Okay, you're on, just stand by and say nothing - Presto!
Have you heard about the pro-gun control doll, the one that
resembles a Congressman?
You wind it up and it takes away your right to keep and bear
arms - without any evidence or a unanimous verdict of guilty
from a jury of your peers for the conviction of a felony
crime.
No real due process of law would be required under a certain
set of proposed bills pending in the current Congress.
All it takes is a "preponderance of evidence" under the
proposed changes to the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the
Brady Bill.
Not only that, but if the Attorney General sees it that way,
you would not be allowed to make a request for the reasons
you've been denied your Second Amendment rights.
Why? National Security.
Who knows, you could be a terrorist!
Might be. Could be. No telling.
Say what?
That's right. They don't even have to charge you or get an
indictment from a Grand Jury. They just put your name on a
list - and that's that.
It all goes back to 2004 when Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales told the Justice Department's Office of Legal
Policy to form a working group to review federal firearms
and explosives laws as they apply to background checks.
You know the kind. The ones they do when the sales clerk calls
a certain toll-free number back east and reads them your
application over the phone?
The goal: Determine if the government should seek additional
authority from Congress to prevent firearms and explosives
transfers to known and suspected terrorists.
Suspected.
Terrorists.
That's when Sen. Frank Lautenberg, (D-NJ), and Rep. Peter
King, (R-NY), stepped up and added the measure to a proposed
bill, S. 2820, the PROTECT Act of 2009 (Preserving Records
of Terrorist & Criminal Transactions Act) and S. 3117,
Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act.
There is a matching bill in the House, H.R. 2159, authored
by Rep. King.
The PROTECT Act would establish a national gun registry that
would require record-keeping of gun transfers for ten years
for anyone who is suspected of being a member of a terrorist
organization, and 180 days for all other criminal background
checks relating to firearms transfers.
In addition, there is the requirement for repeal of "certain
provisions that require the destruction within 24 hours of
identifying information for individuals who legally possess
firearms."
All such determinations would be taken out of the court
system and placed in the hands of the AG and the Justice
Department.
Things did not progress too far back then, but never mind.
Now it's back again. The Congressmen mentioned above have
re-introduced the same laws and they're up for consideration
in the current Congress.
If it passes, you could go to the gun store to purchase a
firearm and the clerk on the other end of the NICS line, the
one who performs the Brady Bill check, could just say that
you may not have a firearm. Don't sell the gun to this
person.
There would be no reason given.
National Security.
There would be no appeal because your name is on a list and
there is not telling why - at least, under these new laws,
if they pass and the President signs the bills.
National Security.
Yeah.
National Security.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Why Re-Elect Anyone?
What rational purpose is thereby served by that act?
Your government has:
Enacted laws that allow the seizure of property, both
public and private, and its subsequent acquisition by
foreign corporations;
Passed Bills of Attainder in contravention of the United
States Constitution;
Caused certain legislation to come to the floor and be
passed without bothering to read the thousands upon
thousands of pages of attendant verbiage;
Suspended or nullified such basic freedoms as the right to
an application for a writ of habeas corpus, the insistence
upon affidavits of probable cause in the issuance of
warrants or search and arrest, and the obdurate and
obstinate attitude that citizens have no right to keep and
bear arms;
Simply refused to hear, consider or even vote upon the
confirmation of judges and justices appointed by the
President, of cabinet secretaries and ambassadors, and has
caused the conditions in which "czars" have been appointed
to rule and govern without representative or senatorial
Congressional approval;
Taxed its citizens in amounts disproportionate between
classes of earnings and corporate status without so much as
a fare-thee-well;
Increased its debt by manifold proportions, thereby saddling
our grandchilren, great and great great grandchildren with
debt service that can only skyrocket as time goes by;
Prosecuted undeclared wars and other foreign adventures
without seeking the approval of Congress or the people;
Sought to "dumb down," confuse and frustrate the desires of
our youth who would like to learn the core academic skills
of written communications, mathematics and history;
and eagerly assumed the cost of doing business of very
large, vertically integrated multinational corporations
doing business in this nation in banking, securities,
insurance, energy and other key economic areas while the
leadership of these corporations blithely pay themselves
massive bonuses, seemingly to reward themselves for their
ineptitude.
Are term limits the answer? Hardly, since the entire
representative form of government is based on rules adopted
by both houses of Congress that reward seniority as a virtue
and penalizes freshmen for their lack of longevity and
experience.
To return to a strict construction of the Constitution is an
understatement of an emergency procedure which fairly shouts
for recognition.
I put it to you, fellow Americans.
Why the hell would you choose to re-elect anyone - anyone at
all - above the rank of dog catcher, doorkeeper or chaplain?
The Legendary
Your government has:
Enacted laws that allow the seizure of property, both
public and private, and its subsequent acquisition by
foreign corporations;
Passed Bills of Attainder in contravention of the United
States Constitution;
Caused certain legislation to come to the floor and be
passed without bothering to read the thousands upon
thousands of pages of attendant verbiage;
Suspended or nullified such basic freedoms as the right to
an application for a writ of habeas corpus, the insistence
upon affidavits of probable cause in the issuance of
warrants or search and arrest, and the obdurate and
obstinate attitude that citizens have no right to keep and
bear arms;
Simply refused to hear, consider or even vote upon the
confirmation of judges and justices appointed by the
President, of cabinet secretaries and ambassadors, and has
caused the conditions in which "czars" have been appointed
to rule and govern without representative or senatorial
Congressional approval;
Taxed its citizens in amounts disproportionate between
classes of earnings and corporate status without so much as
a fare-thee-well;
Increased its debt by manifold proportions, thereby saddling
our grandchilren, great and great great grandchildren with
debt service that can only skyrocket as time goes by;
Prosecuted undeclared wars and other foreign adventures
without seeking the approval of Congress or the people;
Sought to "dumb down," confuse and frustrate the desires of
our youth who would like to learn the core academic skills
of written communications, mathematics and history;
and eagerly assumed the cost of doing business of very
large, vertically integrated multinational corporations
doing business in this nation in banking, securities,
insurance, energy and other key economic areas while the
leadership of these corporations blithely pay themselves
massive bonuses, seemingly to reward themselves for their
ineptitude.
Are term limits the answer? Hardly, since the entire
representative form of government is based on rules adopted
by both houses of Congress that reward seniority as a virtue
and penalizes freshmen for their lack of longevity and
experience.
To return to a strict construction of the Constitution is an
understatement of an emergency procedure which fairly shouts
for recognition.
I put it to you, fellow Americans.
Why the hell would you choose to re-elect anyone - anyone at
all - above the rank of dog catcher, doorkeeper or chaplain?
The Legendary
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Obama To Proclaim Moratorium On Offshore Drilling
President Barack Obama is expected to announce an extension
of the moratorium on deep water petroleum drilling offshore
at a noon-time press conference.
White House sources also say the President will announce a
delay on approval of proposed offshore drilling in Virginia,
Florida and Alaska pending an investigation by a commission
studying the long-term environmental effects of bolder,
deeper exploration and drilling in those areas.
of the moratorium on deep water petroleum drilling offshore
at a noon-time press conference.
White House sources also say the President will announce a
delay on approval of proposed offshore drilling in Virginia,
Florida and Alaska pending an investigation by a commission
studying the long-term environmental effects of bolder,
deeper exploration and drilling in those areas.
21 Percent Medicare Cut Looms For Doctors, Elders
Speaker Nancy Pelosi vows, "We will not have that cut."
Medicare clients should look in the mail for a glossy
government brochure explaining how Obamacare "keeps Medicare
strong and solvent."
This is in the face of a fast approaching June 1 deadline
that will cause a 21 percent decrease in payments to doctors
if Congress does not act.
Medicare payments are already substantially lower than those
paid by private insurers, something one general practitioner
says makes it "harder to accept new Medicare patients."
Such deadlines are nothing new, but critics of socialized
medicine say that the history of brinksmanship with Medicare
cuts only adds on to the bill in the long run. Somewhere,
they say, there must be a reckoning.
Some doctors are starting to cast a jaundiced eye on the
entire problem, what with rising costs of staff, insurance
and supplies.
Obamacare put a huge strain on the Medicare budget,
according to financial analysts. To bail out senior medical
care would have pushed the total bill way over the $1
trillion, 10-year limit President Obama imposed during the
Congressional battle to pass his monumental "reform" package
aimed at covering all those uninsured patients in the U.S.
Elderly patients should keep a vigil on the unfolding drama,
though House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on
record, saying "We will not have that cut."
Medicare clients should look in the mail for a glossy
government brochure explaining how Obamacare "keeps Medicare
strong and solvent."
This is in the face of a fast approaching June 1 deadline
that will cause a 21 percent decrease in payments to doctors
if Congress does not act.
Medicare payments are already substantially lower than those
paid by private insurers, something one general practitioner
says makes it "harder to accept new Medicare patients."
Such deadlines are nothing new, but critics of socialized
medicine say that the history of brinksmanship with Medicare
cuts only adds on to the bill in the long run. Somewhere,
they say, there must be a reckoning.
Some doctors are starting to cast a jaundiced eye on the
entire problem, what with rising costs of staff, insurance
and supplies.
Obamacare put a huge strain on the Medicare budget,
according to financial analysts. To bail out senior medical
care would have pushed the total bill way over the $1
trillion, 10-year limit President Obama imposed during the
Congressional battle to pass his monumental "reform" package
aimed at covering all those uninsured patients in the U.S.
Elderly patients should keep a vigil on the unfolding drama,
though House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on
record, saying "We will not have that cut."
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Irving Crime Less Since 2007 Illegal Alien Ordinance
City officials say no one individual factor is to be credited
Irving city officials say there is no one factor that caused
a dramatic reduction in the crime rate since the adoption of
a tough city ordinance concerning illegal aliens.
Certainly, the fact that 4,000 foreign nationals in the U.S.
illegally have been detained by city police has helped, but
everyone from the Mayor and Chief of Police point to an
aggressive clean-up of multifamily rental properties and
give equal weight to the fact that about 1,000 substandard
properties have been condemned and demolished.
The resulting reduction in crime rate has approached as much
as 75 percent on one block adjacent to an elementary school.
The ordinance, enacted in 2007, allows city police to detain
for immigration authorities anyone apprehended for a crime
who cannot establish their citizenship or their status as a
legal resident of the U.S.
As such, it is almost identical to a new state law enacted
in Arizona that has aroused huge resentment and allegations
of racism.
So far, the city has spent about $200,000 defending lawsuits
alleging racial discrimination in connection with the
ordinance.
Key to reduction of the crime rate, according to landlords
and real estate professionals, is the near universal
practice of landlords who do a background check on
prospective tenants. Rapists, robbers, murderers, burglars
and drug offenders are eliminated right off the bat as a
result of these checks.
Managers who lease to tenants who have been convicted of
sexual assault, arson and the manufacture or sale of drugs
could face Class C misdemeanor charges.
On a crime index of 100 for the safest rate, Irving weighs
in at 47.
The national median for crimes per square mile is 49.6.
Irving's rate compares at 157, compared with 71 per square
mile in other Texas cities.
It indicates that last year's 815 violent crimes affected
4.25 residents per l,000 out of the city's total population.
The median level for Texas is 5.81.
Crimes against persons improved to the rate of 0.05 per
1,000, 0.27 rapes, and 1.30 robberies.
In property crimes, Irving reported a total of 8.01 per
1,000 in an overall burglary rate of 1,535 reported. Thefts
totaled 7,257 for a rate of 37.87 and an auto theft rate of
6.64 on a total 1,273 reported.
The Irving rates, though dramatically improved, are
significantly higher than national statistics of 7.27
burglaries per 1,000, 22.86 thefts and 4.17 motor vehicle
thefts.
Irving city officials say there is no one factor that caused
a dramatic reduction in the crime rate since the adoption of
a tough city ordinance concerning illegal aliens.
Certainly, the fact that 4,000 foreign nationals in the U.S.
illegally have been detained by city police has helped, but
everyone from the Mayor and Chief of Police point to an
aggressive clean-up of multifamily rental properties and
give equal weight to the fact that about 1,000 substandard
properties have been condemned and demolished.
The resulting reduction in crime rate has approached as much
as 75 percent on one block adjacent to an elementary school.
The ordinance, enacted in 2007, allows city police to detain
for immigration authorities anyone apprehended for a crime
who cannot establish their citizenship or their status as a
legal resident of the U.S.
As such, it is almost identical to a new state law enacted
in Arizona that has aroused huge resentment and allegations
of racism.
So far, the city has spent about $200,000 defending lawsuits
alleging racial discrimination in connection with the
ordinance.
