Live From the Southern Leadership Conference in New Orleans

Bill Smith, Editor: The number of postings has been a little light as I prepared for the Southern Republican Leadership Conference 2010 in New Orleans. Yes, the ARRA News Service will be reporting (blogging) live from New Orleans beginning tomorrow evening and through Saturday. If you use twitter, I will also be joining other twitter media and attendees to cover a majority of the events using twitter; follow @arra. The updated SRLC Program is now online; take a look at the list of speakers which include Haley Barbour, Newt Gingrich, Bobby Jindal, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Pence, Rick Santorum and many more. Sean Hannity's Fox News Show will be live from SRLC tomorrow night and he will be signing his new book for attendees. If you are attending the SLRC, I will be either on blogger row or in one of the media rooms most of the time. Drop by and say hi!

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Tags: Southern Republican Leadership Conference, GOP, LA, New Orleans, Louisiana,
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The Media's Public Enemy No. 1: Critics of ObamaCare

Since the passage of ObamaCare on March 21, the liberal media have been working hard to crack down on dissidents, painting the tea party, talk radio, and Republicans as dangerous radicals inciting violence against Democrats. Check out a video compilation, “The Media's Public Enemy No. 1: Critics of ObamaCare,” with the most-outrageous instances of journalists painting the tea party movement, talk radio, and Republicans as dangerous radicals inciting violence against Democrats.

See the best evidence -- in the following video highlighting how the three broadcast networks and the cable channels all jumped on board the bandwagon of smearing conservatives as angry hate-mongers, in order to discredit broad-based legitimate opposition to the unpopular legislation. Clips compiled by NewsBusters' Kyle Drennen, video edited by Bob Parks.

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Tags: media bias, liberalism, healthcare, Obamacare, TEA Parties, Bob Parks
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Demonizing Everyday Americans

Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski, Contributing Authors: There appears to be a concerted effort among the political Left and many mainstream media people to demonize and marginalize the expanding citizen-based movement known as the tea party movement. This effort flows from both a fear of what these tea parties represent and a contempt for everyday Americans. But those ordinary citizens are poised to be the ones laughing when it’s all over, when democracy takes its course.

There seems to be a consensus now among the liberal elite when it comes to the tea parties. Senior administration officials deride them, as do liberal congressional Democrats. These elitists characterize the tea partiers as extremists, some drawing analogies between these ordinary citizens and right-wing militias, fanatics, and religious zealots. Some members of Congress are even saying that these tea party people are racist, which is pretty much the worst label that can be slapped on you in modern politics.

And many leftist talking heads in the media parrot this message, with their own biting editorial, adding that some in the tea party crowd are dangerous. Some talking heads, including some Hollywood actors and others who don’t seem to have any credentials as policy analysts but are nonetheless given air time, are really playing up the racism angle, and even suggest that some tea party attendees may be domestic terrorists.

Try the decaf, people.

Agents of big government and their boosters in the mainstream media seem determined to throw cold water on this growing grassroots movement that is a reaction to the Obama administration’s power grab of the growth and expansion of this country’s central government.

There’s a great deal of diversity among tea party people. Some just want lower taxes, and some also want less regulation. Still others are pro-life voters or Christian conservatives that also want fiscal responsibility. Many others push for conservative judges, while still others hold up signs calling for a restoration of American sovereignty, or protecting America’s borders, or defeating cap and trade or card check.

But they all have two things in common: They all want smaller government, and oppose the trampling of the Constitution embodied in these efforts to radically expand the size and scope of government. And as part of that desire, they want this utterly-ludicrous spending binge to end before it bankrupts all of us.

There’s nothing extremist about that agenda, because common sense is never extreme.

Are there some people attending tea party rallies who are intemperate in their remarks? Sure. Whenever you get tens of thousands of regular folks together, you’ll always get a few who makes comments that they should reconsider. Even then, nothing we’ve seen is worse than the truly outrageous statements that we’ve heard from the Left in recent years about President Bush or Republicans.

Having been engaged in many gatherings of the tea party crowd, it’s offensive that many in the mainstream media are engaging in a systematic effort to marginalize American citizens who are simply trying to take a stand for individual liberty—a stand in opposition to big-government expansion. Also one of us speaking as an African-American (Blackwell), it’s especially insulting to suggest that these people’s opposition to President Obama is driven by racism.

America’s history of grassroots activism goes back to the founding of our republic. Government of the people, by the people, and for the people includes as a necessary element those same average, ordinary people being able to gather and speak out. This freedom to assemble was considered so essential to a free nation that our Founders put it in the First Amendment, right alongside the freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Ironically, these rights are set side-by-side with the freedom of the press, as well. The leftists in the media would do well to remember that their liberty to be a free press comes from the same constitutional amendment as the tea party crowd’s liberty to gather together.

And our elected leaders would do well to remember that the First Amendment exists to protect average people from the government, not the other way around.
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Mr. Ken Blackwell is a conservative family values advocate. He submitted this article to the ARRA News Service Editor which also appears in Big Government. Blackwell is a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council and American Civil Rights Union.
Mr. Ken Klukowski is a fellow and senior legal analyst with the American Civil Rights Union.
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Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski are the authors of the forthcoming book, The Blueprint: Obama’s Plan to Subvert the Constitution and Build an Imperial Presidency, on sale April 27.

