Don't Turn America Into Another France

Center for Freedom and Prosperity: President Obama and many other politicians want to expand the burden of government and make America more like France. In this video, Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center explains that the United States should not emulate the policies of her native country.

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Tags: Barack Obama, Center for Freedom and Prosperity, economy, France, GDP, government, spending, stimulus, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

WHO WILL STOP NAPOLITANO?

William J. Murry: The Religious Freedom Coalition with the help of other organizations ran a color ad for two days in the Washington Times, exposing Homeland Security head Janet Napolitano's bias against social conservatives. She is pulling resources away from investigating threats from violent Islamic Jihadists, in order to investigate pro-life, pro-family groups and veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. She considers those who believe in traditional marriage as a greater threat to America than members of Jihadist organizations. Below is a portion of the ad. To see the full ad and to add your name to a petition. Journalist Don Feder has written a great article on Janet Napolitano's political crusade against social conservatives.
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Political Profiling of Conservatives While the Department of Homeland Security admits they have “no specific information” of any violent activity or plans of any violence, in a “Rightwing Extremism” report, DHS Secretary, Janet Napolitano, has labeled law-abiding citizens as “right wing extremists” and potential “terrorists” anyway and has instructed state and local law enforcement to monitor, investigate and “report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to DHS and the FBI.” The New Terrorists Among the groups being targeted as “terrorists,” according to the report, are “military veterans” who return home (from fighting terrorists), those who “reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority,” and “groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue such as opposition to abortion or immigration.” Also listed among the targeted “terrorists” are those who purchase legal firearms and ammunition and oppose laws that restrict the Second Amendment. Also on the new terrorist watch list are those who believe in “‘end times’ prophecies,” and those with “fear and paranoia” “of an impending economic collapse.” In addition, law enforcement agencies are instructed to monitor and investigate citizens who do not embrace globalism, a “New World Order,” and those concerned about “a world government that would usurp the sovereignty of the United States and its Constitution.”

A Veteran Support the Second Amendment Own a gun Support Secure Borders Pro-Life Support Traditional Marriage Believe in limited Government Prefer American Sovereignty to Global Government

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Tags: Janet Napolitano, Right Wing, right-wing extremists, William J. Murray To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Taxpayers to get rude surprise

Millions of couples, retirees may have to repay some of Obama tax credit The following is being provided as a public service. Also, the information provided is only a partial exract of the article. Stephen Ohlemacher has detailed a clear warning concerning the higher paychecks and retirements checks that many people are receiving this month:

Millions of Americans enjoying their small windfall from President Barack Obama's "Making Work Pay" tax credit are in for an unpleasant surprise next spring. The government is going to want some of that money back. . . . new tax withholding tables issued by the IRS could cause millions of taxpayers to get hundreds of dollars more than they are entitled to under the credit, money that will have to be repaid at tax time.

At-risk taxpayers include a broad swath of the public: married couples in which both spouses work; workers with more than one job; retirees who have federal income taxes withheld from their pension payments and Social Security recipients with jobs that provide taxable income. . .

Obama has touted the tax credit as one of the big achievements of his first 100 days in office, boasting that 95 percent of working families will qualify in 2009 and 2010. . . . The tax credit was designed to help boost the economy by getting more money to consumers in their regular paychecks. Employers were required to start using the new withholding tables by April 1. The tables, however, don't take into account several common categories of taxpayers, experts said. . . .

Some retirees face even bigger headaches. The Social Security Administration is sending out $250 payments to more than 50 million retirees in May as part of the economic stimulus package. The payments will go to people who receive Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, railroad retirement benefits or veteran's disability benefits.

The payments are meant to provide a boost for people who don't qualify for the tax credit. However, they will go to retirees even if they have earned income and receive the credit. Those retirees will have the $250 payment deducted from their tax credit -- but not until they file their tax returns next year, long after the money may have been spent.

Retirees who have federal income taxes withheld from pension benefits also are getting an income boost as a result of the new withholding tables. However, pension benefits are not earned income, so they don't qualify for the tax credit. That money will have to paid back next year when tax returns are filed. . . .

Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the top Republican on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said Geithner has yet to respond to concerns raised by committee members. "So far we've got the, 'If we don't address this maybe it will go away' approach," Camp said. . . . [Full Article: Inside Washington: Taxpayers to get rude surprise]

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Tags: Barack Obama, income tax, income tax returns, refunds To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Fred Thompson on Obama's First Hundred Days

Fred Thompson on Obama's First Hundred Days


Fred Thompson on Obama's Politicization of National Security

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Tags: ABC News, Barack Obama, civilian national security force, First 100 Days, Fred Thompson, news politics To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Omerica Down the Rabbit Hole

By Bill Wilson, President of Americans for Limited Government: America has now officially gone down the rabbit hole, following Alice into a bizarre world where words have no meaning, nothing is fixed and certain, and all the basic rules on which we all have depended simply do not apply.

Case in point, Barack Obama’s actions on the announced bankruptcy of Chrysler. It is being widely reported that Obama showed “a flash of anger” when discussing a group he termed “a small group of speculators” who have thus far refused to give in to government demands. What was the “crime” of this group? They didn’t roll over and allow Obama and his thugs at Treasury to steal from them. How dare they! When Dear Leader speaks, don’t they know everyone is supposed to just comply?

So, while you will not get the truth or the facts from the controlled media, those outlets doing the bidding and dirty work of Obama and his henchmen, here are the simple facts of the situation.

Chrysler has been bankrupt for some time now. The company borrowed billions of dollars from the private sector in a desperate attempt to cover up their failed management and slavish subservience to the union bosses at the UAW. As the economy turned sour, they couldn’t keep the charade going. That was when the government stepped in last December and bailed them out.

But even Congress would not go along with this scam. George Bush just did it without Congressional authority. Chrysler was given until the end of the March to come up with a plan or else that was to be it, no more taxpayer money. Bankruptcy would be the only course left.

Obama and crew extended that a month to April 30. But the deal was supposedly set – either come to an arrangement with the unions, the bondholders who are owed nearly $7 billion and strike a deal with Fiat to be taken over – or else. The “or else” was supposedly the threat that they would be left to their own devices and have to face the consequences of their bad behavior and mindlessly stupid decisions.

But in the Obama-nation, friends of radical chic Left don’t have to bear the consequences of their actions. This is especially true for greedy union officials and other foot-soldiers in the Obama coalition. For them, there is endless welfare, handouts and bailouts.