Key to reduction of the crime rate, according to landlords
and real estate professionals, is the near universal
practice of landlords who do a background check on
prospective tenants. Rapists, robbers, murderers, burglars
and drug offenders are eliminated right off the bat as a
result of these checks.
Managers who lease to tenants who have been convicted of
sexual assault, arson and the manufacture or sale of drugs
could face Class C misdemeanor charges.
On a crime index of 100 for the safest rate, Irving weighs
in at 47.
The national median for crimes per square mile is 49.6.
Irving's rate compares at 157, compared with 71 per square
mile in other Texas cities.
It indicates that last year's 815 violent crimes affected
4.25 residents per l,000 out of the city's total population.
The median level for Texas is 5.81.
Crimes against persons improved to the rate of 0.05 per
1,000, 0.27 rapes, and 1.30 robberies.
In property crimes, Irving reported a total of 8.01 per
1,000 in an overall burglary rate of 1,535 reported. Thefts
totaled 7,257 for a rate of 37.87 and an auto theft rate of
6.64 on a total 1,273 reported.
The Irving rates, though dramatically improved, are
significantly higher than national statistics of 7.27
burglaries per 1,000, 22.86 thefts and 4.17 motor vehicle
thefts.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Obama Hears The Bells: Sends 1,200 Troops To Border
Troopers will help immigration officers do routine duties
President Obama finally heeded the wishes of conservative
elements in the U.S. and announced he's sending troops to
help out on the border.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has had a request for these troops
pending for many, many months. The passage of a state law
in Arizona lit a fire under the President and he announced
today he's sending Army troops to help with routine duties
that keep immigration officers tied up.
President Obama finally heeded the wishes of conservative
elements in the U.S. and announced he's sending troops to
help out on the border.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has had a request for these troops
pending for many, many months. The passage of a state law
in Arizona lit a fire under the President and he announced
today he's sending Army troops to help with routine duties
that keep immigration officers tied up.
A Young Lady Doctor's Assessment of Obamacare
Are you productive, contributory to society? ¿Quien sabe?
She is here to give me the news.
It is not good news.
These are the words of a professional, someone who was told
earlier this spring that her income was just cut by about 20
percent by a massive government bureaucracy thinking far in
advance of the actions of a docile, lap dog Congress
considering a massive health care "reform" that ultimately
passed with all the attendant drama reserved for such
ceremonial occasions.
As young as my child, a very decent, very clean-looking
Cubana huera with sharp features and the slightly wild look
out of her eyes that announces - watch it, old man, this
person can think maybe 10, even 20 times faster than you -
Irma Aguirre, M.D., levels a cool gaze at me and says this.
"This is not health care. This is the government's control
of health care.
"Under this new system, Obamacare, you will be judged by
your productivity. If you are not contributory to society,
then there is no good reason to give you medical care.
"I can order dozens of tests. They won't pay for them. You
will go undiagnosed."
She shrugs.
Again, that wild look out of her eyes, something bordering
on rage, but actually cool and collected - anger, yes, rage,
no. No deer in the headlights is she. She is aware,
oriented and ready to fight.
Something tells me she will find a way to practice her
profession, no matter what the government says about
anything, anything at all. This one was born to laugh at
governments.
After all, some things are far too important to be left in
the hands of some silly government.
Asked if the proposed cut in Medicare and Medicaid had gone
through as first proposed, then embargoed by the Department
of Health and Human Services, she answered, "I don't know.
I think probably it did.
"You see, most kids coming out of medical school today are
working for a salary. They come out of school with
one...They keep lowering the payments they will make and the
manufacturers of supplies and pharmaceuticals keep raising
their prices."
One more cool and assessing glance at my frame, the shape of
my body, the texture of my skin. She mentions syringes, the
kind used to inject insulin.
Of course, she has made the diagnosis on sight. I'm a
diabetic. She knows it as well as she knows her own name.
She needs tests to confirm it, but, nevertheless...
Old men can't lie to her about certain things - young men or
women and children, either.
She is a doctor.
She shrugs again, her spare frame and expressive eyes and
hands communicating volumes about who makes the rules and
the way things work in the back of the store.
"The only viable trend is to join the very large
corporations."
Earlier, she told us the true facts about the glorious
revolutionary health care Cubans receive under the Castro
regime. Doctors make the equivalent of $35 per month. They
demand sub rosa payments from patients - cash, American
dollars preferably, produce, eggs, cigarettes, anything
worth money.
There is no free medical care in Cuba, far from it, she has
told us.
We part friends, smiling at one another, both of us
appearing to be somewhat saddened.
She grew up in Houston, graduated from high school at a
place where I nearly broke my bloody neck trying to tackle
guys much larger and more powerful than myself as I gamely
played the game of ritual combat so mixed up with God and
country and religion and honor and duty - football.
It's almost as if we know each other.
Armed soldiers took her daddy away from her home in Havana
to put him on a plane to America when she was three years
old.
It's like we know each other. She's like some neighbor you
see in the grocery store or the bank or the post office on a
routine basis. You feel like you know the person, but the
reality is, you don't.
Then she looks into my eyes one last time, smiles and says,
"I think people deserve better. Don't you?"
I bow to conceal the tears that spring into my eyes.
After all, it's a TEA Party and it's a late spring day on I-
35W at a resort in Burleson, Texas, a Town Forum on survival
and what to do about reducing the invasive powers of a
central government gone power mad, tax happy and
ridiculously extravagant with the money people like Irma
Aguirre, M.D., work hard to earn.
We part friends.
She told me the truth. She didn't try to sugar coat it.
Adios, Doña Medica. You make me happy I met you.
Your news, delivered with aplomb and grace, is most welcome.
At least, I know that which I face. What is coming won't cut
me in my behind, I assure you.
She is here to give me the news.
It is not good news.
These are the words of a professional, someone who was told
earlier this spring that her income was just cut by about 20
percent by a massive government bureaucracy thinking far in
advance of the actions of a docile, lap dog Congress
considering a massive health care "reform" that ultimately
passed with all the attendant drama reserved for such
ceremonial occasions.
As young as my child, a very decent, very clean-looking
Cubana huera with sharp features and the slightly wild look
out of her eyes that announces - watch it, old man, this
person can think maybe 10, even 20 times faster than you -
Irma Aguirre, M.D., levels a cool gaze at me and says this.
"This is not health care. This is the government's control
of health care.
"Under this new system, Obamacare, you will be judged by
your productivity. If you are not contributory to society,
then there is no good reason to give you medical care.
"I can order dozens of tests. They won't pay for them. You
will go undiagnosed."
She shrugs.
Again, that wild look out of her eyes, something bordering
on rage, but actually cool and collected - anger, yes, rage,
no. No deer in the headlights is she. She is aware,
oriented and ready to fight.
Something tells me she will find a way to practice her
profession, no matter what the government says about
anything, anything at all. This one was born to laugh at
governments.
After all, some things are far too important to be left in
the hands of some silly government.
Asked if the proposed cut in Medicare and Medicaid had gone
through as first proposed, then embargoed by the Department
of Health and Human Services, she answered, "I don't know.
I think probably it did.
"You see, most kids coming out of medical school today are
working for a salary. They come out of school with
one...They keep lowering the payments they will make and the
manufacturers of supplies and pharmaceuticals keep raising
their prices."
One more cool and assessing glance at my frame, the shape of
my body, the texture of my skin. She mentions syringes, the
kind used to inject insulin.
Of course, she has made the diagnosis on sight. I'm a
diabetic. She knows it as well as she knows her own name.
She needs tests to confirm it, but, nevertheless...
Old men can't lie to her about certain things - young men or
women and children, either.
She is a doctor.
She shrugs again, her spare frame and expressive eyes and
hands communicating volumes about who makes the rules and
the way things work in the back of the store.
"The only viable trend is to join the very large
corporations."
Earlier, she told us the true facts about the glorious
revolutionary health care Cubans receive under the Castro
regime. Doctors make the equivalent of $35 per month. They
demand sub rosa payments from patients - cash, American
dollars preferably, produce, eggs, cigarettes, anything
worth money.
There is no free medical care in Cuba, far from it, she has
told us.
We part friends, smiling at one another, both of us
appearing to be somewhat saddened.
She grew up in Houston, graduated from high school at a
place where I nearly broke my bloody neck trying to tackle
guys much larger and more powerful than myself as I gamely
played the game of ritual combat so mixed up with God and
country and religion and honor and duty - football.
It's almost as if we know each other.
Armed soldiers took her daddy away from her home in Havana
to put him on a plane to America when she was three years
old.
It's like we know each other. She's like some neighbor you
see in the grocery store or the bank or the post office on a
routine basis. You feel like you know the person, but the
reality is, you don't.
Then she looks into my eyes one last time, smiles and says,
"I think people deserve better. Don't you?"
I bow to conceal the tears that spring into my eyes.
After all, it's a TEA Party and it's a late spring day on I-
35W at a resort in Burleson, Texas, a Town Forum on survival
and what to do about reducing the invasive powers of a
central government gone power mad, tax happy and
ridiculously extravagant with the money people like Irma
Aguirre, M.D., work hard to earn.
We part friends.
She told me the truth. She didn't try to sugar coat it.
Adios, Doña Medica. You make me happy I met you.
Your news, delivered with aplomb and grace, is most welcome.
At least, I know that which I face. What is coming won't cut
me in my behind, I assure you.
The Way It Works - How Things Are Done
50 cents worth of nothing costs them the rest of their lives
You know that somethin' make me feel good
and it's just gon' change my life.
I tell you, somethin' make me feel good
and it's just gon' change my life.
Got to have that brown sugar.
Man, it's just gon' change my life. - ZZ Top
You have to be cold-blooded and way lower than zero to do
it, but there it is.
Let me see if I can break this down simple, short and sweet.
There is a colorful little flower called the poppy. It
grows in high country, mountain glades, in and around desert
areas in places like Afghanistan, Mexico, India, southeast
Asia.
Its blood from the seed pod below the petals and stamen is
raw and sticky, like natural rubber - a gooey compound that
is known as raw opium.
Does any of this sound familiar?
It should.
It's been a central fact of American life now since the late
60's. Heroin, known by its street name of "boy," was once
used to control prostitutes.
Men of "respect," the bootlegging, loan sharking, protection
peddling, prostitute purveying "Moustache Petes" of "our
thing," or what the Sicilians and Neapolitans called "la
cosa nostra," fought bloody wars, first, to keep the heroin
trade out of their territories, then to control their
territories for its sales.
No more.
Gangsters now use it to control whole segments of the
population and wage economic and cultural warfare on entire
regions of the world's greatest industrial power, the United
States of America.
They fight and kill each other every day to control their
territories and transshipment points at various spots -
Matamoros, Reynosa, Laredo, El Paso, Nogales, Mexicali,
Tijuana.
Reduced to its chemical base, it's known as morphine, first
peddled as a painkiller to the battlefield surgeons of
Napoleonic styled citizen armies to use in their chop shops
after shot, shell, minie ball and shrapnel had chewed limbs
to rags and men could be reduced to quivering, screaming
masses of nothing by the terror and the pain of losing large
parts of their bodies suddenly and with extreme violence.
It takes three men to control, treat and pacify any such case.
You have to do it or he will unnerve the other men in his agony.
That's how cold it gets on the battlefield. Not funny, huh?
Its improved base, introduced and marketed under the trade
name of Heroin, was a patented product of the same
organization that markets aspirin today, Bayer
Pharmaceutical.
Oddly enough, like today's methadone, it was originally
marketed as an alternate substance, a substitute for
morphine in the treatment of what was known euphemistically
as "the soldier's sickness," the addiction to morphine.
The first storefront Heroin clinic opened on a Brooklyn
street shortly after the Civil War.
But opium has long been a weapon used to subjugate, pacify
and make docile entire populations by the advance parties of
invading armies. The British introduced it into China and
made the people of its provinces, an economically enslaved
commodity so fiercely guarded by the war lords of the
Emperors, as docile and pliable as little children.
It made them helpless in their desire for more of the magic
dragon that took away all their cares and made them dream
the sweetest dreams imaginable during the foreshortened
lives they lived after they took their pipes to bed with
them.
They entered into a new dimension of enslavement -
willingly, with joy and alacrity.
Trade treaties once impossible to negotiate became
surprisingly easy to effect, almost overnight.
That's why law enforcement types and military intelligence
gurus are vibrating about the new form of heroin that is
starting to appear along the Mexican border and has
penetrated into the northern states of the Pacific northwest
and the midwest.
It's as pure as 80 percent and kills before an addict can
even get the needle out of the vein, stopping the heart and
respiration instantly.
Most heroin is less than 10 percent pure, even as low as 2
to 5 percent, the rest of its ingredients inert substances
such as baby laxative, baking powder, glucal sugar.