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Tags: Ken Blackwell, Ken Klukowski, Barack Obama, Obama Administration, first amendment, free speech, demonizing Americans,
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Obama's Volker Proposes Unprecedented "European-style" VAT Tax

In the wake of President Obama and Democrats in Congress passing their unpopular $2.6 trillion health care takeover, it seems the unprecedented levels of spending and debt are finally concerning some in the administration. Unfortunately, the response was to consider far-reaching new taxes. Reuters reports today, “The United States should consider raising taxes to help bring deficits under control and may need to consider a European-style value-added tax, White House adviser Paul Volcker said on Tuesday. Volcker, answering a question from the audience at a New York Historical Society event, said the value-added tax ‘was not as toxic an idea’ as it has been in the past and also said a carbon or other energy-related tax may become necessary. Though he acknowledged that both were still unpopular ideas, he said getting entitlement costs and the U.S. budget deficit under control may require such moves. ‘If at the end of the day we need to raise taxes, we should raise taxes,’ he said.”

But why are the debt and deficit breaking records in the first place? The answer, of course, is the unprecedented spending by the Obama administration. It began last year when the administration pushed through its debt-financed $862 billion stimulus bill, continued with Obama signing appropriations bills that increased spending over prior years by tens of billions of dollars, and has now culminated in a $2.6 trillion health care spending bill that will only increase government outlays on health care by hundreds of billions of dollars.

Last month, CBS’ Mark Knoller reported, “The latest posting from the Treasury Department shows the national debt has increased over $2 trillion since President Obama took office.” And the AP reported, “The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year’s record for the full year. The Treasury Department said Wednesday that the February deficit totaled $220.9 billion, 14 percent higher than the previous record set in February of last year.” The AP also noted, “The Obama administration is projecting that the deficit for the 2010 budget year will hit an all-time high of $1.56 trillion, surpassing last year’s $1.4 trillion total [which was also a record]. The administration is forecasting that the deficit will remain above $1 trillion in 2011, giving the country three straight years of $1 trillion-plus deficits.” And Knoller added, “In the 2011 federal budget released last month, the administration projects the National Debt will soar ever upward to over $25 trillion in the year 2020. The total debt will amount to more than 100 percent of the national economy as early as 2012.” Meanwhile, CBO projected that under Obama’s latest budget, by 2020, interest payments on the debt would approach $1 trillion a year.

These are staggering numbers, and they are deeply troubling to many Americans. Back in 2006, then-Senator Obama was among them. “Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally,” he said at the time. “Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.”

But today his administration is moving forward with ever more spending plans and then announcing that the cure for the debt problem they have exacerbated are unprecedented new taxes in the form of “a European-style value-added tax,” as Reuters deemed it, and a new tax on energy Democrats are hoping to push through in their cap-and-trade bill.

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Tags: Democrats, Obama Administration, Paul Volcker, VAT Tax, increased taxes, European socialism
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Reid and Democrat Leaders on Recess and So Are Their Brains!

Though Democrats left town for the Easter recess with plans to brag about their $2.6 trillion health care takeover, it seems that many of the highest-profile supporters of President Obama’s signature legislation aren’t as eager to commit "harry carry" discussing the unpopular bill with their frustrated constituents in an election year.   As Congress left for recess, The Hill reported, “Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants House Democrats to go on offense during the critical two-week recess that begins this weekend. Members returning to their districts should tout the new health care law’s benefits to their constituents, according to the ‘recess packet’ issued by Pelosi’s (D-CA) office this week and obtained by The Hill. ‘With the passage of health insurance reform, this District Work Period is a critical time to go on offense,’ the memo states.”

But according to a Politico story yesterday, “[I]nstead of barnstorming their districts celebrating their historic accomplishment, some [Democrats] have been content to remain beneath the radar, reluctant to advertise their role in passing the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s domestic policy agenda. Rep. John Boccieri, who represents [a] conservative area in northeast Ohio, is one of them. After announcing his intention to vote for the bill in a news conference televised live on CNN two days before the vote, Obama lauded his political courage. For the past week, however, Boccieri has gone dark, surfacing only last Wednesday night — in New York City — at a cocktail party fundraiser to benefit his reelection campaign. . . . Boccieri is not alone. He’s one of a number of House Democrats who’ve kept a low profile over the recess, a group largely defined by the level of political jeopardy they face this fall.”

In fact, Reuters reported last week that even “Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, who fought for a year to muster the votes in his own party, had no plans to speak on health care during the spring break, his staff said.” But Harry Reid is facing a dose of reality as discussed yesterday by the ARRA News Service, "Nothing illustrates the fall of a man from favor more than coming home and having most people ignore him. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is one of the most unpopular people in the U.S. this week, he returned to his home town of Searchlight Nevada to "kick off" his re-election campaign at the Searchlight Nugget casino. The news report that over 100 people were there. I would expect that in a casino with food, drinks and corralled workers, Reid would have been able to mustered at least 100 people . . . . In contrast to the exaggerated 100 who attended Reid's re-election kick-off, recall that a few days ago, up to 10,000 people (the number most likely understated by the liberal media) attended an anti-Reid rally in his Reid's home town."

And yet, in a very interesting interview with Fox’s Greta Van Susteren last night Reid said, “[E]verybody acknowledges with rare exception that what we did was terrific, and if there are some problems in out years we’ll be happy to look at them.” Barf Reid - we sure do believe you!  National Review Online’s Jim Geraghty slapped Reid's comment around today by noting that 62% of Nevadans are apparently “rare exceptions” in Reid’s view, given a recent Rasmussen poll showing a large majority supporting repeal of the law. So Reid is awfully proud of the health care bill, but he doesn’t plan to speak about it while he’s at home in the Silver State?

He apparently wasn’t shy about bragging about it on TV, though. The Hill points out, “Healthcare reform has ‘changed America forever,’ Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) confidently proclaimed Monday night. ‘People compare it to Medicare. Bigger than Medicare,’ Reid told Fox News’s Greta Van Sustren. ‘Medicare just affected old people. Bigger than social Security, because at the time Social Security passed it dealt only with old people. This affects everybody.’” And still Reid had to admit, “This is not a perfect piece of legislation.”  Your right on that Harry (that's what he's called in Searchlight omitting the expletives)!