As April 30 approached, the Treasury Department stepped in with a heavy jack-boot. The bondholders – people who have extended loans to Chrysler in good faith – were told to accept 33 cents on the dollar, and to be happy about it. A group of these bondholders refused. They rightly saw that to accept so little was tantamount to having their pockets picked. And, to rub salt in the wounds, the government that is supposed to uphold the law and protect citizens was on the side of the muggers, helping them steal nearly $5 billion.

Make no mistake about it, this is theft. $5 billion is being taken by force from the private sector and funneled into union pension funds and other leftist devices. Private citizens gave Chrysler loans. The government is now telling these citizens to take a huge loss. When they refuse, the President of the United States publicly rebukes, ridicules, and attacks them.

Why isn’t Obama attacking the thugs at the UAW who bear a large part of the responsibility for the company’s financial mess? The primary reason the government did not allow Chrysler to go into Bankruptcy Court was purely to keep those pension and health plans in force. A Bankruptcy Court would have put the claims of the bondholders first and made the UAW accept less. Now, with the force of the government dictating the terms, the exact opposite is about to occur. Yes, the Red Queen is on her head.

The entire financial crisis has more twists and turns than a romp along the Skyline Drive. And, the American people are justifiably angry at Wall Street for their excess and cavalier attitude. But that anger is not an excuse for allowing the government of the United States to become a thief, to imitate the worst actions of a Hugo Chavez and other Third World dictators. Unfortunately, that seems to be the course Obama has set out upon.

So, to that small band of bondholders who refused to buckle under the pressure of Obama’s threats, good for you. Stay strong and resist the demands to be patsies for a government regime that is moving ever closer to the corrupt, thuggish Third World model it seems to admire so much. Whether Americans know it or not, we all win if you win.

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Tags: ALG, Americans for Limited Government, arrogance, banana republic, Barack Obama, Bill Wilson, bond holders, Chrysler, civil unions, Omerica, socialism, thief, third world To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - May 1, 2009

Supreme Court Justice David Souter has informed the White House of his intention to retire and return to New Hampshire. He'll remain on the court until his replacement is confirmed. Justice Souter, 69 years old, has been a member of the court's liberal wing and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1990 by Republican President George H.W. Bush.

The Senate resumed consideration of S. 896, a housing bill, which will also provide more money and borrowing authority to the FDIC. Yesterday the Senate rejected an amendment by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) to add a provision known as “cramdown” to the measure by a voted of 45-51. The Wall Street Journal explains cramdown in an editorial today. Also yesterday, the Senate confirmed Thomas Strickland to be assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife.

The Los Angeles Times reports today, “Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that he expected staunch opposition in Congress to the Obama administration's plans to release some of the Chinese Muslims detained at Guantanamo into the United States. Confirming the plans for the first time, Gates said that the administration intended to release some of the 17 Chinese Uighurs into the U.S. as part of the process of closing the prison, although he added that a final decision had not been made.”

Gates confirmed that “some” of these terrorist-trained detainees might be released during questioning from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. Asked if the plan was to simply “release them in the United States…not to be incarcerated, but just to be released,” Gates did not rule out the possibility. Further, according to AFP, “Even after the Guantanamo prison is closed, the United States may decide to keep up to 100 inmates under detention as they cannot be tried but are too dangerous to release, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told lawmakers on Thursday.”

The Wall Street Journal adds, “The remarks drew criticism from several lawmakers, who made clear that they don't want any of the men transferred to their states. “‘I fully expect to have 535 pieces of legislation before this is over saying “not in my district, not in my state,”’ Mr. Gates said. “‘You can count on it,’ replied Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), the Senate minority leader.”

Sen. McConnell told Secretary Gates that he understood the dilemma, but that it was created by the administration’s decision to mandate an arbitrary closing date for the facility before it had a plan for what to do with the inmates being held there. Sen. McConnell said, “The previous administration also said they wanted to close Guantanamo. The difference is, this administration actually put a date on it and actually has to answer the question: what are you going to do with them?” (See here for video of this exchange)

The decision to close Guantanamo is clearly a controversial one and one that the public is uneasy with. According to a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 50% disapprove of the administration’s order to close the facility. Some Democrats in Congress may be getting the message. Politico reports, “Democrats signaled Thursday that they will likely drop language sought by the Pentagon to authorize the use of war funds to relocate the inmates.”

While it’s up to the Obama administration to determine what will be done with the Guantanamo inmates, it appears that they’ve set a deadline to close the detention center without a complete plan of what to do with the dangerous people housed there.

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Tags: David Souter, Gitmo, Supreme Court, 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!

Alarming video every Westerner should see

Anyone (like Barack Obama) entertaining ideas of western democracies establishing friendly relations with the radicals of the Islamic world should watch this video. While watching the inflammatory rhetoric of the speaker, remember that this is not a Jihadists from Iran but a professor.
VIDEO REMOVED FROM INTERNET

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Tags: Islamic terrorist, jihad, Jihadist, terrorist, terrorist threat, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Mexican Drug Cartels Present In Three Arkansas Cities

Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor have voted FOR amnesty for illegals. During the election year, Pryor voted AGAINST amnesty. Who knows how he will vote next time. Note the following:

Mexican Drug Cartels Present in Three Arkansas Cities

KARK 4 News : Apr 21, 2009 - Violent Mexican drug cartels have been making headlines in recent weeks. And now comes word that the Department of Justice reports cartel organizations exist in 230 American cities.

Of alarming note for Arkansans is that three cities on the list are in the Natural State: Little Rock, Fort Smith and Fayetteville.

U.S. Senator Mark Pryor says coordination of counternarcotics enforcement among every level of government is critical in order to combat drug smuggling across the border and cartel infiltration of U.S. cities.

He held a Senate hearing Tuesday, entitled “Counternarcotics Enforcement: Coordination at the Federal, State and Local Level,” where Arkansas State Drug Director, Frances Flener, testified about the state’s current drug environment and the effectiveness of counter-drug programs.

“The drugs and violence in Mexico are a national, state and local problem. That’s why combating this problem requires law enforcement -- at every level of government -- working together,” Pryor said. “It’s evident that fostering cooperation and information-sharing works, and that we must bolster these resources to really get a grip on drug trafficking and use.”

Pryor said there is common agreement that programs fostering a coordinated approach are effective, including the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. The HIDTA program enables law enforcement to assess drug trafficking problems and design specific initiatives to reduce production, manufacture, transportation, distribution and chronic use of drugs. Four counties in Arkansas -- Washington, Benton, Pulaski and Jefferson -- have the HIDTA designation. Pryor recently included an amendment in the Senate’s Budget Resolution to increase the funding and counties that can participate in the program.