But this stuff is so potent - as little as 40 or 50 percent
pure to a high of 80 or 90 percent - that the new addicts
smoke it on sheets of aluminum foil, in glass pipes, or in
cigarettes before they go "on the nod."
The grim fact is that the drug armies of Mexico are
marketing their new product along predictable paths, the
veins and arteries of the interstate highway system. Cops,
citizens and ambulance attendants are finding young,
otherwise healthy addicts stone dead in ditches, motel rooms
and public parks.
There they lay dead, like a broken doll, like a piece of
trash, something thrown away by some insane child.
You've got to be as cold as a dull bayonet to pass on this
plague. It's a very coldhearted way to kill innocent
people.
Heroin addiction has no respect for age, health, beauty or
professional status. It affects everyone from young kids to
people who ought to know better.
Heroin addiction is found in rural areas and in big cities,
in affluent suburbs and in ghettos. All fall before its
terrible sword. Intellect and ability have no bearing on the
equation of nerve endings, neural synapses, the blood stream
and just what a person is willing to put up with to lose the
pain and tedium of what they see as a hopeless life.
Be on the lookout for brown or black tar heroin. It's the
real deal and it takes no prisoners.
It kills the will, then the soul, then it kills the body -
with equanimity. Riches won't save you, nor will
respectability.
Like crack cocaine in the 80's, once known by the street
name of "girl," it's marketed for a very cheap unit price,
too.
Typically priced at $10 a dose, Mexican black tar or
"brown," may be "stepped on" for intravenous use at great
profit when it's as pure as 80 percent.
Imagine the cash flow represented for criminal syndicates
and the armies of the night coming at you right now - in
stereo - blasting down your highways, tearing up your
neighborhoods, laying waste to your children.
From the first taste, people are devastated.
The moral to this story: Human beings who have never seen
heroin or used heroin don't crave heroin.
End of story.
Does that sound like racist rant to you?
Sorry about that. You'll get over it.
You will have to, or you won't survive. They want to take
your life; but, first, they want to steal your soul.
I have spoken.
So mote it be.
Hear my prayer.
Sue me if you can't take a joke.
See you in court.
But hear me when I talk to you. The source of the dope is
wherever the latest brush fire war is being prosecuted.
This time, it's in northern Mexico - Sinaloa, Chihuahua,
Zacatecas, and other points high, dry and close at hand.
God knows.
What does He know?
God knows He does not make rubbish.
What do you make?
You know that somethin' make me feel good
and it's just gon' change my life.
I tell you, somethin' make me feel good
and it's just gon' change my life.
Got to have that brown sugar.
Man, it's just gon' change my life. - ZZ Top
You have to be cold-blooded and way lower than zero to do
it, but there it is.
Let me see if I can break this down simple, short and sweet.
There is a colorful little flower called the poppy. It
grows in high country, mountain glades, in and around desert
areas in places like Afghanistan, Mexico, India, southeast
Asia.
Its blood from the seed pod below the petals and stamen is
raw and sticky, like natural rubber - a gooey compound that
is known as raw opium.
Does any of this sound familiar?
It should.
It's been a central fact of American life now since the late
60's. Heroin, known by its street name of "boy," was once
used to control prostitutes.
Men of "respect," the bootlegging, loan sharking, protection
peddling, prostitute purveying "Moustache Petes" of "our
thing," or what the Sicilians and Neapolitans called "la
cosa nostra," fought bloody wars, first, to keep the heroin
trade out of their territories, then to control their
territories for its sales.
No more.
Gangsters now use it to control whole segments of the
population and wage economic and cultural warfare on entire
regions of the world's greatest industrial power, the United
States of America.
They fight and kill each other every day to control their
territories and transshipment points at various spots -
Matamoros, Reynosa, Laredo, El Paso, Nogales, Mexicali,
Tijuana.
Reduced to its chemical base, it's known as morphine, first
peddled as a painkiller to the battlefield surgeons of
Napoleonic styled citizen armies to use in their chop shops
after shot, shell, minie ball and shrapnel had chewed limbs
to rags and men could be reduced to quivering, screaming
masses of nothing by the terror and the pain of losing large
parts of their bodies suddenly and with extreme violence.
It takes three men to control, treat and pacify any such case.
You have to do it or he will unnerve the other men in his agony.
That's how cold it gets on the battlefield. Not funny, huh?
Its improved base, introduced and marketed under the trade
name of Heroin, was a patented product of the same
organization that markets aspirin today, Bayer
Pharmaceutical.
Oddly enough, like today's methadone, it was originally
marketed as an alternate substance, a substitute for
morphine in the treatment of what was known euphemistically
as "the soldier's sickness," the addiction to morphine.
The first storefront Heroin clinic opened on a Brooklyn
street shortly after the Civil War.
But opium has long been a weapon used to subjugate, pacify
and make docile entire populations by the advance parties of
invading armies. The British introduced it into China and
made the people of its provinces, an economically enslaved
commodity so fiercely guarded by the war lords of the
Emperors, as docile and pliable as little children.
It made them helpless in their desire for more of the magic
dragon that took away all their cares and made them dream
the sweetest dreams imaginable during the foreshortened
lives they lived after they took their pipes to bed with
them.
They entered into a new dimension of enslavement -
willingly, with joy and alacrity.
Trade treaties once impossible to negotiate became
surprisingly easy to effect, almost overnight.
That's why law enforcement types and military intelligence
gurus are vibrating about the new form of heroin that is
starting to appear along the Mexican border and has
penetrated into the northern states of the Pacific northwest
and the midwest.
It's as pure as 80 percent and kills before an addict can
even get the needle out of the vein, stopping the heart and
respiration instantly.
Most heroin is less than 10 percent pure, even as low as 2
to 5 percent, the rest of its ingredients inert substances
such as baby laxative, baking powder, glucal sugar.
But this stuff is so potent - as little as 40 or 50 percent
pure to a high of 80 or 90 percent - that the new addicts
smoke it on sheets of aluminum foil, in glass pipes, or in
cigarettes before they go "on the nod."
The grim fact is that the drug armies of Mexico are
marketing their new product along predictable paths, the
veins and arteries of the interstate highway system. Cops,
citizens and ambulance attendants are finding young,
otherwise healthy addicts stone dead in ditches, motel rooms
and public parks.
There they lay dead, like a broken doll, like a piece of
trash, something thrown away by some insane child.
You've got to be as cold as a dull bayonet to pass on this
plague. It's a very coldhearted way to kill innocent
people.
Heroin addiction has no respect for age, health, beauty or
professional status. It affects everyone from young kids to
people who ought to know better.
Heroin addiction is found in rural areas and in big cities,
in affluent suburbs and in ghettos. All fall before its
terrible sword. Intellect and ability have no bearing on the
equation of nerve endings, neural synapses, the blood stream
and just what a person is willing to put up with to lose the
pain and tedium of what they see as a hopeless life.
Be on the lookout for brown or black tar heroin. It's the
real deal and it takes no prisoners.
It kills the will, then the soul, then it kills the body -
with equanimity. Riches won't save you, nor will
respectability.
Like crack cocaine in the 80's, once known by the street
name of "girl," it's marketed for a very cheap unit price,
too.
Typically priced at $10 a dose, Mexican black tar or
"brown," may be "stepped on" for intravenous use at great
profit when it's as pure as 80 percent.
Imagine the cash flow represented for criminal syndicates
and the armies of the night coming at you right now - in
stereo - blasting down your highways, tearing up your
neighborhoods, laying waste to your children.
From the first taste, people are devastated.
The moral to this story: Human beings who have never seen
heroin or used heroin don't crave heroin.
End of story.
Does that sound like racist rant to you?
Sorry about that. You'll get over it.
You will have to, or you won't survive. They want to take
your life; but, first, they want to steal your soul.
I have spoken.
So mote it be.
Hear my prayer.
Sue me if you can't take a joke.
See you in court.
But hear me when I talk to you. The source of the dope is
wherever the latest brush fire war is being prosecuted.
This time, it's in northern Mexico - Sinaloa, Chihuahua,
Zacatecas, and other points high, dry and close at hand.
God knows.
What does He know?
God knows He does not make rubbish.
What do you make?
Obama To Military: Stand By For North Korean Attack
White House officials directed military commanders yesterday
to make ready for North Korean aggression.
President Barack Obama and President Lee Myung-bak of South
Korea agreed to plans for the punishment of the North Korean
hierarchy for sinking a South Korean warship recently.
They will meet at the G20 summit in Canada next month.
Robert Gibbs, White House spokesman, said "U.S. support for
South Korea's defense is unequivocal, and the presient has
directed his military commanders to coordinate closely with
their Republic of Korea counterparts to ensure readiness and
to deter future aggression."
to make ready for North Korean aggression.
President Barack Obama and President Lee Myung-bak of South
Korea agreed to plans for the punishment of the North Korean
hierarchy for sinking a South Korean warship recently.
They will meet at the G20 summit in Canada next month.
Robert Gibbs, White House spokesman, said "U.S. support for
South Korea's defense is unequivocal, and the presient has
directed his military commanders to coordinate closely with
their Republic of Korea counterparts to ensure readiness and
to deter future aggression."
Monday, May 24, 2010
Flores Hits Edwards' Vote For New Welfare Program
He claims Chet's politics will triple debt in 10 years
All U.S. House Republicans and 9 Democrats voted against
passage of a new welfare bill last week, 177-240.
The new program deletes the earlier requirement that welfare
recipients seek job training or lose their welfare benefits.
Its cost, $2.5 billion.
This is in spite of 280,000 on-line votes from constituents
who turned in their preferences on their cell phones that
their Congressmen go against the new law. It's a new
awareness program instituted by Republicans.
Chet Edwards (D-CD17) was one of the Democrats who voted in
favor of the authorization.
His opponent, Republican candidate Bill Flores, said "To
career politician Chet Edwards, I guess wasting $2.5 billion
is insignificant."
"Texans are fed up with wasteful spending, record deficits
and a deeply irresponsible 2010 federal budget, which Chet
supported, that will double the debt in five years and
triple it in ten. We must get our spending, our budget and
our deficit under control and while Chet Edwards has
displayed zero leadership in achieving this, I will."
All U.S. House Republicans and 9 Democrats voted against
passage of a new welfare bill last week, 177-240.
The new program deletes the earlier requirement that welfare
recipients seek job training or lose their welfare benefits.
Its cost, $2.5 billion.
This is in spite of 280,000 on-line votes from constituents
who turned in their preferences on their cell phones that
their Congressmen go against the new law. It's a new
awareness program instituted by Republicans.
Chet Edwards (D-CD17) was one of the Democrats who voted in
favor of the authorization.
His opponent, Republican candidate Bill Flores, said "To
career politician Chet Edwards, I guess wasting $2.5 billion
is insignificant."
"Texans are fed up with wasteful spending, record deficits
and a deeply irresponsible 2010 federal budget, which Chet
supported, that will double the debt in five years and
triple it in ten. We must get our spending, our budget and
our deficit under control and while Chet Edwards has
displayed zero leadership in achieving this, I will."
Sunday, May 23, 2010
"God Will Get Us Out!" Family Matriarch Said
Cuban Refugees, Policeman, Homeland Security Expert Agree
She was only three years old, but Dr. Irma Aguirre remembers
the scene very well.
Armed guards standing in the doorway of the family's Havana
home told her father that he was free to go to America. The
Castro regime was letting him out of the concentration camp
for that purpose.
But if he chose to leave, he was leaving alone. He could
never return to collect his wife and children and parents.
His elderly mother said, "Just go! God will get us out."
Within a matter of time, her prediction came true.
The family was reunited in America where she grew up and
became a doctor who carries on a general practice in Bryan
with a specialty in plastic surgery and dermatology.
Her father had originally fought alongside Fidel Castro when
he offered hope for a new way and change from the
dictatorial Fulgencio Batista regime. After Castro was
captured by the Batista forces and sentenced to the death
penalty, the Archbishop of Havana interceded and had him
pardoned. He was then sentenced to 13 years behind bars and
gained his freedom after two years.
The doctor recalls that her father changed sides in the
revolution, joining the brigade of freedom fighters trained
by the CIA who were left to die on the beaches of the Bay of
Pigs when the White House withdrew guaranteed air support
and naval forces.
Eventually, he was ransomed by the U.S. and the whole family
was reunited in America.
What had happened?
The Batista regime was smart enough to read the writing on
the wall. They left in the middle of the night one evening
in 1959.
"All Castro had to do was walk in and take over," she
recalls.
A fellow former refugee, Dr. Juan A. Baldor, who chairs the
Spanish Department at Dallas Baptist University, has a
similar memory.
Pointing to a canvas duffel bag, he decalred to a crowd of
about 75 people gathered in the Guadalajara Room at Rustic
Creek Ranch on I-35W, "That bag contained all my family's
earthly possessions.
