejected a call by Democrats to release oil from the nation’s strategic reserves in an effort to lower prices by increasing supply. Tony Fratto, a White House spokesman, said, “We’d like to see members think a little bit more long term and take advantage of the opportunity that we have to do drilling from our domestic sources.”
Even as some Democratic lawmakers called on Congress to open up restricted areas to drilling, . . . “This call for drilling in areas that are protected is a hoax,” Ms. Pelosi said. “It’s an absolute hoax on the part of the Republicans and this Bush administration.” . . . But with public anxiety growing over gasoline prices, some Democrats say their party has to move beyond encouraging exploration on tracts already owned by oil companies and open new, potentially productive areas to exploration. Leaders of a coalition of moderate and conservative
Democrats known as the Blue Dogs have stepped up their push for drilling both in the Arctic refuge and offshore, saying the oil royalties produced could pay for research into new energy technologies. “I propose that we drill in ANWR,” said Representative Mike Ross, Democrat of Arkansas, referring to the refuge. “We’ve already got a pipeline going to Alaska, the ANWR, that can handle two million barrels a day. We’re only putting one million in it. Let’s fill it up.”
But Ms. Pelosi, who considers energy legislation a personal priority, does not appear ready to shift her view, based on discussions in a private meeting with members of the leadership on Thursday. According to accounts from those present, Ms. Pelosi said that if Democrats relented on drilling, “then we might as well pack it up and go home.”
Ms. Pelosi instead forged ahead with the effort to encourage the White House to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, even listing the White House telephone number and e-mail address on a poster at a news conference to encourage consumers to join the appeal. She said the release of less than 10 percent of the 700 million barrels of oil in the reserve would influence the price at the pump “now, within 10 days, not within 10 years.” . . .
Pelosi continues to prove time and again that she is a masochistic politician who is heartless in her un-willingness to do anything and everything to help the American people while at the same time she insists on placing our National Security at risk. She welds her dictatorial control over house democrats and refuses to allow anything that might in any way give partisan credit also to the Republicans. She has helped lead the U.S Congress to its lowest approval rating ever.
Let's clarify the risk that Speaker Pelosi is willing to take even though it is not a solution to our petroleum resource needs. Lee S. Gliddon, Jr in Desert Conservative hits the nail on the head regarding Pelosi approach of releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve:
If you really think about Nancy Pelosi’s demands that we use our nation’s Emergency Reserve Oil Supply as a, ‘fix,’ you will see that she has no thoughts of the real ‘why’ this Emergency Reserve exits in the first place! Should Iran actually close the Straits of Hormus after were used the Emergency Reserves, then what? Nothing to be used and what would our military do? Nancy Pelosi has ideas but her ideas are going to destroy America!
Pelosis is clueless as Speaker of the House. And that is being nice. Because if she were not clueless, then she would be a traitor based on her past actions and comments while Speaker of the House. It is time for Speaker Pelosi to step down. If unwilling to step down, we can only hope there exists enough uncompromised Democrats like Rep. Mike Ross to lead in establishing a coalition of House Democrats to replace Pelosi. The United States needs a new Speaker who is a statesperson; a person more dedicated to the people than to liberal party pandering. America deserves and needs a better person speaking for the House to the public!Tags:gas prices, House Speaker, Mike Ross, Nancy Pelosi, New York Times, oil drilling, strategic petroleum reserve, US HouseTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Paul Jacob, Common Sense: The blogger Alaskan Librarian has a list of things he’d like done by the next president. I share at least one of his wishes, “to see policy formulated in the open.”Specifically, he wants candidates to sign the Reason Foundation’s “Oath of Presidential Transparency.” The pledge has two parts. The first endorses “effective management, accountability, transparency, and disclosure” of federal spending. The second is a commitment to enforce the Federal Funding and Accountability Act, passed by Congress in 2006. This legislation was introduced by Senator Tom Coburn. . . . [Read More] Tags:accountability, Common Sense, federal funding, government transparency, Paul Jacob, Tom CoburnTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
To understand the long-standing Republican commitment to civil rights, it is best to begin with the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. In April 1866, Congressional Republicans (against the strong opposition of President Andrew Johnson, a Unionist Democrat), introduced the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment entailed the following:
All native-born or naturalized persons in America were officially made American citizens, and states were prohibited from depriving citizens of their life, liberty, or property without the due process of law.
States were compelled to extend voting rights to blacks, for the amendment stipulated that state representation in Congress could be reduced if some citizens were unjustly barred from voting.
Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment in June 1866, and it was forwarded to the states for ratification. Johnson fought hard against the ratification of this amendment throughout the summer and fall of 1866, but his efforts were futile as state after state outside the South approved it (all of the Southern states, except Tennessee, voted it down).
In February 1869, the Republican Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was subsequently ratified by the requisite number of states. This Amendment guaranteed voting rights to all citizens regardless of their race, color, or former slave status.
During Ulysses S. Grant's presidency, more measures were taken by Congress to protect blacks against harassment. One significant piece of legislation, the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, made it a felony to interfere with voting rights and authorized the use of the army for the law's enforcement. A similarly strong law passed was the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which broadly outlawed public racial discrimination. . . .
It should also be remembered that the Republican Party's commitment to civil rights was alive and well during the twentieth century, for it was President Dwight D. Eisenhower who used federal troops to force the state of Arkansas to admit black students to Little Rock's Central High School. . . . Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-IL) was instrumental in pushing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through Congress.
Regarding women's rights, Republican support for female suffrage was evident as early as the 1860s, when the very Republican territory of Wyoming became the first to allow women to vote . . . The first woman elected to Congress was also a Republican: Rep. Jeanette Rankin (R-MT) of Missoula, . . . Also, it was a Republican Congress that in 1919 passed the 19th Amendment, granting women nationwide the right to vote. This was done over the loud objections of then-President Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat. . . .
LaRoche completes his post with this insightful comment: "Although I titled this entry "The Secret History of the Republican Party," there really is nothing secret about what I have discussed. The facts are easily available but have been consistently ignored (if not distorted) for years by many so-called professional educators across the country – due to either ideological bias or just plain ignorance. Oftentimes in the pursuit of historical truth, the most critical step is to unlearn what you have previously learned." . . . [Read More]Tags:14th Amendment, 15th Amendment, 19th Amendment, Civil Rights, History, Republican Party, right to voteTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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