In her testimony, Flener said, “One of the HIDTA program’s most important contributions to the nation has been the partnerships it has nurtured among participating agencies. This has led to the leveraging of resources and sharing of intelligence through a regional coordinated approach.”

Pryor is chairman of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration.

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Tags: amnesty, Blanche Lincoln, drug cartel, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, illegal aliens, KARK 4, Little Rock, Mark Pryor, Mexican To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

We Cannot Borrow and Spend our Way to Prosperity

U.S. Rep. John Boozman, 3rd Dist-AR: Last Sunday was Debt Day for the 2009 fiscal year. Debt day is the Day the government starts paying for federal spending by borrowing money rather than using its revenue. This means that all of the money spent from Washington the rest of this year will either be borrowed from other countries or borrowed from future generations, in turn increasing our federal debt dramatically.

It is no secret that the American people are facing a very tough economic climate. Families and small businesses are cutting back on expenses, and millions of Americans have lost their jobs. As retirement accounts dwindle and economic uncertainty continues, many across our nation are looking to the government for leadership during this difficult time.

Instead of supplying real solutions, there has been out-of-control spending by the Democrats through the stimulus package that passed in February increasing the debt by $1 trillion, and the $400 billion omnibus spending bill that only funds the government for seven months. Both bills were passed by Congress and signed into law forcing our children and grandchildren to foot the bill.

Most recently, the President proposed a budget that will dramatically increase the amount of debt in America. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the President’s budget will produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next ten years. The national debt will double in eight years, and by 2012, the American people will be paying $1 billion per day in net interest. Members from both parties have declared that the policies are unsustainable.

Sadly, the total debt incurred by the nation as a result of Congress and the Administration will cripple America’s future. The debt per capita is currently about $35,000 and in just eight years it will be $70,000. There are only 111 million federal taxpayers in America. At the rate of spending by this Congress in its first 100 days, congressional leaders have put each taxpayer in debt at the rate of $1,400 a week. Our children and grandchildren will be forced to bear an unprecedented burden as a result of the first 100 days of President Obama’s Administration. Doubling the debt is no solution.

The American people know that we can’t borrow and spend our way back to prosperity. The path to our economic recovery starts with fiscal responsibility in Washington. I believe that the federal government should follow the example set by our nation’s families – tighten the budget and eliminate wasteful spending. The future of America depends on it.

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Tags: Arkansas, congressman, debt, federal spending, John Boozman, National Debt To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - April 30, 2009 - A Former GITMO Terrorist May Soon Be Your Neighbor

The Senate will begin consideration of S. 896, a housing bill, which will also provide more money and borrowing authority to the FDIC. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) will offer an amendment that would add a provision known as “cramdown” to the measure. Cramdown would allow bankruptcy judges to alter mortgage contracts of people who are in foreclosure. A vote on the amendment is expected at 2:30. It will require 60 votes for approval.

The Senata also will vote on Thomas Strickland to be assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife, with a vote later in the afternoon.

Also, yesterday, the Senate voted 53-43 to approve the conference report for the $3.5 trillion budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 13. All Republicans and four Democrats voted against the budget.


Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder gave a speech in Berlin about the administration’s plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Holder admitted that closing Guantanamo will be ‘one of the most daunting challenges’ he will face. Most Americans realize: closing Guantanamo is not a good option if no safe alternatives exist. Holder did not indicate was what the administration has determined to do with the 240 detainees at Obama's January deadline for closing Guantanamo.

Reporting on the speech, The Washington Post acknowledged that European leaders “have been slow to respond to his pleas for help in emptying the detention center.” The Post also notes, “Holder said the Obama administration has cleared about 30 prisoners for release as soon as U.S. officials can find places to send them.” With the news channels focusing on Chrysler, the flu, and former GOP senators; little is being addressed related to the closing of GITMO. Here are some things worth noting:
· AG Eric Holder speech on Gitmo in Berlin yesterday acknowledged that GITMO is well run and that the decision to close is largely about symbolism (though he then claims that leaving it open makes us less safe).
· In the Q&A session, Holder joked that they might put detainees in hotels.
· On a much more serious matter, Holder would not rule out cooperating with international tribunals investigating US officials over torture allegations from terrorists.
· The Washington Post reported today, “Holder said the Obama administration has cleared about 30 prisoners for release as soon as U.S. officials can find places to send them.” How many of these people will show up in Iraq or Afghanistan, as others released from Gitmo have done?
· At a Senate hearing today, Sec. Gates acknowledged that they may release detainees into the U.S. AG Holder still has not responded to a letter Sen. Sessions sent him “asking him what legal authority the administration has to release detainees who have participated in terrorist-related activities into the United States.”

One can hardly fathom the the new lows we are achieving in America. Soon a former GITMO Terrorist detainee may be your neighbor. Such a country - only in America!

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Tags: Eric Holder, GITMO, Housing Bill, terrorist, 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!

Stop Spending Our Future - #LibHippos #statebooks #Heritage #teaparty #teaparty #sgp

Stop Spending Our Future - STOP Stop Spending Our Future - The Crisis Stop Spending Our Future - When I Grow Up

Stop Spending Our Future: Our children deserve to inherit prosperity, not debt. The root of our current economic crisis is over-spending. Politicians have spent beyond Americans' means; they have subsidized private citizens and companies to do the same. Over the last years and decades, as personal and public savings rates plummeted, we lived it up: buying, borrowing and gambling our future away. The spending spree has now caught up to us and our nation faces tough economic times. The party is over and the hangover is fierce. But rather than aspirin and a shower, politicians have prescribed whiskey -- and strong whiskey at that. In just a few months, they have managed to spend more than $3 trillion of your dollars. With nothing to show for it, they now want more. It is easy to spend today and to borrow from the future. It takes strength—even courage—to make the tough choices and to say that the spending spree must stop. If you are one of the millions of Americans who believes that our children deserve to inherit prosperity and not debt, then join us.

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Tags: bailouts, children, economy, future, government, inflation, Politics, recession, spending, stimulus, Stop Spending Our Future, tax day, taxes, tea party, videos To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Senate Subcommittee to Consider Amnesty

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Refugees, will hold a hearing tomorrow, April 30, at 2:00 p.m. entitled, "Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009, Can We Do It and How?"

Senator Schumer has packed the witness panel with individuals hopelessly biased in support of amnesty. While there is one witness, Kris Kobach, who is a friend of true immigration reformers, the remaining witnesses represent "a who's who" of the open borders lobby and big business interests who want to import cheap labor.