The year was 1962, just a few months before the Cuban
missile crisis. They were herding his father, his wife and
two children onto a "freedom flight" for Florida.
A Cuban guard took his father's last seven cents away from
him, saying "We'll just keep this for you while you're
away," or something equally witty.
Dr. David McIntyre, former head of the Texas A&M Integrative
Center for Homeland Security and head of a doctoral program
in the subject who resigned to run for Congress, a former
instructor at the Army War College, staff member of the
Office of Chief of Staff, and a Lt. Col. when he retired,
agreed, saying that the economy is just as much as part of
national security as anything else.
There is one thing that is paramount to Americans keeping
their freedom.
A culture of corruption will ultimately cause Americans to
forfeit their privileges.
Sgt. Bert Hernandez, a former Green Beret whose parents came
to America in 1957 from Mexico City and were naturalized the
next year after a 10-year wait, agreed in his presentation.
"My father told us we would have to come to America legally
because if we came before we were supposed to and moved in,
what was that telling our new neighbors about our beliefs?
About our respect for the law?"
Why did the brothers Hernandez, Bert's father and his uncle,
want to come to America? They joined the Army Air Corps to
learn to be pilots.
When America decalred war on Germany, they had to return to
Mexico where they joined the Mexican Air Force.
It was the conduct and courtesy of American police officers
that most impressed Mr. Hernandez Senior, recalls Bert. In
Mexico, the cops are on the take. They steal. They lie.
Their last concern is the well-being of the citizens.
Not so in the America of the thirties. Here were policemen
who were dedicated to seeing the young cadets made it back
to the base in good health, no matter if they had been
drinking.
The result is that Bert Hernandez is today a reserve Wooday
Police Officer with a Master Certificate from the Police
Academy.
Dr. Baldor gave the audience a checklist of 9 elements that
totalitarian governments instill in their takeover of a
nation's freedoms.
1. To diminish or prohibit religious thinking. He recalls
being instructed to pray for candy and not getting any.
Then the teachers told the kids to pray to Castro for candy.
When he opened his eyes, he found candy on his desk top.
2. To destroy core family values. Children are encouraged to
inform on their parents for legal and political infractions.
3. Close all private schools and day public schools and
replace them with boarding schools run by the government in
which the children are separated from the family.
4. Alter textbooks to reflect the government's agenda.
Education goes on, he said, because "Castro had to be sure
the masses could read his propaganda."
5, Control media and control free speech. Reduce sources of
information to only those approved by the government and
promptly jail and punish any people who speak out against
government practices.
6. Take away the right to bear arms.
7. Forbid freedom of assembly.
8. Remove an individual's drive and incentive to be
productive, to take risks. You can only do so much good and
then there is no further incentive to hustle.
9. Break the will of the individual. "You surrender yourself
to a government that considers you an incompetent. In turn,
they agree to take care of everything for you."
What type of care?
Consider the rations doled out to each Cuban citizen each
month. Five pounds of beans, two pounds of rice, no meat,
no fish, two rolls of toilet paper - and the list goes on.
It doesn't mean you will get it. They are out of these
things all the time.
"Standing in line waiting to get whatever they have just
gotten in is a central fact of life in Cuba."
He began to tick off conditions imposed by the Obama
Administration.
There are 30 czars who direct government agencies in
everything from law enforcement to agriculture and health
care who are appointed by the President and are not
confirmed by the Senate. The federal government refuses to
protect our borders and enforce our immigration laws. The
president mocks the words of the Bible and says that America
is not a land of Christians.
"The danger is the loss of freedom happens gradually. We
must be vigilant or what happened in Cuba could happen
here," said Dr. Baldor.
At present, there is a lottery in Cuba in which the winners
are allowed to leave the country, he concluded.
He received a standing ovation.
When Dr. McIntyre came to the lectern, his remarks were
eagerly anticipated.
His premise is this. We can do one of two things. We can
make America safe at the cost of all your liberties, or we
can make Americans safe and keep our liberties.
The problems are manifest and they reside in the culture of
the government.
First of all, there is a fabulously competent intelligence
apparatus that was designed to function at optimum
efficiency - in the cold war. But times have changed. This
is a time when intelligence items just don't get through to
the right people because the people who operate the system
just don't get it. There are some 18 agencies involved. No
one person is really in charge. No one is there to make key
decisions and everyone hides the truth from everyone else.
Secondly, the paradigm of the armed forces has shifted 180
degrees. The world has turned upside down.
It used to be that the main stems of the Army and Navy stood
ready to wage war, requiring massive commitments in
manpower, materiel and funding. There was a smaller, more
economical Army devoted to Special Ops, undercover troopers
who trained and operated with indigenous populations
wherever they fought.
Now, the roles have reversed. The standard Army trains
troopers to go and carry out special ops as a form of
warfare, not as a fifth column or advance guard, but as the
main assault force.
To make matters even more complicated, there is an entire
world filled with obsolete, worn-out American war machinery
that is too dangerous to rely upon. Most aircraft are in
too decrepit condition to fly civilians, but they are still
used to fly military personnel.
His best prediction: Look for a return to Clintonian
defense posture, a reduced military presence worldwide, a
reduction in force and little emphasis on rebuilding
America's arsenal.
The number one national security issue - the economy.
The number one homeland security issue - border security.
Both are imperiled by a resonant culture of corruption.
The TEA Partiers are resolved to pick up the slack, turn
slackers out of office and run candidates who will heed the
warnings of the patriots who addressed them on Sunday.
DVD presentations of the speakers are being prepared and
will be available through www.burlesonteaparty.org
She was only three years old, but Dr. Irma Aguirre remembers
the scene very well.
Armed guards standing in the doorway of the family's Havana
home told her father that he was free to go to America. The
Castro regime was letting him out of the concentration camp
for that purpose.
But if he chose to leave, he was leaving alone. He could
never return to collect his wife and children and parents.
His elderly mother said, "Just go! God will get us out."
Within a matter of time, her prediction came true.
The family was reunited in America where she grew up and
became a doctor who carries on a general practice in Bryan
with a specialty in plastic surgery and dermatology.
Her father had originally fought alongside Fidel Castro when
he offered hope for a new way and change from the
dictatorial Fulgencio Batista regime. After Castro was
captured by the Batista forces and sentenced to the death
penalty, the Archbishop of Havana interceded and had him
pardoned. He was then sentenced to 13 years behind bars and
gained his freedom after two years.
The doctor recalls that her father changed sides in the
revolution, joining the brigade of freedom fighters trained
by the CIA who were left to die on the beaches of the Bay of
Pigs when the White House withdrew guaranteed air support
and naval forces.
Eventually, he was ransomed by the U.S. and the whole family
was reunited in America.
What had happened?
The Batista regime was smart enough to read the writing on
the wall. They left in the middle of the night one evening
in 1959.
"All Castro had to do was walk in and take over," she
recalls.
A fellow former refugee, Dr. Juan A. Baldor, who chairs the
Spanish Department at Dallas Baptist University, has a
similar memory.
Pointing to a canvas duffel bag, he decalred to a crowd of
about 75 people gathered in the Guadalajara Room at Rustic
Creek Ranch on I-35W, "That bag contained all my family's
earthly possessions.
The year was 1962, just a few months before the Cuban
missile crisis. They were herding his father, his wife and
two children onto a "freedom flight" for Florida.
A Cuban guard took his father's last seven cents away from
him, saying "We'll just keep this for you while you're
away," or something equally witty.
Dr. David McIntyre, former head of the Texas A&M Integrative
Center for Homeland Security and head of a doctoral program
in the subject who resigned to run for Congress, a former
instructor at the Army War College, staff member of the
Office of Chief of Staff, and a Lt. Col. when he retired,
agreed, saying that the economy is just as much as part of
national security as anything else.
There is one thing that is paramount to Americans keeping
their freedom.
A culture of corruption will ultimately cause Americans to
forfeit their privileges.
Sgt. Bert Hernandez, a former Green Beret whose parents came
to America in 1957 from Mexico City and were naturalized the
next year after a 10-year wait, agreed in his presentation.
"My father told us we would have to come to America legally
because if we came before we were supposed to and moved in,
what was that telling our new neighbors about our beliefs?
About our respect for the law?"
Why did the brothers Hernandez, Bert's father and his uncle,
want to come to America? They joined the Army Air Corps to
learn to be pilots.
When America decalred war on Germany, they had to return to
Mexico where they joined the Mexican Air Force.
It was the conduct and courtesy of American police officers
that most impressed Mr. Hernandez Senior, recalls Bert. In
Mexico, the cops are on the take. They steal. They lie.
Their last concern is the well-being of the citizens.
Not so in the America of the thirties. Here were policemen
who were dedicated to seeing the young cadets made it back
to the base in good health, no matter if they had been
drinking.
The result is that Bert Hernandez is today a reserve Wooday
Police Officer with a Master Certificate from the Police
Academy.
Dr. Baldor gave the audience a checklist of 9 elements that
totalitarian governments instill in their takeover of a
nation's freedoms.
1. To diminish or prohibit religious thinking. He recalls
being instructed to pray for candy and not getting any.
Then the teachers told the kids to pray to Castro for candy.
When he opened his eyes, he found candy on his desk top.
2. To destroy core family values. Children are encouraged to
inform on their parents for legal and political infractions.
3. Close all private schools and day public schools and
replace them with boarding schools run by the government in
which the children are separated from the family.
4. Alter textbooks to reflect the government's agenda.
Education goes on, he said, because "Castro had to be sure
the masses could read his propaganda."
5, Control media and control free speech. Reduce sources of
information to only those approved by the government and
promptly jail and punish any people who speak out against
government practices.
6. Take away the right to bear arms.
7. Forbid freedom of assembly.
8. Remove an individual's drive and incentive to be
productive, to take risks. You can only do so much good and
then there is no further incentive to hustle.
9. Break the will of the individual. "You surrender yourself
to a government that considers you an incompetent. In turn,
they agree to take care of everything for you."
What type of care?
Consider the rations doled out to each Cuban citizen each
month. Five pounds of beans, two pounds of rice, no meat,
no fish, two rolls of toilet paper - and the list goes on.
It doesn't mean you will get it. They are out of these
things all the time.
"Standing in line waiting to get whatever they have just
gotten in is a central fact of life in Cuba."
He began to tick off conditions imposed by the Obama
Administration.
There are 30 czars who direct government agencies in
everything from law enforcement to agriculture and health
care who are appointed by the President and are not
confirmed by the Senate. The federal government refuses to
protect our borders and enforce our immigration laws. The
president mocks the words of the Bible and says that America
is not a land of Christians.
"The danger is the loss of freedom happens gradually. We
must be vigilant or what happened in Cuba could happen
here," said Dr. Baldor.
At present, there is a lottery in Cuba in which the winners
are allowed to leave the country, he concluded.
He received a standing ovation.
When Dr. McIntyre came to the lectern, his remarks were
eagerly anticipated.
His premise is this. We can do one of two things. We can
make America safe at the cost of all your liberties, or we
can make Americans safe and keep our liberties.
The problems are manifest and they reside in the culture of
the government.
First of all, there is a fabulously competent intelligence
apparatus that was designed to function at optimum
efficiency - in the cold war. But times have changed. This
is a time when intelligence items just don't get through to
the right people because the people who operate the system
just don't get it. There are some 18 agencies involved. No
one person is really in charge. No one is there to make key
decisions and everyone hides the truth from everyone else.
Secondly, the paradigm of the armed forces has shifted 180
degrees. The world has turned upside down.
It used to be that the main stems of the Army and Navy stood
ready to wage war, requiring massive commitments in
manpower, materiel and funding. There was a smaller, more
economical Army devoted to Special Ops, undercover troopers
who trained and operated with indigenous populations
wherever they fought.
Now, the roles have reversed. The standard Army trains
troopers to go and carry out special ops as a form of
warfare, not as a fifth column or advance guard, but as the
main assault force.
To make matters even more complicated, there is an entire
world filled with obsolete, worn-out American war machinery
that is too dangerous to rely upon. Most aircraft are in
too decrepit condition to fly civilians, but they are still
used to fly military personnel.
His best prediction: Look for a return to Clintonian
defense posture, a reduced military presence worldwide, a
reduction in force and little emphasis on rebuilding
America's arsenal.
The number one national security issue - the economy.
The number one homeland security issue - border security.
Both are imperiled by a resonant culture of corruption.
The TEA Partiers are resolved to pick up the slack, turn
slackers out of office and run candidates who will heed the
warnings of the patriots who addressed them on Sunday.
DVD presentations of the speakers are being prepared and
will be available through www.burlesonteaparty.org
Scott Brown Helps Pass Obama Financial Regulation Bill
Four Republican Senators defected and allowed a bill through
that effectively gives the government unprecedented new control
over a third of the economy.