We can read read the deluge of stories over the last two weeks of major employers taking huge hits to their bottom lines thanks to the health care bill and small businesses like tanning salons lamenting the effects of new taxes in the bill. Then there is all the bad policy ideas in the bill: $500 billion in Medicare cuts, the fact that it won’t lower premiums for Americans while it grows already unsustainable government spending, or the fact that Democrat leaders failed to protect both active and retired military and their families by addressing TRICARE as adequate medical coverage thereby subjecting these families to potential penalties by either HHS or the IRS.

Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said recently, “Most people aren’t interested in celebrating a bill that makes their lives more complicated, takes more out of their paychecks and puts decisions they’re used to making themselves into the hands of federal bureaucrats.” Which may be why Democrats aren’t in a rush to brag about it in front of their angry constituents! The obvious fact to Americans is that while Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and the other Democrat leaders are on recess, so are their brains!

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Tags: Democrats, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, health care, military, US Congress, government healthcare, TRICARE, economy, tax increases, higher deficit, insurance coverage
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Malignant Tumor

by William Warren:

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Tags: William Warren, political cartoon, USa, malignant tumor, federal control, obamacare
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Liberal Media Owes Sarah Palin an Apology

by Andrius Vaitekunas, ALG: The following video from ALG News featuring Barack Obama, Paul Krugman, and Sarah Palin gets to the truth about the true role of Independent Medicare Advisory Board (i.e. “death panels”).

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Tags: ALG, video, Sarah Palin, death panels, government health care, liberal media, Obamacare
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Searchlight Foreshadows the Fall of Harry Reid

Bill Smith, Editor: Nothing illustrates the fall of a man from favor more than coming home and having most people ignore him. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is one of the most unpopular people in the U.S. this week, he returned to his home town of Searchlight Nevada to "kick off" his re-election campaign at the Searchlight Nugget casino. The news report that over 100 people were there. I would expect that in a casino with food, drinks and corralled workers, Reid would have been able to mustered at least 100 people for his short "I am back, please send me back to Washington D.C." speech

Harry Reid, the home wrecking, jobs killer, even promised in his comments that he would "bring home more jobs to Nevada" which is suffering record-high unemployment and home foreclosure rates. However, some of his supporters may have missed that both unemployment and home foreclosure can be laid squarely at the feet of the triad of progressive liberalism: Reid, Pelosi and Obama.

In contrast to the exaggerated 100 who attended Reid's re-election kick-off, recall that a few days ago, up to 10,000 people (the number most likely understated by the liberal media) attended an anti-Reid rally in his Reid's home town. The rally was called "Showdown in Searchlight" and was primarily organized by the conservative TEA Party movement. Sarah Palin was the "big-draw" speaker.
Searchlight Nevada - Harry Reid Tea Party Crowd shot 360

Laura Myers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said: Reid's popularity ratings are at an all-time low with only one-third of Nevada voters having a favorable opinion of him and about half unfavorable. The same poll commissioned by the Las Vegas Review-Journal shows the senator losing to his three top potential GOP opponents with Reid gaining only about four out of 10 votes in various one-to-one match-ups. The election outcome could be different, however, if Reid faces multiple candidates in the fall, a scenario that could splinter the anti-Reid vote and help him eke out a victory." [Full Story]

While Searchlight may foreshadows the fall of Harry Reid, Myers' comment about multiple parties is important. It would indeed be a trajedy for Reid to be re-elected due to the fracturing of the conservative vote by self-centered interests seeking to run or even to co-opt the efforts of others including the TEA Party to achieve their own agendas. America is tired of agendas and independent third parties have always given conservatives the worst case scenario. In this case, it would be the re-election of Harry Reid. Also, we need to be wary of wolves seeking to misdirect the efforts of conservatives. The Democrat dirty tricks machine is alive and well and their boy Harry is in trouble.

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Tags: Harry Reid, Searchlight, Nevada, 2010 election, Showdown in Searchlight, video
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Happy Easter 2010

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: 'He has risen from the dead ... -- Matthew 28:5-7, The NIV Bible. We are truly blessed in that "the Innocent" - Jesus Christ - voluntarily gave Himself to be our substitute and was sacrificed as an atonement for our sins. He then also overcame hell and the grave and He rose from the dead. Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed!

by Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: The ARRA News Service wishes all our friends, fellow conservatives, those who have helped us with resource and all of our readers a very Happy and Blessed Easter.

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Tags: 2010, Arkansas Republican Assembly, ARRA News Service, Easter, Jesus Christ, Bible,
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The Fate of the Republican Party

By Steve McGregor, The American Thinker: The Republican Party is a minority, a supposedly insignificant force. Abhorrent legislation seems destined to remain law. The country is riven by disagreement over our basic civil rights. The Democratic Party labels us an "opposition party" or "the party of no." I'm talking about 1854.

The similarity to the present day doesn't end there. That year, Democrats used their own form of parliamentary chicanery to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act in order to expand slavery to new states. As Bill Bennett writes in volume one of his American history text, "Democrats argued that the 'sacred principle' of democracy was that the people of any territory could decide whether or not to permit slavery." Ironically, this was known as "popular sovereignty." It was a bizarre attempt to claim an interest in civil rights while trampling the rights of others. And there was no one to oppose this bill.

That is, until a new alliance formed in Ripon, Wisconsin stood up and said, "No." They called themselves Republicans.