Your calls today and Thursday are especially important because La Raza has organized a grassroots lobbying effort to coincide with the Senate Subcommittee hearing this week. This nationwide effort will include phone calls, and, according to our best information, will culminate with marches on May 1st to demand amnesty.

Call your Senators and Representative today, you can make sure Congress hears from the American people and not just special interests. In 2007, true immigration reformers defeated "comprehensive" amnesty with a firestorm of calls to Congress. The Senate needs to hear from you that the American people still oppose amnesty. Contact your senators! Contact your representatives! Tell them you oppose any effort to pass any "comprehensive" amnesty bill.

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Tags: amnesty, Charles Schumer, illegal aliens, illegal immigration, LaRaza To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Ronald Reagan Warned Us About Harry Reid [Video]

Our Country PAC - television ad opposing Senator Harry Reid's re-election campaign for 2010. Of all the members of Congress who are up for re-election in 2010, Senator Harry Reid is by far the most culpable for the out-of-control federal spending, taxpayer-funded bailouts and push for higher taxes. As Senate Majority Leader he has pushed through trillions of dollars in new spending, ran up our national debt, pushed for tax increases and cut sweetheart deals with lobbyists in order to push through federal bailouts.

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Tags: Harry Reid, Our Country PAC, political ad, Ronald Reagan To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Specter of a Super Majority

Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: The following political cartoon serves as our final word on Arlen Specter self-inflicted political suicide. Instead of retiring with grace, he created a no win situation. Neither the Republicans or Democrats trust him. He insulted his own Pennsylvania (PA) supporters and the PA GOP. And the PA Democrats are glad to see his demise. Unlike, Sen. Joe Lieberman who stood his ground and said "well if I don't fit in the Democratic Party, I will fight for my seat as an Independent and stand for the same positions for which I have always stood." The result - he won. However, Specter, a RINO, has both lost respect and is now hung on the Democrat trophy wall. Historically, as William Warren illustrates, Specter will be remembered as modern day Judas.

By William Warren:

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Tags: Arlen Specter, Barack Obama, Judas, political cartoon, RINO To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - April 29, 2009

Update: House passes hate-crimes bill, 249-175 Added gender, sexual orientation and disability to the category of hate crimes. Christians may be facing future prosecution for opposing homosexual activities. Pedophilia (abuse of children by adults) added as a protected class. The bill goes to the Senate where it is expected to be passed. President Obama supports bill. Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) said: “This bill undermines our fundamental constitutional principle of equal justice under the law. Every American life deserves equal justice, regardless of race, gender, or sexual preference. Yet this legislation says violent crime against one person is more deserving of justice than a crime against another. Apparently Democrats agree with Orwell on this matter: all are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
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Senate will begin consideration of the conference report on the $3.5 trillion fiscal 2010 budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 13. A vote on adoption of the conference report is expected late this afternoon or this evening.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 65-31 to confirm Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Also yesterday, the Senate passed S. 386, a bill to crack down on financial fraud.

The House will be voting today on the H.R. 1913, the so-called hate crimes bill.

Attorney General Eric Holder is in Germany today where he is attempting to get European leaders to agree to take some terrorist detainees from the Guantanamo Bay facility, according to the AP. Holder is also scheduled to give a speech in Berlin today about Guantanamo.

Americans remain skeptical of the administration’s hasty decision to close Guantanamo without a plan for what to do with the dangerous detainees housed there. This was confirmed by a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (see question 20a), which shows that 50% of respondents disapproved of this decision.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell says Americans deserve answers; what exactly is to happen to these detainees when the deadline for closing the facility arrives next January. Other of questions remain about proposals to release terrorist-trained detainees into American neighborhoods. Sen. McConnell listed others:

• What is the legal basis for bringing these terrorist-trained detainees to the United States, given that Federal law specifically forbids the entry of anyone who endorses or espouses terrorism, has received terrorist training, or belongs to a terrorist group?
• Can the Administration guarantee the safety of the American people, particularly in the neighborhoods where these terror-trained detainees will live?
• What will their status be? Will they be allowed to stay here permanently? Will they be eligible for citizenship?
• Will they receive or be eligible to receive taxpayer funding?
• What threat do these men pose of returning to terrorist activities and what threat assessments have been conducted to evaluate whether these men will attack U.S. troops on the battlefield or Americans at Embassies abroad?

Sen. McConnell added today, “The American people don’t want trained terrorists released into their neighborhoods. They want answers. Unfortunately, the administration has only offered silence.”

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Tags: domestic terrorists, Eric Holder, federal budget, GITMO, hate crimes, 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!

Waxman's cap-and-tax bill delayed

by John Ruberry, Marathon Pundit: The extreme left of the Democratic Party, emboldened by the election of Barack Obama, has been pushing a so-called climate bill, often called cap-and-trade, which the Republicans call cap-and tax. But some Democrats, particularly those from northern industrial states, have balked at supporting what Rep. John Dingell of Michigan calls a "great big" tax. And that's exactly what it is.

Rep. Henry Waxman represents a district that includes Beverly Hills, the type of place where impractical ideas such as cap-and-trade are the rage. But Beverly Hills is not America, and Waxman, the author of the cap-and-trade bill, is learning this fact, as the Wall Street Journal reports:

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman delayed until next week further action on his big climate bill, amid sharp divisions among committee Democrats.

The delay indicates that the House Democratic leadership is having difficulty rounding up votes to move the bill forward, amid disagreements over which industries and regions of the country should bear the burden for cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. Democrats from industrial and coal-dependent states have expressed concerns that the climate bill would sharply raise energy costs and hurt the economy in their states.

"The hearings have spurred productive discussions between members on the legislation, which are continuing this week," Rep. Henry Waxman (D, Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a memo to members.

Mr. Waxman and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey (D, Mass.), had scheduled to mark up the American Clean Energy and Security Act this week. The main provision of the bill would mandate major greenhouse-gas-emission cuts and require emitters to buy and sell the right to emit gases such as carbon dioxide. It would also require a rising percentage of power to come from renewable-energy sources.

Remember: Cap-and-tax. And unless you live like the Unabomber did in Montana, you will pay this tax.
Related posts:
Obama's proposed $3,600 per-family-energy tax
Senate passes anti-cap and trade amendment
The defanging of New Deal lion Dingell

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Tags: business, California, CAP, cap-and-trade, congress, economy, energy, energy tax, environment, Henry Waxman, John Dingell, Marathon Pundit, news, Politics, Tax, Trade To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Scare Force One

Photo via TexasFred: Why Air Force One was over NYC for a photo-op! - - ->

by Gary Bauer: Around 10:00 AM yesterday morning, panic hit New York City as a low-flying jumbo jet was seen circling lower Manhattan as it was trailed by Air Force fighter jets. Buildings were ordered to evacuate and thousands poured into the streets as the nightmares of 9/11 were made real once again.