Under the terms of the new regulatory law, the Secretary of
the Treasury can seize any financial institution, bank or
non-bank, if in his judgment it's on shaky ground and too
big to fail. Added to Obamacare and the bailouts, it amasses
a huge new amount of economic power in the Executive
Department.
Additionally, the new law requires prior approval of any
security prior to its issuance. Though it does not ride
herd on derivatives or force their transparency, Sen. Chris
Dodd, D-Conn., set up a commission to study the situation
for the next two years.
Conservatives fear the measure could be used to force
campaign financing, political retribution or any other
bureaucratic whim of which a political appointee may
conceive.
One Democratic Senator, Maria Cantwell of Washington, voted
no against the new regulatory agency.
The four Repubicans who voted for its creation include Scott
Brown, newly elected GOP Senator from Massachusetts, along
with Susan Collins and Olympia Snow of Maine, and Chuck
Grassley of Iowa.
that effectively gives the government unprecedented new control
over a third of the economy.
Under the terms of the new regulatory law, the Secretary of
the Treasury can seize any financial institution, bank or
non-bank, if in his judgment it's on shaky ground and too
big to fail. Added to Obamacare and the bailouts, it amasses
a huge new amount of economic power in the Executive
Department.
Additionally, the new law requires prior approval of any
security prior to its issuance. Though it does not ride
herd on derivatives or force their transparency, Sen. Chris
Dodd, D-Conn., set up a commission to study the situation
for the next two years.
Conservatives fear the measure could be used to force
campaign financing, political retribution or any other
bureaucratic whim of which a political appointee may
conceive.
One Democratic Senator, Maria Cantwell of Washington, voted
no against the new regulatory agency.
The four Repubicans who voted for its creation include Scott
Brown, newly elected GOP Senator from Massachusetts, along
with Susan Collins and Olympia Snow of Maine, and Chuck
Grassley of Iowa.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
ICE Czar: Arizona Law "Not Good Government"
He plans to focus on federal laws to deport criminal aliens
Chicago -- La Migra won't follow a new Arizona law and deport
illegal foreign nationals.
To change behavior, John Morton, head of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, said his outfit will go after employers.
Interviewed by the editorial board of "The Chicago Tribune,"
he revealed plans to punish employers who knowingly hire foreign
nationals who have entered the nation illegally.
The new Arizona law, which allows local and state police to
detain and hold illegals for deportation by ICE, is "not good
government," he said, echoing White House officials, including
President Barack Obama.
In a meeting outlining what will be a new approach to immigration
enforcement in the Chicago suburbs, he noted deportations of
criminals for this year are up 40 percent from a record
400,000 last year.
Mr. Morton said he intends to expand the Secure Communities
Initiative, which includes sharing a database of
fingerprints with local and state authorities.
This law requires police to check suspects in other crimes
for immigration paperwork. The federal emphasis will be on a
comprehensive nationwide approach rather than a hodgepodge
of state laws, he concluded.
Chicago -- La Migra won't follow a new Arizona law and deport
illegal foreign nationals.
To change behavior, John Morton, head of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, said his outfit will go after employers.
Interviewed by the editorial board of "The Chicago Tribune,"
he revealed plans to punish employers who knowingly hire foreign
nationals who have entered the nation illegally.
The new Arizona law, which allows local and state police to
detain and hold illegals for deportation by ICE, is "not good
government," he said, echoing White House officials, including
President Barack Obama.
In a meeting outlining what will be a new approach to immigration
enforcement in the Chicago suburbs, he noted deportations of
criminals for this year are up 40 percent from a record
400,000 last year.
Mr. Morton said he intends to expand the Secure Communities
Initiative, which includes sharing a database of
fingerprints with local and state authorities.
This law requires police to check suspects in other crimes
for immigration paperwork. The federal emphasis will be on a
comprehensive nationwide approach rather than a hodgepodge
of state laws, he concluded.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Illegal Immigrant Women Eligible For Protection, Visas
Victims of violence stand a chance of U.S. citizenship
Desperate, driven crazy by an ongoing onslaught of domestic
violence, the young Latina hanged her three children and
then took her own life.
Her infant child survived.
Had she waited a while longer, Gilberta Estrada Vega, 25, of
Weatherford, would probably been given a permanent visa
under the provisions of the provisions of the Victims of
Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.
She had applied for the status with the help of violence
against women counselors. Her case was pending when she
carried out her rash act.
Uncle Sam is issuing as many as 10,000 such visas each year,
a new resource in the arsenal used against illegal aliens
who break the law with drugs, human trafficking or their
fists.
Once police officers establish there is violence in the
home, it's a simple matter to apply through the immigration
authorities and receive protection. All you have to do is
wait.
According to experts in the field, no one has ever heard of
a case where a woman has applied for the visa, then been
denied and sent back to Mexico.
The abusive husband or family member could very well be
deported while she and her children stay behind with
excellent chances of becoming naturalized American citizens.
Victims say their abusers often tell them no one will listen
to them because of their illegal status.
It is just not true.
Desperate, driven crazy by an ongoing onslaught of domestic
violence, the young Latina hanged her three children and
then took her own life.
Her infant child survived.
Had she waited a while longer, Gilberta Estrada Vega, 25, of
Weatherford, would probably been given a permanent visa
under the provisions of the provisions of the Victims of
Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.
She had applied for the status with the help of violence
against women counselors. Her case was pending when she
carried out her rash act.
Uncle Sam is issuing as many as 10,000 such visas each year,
a new resource in the arsenal used against illegal aliens
who break the law with drugs, human trafficking or their
fists.
Once police officers establish there is violence in the
home, it's a simple matter to apply through the immigration
authorities and receive protection. All you have to do is
wait.
According to experts in the field, no one has ever heard of
a case where a woman has applied for the visa, then been
denied and sent back to Mexico.
The abusive husband or family member could very well be
deported while she and her children stay behind with
excellent chances of becoming naturalized American citizens.
Victims say their abusers often tell them no one will listen
to them because of their illegal status.
It is just not true.
"Machete" - Spoof Or Incitement To Race War?
Exploitation flick strikes at the heart of border politics
Look into the face of Danny Trejo and behold a seasoned
character actor branded with his typical role as a Hispanic
badass handy with the gun and knife.
Moviegoers will remember him from such dramas as "Salton
Sea," a story about police involvement in the manufacturing
and sales of methamphetamines, or in his role as "Razor
Charlie" in Quentin Tarantino's "From Dusk 'Til Dawn."
When he's not in character, he's a pleasant enough chap, but
when he takes on the guise as one of his screen depictions -
look out.
You are definitely not looking at The Cisco Kid.
You will be looking at a very convincing gang hoodlum, a
pistolero, an extremely violent vato, a cholo with elaborate
penitentiary tattoos and an extremely rough face.
When he snarls, well, that's when Bad José gets worse - then
and there.
All this seems to come naturally to the native of Echo Park,
a Los Angeles movie enclave nestled in a sun-splashed canyon
northwest of downtown Shaky and southeast of Hollywood that
once was the pre-war - that is, pre-World War One - site of
the Mack Sennet Studio. They made the "Keystone Kops" films
there, as well as Laurel and Hardy and many Charlie Chaplin
epics.
In his latest project, he stars as an exiled ex-Federale
doing hard time day labor on the streets of Austin when he's
approached by a very sinister character played by Jeff
Fahey. The proposition: kill a Senator played by Robert
DeNiro who advocates following Arizona's suit by passing a
law that allows state control of the Mexican border, since
the U.S. government doesn't seem up to the task.
Predictably, the climax of the film comes when the Trejo
character has been double-crossed by the bad guys and shows
up in the obligatory black duster with literally dozens of
knives - everything from machetes to carving knives -
concealed in the lining of the ankle-length garment.
The trailer, an inspiration of Mssrs. Robert Rodriguez and
Quentin Tarantino, at that point intones "They f---ed with
the wrong Mexican!"
Other luminaries turn in performances in the best
exploitation style. Lindsay Lohan licks the barrel of some
kind of huge magnum revolver; Michelle Rodriguez plays a
tres-chic Hispanic ingenue; Cheech Marin does yeoman's
service as a Catholic priest who totes two pump action
shotguns against the "conservative" gringos; Don Johnson
plays a very racist, very redneck policeman complete with
Smoky The Bear hat and aviator shades; Jessica Alba shouts
out, "We didn't cross the border; the border crossed us!" at
a rally on the steps of the Capitol Building.
In its concluding sequence, the trailer blazes away,
screaming, "'Machete' says F@#%K Arizona!"
I guess the central question is this. Do you have a sense
of humor?
Just knowing that this project started as a spoof of an
exploitation film trailer that was inserted into yet another
feature film produced and directed by Mr. Tarantino,
"Grindhouse," should get you prepared to know you should
have one - or at least start thinking about it.
Certain conservatives in the film industry are decrying the
fact that the Texas Film Commission granted the project
sales tax exempt status because it was shot in Texas.
Currently, the Governor's office is fielding angry
complaints from the conservative community regarding
everything from the fact that the film was completed at the
Austin Film Studio located at the airport, a city facility
managed by the Austin Film Society that uses an old building
left over from when it was Bergstrom Air Force Base, to the
fact that its producers have filed an application for state
funding.
The Film Commission funds only projects that have been
completed - principal photography, post production, editing,
etc.
So far, the only benefit Mr. Rodriguez's Troublemaker
Studios has received is the Comptroller's Office usual
waiver of the collection of sales taxes on equipment and
supplies bought and leased for the production. It's a
benefit given filmmakers under the terms of a statute that
enabled the creation of the Commission. It matters not what
the politics of the project may be, only that it was
completed in the Lone Star State.
Of course, the Film Commission assists with the necessary
permits required to film on the streets and highways of the
state. So does every other state.
John Nolte, editor-in-chief of the website "Big Hollywood,"
asked in his column, "Are racist-revenge fantasies the
intended use of such publicly and community supported
institutions?"
His bottom line - "The left using racial divisiveness to
keep their fractured coalition together is nothing new..."
Writing from his home base in Lumberton, Texas, conservative
blogger Peter Morrison shouted for revenge on "the Hollywood
elites."
"To make matters even worse, it has come to light that this
film is not only being shot in Texas, it may have received
financial and other assistance from the government of the
State of Texas. We need to contact Governor Perry and the
Texas Film Commission to protest this outrage, and demand
that no more of our taxpayer dollars are used to finance
anti-American propaganda."
Yawning, The Legendary said, "Once you've been smuggled into
the drive-in on a Saturday night in the trunk of a '56 Chevy
so you can watch Stanley Kramer's 'The Wild One' starring
Marlon Brando, it's kind of hard to get excited about the
politics of Tinseltown projects, even if they made them in
Austin."
Besides, I don't make no deals with no cops and we don't
need no stinking badges, neither.
Want to watch the trailer?
I'm warning you, be sure the little ones are safely in bed.
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/05/14/your-
tax-dollars-at-work-machete-glorifies-race-war/
As the marquees in the old-time, Pre-Giuliani Times Square
used to say, "A Story Torn From Today's Headlines!"
Look into the face of Danny Trejo and behold a seasoned
character actor branded with his typical role as a Hispanic
badass handy with the gun and knife.
Moviegoers will remember him from such dramas as "Salton
Sea," a story about police involvement in the manufacturing
and sales of methamphetamines, or in his role as "Razor
Charlie" in Quentin Tarantino's "From Dusk 'Til Dawn."
When he's not in character, he's a pleasant enough chap, but
when he takes on the guise as one of his screen depictions -
look out.
You are definitely not looking at The Cisco Kid.
You will be looking at a very convincing gang hoodlum, a
pistolero, an extremely violent vato, a cholo with elaborate
penitentiary tattoos and an extremely rough face.
When he snarls, well, that's when Bad José gets worse - then
and there.
All this seems to come naturally to the native of Echo Park,
a Los Angeles movie enclave nestled in a sun-splashed canyon
northwest of downtown Shaky and southeast of Hollywood that
once was the pre-war - that is, pre-World War One - site of
the Mack Sennet Studio. They made the "Keystone Kops" films
there, as well as Laurel and Hardy and many Charlie Chaplin
epics.
In his latest project, he stars as an exiled ex-Federale
doing hard time day labor on the streets of Austin when he's
approached by a very sinister character played by Jeff
Fahey. The proposition: kill a Senator played by Robert
DeNiro who advocates following Arizona's suit by passing a
law that allows state control of the Mexican border, since
the U.S. government doesn't seem up to the task.
Predictably, the climax of the film comes when the Trejo
character has been double-crossed by the bad guys and shows
up in the obligatory black duster with literally dozens of
knives - everything from machetes to carving knives -
concealed in the lining of the ankle-length garment.