But they were still a minority, fractured by competing interests and relatively leaderless. Then several things changed. First, the American electorate had a say in the matter, voting 73 of 157 Democrats out of the House of Representatives. They also elected 43 Republicans from scratch, providing a base. Second, the newly-elected Republicans stood firm. Instead of compromising with Democrats, they committed themselves to the idea that all men are created equal. Nowhere is this resolve better-expressed than in the man who emerged as the Republican leader: Abraham Lincoln. But it was six years before Lincoln ascended to the presidency, and he earned his election through public debate with the former sponsor of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Senator Stephen Douglas.

Given this proud history, I cannot understand some of the recent Republican gripes. One commenter argues that we should forsake the "Republican" moniker because another noun is more popular. She quotes one poll of adults where 24% identify as "Republican" versus 40% as "conservative." This is a bit like trying to convince Catholics to change to "Christians" to increase church attendance. Yet political parties, like religions, are more than just a brand. And have we become so arrogant that we assume a name change would suffice to achieve popularity? The American people are self-professed conservatives not because of the word itself, but because of their values.

Or take another complaint that Republicans never attempted to reach a deal. We decided that there would be "No negotiations, no compromise, nothing. We were going for all the marbles...and ended with none." Exactly right! We did not compromise like Representative Stupak or engage in backroom deals with unions or accept bribes like the Louisiana Purchase or lie to the American people like President Obama.

Already voters are responding. Public approval for Congress is in the tank. Politicians must have noticed too, because 34 Democrats voted with Republicans on ObamaCare. This is not the time to back down or reconfigure.

Maintaining ongoing opposition to ObamaCare is a tough challenge -- but no tougher than our fight against the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Now, just as then, Republicans are uncertain about the future of our families, our party, and our country. As President Lincoln said, "The cause of civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one, or even one hundred, defeats." To succeed, we must raise voter turnout, refuse to compromise our principles, support emerging leaders, and engage in public debate.

"Life and liberty since 1854." That sounds like a clarion call to me.
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Steve McGregor writes for the American Thinker and others. He is Special Adviser on defense issues to a peer in the British House of Lords and a post-graduate student in Social Anthropology at University College London. Previously he served as a captain in the Rakkasans. Read more at SteveMcGregor.org.

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Tags: Steve McGregor, The American Thinker, Republican Party, history, life, liberty
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Plans Under Way Which May Trample On Posse Comitatus

Dr. Bill Smith, Editor: Over a year ago (in 2008), in an article titled: "Is The Death of Posse Comitatus at Hand?", I expressed my concern over the possibility that the doctrine of Posse Comitatus coming to an end. If you do not understand either the doctrine or the history of abuses regarding Posse Comitatus, please take time to read the article.

Three months later, I posted the following article: "Military Notices Initial Public Reactions to Use of Troops in America" and stated, "[T]he present public appears focused on the potential actions of a new administration and the current potential economic crisis. They may still not be fully aware of the treat of our bothers and sisters in the military being requested and / or forced to threaten individual freedom and rights of American citizens."

Well folks, a year and a half later, the situation appears to be getting graver. The following article is presented without edits (but with highlights) to provide you the opportunity to balance today's actions and concern by members of law enforcement with past warnings.

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by Jim Kouri, The Examiner - "Political Correctness seeps deeper into the US military, law enforcement": When the Obama administration announced that enemy combatants and terrorists will be given Miranda Warnings when they are captured, many Americans wondered how that would improve our war fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq or other terrorist havens. However, upon examining the directive by President Barack Obama, perhaps there is an ulterior motive for his directive. Blurring the lines between law enforcement and the military appears to be the goal sought by Obama and the progressives. More federal control of local law enforcement while at the same time cross-training soldiers to perform the police function within the U.S.

In a recent report released to the US Congress, analysts assessed what they termed “preparedness tests” between the U.S. military and government agencies at the federal, state and local levels. U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) exercises to test preparedness to perform its homeland defense and civil support missions. The Government Accountability Office was asked to assess the extent to which NORTHCOM is consistent with Department of Defense guidelines for training and exercise requirement involving interagency partners and states in its exercises.

NORTHCOM’s exercise program is generally consistent with the requirements of DOD’s Joint Training System, but its exercise reporting is inconsistent. Since the command was established in 2002, NORTHCOM has conducted 13 large-scale exercises and generally completed exercise summary reports within the required time frame. However, those reports did not consistently include certain information, such as areas needing improvement, because NORTHCOM lacks guidance that specifies exercise reports’ content and format, potentially impacting its ability to meet internal standards for planning and execution of joint exercises, and to compare and share exercise results over time with interagency partners and states.

“While the rationale for using the US military domestically had been debated for years, President Barack Obama appears intent on using our military at least until he can create his promised 'Civilian Security Force' which he said would be as big and powerful as the military,” said political strategist Mike Baker. “The fact that the military — in this instance NORTHCOM — is being trained to operate within our borders should be setting off alarms throughout this nation. But it’s being ignored even by those who profess to be conservatives,” he said.

Nineteen federal agencies and organizations and 17 states and the District of Columbia have participated in one or more of the seven large-scale exercises that NORTHCOM has conducted since September 2005. However, NORTHCOM faces challenges in involving states in the planning, conduct, and assessment of its exercises, such as adapting its exercise system and practices to involve other federal, state, local, and tribal agencies that do not have the same practices or level of planning resources.

Inconsistencies with how NORTHCOM involves states in exercises are occurring in part because NORTHCOM officials lack experience dealing with states and do not have a consistent process for including states in exercises. Without such a process, NORTHCOM increases the risk that its exercises will not provide benefits for all participants, impact the seamless exercise of all levels of government, and potentially affect NORTHCOM’s ability to provide civil support capabilities.

"It is up to the residents of individual states to tell their governors they do not want the federal government intruding on law enforcement and public safety issues," said former NYPD detective and Marine intelligence officer Sid Frances. "This is especially true if their governors share the same political philosophy as the President and his minions in Washington," he added.