But as it turns out, it was all just a photo-op for the Obama White House, which did a terribly poor job of informing local authorities of the event. One New York politician said, “In New York of all places, not to warn the public that one of the largest jets in the country tailed by a fighter jet is going to fly low over their community defies logic and really borders on being either cruel or very, very stupid.”

It’s not very often that I agree with Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), but he nailed it. Not only was the fly over “very, very stupid,” but it once again demonstrates the degree to which this administration is operating in a pre-9/11 mindset. Why should jumbo jets circling lower Manhattan bother anybody? This White House is clueless.

The White House Military Office director issued an apology for “any distress the flight caused.” Evidently, the Defense Department wanted to update its photo file of Air Force One against scenic backdrops of America’s most famous landscapes. This event was meant to capture Air Force One with the Statue of Liberty in the background.

I want to give the good folks at the Pentagon the benefit of the doubt here. My best guess is that previous photos included the Twin Towers in the background. But why couldn’t someone use computers to “photo shop” the desired image? That would have made far more sense in this case, and spared the people of New York City a great deal of anxiety. Not to mention the waste of taxpayer money and – gasp! – the carbon emissions for this photo op. If the Bush White House had done something this stupid, we would have heard about it forever. But look for this “gaffe” to fade away quickly.

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Tags: Air Force, Air Force One, Gary Bauer, government spending, New York City, Obama administration, photo-op To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

RINO Leaves GOP - Arlen Specter Goes Democrat

Update: Washington D.C. - National GOP Chairman Michael Steele released the following additional statement this evening:

First - Specter claimed it was philosophical - and pointed his finger of blame at Republicans all over America for his defection to the Democrats. He told us all to go jump in the lake today. I'm sorry, but I don't believe a word he said. Arlen Specter committed a purely political and self-serving act today. He simply believes he has a better chance of saving his political hide and his job as a Democrat. He loves the title of Senator more than he loves the party - and the principles - that elected him and nurtured him.

Second - and more importantly - Arlen Specter handed Barack Obama and his band of radical leftists nearly absolute power in the United States Senate. In leaving the Republican Party - and joining the Democrats - he absolutely undercut Republicans' efforts to slow down Obama's radical agenda through the threat of filibuster.

Facing defeat in Pennsylvania's 2010 Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record, and an end to his 30 year career in the U.S. Senate, he has peddled his services - and his vote - to the leftist Obama Democrats who aim to remake America with their leftist plan.

As recently as April 9th, Senator Specter said he would run in the Pennsylvania primary next year as a Republican. Why the sudden change of heart? Clearly, this was an act based on political expediency by a craven politician desperate to keep his Washington power base--not the act of a statesman. His defection to the Democrat Party puts the Democrats in an almost unstoppable position to pass Obama's destructive agenda of income redistribution, health care nationalization, and a massive expansion of entitlements.

Arlen Specter has put his loyalty to his own political career above his duty to his state and nation.

HARRISBURG - Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement after hearing the news regarding Senator Arlen Specter's decision to leave the GOP:

I am deeply disappointed in Senator Arlen Specter's decision to leave the Republican Party, as he has benefited from the support of our Party for many years. It is apparent that he chose to act in his own self-interest and put his political ambitions first. The Republican Party has room for conservatives and moderates because we are the Party of ideas.

I, like many of my fellow Pennsylvania Republicans, took Senator Specter at his word when he said that he would not switch parties, and I believe he owes every Republican who has supported him over the last three decades an apology. I would urge Senator Specter to do the right thing and proactively return any and all campaign contributions he has received in recent months to run as a Republican in the upcoming election. I am sure that most, if not all, of these donors would not have supported a Democrat candidate. . . .

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RINO: "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans" -Arlen Spector
MSNBC News is reporting that Veteran Republican Sen. Arlen Specter disclosed plans Tuesday to switch parties, bringing Democrats closer to the 60-vote supermajority they need to push Barack Obama's agenda through the Senate. '"This is a painful decision," said Specter at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "I know that I'm disappointing a lot of my friends and colleagues...the disappointment runs in both directions." . . . [Veteran GOP Sen. Specter switches parties]

AP reports: " Specter, 79 and seeking a sixth term in 2010, conceded bluntly that his chances of winning a Pennsylvania Republican primary next year were bleak in a party grown increasingly conservative. . . . "I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party," he said at a news conference. He added, "I am not prepared to have my 29 years' record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate." . . [Specter switches to Democrat,]

Politicol reports:

Senate Republican leaders are pushing back hard against the notion that their party is to blame for Sen. Arlen Specter’s defection to the Democrats. "This is not a national story. It is a Pennsylvania story," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told reporters in a news conference following Tuesday’s GOP policy luncheon.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that Specter — who spoke at the lunch — had been “very candid to acknowledge that this was nothing more, nothing less than political self-preservation.” . . . McConnell said Specter told him of his decision late Monday, and that Specter had said he decided to make the switch because he couldn't win reelection as a Republican or an independent. . . . [GOP leaders... ]

Michael Steele, Chairman, Republican National Committee (RNC) in a released statement said: "Some in the Republican Party are happy about this. I am not. Let's be honest-Senator Specter didn't leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record. Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don't do it first."

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Tags: Arlen Specter, Democrat, John Cornyn, Michael Steele, Mitch McConnell, NRSC, Republican, RINO, RINO Hunting, RNC Chairman To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Teleprompter Experiences Teleprompter Discomfort

The Teleprompter (Barack Obama) experienced slight discomfort with his closest advisor, his teleprompter. The Teleprompter jumped ahead of his teleprompter during a speech at the National Academy of Sciences Monday morning. Video follows! The audience kindly responded with a quiet laugh which is rumored to have earned them special federal funding for nanotechnology research to reduce TD (teleprompter discomfort) and improve bonding a speaker to the visual feed from a teleprompter.

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Tags: Barack Obama, gaffe, political satire, teleprompter, video To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama Administration: A 9/10 Security Mindset

By Conn Carroll, Morning Bell: Yesterday the citizens of New York and New Jersey who lived through 9/11 were witness to an ominous flashback. A massive aircraft, trailed closely by an F-16 fighter jet, descended towards the city and flew so close and low to Manhattan skyscrapers that office building windows rattled. Fortunately this was not a terrorist attack, but a poorly thought out photo-op by White House Military Office Director Louis Caldera. Before being appointed by President Barack Obama to his current post, Caldera most recently served on the board of directors for the failed bank IndyMac, which is currently under investigation by the federal government for fraud. This breach of common sense is all too typical of the Obama administration’s approach to national security. Just 99 days into office, Obama’s performance has already raised serious questions about his national security strategy.