The trailer, an inspiration of Mssrs. Robert Rodriguez and
Quentin Tarantino, at that point intones "They f---ed with
the wrong Mexican!"
Other luminaries turn in performances in the best
exploitation style. Lindsay Lohan licks the barrel of some
kind of huge magnum revolver; Michelle Rodriguez plays a
tres-chic Hispanic ingenue; Cheech Marin does yeoman's
service as a Catholic priest who totes two pump action
shotguns against the "conservative" gringos; Don Johnson
plays a very racist, very redneck policeman complete with
Smoky The Bear hat and aviator shades; Jessica Alba shouts
out, "We didn't cross the border; the border crossed us!" at
a rally on the steps of the Capitol Building.
In its concluding sequence, the trailer blazes away,
screaming, "'Machete' says F@#%K Arizona!"
I guess the central question is this. Do you have a sense
of humor?
Just knowing that this project started as a spoof of an
exploitation film trailer that was inserted into yet another
feature film produced and directed by Mr. Tarantino,
"Grindhouse," should get you prepared to know you should
have one - or at least start thinking about it.
Certain conservatives in the film industry are decrying the
fact that the Texas Film Commission granted the project
sales tax exempt status because it was shot in Texas.
Currently, the Governor's office is fielding angry
complaints from the conservative community regarding
everything from the fact that the film was completed at the
Austin Film Studio located at the airport, a city facility
managed by the Austin Film Society that uses an old building
left over from when it was Bergstrom Air Force Base, to the
fact that its producers have filed an application for state
funding.
The Film Commission funds only projects that have been
completed - principal photography, post production, editing,
etc.
So far, the only benefit Mr. Rodriguez's Troublemaker
Studios has received is the Comptroller's Office usual
waiver of the collection of sales taxes on equipment and
supplies bought and leased for the production. It's a
benefit given filmmakers under the terms of a statute that
enabled the creation of the Commission. It matters not what
the politics of the project may be, only that it was
completed in the Lone Star State.
Of course, the Film Commission assists with the necessary
permits required to film on the streets and highways of the
state. So does every other state.
John Nolte, editor-in-chief of the website "Big Hollywood,"
asked in his column, "Are racist-revenge fantasies the
intended use of such publicly and community supported
institutions?"
His bottom line - "The left using racial divisiveness to
keep their fractured coalition together is nothing new..."
Writing from his home base in Lumberton, Texas, conservative
blogger Peter Morrison shouted for revenge on "the Hollywood
elites."
"To make matters even worse, it has come to light that this
film is not only being shot in Texas, it may have received
financial and other assistance from the government of the
State of Texas. We need to contact Governor Perry and the
Texas Film Commission to protest this outrage, and demand
that no more of our taxpayer dollars are used to finance
anti-American propaganda."
Yawning, The Legendary said, "Once you've been smuggled into
the drive-in on a Saturday night in the trunk of a '56 Chevy
so you can watch Stanley Kramer's 'The Wild One' starring
Marlon Brando, it's kind of hard to get excited about the
politics of Tinseltown projects, even if they made them in
Austin."
Besides, I don't make no deals with no cops and we don't
need no stinking badges, neither.
Want to watch the trailer?
I'm warning you, be sure the little ones are safely in bed.
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/05/14/your-
tax-dollars-at-work-machete-glorifies-race-war/
As the marquees in the old-time, Pre-Giuliani Times Square
used to say, "A Story Torn From Today's Headlines!"
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
South Korea Accuses Neighbor of Torpedoing Warship
Saber rattling has a negative effect on nuclear talks
On again, off again nuclear disarmament talks appear to be
off again following the revelation that a North Korean
torpedo sank a South Korean warship.
South Korea's foreign minister said yesterday that
investigators have analyzed debris from a torpedo that sank
a 1,200-ton warship near its disputed western maritime
border with South Korea and identified it as pieces of a
North Korean weapon.
The attack cost 46 lives after rescuers fished 58 sailors
out of the Yellow Sea. The vessel was on a routine patrol
at the time of the attack.
Only a truce of cessation of hostilities brokered in 1953 by
the United Nations is in place following the two nations' 3
year war which saw intervention by such superpowers as The
People's Republic of China and the United States.
In that conflict, massive human waves of Red Chinese
soldiers attacked American troops who mowed them down with
automatic and small arms fire. The two Korean nations
routinely meet every so often to agree to disagree on the
terms of a peace treaty and then adjourn abruptly.
An American State Department spokesman said the nuclear
disarmament talks are definitely on hold pending the outcome
of a South Korean assertion made yesterday that it intends
to confront North Korea in the U.N. Security Council.
The announcement by Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan came amid
increasing military speculation that a similar attack caused
the blowout and sinking of the drilling vessel Deepwater
Horizon a mere 50 miles distant from the shores of Louisiana
on Earth Day, April 20. Crude continues to gush from the
damaged wellhead, though British Petroleum engineers have
been able to mitigate the spill to some extent.
On again, off again nuclear disarmament talks appear to be
off again following the revelation that a North Korean
torpedo sank a South Korean warship.
South Korea's foreign minister said yesterday that
investigators have analyzed debris from a torpedo that sank
a 1,200-ton warship near its disputed western maritime
border with South Korea and identified it as pieces of a
North Korean weapon.
The attack cost 46 lives after rescuers fished 58 sailors
out of the Yellow Sea. The vessel was on a routine patrol
at the time of the attack.
Only a truce of cessation of hostilities brokered in 1953 by
the United Nations is in place following the two nations' 3
year war which saw intervention by such superpowers as The
People's Republic of China and the United States.
In that conflict, massive human waves of Red Chinese
soldiers attacked American troops who mowed them down with
automatic and small arms fire. The two Korean nations
routinely meet every so often to agree to disagree on the
terms of a peace treaty and then adjourn abruptly.
An American State Department spokesman said the nuclear
disarmament talks are definitely on hold pending the outcome
of a South Korean assertion made yesterday that it intends
to confront North Korea in the U.N. Security Council.
The announcement by Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan came amid
increasing military speculation that a similar attack caused
the blowout and sinking of the drilling vessel Deepwater
Horizon a mere 50 miles distant from the shores of Louisiana
on Earth Day, April 20. Crude continues to gush from the
damaged wellhead, though British Petroleum engineers have
been able to mitigate the spill to some extent.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Flores Paints Grim Picture of U.S. Budget Deficit
American assets ripe for plucking by Chinese creditors
If Bill Flores has said it once, he's said it a thousand
times.
He's not running for Congress for his own personal
satisfaction.
He's doing it for his kids and his grandchildren and their
children.
America's willy-nilly deficit spending puts 40 cents of each
budgeted dollar under the column of money borrowed from
foreign governments like China.
"This is a debt that our government is levying on our
children and grandchildren," Mr. Flores said on Tuesday.
What's more, it is a debt secured with American assets such
as petroleum reserves, timberlands, uranium deposits and
other precious commodities which rightfully belong to the
American people.
Maybe it takes an accountant to point out the painful truth.
The stark facts are these.
Comparison of American foreign debt posture to that of
Greece puts a lot of light on the subject and its perilous
implications.
The simple truth is that the Greek level of debt is at 115
percent of that nation's gross domestic product. That's why
the International Monetary Fund approved a $40 billion
bailout, said Mr. Flores.
But America's credit picture is equally grim.
"A recent report from the IMF found that U.S. debt will
reach 100 percent of GDP by 2015. That same report found
that America needs to reduce its structural deficit by 12
percent of GDP, while Greece only needs to reduce its
deficit by nine percent," according to Mr. Flores.
American deficit spending for April was $82.7 billion.
"That is the 19th straight month that we have run a budget
deficit," said Mr. Flores.
"For the first seven months of this fiscal year, the
cumulative budget deficit is nearly $800 million...This
year's projected deficit is $1.5 trillion - up form last
year's $l.4 trillion.
"The Obama budget that passed Congress, with the support of
Congressman Chet Edwards, put us on a path to double our
national debt in five years and triple it in ten years."
The solution?
Get rid of Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Edwards and other
liberal Democrats and hire conservative Republicans such as
himself, said Mr. Flores.
"It is time we stop Washington's wasteful spending!" he
concluded.
At a recent public appearance, Mr. Flores addressed some of
the opposition research the Edwards camp has done on him.
He answered allegations that international investment banker
George Soros controlled his startup offshore oil company,
Phoenix Exploration, in this way.
When he formed Phoenix Exploration, he said, an equity
contributor joined the limited liability partnership with a
pool of liquid cash matched by money put up by the Soros
Fund.
"I didn't care where he got his funding. That wasn't our
deal," he told the Republican District 17 Executive
Coalition.
The fact that he obtained funding from Mr. Soros did not
confront the future of Phoenix Exploration.
"I have never met George Soros," he said. "The truth is, he
(Soros) has money lent out all over the globe."
Mr. Soros is a Hungarian Jew who fled Nazi oppression during
World War Two and became a porter and waiter in London where
he obtained an education as an international investment
banker. Some people object to his politics and his
ethnicity.
Mr. Flores assured voters and party officials alike that he
has divested himself of his holdings in the petroleum
company he founded. He is running for Congress as a retired
executive who has created American jobs for Americans in
American businesses for the past 30 years.
If Bill Flores has said it once, he's said it a thousand
times.
He's not running for Congress for his own personal
satisfaction.
He's doing it for his kids and his grandchildren and their
children.
America's willy-nilly deficit spending puts 40 cents of each
budgeted dollar under the column of money borrowed from
foreign governments like China.
"This is a debt that our government is levying on our
children and grandchildren," Mr. Flores said on Tuesday.
What's more, it is a debt secured with American assets such
as petroleum reserves, timberlands, uranium deposits and
other precious commodities which rightfully belong to the
American people.
Maybe it takes an accountant to point out the painful truth.
The stark facts are these.
Comparison of American foreign debt posture to that of
Greece puts a lot of light on the subject and its perilous
implications.
The simple truth is that the Greek level of debt is at 115
percent of that nation's gross domestic product. That's why
the International Monetary Fund approved a $40 billion
bailout, said Mr. Flores.
But America's credit picture is equally grim.
"A recent report from the IMF found that U.S. debt will
reach 100 percent of GDP by 2015. That same report found
that America needs to reduce its structural deficit by 12
percent of GDP, while Greece only needs to reduce its
deficit by nine percent," according to Mr. Flores.
American deficit spending for April was $82.7 billion.
"That is the 19th straight month that we have run a budget
deficit," said Mr. Flores.
"For the first seven months of this fiscal year, the
cumulative budget deficit is nearly $800 million...This
year's projected deficit is $1.5 trillion - up form last
year's $l.4 trillion.
"The Obama budget that passed Congress, with the support of
Congressman Chet Edwards, put us on a path to double our
national debt in five years and triple it in ten years."
The solution?
Get rid of Speaker Pelosi, Congressman Edwards and other
liberal Democrats and hire conservative Republicans such as
himself, said Mr. Flores.
"It is time we stop Washington's wasteful spending!" he
concluded.
At a recent public appearance, Mr. Flores addressed some of
the opposition research the Edwards camp has done on him.
He answered allegations that international investment banker
George Soros controlled his startup offshore oil company,
Phoenix Exploration, in this way.
When he formed Phoenix Exploration, he said, an equity
contributor joined the limited liability partnership with a
pool of liquid cash matched by money put up by the Soros
Fund.
"I didn't care where he got his funding. That wasn't our
deal," he told the Republican District 17 Executive
Coalition.
The fact that he obtained funding from Mr. Soros did not
confront the future of Phoenix Exploration.
"I have never met George Soros," he said. "The truth is, he
(Soros) has money lent out all over the globe."
Mr. Soros is a Hungarian Jew who fled Nazi oppression during
World War Two and became a porter and waiter in London where
he obtained an education as an international investment
banker. Some people object to his politics and his
ethnicity.
Mr. Flores assured voters and party officials alike that he
has divested himself of his holdings in the petroleum
company he founded. He is running for Congress as a retired
executive who has created American jobs for Americans in
American businesses for the past 30 years.
Security Experts, Immigrants Fear Nationalization
Deepwater Horizon sinking speculated as attack by N.Korea
A drilling platform far out in the Gulf of Mexico is boarded
by armed men who arrived in a mini-sub.
Because it's so far from land and its workers so occupied
with work on the drilling floor, they are quickly captured,
the huge structure compromised by the men in the ninja
suits, men armed with fully automatic weapons, limpet mines,
flash-bang grenades and enough plastic explosives to knock
the rig whomper-jawed and inoperable for months to come,
perhaps to sink it.
Their demands, if there are any, are completely non-
negotiable. They aren't there to make sense. They're there
to disrupt and destroy.