NORTHCOM has a systematic lessons learned and corrective action program to improve preparedness, but gaps remain with collecting and sharing lessons with agency and state partners and managing corrective actions. Access to the system NORTHCOM uses for managing exercise observations is limited for non-DOD participants, and DOD believes that the Homeland Security Department's system is not adequately protected from unauthorized users. NORTHCOM’s mitigation steps have not resolved the issues. In addition, about 20 percent of the corrective actions tracked by NORTHCOM were being closed prematurely due to gaps in oversight. Closing issues prematurely increases the risk that issues will reoccur and limits the knowledge gained and value of the exercise.

The Government Accountability Office is making recommendations to DOD to direct NORTHCOM to consistently involve the states in planning, executing, and assessing exercises and improve oversight of corrective actions. The GAO is also recommending that DOD define when NORTHCOM should use planning and documentation requirements. DOD agreed or partially agreed with the recommendations and cited ongoing and future efforts to satisfy the recommendations’ intent. DOD did not fully address a recommendation on training to NORTHCOM staff on specific state emergency management structures. GAO believes such training would benefit NORTHCOM personnel in advance of a crisis and for exercise planning.

The first active-duty unit dedicated to supporting US civilian authorities in the event of a nuclear, biological or chemical attack is wrapping up three days of intensive training in tactics to be used within the continental United States, according to Armed Forces Press Service representative Donna Miles. Ms. Miles reported to news reporters, bloggers and Internet journalists that troops from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team are at the Naval facility located in Indian Head, Maryland getting hands-on training in skills they would depend on to provide support during a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive incident, known here as a CBRNE.

However, not everyone is happy about this latest military development coming so close to the transition from the Bush White House to the Obama Administration. Some observers believe this plan is part of a deal between President Obama and the current Secretary of Defense who remained in his current position even after the Bush-Obama transition.

“While Obama and his team are making it sound as if they will use the military in a non-combative roll, part of the training being conducted is in urban warfare,” claims Mike Baker. “Obama appears oblivious to Posse Comitatus and to the US Constitution when it comes to using the military against civilians within US borders,” he added.

While the military experts in Obama's pocket appear excited about this use of soldiers within the borders of the United States, many military and police commanders and officers are less enthusiastic. "I cannot understand why the federal government is so intent on using such military force within our borders. It reminds me of the Branch Davidian massacre in Waco, Texas when the feds used excessive deadly force against men, women and children. And they used that deadly physical force based on false information," warns former Det. Frances.

"While I've served in the military and continue as a reservist, as a [New Jersey] cop I'm troubled about the use of federal troops coming into our communities during any emergencies," said Detective Lieutenant Stephan Rodgers
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Jim Kouri is ca vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and a columnist for The Examiner and New Media Alliance. He blogs for the Cheyenne Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB and serves as political adviser for actor Michael Moriarty. He's served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for numerous online news services and appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV, radio news and network and cable talk shows.

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Tags: Posse Comitatus, military, Unites States, DOD, local law enforcement, military force in United States, NorthCom, police, police state, President, US Government
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Arkansas Democrat Leadership Does Not Understand the U.S. Constitution - A Lesson in Arkansas History

This week, State Senator and Republican Candidate for Governor Jim Keet expressed his disappointment with Governor Beebe regarding his recent comments comparing criticism surrounding President Obama’s health care bill to the 1957 Little Rock School crisis.

Keet said, “When I first heard Governor Beebe’s televised remarks comparing Arkansans’ legitimate concerns surrounding the health care bill to the 1957 Little Rock School crisis, I was disappointed.” “I then read his comments in the Washington Post. They dredged up memories of an embarrassing part of our history. As Arkansans we are saddened to be the subject of a derogatory article in a newspaper which is read worldwide. Is this how the Governor wants our state to be portrayed?”

Keet continued, “The legal issue arising from Obamacare is not settled law as was the case in 1957 when Orval E. Faubus whipped up a hateful frenzy in outright defiance of President Eisenhower’s order enforcing the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.”

“For the first time the federal government is directing American citizens to buy a specific product, health care insurance, and if they don’t, they will be fined. It was disingenuous and beneath the Governor to say, ‘they tried it here in Arkansas in 1957 and it didn’t work,’” Keet commented. “Why hurt Arkansas by saying things that the Washington Post could, and did, twist into an innuendo of racism.”

“Attached is a lesson in Arkansas history that Governor Beebe might want to consider. I am no attorney and have never been the Attorney General, but I am a student of history. It seems to me that Governor Beebe should know the difference between a case that was settled by the Supreme Court and a law which has never been tested in the courts. Georgetown University Professor Jonathan Turley, along with other legal experts, believes the lawsuit, which has now been joined by 14 states, has merit. It is unfortunate that our Governor has decided to accept this far reaching law without questioning its constitutionality. And in the process, he has defamed our state in the Washington Post.”
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Lesson in Arkansas History by Jim Keet: Many Arkansans are disappointed that Governor Beebe did not reveal his position on Obamacare until after the bill was passed by congress. Even more people are upset at his refusal to join the governors and attorneys general of other states who are suing to test the constitutionality of the law. Obamacare will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. A significant majority of our people believe it will add to our enormous national debt and diminish the high quality of health care that Arkansans now enjoy.

In answer to those who want to test Obamacare in court, the governor says Arkansas must cave in to whatever the federal government decides to do. His exact quote was: “the truth is the federal government can’t just be defied by the state governments.” To support his position and divert attention, he dredged up the Little Rock High School integration crisis, the ghost of Orval E. Faubus, and a multitude of bad memories from 1957. Politicians often use a red herring, but Beebe’s ploy subjected Arkansas to a fresh, unnecessary round of embarrassment. His comments about a dark moment in our state were spread far and wide by the ever-eager Washington Post.