Apologizer in Chief: In his first 100 days in office, President Barack Obama completed two whirlwind tours of Europe and Latin America. His message on both continents was simple: America has made many mistakes in the past, but we’re now ready to listen to others and be more flexible. It was a hugely popular message, particularly when he criticized or apologized for America. But the results were paltry. The problem with this type of “engagement” is that, at some point, foreign leaders begin to see it (correctly) as pandering. President Obama’s apologies for U.S. policies are interpreted in North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela not as an honest act of attrition that should elicit reciprocity from them, but rather as an apology demanding more concessions from the United States.

Gutting the Defense Budget: While the numbers for the FY 2010 defense budget are debatable, President Obama’s 10-year budget blueprint is crystal clear: in every year beyond FY 2010 there will be negative real growth for the defense budget. The deep cuts will come in procurement programs for systems like the F-22 and the next generation Navy destroyer. The decisions were driven not by national security needs but by a desire to rein in Pentagon spending. Projected Administration defense budgets over the next five years may underfund defense spending by over a trillion dollars.

Defining Missile Defense Down: The President approved a cut of roughly 15 percent of the Pentagon’s missile defense budget and abandoned deploying defenses in Western Europe. In addition, the White House failed to obtain any meaningful response from the U.N. Security Council on ballistic missile launches by Iran and North Korea. With Pakistan teetering on the edge, the ballistic missile threat has not diminished; in fact it is growing.

Detainee Dithering: The Obama administration continues to send mixed signals about how America will detain our enemies in what they now call “Overseas Contingency Operations.” The recent partial release of CIA memos was particularly unhelpful and betrays a complete lack of a coherent administration detainee strategy.

Border Blunders: Is it a crime to enter the U.S. illegally? Have terrorists routinely entered the United States through Canada, including the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks? Are our veterans a threat to national security? Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been an absolute disaster since she took office. She should face tough questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee next week.

There have been some bright spots for the Obama administration in national security. President Obama has largely continued to implement the strategic course laid out by the Bush Administration in Iraq and Afghanistan. But even there, the left is pressuring the White House to change course.

Other Obama Admin News On Deck:

The Obama administration is pushing for a deal that will make the United Auto Workers union the majority owners of Chrysler LLC.

The Obama administration is pushing to partially nationalize General Motors in a deal that will make the government majority owners and give United Auto Workers 39% of the company.

The Obama administration’s defense cuts will put more than 100,000 jobs at risk.

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Tags: 9-11, Barack Obama, Heritage Foundation, Morning Bell, national security, Obama administration To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - April 28, 2009

Today the Senate began consideration of the nomination of abortion activist Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Up to eight hours of debate is scheduled. Also, at noon, the Senate will vote on final passage of S. 386, a bill to crack down on financial fraud (yesterday's vote to invoke cloture).

Last night, House and Senate Democrats announced (without elected Republican input) an agreement on a conference report for the fiscal 2010 $3.5 trillion budget. The bill is expected to be voted on in both the Senate and the House tomorrow. Fast tracking at its worst! The Democrats announced their deal on a conference report which to no one’s surprise includes language, known as reconciliation instructions, to prevent filibusters on major health care reform. The AP explains, “Most importantly, the measure would allow [President] Obama’s health plan to pass the Senate by a simple majority instead of the 60 votes that are needed for plenty of other legislation.”

Despite Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad’s (D-ND) opposition to using reconciliation and his assurances that “I am going to argue strenuously against it in conference committee,” the reconciliation instructions were included anyway. In fact, Conrad, who chaired the conference committee, according to Politico, was the deciding vote on whether to include reconciliation in the budget. A majority of each chamber’s conferees is needed to agree to the conference report, and the Senate went in with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) supporting reconciliation and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) opposed, leaving the decision to Conrad. Apparently Conrad’s principled objections to using reconciliation didn’t withstand the pressure from Democrat leaders to give themselves a tool to bypass Republicans on health care.

Sen. Judd Gregg, ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, was not pleased with this turn of event:. “‘I can understand shaking Hugo Chavez’s hand, but I can’t understand embracing his politics ... cutting down the minority,’ said Sen. Judd Gregg in a pointed allusion to Obama’s encounter with the Venezuelan strongman at the recent Summit of the Americas,” Politico reports. Also unhappy with the self-proclaimed fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, “the New Hampshire Republican — once Obama’s choice for secretary of commerce — went on to lecture Blue Dog Democrats for allowing themselves to be ‘bamboozled’ and treated as ‘rubes’ by the White House” and agreeing to a budget awash in a sea of red ink.

As previously reported might happen, the Democrats in the reconciliation process stripped amendments adopted in the Senate to protect the people. Scrapped was the amendment by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) designed to hold President Obama to his promise not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 per year and a key amendment from Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) to prohibit the use of reconciliation to pass a carbon cap-and-trade bill. Both amendments had been adopted with more than 60 votes. So the Cap-and-trade tax bill can proceed (be rammed through the Senate without the protection of thoughtful discussion, oversight and negotiation).

Future Long Term Economic Forecast: Big Spending and Higher Taxes on the horizon. Americans will experience the severity of the promised "Change" including less money for higher priced goods and services from a growing number nationalized industries and service providers.

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Tags: DHHS, economic forecast, federal budget, Kathleen Sebelius, 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!

Obama’s Top Ten Accomplishments - His First 100 Days - Satire

H/T to First Conservative for the following satirical post: As we approach the blessed milestone of President Obama’s first 100 days in office, it is time for a look back at His top accomplishments. The President began his term by expressing concern about the sheer number of problems faced by the nation and has since taken drastic action to exacerbate each.

One can’t call the President a liar for not attempting to keep his word. However, what many simply thought was campaign rhetoric, turns out to be the actual set of Obama objectives. Should the liberal media ever analyze campaign positions and discuss implications of certain proposals, the country could have a reasoned discussion over which would be the better candidate. Unfortunately, emotional rhetoric seems to carry modern elections and America will have to endure. This past election cycle was determined by the chill going up Chris Mathews’ leg.

For now, as we hit the 100 day mark, it is appropriate to look back at the damage the President has done to the country, and to be fair, look at His accomplishments, including:

10. Entering the oval office through the window – in an attempt to display his super human powers, the President attempted to enter the Oval Office through a window. Photographers that captured the incident are still being sought.