An outpost on a lonely stretch of pipeline snaking across
high desert country suddenly explodes, halting
transportation of crude to a distant refinery or
transshipment point hundreds of miles distant.
A refinery vaporizes, belching flames and boiling
petrochemicals that leaves its steel structures twisted and
smoking, the fire burning out of control for days after.
A small squadron of power boats loaded with explosives slams
into the side of a fleet of supertankers in a narrow passage
of water such as the Houston Ship Channel, New York Harbor,
San Francisco's Golden Gate or the Straits of Hormuz,
leaving the sea lane impassable.
A freighter launches a modified SCUD missile over a
petrochemical complex on the eastern seaboard. Its payload
- a device that emits a burst of electromagnetic energy that
disrupts all computer operations, communications, even the
traffic lights and refrigeration systems of supermarkets and
food warehouses, leaves a city writhing helplessly, its
industrial base disrupted, distribution systems inoperable,
the population helpless, without food, water, or essential
medical services.
What are the implications for national economies, securities
markets, transportation systems?
Utter devastation.
Consider white papers prepared by such organizations as The
Rand Corporation in support of studies done for the
government and major petroleum producers and refiners.
All these scenarios come from just such a study done in 1988
by the Rand Corporation, authored by Brian Michael Jenkins
and inserted in the Air and Seaport Defence and Security
Handbook for 1989.
Charles Goslin, vice president of international operations
for Duos Technologies, Inc., a veteran operations officer
with 27 years experience working for CIA, penned a similar
white paper in 2008 for his firm. It outlines what Duos can
do about each of these scenarios. They use electronic
barriers, pan and tilt video surveillance, sophisticated
alarms and pressure switches along the routes of pipelines,
wire mesh guards underneath drilling platforms that extend
hundreds of feet below the surface, and radar target alarms.
Sabotage and terrorism ranges from something as simple as
vandalism by a disgruntled employee to concerted efforts by
a hostile nation to disrupt the nation's petroleum drilling,
transport and refinement, whether it is taking place in
Eurasian oil fields, in Iraq or Iran, Arabia or Kuwait, the
Gulf of Mexico, or the South China Sea.
It's nothing new. There is a chronology dating back to way
before World War Two, the mid-fifties when Nasser sank ships
in the Suez Canal, and the sixties when Col. Muammar
Quadaffi first began to nationalize American oil fields in
Libya.
In fact, the switch from coal to bunker oil by the world's
navies touched off the conflict prior to World War One when
Winston Churchill sent T.E. Lawrence, author of "Seven
Pillars of Wisdom" and "Lawrence of Arabia" fame, to
organize Bedouin tribesmen on the Arabian Peninsula into
Kingdoms, Principalities and Emirates in order to resist the
German sponsorship of the Turks who were on a similar
mission in pursuit of petroleum.
The object of present day terrorists and guerillas: to use
America's petroleum as a weapon against her own people,
disrupt her economy and set her world in blazes.
Speculation about the fate of the well that blew out and
sank Transocean's Deepwater Horizon on an offshore British
Petroleum property 50 miles outside of Venice, Louisiana,
are more than idle chat.
There are people who study these things.
The most popular idea goes like this and you can find it all
over the internet, espoused by everyone from Rush Limbaugh
to deep thinkers for the national defense establishment.
A mini-submarine of North Korean origin was launched from a
merchant ship crewed by elite black ops troops, according to
the story. Instead of heading for Venezuela when the ship
left the port at Havana, it made way for the Deepwater
Horizon, a rig built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South
Korea, which was drilling 50 miles offshore near Venice,
Louisiana.
After firing two torpedos at the well, buckling its drill
stem that extended a mile below the surface of the water
where a Halliburton's crew was busy cementing the side walls
of the hole to keep it from collapsing, the blowout
occurred, sending the vessel to Davy Jones's locker.
Though the drilling company, BP and Halliburton all three
did pressure tests, the natural gas, mud and petroleum sent
pieces of 21-inch casing cascading out of the hole like so
many soda straws.
An act of war?
It's plausible. After all, the two nations of North and
South Korea have never signed a treaty of peace. There is
merely a cessation of hostilities between the two.
This means the disaster, all the ecological damage, loss of
life and property, is the result of an act of war if the
allegation can be proven up in international courts.
No one walks away bankrupt.
If it takes a nuclear blast to plug the hole, then everyone
in the world gets to keep nukes handy for just such an
emergency.
What's more, like the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the attack
uses the precious petrolueum is used as a weapon against its
true owners, the people of the U.S.
Says who?
Russian intelligence reports circulating inside the Kremlin
at this time.
Misinformation? Disinformation?
It sends little chills down the spine, to say the least.
One thing for sure, it's got to be way too much of a
coincidence that all this happened on Earth Day, 2010, just
as Cap and Trade is entering negotiations in the Senate, the
U.N. Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty is on the table, and a
liberal President and Congress are flexing their muscles and
baring their claws over weighty issues such as health care,
energy policy and getting the troops out of foreign oil
fields where they guard the infrastructure for American
corporations, foreign governments and to keep a balance of
power between Arabs and the state of Israel.
Meanwhile, the mainstream media is preoccupied with
everything but the true causes and origins of the trouble.
We see lots of pictures of dead birds, dolphins and sea
otters, but few pictures of the actual damage at the
wellhead, other than the futility of efforts by BP to stem
and divert the runaway flow of the massive spill.
We intend to ask Col. David McIntyre about all this at a
Burleson TEA Party Forum to be held on Sunday afternoon, the
23rd, in that city at Rustic Creek Ranch, 2301 S. Burleson
Blvd.
He is a West Point graduate with 30 years experience in the
Army, teaching national security at Texas A&M and the
National War College, he is making a presentation along with
former Green Beret Bert Hernandez, general manager of Bird-
Kultgen Ford of Waco and Vice President of Hispanic
Republican Club of McLennan County.
Mr. Hernandez's family left Mexico and came to America where
many of them have become naturalized while other family
members are still waiting for Uncle Sam to open up the
books.
They will be joined by Professor Juan A. Baldor, a former
Cuban refugee whose family sought asylum in this nation in
1962. He is Chairman of the Spanish Department at Dallas
Baptist University. Dr. Irma Aguirre, a former Cuban
refugee and a family practioner who came to College Station
Medical Center from Houston, will round out the list of
speakers.
RSVP with Angie Cox at burlesonteaparty@gmail.com
"I have advised our speakers to be extremely frank with the
audience, as I feel an informed American is more able and
prepared at what quite possibly will hit them very soon,"
said Ms. Cox.
Many people who have lived under totalitarian regimes fear
the sight of ninja-suited SWAT teams boarding the oil
platforms offshore. They have seen it all before -
nationalization of private business, medical facilities,
transportation and communications infrastructure.
There is a $5 donation to help pay for the hire of the
meeting space.
A drilling platform far out in the Gulf of Mexico is boarded
by armed men who arrived in a mini-sub.
Because it's so far from land and its workers so occupied
with work on the drilling floor, they are quickly captured,
the huge structure compromised by the men in the ninja
suits, men armed with fully automatic weapons, limpet mines,
flash-bang grenades and enough plastic explosives to knock
the rig whomper-jawed and inoperable for months to come,
perhaps to sink it.
Their demands, if there are any, are completely non-
negotiable. They aren't there to make sense. They're there
to disrupt and destroy.
An outpost on a lonely stretch of pipeline snaking across
high desert country suddenly explodes, halting
transportation of crude to a distant refinery or
transshipment point hundreds of miles distant.
A refinery vaporizes, belching flames and boiling
petrochemicals that leaves its steel structures twisted and
smoking, the fire burning out of control for days after.
A small squadron of power boats loaded with explosives slams
into the side of a fleet of supertankers in a narrow passage
of water such as the Houston Ship Channel, New York Harbor,
San Francisco's Golden Gate or the Straits of Hormuz,
leaving the sea lane impassable.
A freighter launches a modified SCUD missile over a
petrochemical complex on the eastern seaboard. Its payload
- a device that emits a burst of electromagnetic energy that
disrupts all computer operations, communications, even the
traffic lights and refrigeration systems of supermarkets and
food warehouses, leaves a city writhing helplessly, its
industrial base disrupted, distribution systems inoperable,
the population helpless, without food, water, or essential
medical services.
What are the implications for national economies, securities
markets, transportation systems?
Utter devastation.
Consider white papers prepared by such organizations as The
Rand Corporation in support of studies done for the
government and major petroleum producers and refiners.
All these scenarios come from just such a study done in 1988
by the Rand Corporation, authored by Brian Michael Jenkins
and inserted in the Air and Seaport Defence and Security
Handbook for 1989.
Charles Goslin, vice president of international operations
for Duos Technologies, Inc., a veteran operations officer
with 27 years experience working for CIA, penned a similar
white paper in 2008 for his firm. It outlines what Duos can
do about each of these scenarios. They use electronic
barriers, pan and tilt video surveillance, sophisticated
alarms and pressure switches along the routes of pipelines,
wire mesh guards underneath drilling platforms that extend
hundreds of feet below the surface, and radar target alarms.
Sabotage and terrorism ranges from something as simple as
vandalism by a disgruntled employee to concerted efforts by
a hostile nation to disrupt the nation's petroleum drilling,
transport and refinement, whether it is taking place in
Eurasian oil fields, in Iraq or Iran, Arabia or Kuwait, the
Gulf of Mexico, or the South China Sea.
It's nothing new. There is a chronology dating back to way
before World War Two, the mid-fifties when Nasser sank ships
in the Suez Canal, and the sixties when Col. Muammar
Quadaffi first began to nationalize American oil fields in
Libya.
In fact, the switch from coal to bunker oil by the world's
navies touched off the conflict prior to World War One when
Winston Churchill sent T.E. Lawrence, author of "Seven
Pillars of Wisdom" and "Lawrence of Arabia" fame, to
organize Bedouin tribesmen on the Arabian Peninsula into
Kingdoms, Principalities and Emirates in order to resist the
German sponsorship of the Turks who were on a similar
mission in pursuit of petroleum.
The object of present day terrorists and guerillas: to use
America's petroleum as a weapon against her own people,
disrupt her economy and set her world in blazes.
Speculation about the fate of the well that blew out and
sank Transocean's Deepwater Horizon on an offshore British
Petroleum property 50 miles outside of Venice, Louisiana,
are more than idle chat.
There are people who study these things.
The most popular idea goes like this and you can find it all
over the internet, espoused by everyone from Rush Limbaugh
to deep thinkers for the national defense establishment.
A mini-submarine of North Korean origin was launched from a
merchant ship crewed by elite black ops troops, according to
the story. Instead of heading for Venezuela when the ship
left the port at Havana, it made way for the Deepwater
Horizon, a rig built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South
Korea, which was drilling 50 miles offshore near Venice,
Louisiana.
After firing two torpedos at the well, buckling its drill
stem that extended a mile below the surface of the water
where a Halliburton's crew was busy cementing the side walls
of the hole to keep it from collapsing, the blowout
occurred, sending the vessel to Davy Jones's locker.
Though the drilling company, BP and Halliburton all three
did pressure tests, the natural gas, mud and petroleum sent
pieces of 21-inch casing cascading out of the hole like so
many soda straws.
An act of war?
It's plausible. After all, the two nations of North and
South Korea have never signed a treaty of peace. There is
merely a cessation of hostilities between the two.
This means the disaster, all the ecological damage, loss of
life and property, is the result of an act of war if the
allegation can be proven up in international courts.
No one walks away bankrupt.
If it takes a nuclear blast to plug the hole, then everyone
in the world gets to keep nukes handy for just such an
emergency.
What's more, like the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the attack
uses the precious petrolueum is used as a weapon against its
true owners, the people of the U.S.
Says who?
Russian intelligence reports circulating inside the Kremlin
at this time.
Misinformation? Disinformation?
It sends little chills down the spine, to say the least.
One thing for sure, it's got to be way too much of a
coincidence that all this happened on Earth Day, 2010, just
as Cap and Trade is entering negotiations in the Senate, the
U.N. Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty is on the table, and a
liberal President and Congress are flexing their muscles and
baring their claws over weighty issues such as health care,
energy policy and getting the troops out of foreign oil
fields where they guard the infrastructure for American
corporations, foreign governments and to keep a balance of
power between Arabs and the state of Israel.
Meanwhile, the mainstream media is preoccupied with
everything but the true causes and origins of the trouble.
We see lots of pictures of dead birds, dolphins and sea
otters, but few pictures of the actual damage at the
wellhead, other than the futility of efforts by BP to stem
and divert the runaway flow of the massive spill.
We intend to ask Col. David McIntyre about all this at a
Burleson TEA Party Forum to be held on Sunday afternoon, the
23rd, in that city at Rustic Creek Ranch, 2301 S. Burleson
Blvd.