The legal issue arising from Obamacare is not settled law as was the case in 1957 when Faubus whipped up a hateful frenzy in outright defiance of President Eisenhower’s order enforcing the U. S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education. The court, in Brown, overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, the indefensible “separate but equal” doctrine that created an excuse to segregate the races in public schools. The state of Arkansas did not have a leg to stand on, morally or legally. Unlike 1957, there is no settled precident that controls the issues presented by controls of the healthcare bill.

Obamacare will face constitutional challenges brought by Florida, South Carolina, Idaho, Texas and several other states. The state of Virginia, with wide bi-partisan support, enacted a special law for the express purpose of challenging the Obamacare mandates in court. These are sincere and legitimate efforts to test the elasticity of the Commerce Clause of the U. S. Constitution.
For the first time the federal government is directing American citizens to buy a specific product, health care insurance, and if they don’t, they will be fined. It is one thing to regulate commerce; the intended purpose of the Commerce Clause. It is quite another to force citizens to engage in a specific act of commerce against their will. The court has never gone that far. Where the Commerce Clause ends and the 10th Amendment begins, is a question that has not been settled. The legal actions, peacefully brought by the states to test that proposition stand in stark contrast to the kind of defiance we saw on Park Street in Little Rock in 1957.

Additionally, Obamacare is extremely controversial. It was jammed through congress on a party line vote using questionable procedures, bribes, and backroom deals. It will touch virtually every American in one way or another.
Governor Beebe may call the suits acts of “defiance” but most Arkansans think it is a pretty good idea to see whether the constitution is being violated. It was disingenuous and beneath the governor to say: “They tried it here in Arkansas in 1957 and it didn’t work.” Why hurt Arkansas by saying things that the Washington Post could and did twist into an innuendo of racism? Claims of racism are a mainstay of the national Democrats, but Arkansas deserves better than that from Governor Beebe, particularly on something as sensitive as the Little Rock High School integration crisis.

I will cut him a little slack. He was only 11 years old in l957, but he is a Democrat. I hope these factors account for his skewed recollection of Arkansas history, but that does not dispense with the need to straighten out what he caused to be published in the Washington Post on March 30th.

For the record: Governor Orval E. Faubus was a Democrat. The entire Arkansas congressional delegation signed the “Southern Manifesto” declaring that the Supreme Court abused its power by overruling Plessy v. Ferguson. They were all Democrats. It should also be noted that President Eisenhower was a Republican and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would not have happened without the support of Republicans in congress. Southern Democrats fought it all the way. A lone congressman, Brooks Hays of Arkansas, tried to bring the sides together. He won his Democrat primary but was thrown out of office by a write-in candidate.

In 1964, Winthrop Rockefeller, a Republican, began a political effort to oust Orval E. Faubus and rid Arkansas of bigoted, machine politics. He became the 37th governor of Arkansas and opened up government and politics to women and African Americans. It was Governor Rockefeller’s victory that opened the door for a new generation of Democrats like Dale Bumpers, David Pryor, and Bill Clinton.

So, Governor Beebe, as we finish this lesson let me pose a history question. You were first eligible to vote in 1968 when you were a student at Arkansas State. Were you for Governor Rockefeller or were you for Marion Crank, the hand-picked heir to the Faubus machine?
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Jim Keet is a businessman, former State Senator and current candidate for Governor of Arkansas.

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Tags: Jim Keet, Mike Beebe, Arkansas, Obamacare, US Constitution, government health care, governor, States rights, Arkansas history, Democrats
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Reflecting On "Good Friday": The Purpose of the Passion

A shout out to the Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council staff and thank you for the following post:

The Purpose of the Passion can be summed up as -- a second chance! The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provides a second chance for mankind to walk in relationship with the God who created them. The Scriptures make clear that through Adam sin entered the world, but through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ there is justification for every man, woman, boy and girl--if they only place their trust in Him.

The passion of Christ provides a second chance for each of us to be right with God by being forgiven of everything and anything we have ever done. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives you and me the ability to live life to its fullest because we can be free of guilt and be guided by a purpose that eclipses all that the world has to offer.

Mel Gibson, in his movie The Passion, captures both the need and the power of the second chance available to us through Christ. Jesus is praying in Gethsemane when the guards of the high priest arrive to arrest Him. The guards approach and ask for Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus identifies Himself and Judas comes up to Him and kisses Him, saying "Hail, Rabbi." Jesus asks Judas why he is betraying "the Son of Man with a kiss?" Judas is stunned and steps back.

The guards move in to arrest Jesus. Suddenly, Peter explodes into action, attacking the guards. Ultimately, Peter pulls out a sword and cuts off the ear of one of the guards. Peter is eventually subdued, and Jesus tells him to drop his sword, saying, "Those who live by the sword die by the sword." Then Jesus reaches down, picks up the guard's severed ear, and looking into the guard's eyes, heals him.

Jesus stands up, and the remaining guards move in and arrest Him -- striking Him and handling Him roughly. They shove Him along the road and begin to leave. The healed guard is still on his knees, unmoving. His fellow guards tell him to get up and come along, but he cannot. The guard can no longer participate in anything that brings harm to the Christ.

He was left in the garden of Gethsemane to marvel at what the Savior had done for him. In the film, Peter, left behind, then comes face to face with the guard after Jesus healed his ear and touched his life. This is especially poignant, as within hours Peter would need that same forgiving touch of Jesus and a second chance.