9. Getting the teleprompter equipment through European customs – Transporting this much stuff required the White House to procure a dispensation against trafficking in performance equipment. Europeans don’t’ like a lot of American hardware flowing through their nations, so they were suspicious of this much equipment and technical support personnel. All ended well, though when the Obama ‘roadies’ made good friends with those that the President was apologizing to.

8. Closing Guantanamo – To payback his lunatic leftist supporters, President Obama signed an executive order closing the Guantanamo detention center within the first few hours of his Presidency. While the world’s loons rejoiced, an unnamed reporter inadvertently asked where the prisoners were to be taken. Obama staff then realized that their jobs required actually doing work and not simply telling others what to think.

7. Keeping Biden gaffes to a minimum – Since the election, the Vice President has been held in an undisclosed, secure location – As the VP once referred to his boss as “Barack America” Biden is not to be let loose on the public. Look for Biden to reappear sometime in early 2011 to kick off the next Presidential campaign by taking attention away from the President’s failures.

6. Bribing media to keep questions easy – and to keep them waiting at their dinner bowls for the next scrap of misinformation thrown to them by Robert “Soft Shoe” Gibbs. Some journalists however, have been trained to act independently, such as CNN’s Susan Roesgen. She has received her invitation to the President’s Press Dinner and will get something other than held-over chicken in wine sauce.

5. Finding people to work with Geithner – This is an ongoing task and has proved a bit more challenging than originally thought. Prior to being appointed Treasury Secretary, Geithner didn’t think he should have to pay the same kind of taxes employers pay on their workers. (Democrats typically think they are better people than the rest of us and should be able to leave the distasteful task of paying taxes to evil conservatives.) When the firestorm finally subsided, Obama made the decision not to appoint anyone else that had not paid their taxes. Accordingly, no Democrat has been identified that fulfills that requirement.

4. Taking no position on the use of enhanced interrogation – Or.. rather… taking all the positions at once. After telling security workers they were safe, the President heard from his nut-job supporters and took another stance without rejecting his first position. Threatening to prosecute those that successfully prevented further loss of American life after 9/11 has successfully shut down one of the last pieces of government apparatus that accomplished its objectives.

3. Establishing a position as a living saint – The President has used his oratory skills to keep approval numbers up while keeping the economy down. This by itself should be considered a miracle. But given the state of public education – maybe not.

2. Redistributing wealth – Obama successfully set the expectation that Joe the plumber will receive a CEO bonus. Unfortunately, due to His 2010 inflation this might be true. After all, he didn’t promise how much his inflation tax would cost.

1. Fooling most taxpayers into thinking they’ll get a tax cut - Putting all the pieces together, President Obama has masterfully woven media ignorance and compliance together with the lack of education on how a free economy functions, to create the illusion that the middle classes will receive a tax cut. Tax rates for middle class folks will modestly decline, but the price for their lunch salads will go through the roof. By structuring it this way, the lettuce pickers will be blamed for rising prices and not the President.

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Tags: Barack Obama, First 100 Days, First Conservative, political satire, Top Ten Accomplishments To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Muslim Demographics and Mark Steyn Revisted - #CALH

Muslium Demographics: Islam will overwhelm Christendom unless Christians recognize the demographic realities, begin reproducing again, and share the gospel with Muslims.

ICYMI last year: Mark Steyn on the Rise of Muslim in America & the Middle East: Video

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Tags: America, Canada, Christians, demographics, Europe, France, Germany, illegal immigration, jihad, Mark Steyn, Muslims, Russia, Sharia law, United States To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Nancy Pelosi the Queen of Torture

By Bill Smith / Ozark Guru: Nancy Pelosi knows what torture is because she has been practicing it for years. You might be saying, wait a minute, isn't she the the "Speaker" against torture at least with respect to what allegedly was used against the enemy combatants who brutally attacked and killed Americans and sought to destroy our American way of life. Don't be distracted by her pathological ability to adjust the truth to something that it is not or to shield the truth from shinning forth.

Let's define of the word torture using the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Noun: 1 a: anguish of body or mind : agony b: something that causes agony or pain
2: the infliction of intense pain (as from burning, crushing, or wounding) to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure
3: distortion or over refinement of a meaning or an argument: straining

For this discussion, let's forget the extreme view that would tear down the fabric of America while claiming self-righteous indignation in seeking the truth about a physical torture of people that had planned, aided or assisted in either potential attacks or the 9-11 attack our country which and killed almost 3000 people. Have we forgotten the deaths would have been far more if the planes had hit the World Trade towers an hour later, or if the planes had hit the center of the Pentagon or had hit another locations in D.C.? Also, let's forget the extreme fringe that believes that their own government is behind everything bad in our country and blew up the World Trade Towers instead of terrorists flying the airplanes that many of us observed hitting the buildings.

Let's focus on Nancy Pelosi. First, note her recent episode of pathological adjustment of truth, wherein she attempts to divert attention from herself by boldly claiming she knew nothing about the use of enhanced interrogation techniques and then buffets her claim by stating that she could not recall being told that the the enhanced interrogation techniques were or would be used. Well, most of us know this is not the truth.

Consider the following article by The Women On the Web which addresses this situation and the reaction of at least one person who was present with Nancy Pelosi in 2002 during briefings by the CIA :

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to be on the defensive over what exactly she knew — and when she knew it — about the Bush administration’s "enhanced interrogation" techniques. The California Democrat befuddled some reporters, Republicans and others last week when she gave what Politico says were some "convoluted answers" to reporters about the interrogations. Now Republicans have jumped at the chance to pummel Pelosi’s insistence that she didn’t know what was going on. CIA Chief Porter Goss said she must be suffering from "amnesia" — since he was with her in 2002 when they were briefed by the CIA on the techniques.

Goss wrote over the weekend: "I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be employed; or that specific techniques such as ‘waterboarding’ were never mentioned. It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not amnesia but political expedience." . . .

Now back to Nancy Pelosi and her use of torture. Note the definition of the word "torture" included "anguish of body or mind: agony" and "distortion or over refinement of a meaning or an argument: straining." While Pelosi may not as yet be pulling out fingernails in the basement of Congress, she has become a master in the use of these other two definitions of the word torture. Her extreme actions, her ridiculous self-proclamations, her bullying of the members of her own party, her tyrannical exclusion of the elected members of the minority party, and her constant declarations of lies as truth and distortion of truth. All of these bring anguish to the mind and hearts of Americans and definitely distorts and "over refines" the meaning of any argument. Pelosi has been wielding the whip of torture via her tongue and via the authority of her position as Speaker of the House. A gracious women she is NOT. She is not even a voice of propaganda for the liberal cause because even liberals know she cannot be trusted. In deeds, words, and actions, Nancy Pelosi is the Queen of Torture.