This is the same Peter who had walked with Jesus (Matt 4:18-20). This is the same Peter who boldly declared that Jesus was the Son of God (Matt 16:13-17). This was the same Peter who committed to follow Jesus to the death (Matt 26:35). Despite all of this, Peter denied even knowing Jesus, not once, but three times (Matt 26:75). Was this the end for Peter? Was Peter beyond the forgiveness of Jesus Christ? Not at all! Following the resurrection, Jesus gave Peter a second chance (John 21:15-17).

The Purpose of the Passion is to give each of us a second chance. Whether you're like the guard who came face to face with Jesus for the first time or whether you're like Peter who had walked with Jesus in the past, declared who He is to others and even committed his life to Him, if something is separating you from the abundant life Jesus has obtained for you--a second chance awaits you. That's the Purpose of the Passion.

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Tags: Good Friday, The Passion, Jesus Christ, Family Research Council, Christians
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"You Picked a Fine Time to Lead Us, Barack"

WhiskersFish: [Video]
[For the comment behind the line "bowl like a retard" view: Obama's "Special Olympics" Joke ; For the comment about Obama's brother in the Kenyan mudshack, read: Barack Obama's 'lost' brother found in Kenya] This video is a parody of "You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille" by Kenny Rogers. Written and sung by Jonathan McWhite. Guitar accompaniment by David McWhite.

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Tags: video, parody, Barack Obama, WhiskersFish
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Mount Dora, Florida Doctor Has Had Enough With ObamaCare

Dr. Jack Cassell, a Mount Dora, FL urologist is quite upset with Obamacare and its projected affect on his practice. He is exercising his free speech and has posted a sign on his office door warning supporters of President Barack Obama to find a different doctor. No, he is not rejected any patients but if they opt to leave that is fine with him. He still serves all patients regardless of political beliefs.

The sign on Dr. Jack's office reads, "If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years."

Cassell also proudly displays Republican reading material addressing health care in the waiting room. He even displays a signs with the material that reads, "This is what the morons in Washington have done to your health care. Take one, read it and vote out anyone who voted for it."

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Tags: Mount Dora, Florida, Jack Castell, Uroligist, Obamacare, Republican
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Didn't Obama Get the Memo?

by Bobby Eberle, GOPUSA: One of the most interesting exchanges during the year-long "debate" on health care, and I use the word "debate" loosely, was an exchange between Barack Obama and John McCain at one of Obama's so-called "bi-partisanship" meetings. As McCain was noting some facts about health care, Obama butted in, and with complete lack of protocol, respect, and class addressed the senator as "John" and said that the "election was over."

It was such a bogus statement when he said it, and it is even more ridiculous now. The bill has been signed. The Democrats rammed it through despite a majority of Americans being opposed to it. And now what does Obama do? He steps up the campaign rhetoric by continuing his assault on those who are opposed to more debt, more regulation, and less control over our health care. The campaign for McCain may be over, but Obama's has never ended. . . .

Obama talks about the need to stop campaigning... that the election is over. But how does Obama react once he has signed the bill? He continues to not only campaign, but also mock those who are opposed to it.Obama may joke that the world didn't end or the entire country collapse at the moment he signed the bill, but make no mistake about it... once that bill was signed, you and I lost more of our freedom. Our nation went into even more debt. And a chain reaction began that will "transform" the country just as Obama wanted it.

Doctor's will have more paperwork and get paid less. For all those out there who buy into the socialist mentality, you're probably thinking, "Good. They get paid too much." You probably won't be so happy as those doctors decide to do something else, leaving less choice for patients. More doctors are refusing to see Medicare patients. Now Medicare will be cut to pay for the government health insurance plan. Thus, doctors will get paid even less for seeing a Medicare patient. What do you think will happen? Less choice for elderly patients. Longer waits for elderly patients.

. . . Obama's campaign stop in Maine is only one of many where he will continue to preach the benefits of a health care bill the American people didn't support. In the speech, Obama said, "If they want to have a fight, I welcome that fight. Because I don't believe the American people are going to put the insurance industry back in the driver's seat." He was alluding to Republican opposition and the targeting of Democrats who voted for the ObamaCare plan.

The American people don't want government in the driver's seat! Obama jokes that the country didn't crumble instantly, but when he knowingly signs a bill that contains unconstitutional mandates and burdens Americans with more debt and taxes for generations, then he is causing the first cracks in the dam. Yes, it can be repaired, but will it be too late?

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Tags: Barack Obama, constant campaigning, health care, Bobby Eberle, GOPUSA, political cartoon, Michael Ramirez, unconstitutional mandates
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Arkansas Republicans Candidates Build Leads Over U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln

Rasmussen Reports: Four of Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln’s Republican opponents now earn more than 50% of the vote as her path to reelection grows even steeper. The numbers are closer when Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter is the Democrat in the race, but only because there are more undecided voters with respect to Halter.

Votes Earned:
Former State Senator Jim Holt 51% - Lincoln 35%
Congressman John Boozman 51% - Lincoln 36%
State Senate Republican leader Kim Hendren 51% Lincoln 36%
State Senator Gilbert Baker 51% Lincoln 36%
Businessman Curtis Coleman 48% to Lincolns 36%.
In every case, the Republicans have gained support, while Lincoln, who earned 38% to 41% in the match-ups last month, has lost ground. Now her numbers are back to the lows she experienced in February.

Boozman [presently] runs strongest against Halter, leading him 48% to 34%. Holt posts a 43% to 34% over Halter; Hendren has 42% to 34% lead. Baker has 44% to 36% and Coleman’s 40% to Halter’s 37%.
[Rasmussen did not poll Conrad Reynolds and others GOP candidates against Lincoln or Halter.]

Other Issues:
Repeal the Health Care Bill: 63% favor repeal;  33% are opposed to repeal.
Who Understands America's Problems Better: TEA Party members or the Average member of Congress: 53% say the average Tea Party member; 26% say the average member of Congress.
Obama’s Performance as President: Just 37% of voters approve; 61% disapprove.

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Tags: U.S Senate, Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln, John Boozman, Kim Hendren, Jim Holt, Gilbert Baker, Curtis Coleman
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On Right-Wing "Hate": Don't Take the Democrat Bait

The following words of wisdom from a left coast conservative living in a liberal world. Stogie at SaberPoint in his article below makes an excellent point that needs to be shared with your friends, GOP, TEA Party and other activists.
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Answer a question for me.  Will you agree to stop beating your wife? Yes or no. Why won't you answer? Well there you have it folks. Mr. Reader has REFUSED to stop beating his wife. YOU CUR!  You LOWLIFE! Have you no SHAME?

Hey wait a minute! You might object to the question because it implies guilt on your part. No matter how you answer it, you are found guilty. It is a question designed to put you on the defensive, to make you sweat and look bad.

Democrat operatives know this trick well. Consider this.

MoveOn.Org, is planning a rally outside of Republican headquarters tomorrow to "condemn the hate." What hate? First off, no one has proven that there is any problem with Republican "hate" that requires a rally. MoveOn's rally is built on a false premise and they know it. The schemes and subterfuges of the Left are so transparent it is positively embarrassing. In the political arena, hate is prominent and vicious from the Left, but far more scarce and muted on the Right.

MoveOn.org's gambit is not to "condemn the hate," but to insinuate into the public mind that conservatives are dangerous crazies who are boiling with rage, ready to go postal at any minute. The falling popularity of Democrats and the success of the Tea Parties are not the result of widespread opposition to Obama's radical policies. No, they are the result of some baseless and inexplicable "hate."

When Democrat pundits and reporters ask GOP and Tea Party leaders to "condemn the hate," they are really asking for a tacit admission that the charge is true, that "hate" is a major problem on the Right. Conservatives cannot and should not give credence to the false charge. They must not become unwilling stooges in the Left's bogus drama.

If you are new to politics, this latest initiative by the Left should prove instructive. Politics are largely a mind-game and often the game gets dirty. Don't fall for it.

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Tags: Democrats, dirty tricks, MoveOn
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April Fools - Democrats’ Rainbows and Unicorns

No mandatory health care, trillions of new jobs, and low-emission unicorns. President Obama is the greatest president ever. NRSC:

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Tags: Barack Obama, Health care, History, Law, Politics, president, President of the United States, United States, rainbows, unicorns, Democrats, NRSC, video
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Dwindling Resource - Obama’s Scheduling Error

by William Warren:

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by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author:   Obama’s Scheduling Error - Yesterday, President Obama announced a major shift in U.S. energy policy by opening up large offshore areas for energy exploration. It was the “big story” of the day. But Obama’s announcement should have been made today, because, in spite of all the hype, his proposal amounts to an early April Fool’s joke on the American people.

Unfortunately for the president, his usual willing accomplices in the liberal media let the cat out of the bag. Consider this excerpt from the Los Angeles Times, “President Obama, after delaying and deliberating for a year, unveiled a controversial offshore drilling plan Wednesday that was driven largely by the politics of his agenda on energy and climate change -- not by hopes of changing the nation's energy supply. As a presidential candidate, Obama was attacked … for not supporting all-out expansion of offshore drilling. And one of his administration's first acts after he took office last year was to cancel the long-term offshore plans President George W. Bush had released at the end of his tenure.”

As we reported Friday, and as the Times report states, upon taking office the Obama Administration immediately slammed the brakes on offshore drilling and domestic exploration. Yesterday’s announcement isn’t progress at all. In fact, Obama canceled four planned leases in Alaska, put some areas of the Gulf of Mexico off limits, as well as the entire West Coast. After taking two steps back, Obama at best took one baby step forward.

But the worst part about the announcement is that Obama tied it to his political agenda, i.e., a cap and trade scheme and subsidies for “clean energy.” Cap and trade is a a great big tax that will lead to $7.00 a gallon gas. Why would anyone want to do that? As one analyst described it, this is the “Tanya Harding approach” to energy policy.

Obama and his liberal allies have to “break the kneecaps” of our current economy with tremendous taxes in order to make their Utopian “green” economy viable. For example, in 2008 the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that subsidies for solar energy were $24.34 per megawatt-hour (MWh), while wind power was subsidized at $23.37 per MWh. In contrast, natural gas received 25 cents per MWh in subsidies, coal 44 cents, hydroelectricity 67 cents and nuclear power $1.59.
Gary Bauer is is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families. He submitted this article in an email to the ARRA News Service Editor. Bauer was a former Republican presidential candidate and served as President Ronald Reagan’s domestic policy adviser.

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Tags: Gary Bauer, cap and trade, clean energy, William Warren, political cartoon, Barack Obama, oil drilling, offshore drilling, oil
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Rangel: The Most Un-Ethical Man In Congress - Likens ObamaCare Protesters To Anti-Civil Rights Racists

by Adam Bitely, NetRight Nation: Rep. Charles Rangel, the most enlightened and ethical man in the history of Congress, has claimed that the protesters who came to Washington, D.C. to protest ObamaCare are no different than those who protested against Civil Rights in the 1960's. Don't believe me? Watch the video:
According to Rangel, he has been spat on and cursed at. And today's protesters are just as evil as the Southern Racists of the past. I wonder if Rangel is referring to people like this:






(Hat tip to Below the Beltway for the video and Pajamas Media and Looking at the Left for the images)

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Tags: Adam Bitely. Netright nation, Charles Rangle, ObamaCare, TEA Party, protesters, racism
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