While it may not matter what Republicans think of Pelosi, it does matter that American voters do not trust her. One month ago, Rasmussen Reports that "60% of U.S. voters now have an unfavorable opinion of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including 42% Very Unfavorable and that a growing number of her doubters seem to be fellow Democrats." Abuse and torture yield these kind of results from free-thinking people. And these results are presently polar opposite of the ratings for President Obama.

There is a growing dissent with Pelosi not only among Democrats in general but more importantly among House Democrats who have been forced to endure Pelosi's torturous ways. Bowing and scrapping by once joyous party members to the Queen Speaker does not bode well for future favorable support of the Obama administration. She has outworn her welcome as Speaker of the House by her lack of graciousness and her torturous ways. For the good of the country, it is time for a favorably nod to a more "enlightened" and sanguine" person to be the Speaker. It is time for Nancy Pelosi, the Queen of Torture, to be removed as Speaker of the people's House.

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Tags: CIA, Gitmo, House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, Ozark Guru, Torture To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - April 27, 2009

The Senate resumes consideration of a bill to crack down on financial fraud, S. 386. Around 5:30, the Senate will vote on cloture on the bill. If cloture is invoked, the Judiciary committee substitute amendment will be agreed to and a vote on final passage will occur at noon on Tuesday.

Confirmation: Tomorrow - Tuesday --the Senate will begin up to 8 hours of debate on the nomination of abortion advocate Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. While the President is itching to fill the final seat in his Cabinet, with Gov. Sebelius, she did little to help her cause last week by vetoing a popular Kansas bill on women's health. By rejecting SB 218, a proposal that passed by wide margins in the House (82-43) and Senate (25-11), Sebelius proved just how beholden she is to the radical abortion industry. She blocked nominal changes to the state's health policy, including: an adjustment to the state's partial-birth abortion ban, a provision allowing women who survive a botched late-term abortion to bring civil suits against the doctors responsible, and new language to be included in the information mothers receive before an about abortion, namely that it "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique living human being."

Tony Perkins, Director of the Family Research Center, identified that:

Sebelius said that she couldn't support the changes to the late-term abortion ban because they were "unconstitutional," a notion that's ridiculous on its face since the modifications would have made Kansas compatible with federal law. Meanwhile, the Governor's ally, notorious abortionist George Tiller, is getting quite a return on his $35,450 direct investment in Sebelius's political career. If the state legislature can't find another two votes to override Sebelius, her veto will be good for his business. Fewer restrictions on Tiller's shop means more abortions, and in turn, bigger profits with which to buy the support of politicians like Sebelius.

. . . Sen. Jim DeMint added . . . "the overwhelming majority of Americans oppose the late-term abortions of babies who can survive on their own... Gov. Sebelius's veto... is an insult to Americans who respect human dignity," he said. "This is a clear example of the Governor's extreme pro-abortion agenda that should disqualify her from leading our nation's health agency."

ACT NOW - Voice your concern on Sebelius nomination: 1) sign the Family Research Council petition to Senate leaders Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). ; and 2) Contact your senators! Tell them you want a NO vote on the confirmation of radical pro abortionist Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Heath and Human Services.

On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to move into more muddy water and take up the conference report on the fiscal year 2010 budget. Later in the week, housing bills could come to the floor.

National Security: After spending a week discussing the possibilities of investigating or even prosecuting people for working to protect the country from terror attacks, it’s a bit ironic to see the administration going to such efforts to close Guantanamo Bay and release some of its detainees into the U.S.

President Obama has ordered the Guantanamo Bay facility closed and with only 270 days to go it appears the administration still has no plan as to what it will do with all 200+ detainees. However, it appears that they have figured out what to do with some of them. According to the AP, “The Obama administration is edging toward taking some prisoners to the U.S., most likely to Virginia.” The Los Angeles Times wrote on Friday, “Administration officials also believe that settling some of them in American communities will set an example, helping to persuade other nations to accept Guantanamo detainees too.”

However, other countries have resisted accepting detainees. The AP notes, “Some European leaders argue that if the detainees are to be released anywhere, it should be in the United States. . . . As many as 60, if freed, cannot go back to their homelands because they could face abuse, imprisonment or death.” And The New York Times reported last week, “David H. Remes, a lawyer for 16 Yemeni detainees, said it appeared that many of the men might remain in American custody. ‘Unless President Obama reconsiders his decision to close Guantánamo,’ Mr. Remes said, ‘the Yemeni detainees would have to be brought to the U.S. and put in some sort of prison.’”

On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to give a speech in Germany discussing Guantanamo, possibly to urge European leaders to accept some detainees. But there has yet to be any public discussion of the rationale for releasing some detainees into the United States. Sen Mitch McConnell is troubled by that fact and said on Friday,

The question remains, as it does with all detainees held at Guantanamo: does their release make America safer? Surely the administration will not release these terrorist-trained detainees onto the streets of a U.S. community before providing to Congress the legal rationale for doing so, and a guarantee of safety for American citizens.

Can the administration assure the American people that releasing men trained in terrorist training camps into American society poses no danger to our citizens? To date, they have not done so. There’s a reason U.S. law prohibits the entry of anyone trained in a terrorist camp. Why that law would be ignored to bring terrorist-trained detainees into American cities has not been answered by this administration.

Politico in an article "McConnell blasts Obama foreign policy" characterized McConnel' s remarks:

In a major broadside . . . McConnell ripped into Obama on a variety of fronts — his Hugo Chavez handshake, his vow to shutter Gitmo and, above all, his decision to release Bush-era memos outlining harsh interrogation methods used on terror suspects and possible congressional probes into the issue.

Weakening our tools of intelligence through an investigation of the intelligence community and other key decision makers would, by definition, make that pledge impossible to fulfill. It would also serve to divide us, I fear, at a time when we must continue to present a united and determined front to our enemies... In my view, the commander in chief has an obligation to unify the country while we are at war and at risk. Looked at in this context, attacking each other on these issues is not only counterproductive, it’s dangerous.

In a broader philosophical vein, the leader took issue with Obama's promise to change the country's relationship with Cuba, Iran and other longtime adversaries.

The rush to initiate ‘fresh starts’ with old adversaries or to find quick solutions to the many complex problems we face is not always advisable when it comes to advancing our long-term interests, or in preserving and strengthening alliances or our relationships with allies’

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Tags: Barack Obama, Budget, Gitmo, Kathleen Sebelius, Mitch McConnell, terrorists, 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!