He is a West Point graduate with 30 years experience in the
Army, teaching national security at Texas A&M and the
National War College, he is making a presentation along with
former Green Beret Bert Hernandez, general manager of Bird-
Kultgen Ford of Waco and Vice President of Hispanic
Republican Club of McLennan County.
Mr. Hernandez's family left Mexico and came to America where
many of them have become naturalized while other family
members are still waiting for Uncle Sam to open up the
books.
They will be joined by Professor Juan A. Baldor, a former
Cuban refugee whose family sought asylum in this nation in
1962. He is Chairman of the Spanish Department at Dallas
Baptist University. Dr. Irma Aguirre, a former Cuban
refugee and a family practioner who came to College Station
Medical Center from Houston, will round out the list of
speakers.
RSVP with Angie Cox at burlesonteaparty@gmail.com
"I have advised our speakers to be extremely frank with the
audience, as I feel an informed American is more able and
prepared at what quite possibly will hit them very soon,"
said Ms. Cox.
Many people who have lived under totalitarian regimes fear
the sight of ninja-suited SWAT teams boarding the oil
platforms offshore. They have seen it all before -
nationalization of private business, medical facilities,
transportation and communications infrastructure.
There is a $5 donation to help pay for the hire of the
meeting space.
Monday, May 17, 2010
District 17 Activists Discover a Buzz Word That Works
Networking is the new political buzz word. It sounds very
important because it is.
Cybernetic connections, the internet and such hook-ups as
FaceBook and Twitter have proven just how powerful that
computer on everyone's desk really is.
Just ask the TEA Parties. It's the preferred mode of
networking.
It really works when you take it to the right places.
As it turns out, you can dress it up - and you can take it
places, too. All you need are the right connections.
Hispanic Republican Club of McLennan County found out how to
network and strike deep into the heart of Representative
Chet Edwards' stronghold territory in Waco.
The start-up Hispanic Republican Club's need: a new place to
meet.
Earlier this year Mr. Machado and his associates found
themselves spurned by establishment GOP types such as
McLennan County Republican Chairman Joe B. Turner and Chris
DeCluitt. In fact, the minor dust-up was the subject of a
Waco "Tribune-Herald" account by that newspaper's political
reporter, Mr. Michael Shapiro.
The solution: Use the Bill Flores for Congress Waco Campaign
Headquarters at 3703 Franklin, right next door to La Fiesta
Restaurant.
So instead of meeting once a month for lunch, the start-up
GOP club will be meeting once a week on Monday nights, 7 to
9 p.m., to work - walk the blocks of the city's voting
precincts, meet people in person or by phone, get them
interested in voting for Mr. Flores and if they aren't
registered, help them with that piece of business, as well
as making application for absentee voting by mail or
arranging transportation to the polling places for early
voting.
There are phone calls to make, signs to put out, envelopes
to stuff, hands to shake and plans to be made.
Hispanic Republican Club President Duke Machado has the
people who are willing to do it all.
The project will be staffed by an anticipated 10 people to
start, but later this week, when the office is scheduled to
move to a new location, the numbers may rise.
You don't have to be able to get to the office to volunteer,
said Mr. Flores. People can work the phones from home, walk
the blocks with their fingers or their feet, and make those
all-important contacts on behalf of the only GOP candidate
to ever lead Chet Edwards in polls going into the General
Election season following the Primary run-off.
Give them a call at the Waco office at 254-230-9950.
Besides the fact that Flores is a Hispanic surname, his
family has been in the Texas area for 9 generations. The
son of a ranch hand from the Panhandle, he worked his way
through Texas A&M, got licensed as a C.P.A., went on to
serve as a CEO of offshore Houston oil exploration and
drilling firms, and retired to Aggieland as President of the
A&M Alumni Association.
Said Brazos County Republican Chairman Paul Rieger at a
recent Congressional District 17 Executive Caucus strategy
session, "No one will be able to out-Aggie Bill Flores."
Though he is from Waco, Mr. Edwards is also a graduate of
A&M.
important because it is.
Cybernetic connections, the internet and such hook-ups as
FaceBook and Twitter have proven just how powerful that
computer on everyone's desk really is.
Just ask the TEA Parties. It's the preferred mode of
networking.
It really works when you take it to the right places.
As it turns out, you can dress it up - and you can take it
places, too. All you need are the right connections.
Hispanic Republican Club of McLennan County found out how to
network and strike deep into the heart of Representative
Chet Edwards' stronghold territory in Waco.
The start-up Hispanic Republican Club's need: a new place to
meet.
Earlier this year Mr. Machado and his associates found
themselves spurned by establishment GOP types such as
McLennan County Republican Chairman Joe B. Turner and Chris
DeCluitt. In fact, the minor dust-up was the subject of a
Waco "Tribune-Herald" account by that newspaper's political
reporter, Mr. Michael Shapiro.
The solution: Use the Bill Flores for Congress Waco Campaign
Headquarters at 3703 Franklin, right next door to La Fiesta
Restaurant.
So instead of meeting once a month for lunch, the start-up
GOP club will be meeting once a week on Monday nights, 7 to
9 p.m., to work - walk the blocks of the city's voting
precincts, meet people in person or by phone, get them
interested in voting for Mr. Flores and if they aren't
registered, help them with that piece of business, as well
as making application for absentee voting by mail or
arranging transportation to the polling places for early
voting.
There are phone calls to make, signs to put out, envelopes
to stuff, hands to shake and plans to be made.
Hispanic Republican Club President Duke Machado has the
people who are willing to do it all.
The project will be staffed by an anticipated 10 people to
start, but later this week, when the office is scheduled to
move to a new location, the numbers may rise.
You don't have to be able to get to the office to volunteer,
said Mr. Flores. People can work the phones from home, walk
the blocks with their fingers or their feet, and make those
all-important contacts on behalf of the only GOP candidate
to ever lead Chet Edwards in polls going into the General
Election season following the Primary run-off.
Give them a call at the Waco office at 254-230-9950.
Besides the fact that Flores is a Hispanic surname, his
family has been in the Texas area for 9 generations. The
son of a ranch hand from the Panhandle, he worked his way
through Texas A&M, got licensed as a C.P.A., went on to
serve as a CEO of offshore Houston oil exploration and
drilling firms, and retired to Aggieland as President of the
A&M Alumni Association.
Said Brazos County Republican Chairman Paul Rieger at a
recent Congressional District 17 Executive Caucus strategy
session, "No one will be able to out-Aggie Bill Flores."
Though he is from Waco, Mr. Edwards is also a graduate of
A&M.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Poll Shows Flores Leads Edwards By 11 Points
Voters show strong disapproval rating for veteran Representative
For the first time in Chet Edwards's Congressional career, a
challenger is leading him in a statistically viable poll
going into the general election season.
In a phone sample of 400 voters conducted early this month,
Republican candidate Bill Flores holds a majority lead of 52
percent to 41 percent. The sample was "stratified" by
county to reflect historic turnout patterns. The margin of
error is plus or minus 4.9 percent.
"Seem impossible?" asked pollster Wes Anderson of OnMessage,
Inc.
"Nope. Democrats saw just such an advantage in a number of
races during the 2006 and 2008 election cycle."
When asked which candidate they would vote for if the
election was to be held today, the clear majority selected
Bill Flores.
Though Edwards leads in name recognition and his job
approval stands at 60 percent over a 33 percent disapproval
rate, he trails Flores by 11 points in the question
regarding their choice if the election took place today.
"In most election cycles Edwards' image and job approval
would be seen as sufficient for reelection...but not this
election," said Mr. Anderson.
More than 50 percent said he has not earned the right to be
re-elected and only 38 percent agreed he should be.
Voters approve of Flores at a rate of 37 percent with only a
10 percent unfavorable opinion.
In his announcement to the District 17 Republican Executive
Coalition, Mr. Flores said, "This is a poll; it's not an
election." Will the happy predictions come true on election
day?
"I don't know," he said.
This compares with dismal approval ratings for President
Obama - 65 percent unfavorable, 50 percent very unfavorable.
Similarly, House Speaker Pelosi weighs in at 69 percent
unfavorable and 62 percent very unfavorable in the 12-county
sample.
"The bottom line is this election is being driven by the
voters who desire to send a message that they are fed up
with the direction President Obama and Speaker Pelosi are
taking the country. The most immediate method voters have
to voice their frustration is to vote for Bill Flores and a
majority of them intend to do just that," said Mr. Anderson.
Deputy Campaign Manager Travis Hancock told organizers - a
throng of 35 county chairmen, precinct chairmen and
captains, election judges and other acitvists from the 12-
county district - that the opposition, Mr. Edwards, has
voted for a $787 billion "failed stimulus package;" in fiscal year
2009, he approved 9,287 earmarks totaling $12.8 billion; an
additional 5,224 earmarks in 2009; a $1 trillion deficit for
the same year; voted against reducing the budget the deficit
by $249 billion in 2009; voted for the $700 billion TARP
bailout of 2008; and the auto bailout of $350 billon in
2009.
The sample polled disapproved of the earmarks cited by 2 to 1 -
60 percent against to 33 percent approval.
He emphasized that unless voters defeat Chet Edwards, they
will never rid themselves of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A veteran of
Republican Congressional campaigns that unseated such liberal
Democrats as Dallas Representative Martin Frost, he told the
District 17 activists that the Flores campaign is attracting
national attention.
"TEA Parties from all over the nation are calling in wanting
to work the phones for Bill."
Mr. Flores reminded his audience that 65 years ago, "the
greatest generation" came home from World War Two and built
the strongest industrial economy the world has ever known.
"I'd like to think that 65 years from now, we will be
remembered as the ones who stopped America's slide toward
tyranny."
The crowd applauded loudly, then rose to give Mr. Flores a
standing ovation.
For the first time in Chet Edwards's Congressional career, a
challenger is leading him in a statistically viable poll
going into the general election season.
In a phone sample of 400 voters conducted early this month,
Republican candidate Bill Flores holds a majority lead of 52
percent to 41 percent. The sample was "stratified" by
county to reflect historic turnout patterns. The margin of
error is plus or minus 4.9 percent.
"Seem impossible?" asked pollster Wes Anderson of OnMessage,
Inc.
"Nope. Democrats saw just such an advantage in a number of
races during the 2006 and 2008 election cycle."
When asked which candidate they would vote for if the
election was to be held today, the clear majority selected
Bill Flores.
Though Edwards leads in name recognition and his job
approval stands at 60 percent over a 33 percent disapproval
rate, he trails Flores by 11 points in the question
regarding their choice if the election took place today.
"In most election cycles Edwards' image and job approval
would be seen as sufficient for reelection...but not this
election," said Mr. Anderson.
More than 50 percent said he has not earned the right to be
re-elected and only 38 percent agreed he should be.
Voters approve of Flores at a rate of 37 percent with only a
10 percent unfavorable opinion.
In his announcement to the District 17 Republican Executive
Coalition, Mr. Flores said, "This is a poll; it's not an
election." Will the happy predictions come true on election
day?
"I don't know," he said.
This compares with dismal approval ratings for President
Obama - 65 percent unfavorable, 50 percent very unfavorable.
Similarly, House Speaker Pelosi weighs in at 69 percent
unfavorable and 62 percent very unfavorable in the 12-county
sample.
"The bottom line is this election is being driven by the
voters who desire to send a message that they are fed up
with the direction President Obama and Speaker Pelosi are
taking the country. The most immediate method voters have
to voice their frustration is to vote for Bill Flores and a
majority of them intend to do just that," said Mr. Anderson.
Deputy Campaign Manager Travis Hancock told organizers - a
throng of 35 county chairmen, precinct chairmen and
captains, election judges and other acitvists from the 12-
county district - that the opposition, Mr. Edwards, has
voted for a $787 billion "failed stimulus package;" in fiscal year
2009, he approved 9,287 earmarks totaling $12.8 billion; an
additional 5,224 earmarks in 2009; a $1 trillion deficit for
the same year; voted against reducing the budget the deficit
by $249 billion in 2009; voted for the $700 billion TARP
bailout of 2008; and the auto bailout of $350 billon in
2009.
The sample polled disapproved of the earmarks cited by 2 to 1 -
60 percent against to 33 percent approval.
He emphasized that unless voters defeat Chet Edwards, they
will never rid themselves of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A veteran of
Republican Congressional campaigns that unseated such liberal
Democrats as Dallas Representative Martin Frost, he told the
District 17 activists that the Flores campaign is attracting
national attention.
"TEA Parties from all over the nation are calling in wanting
to work the phones for Bill."
Mr. Flores reminded his audience that 65 years ago, "the
greatest generation" came home from World War Two and built
the strongest industrial economy the world has ever known.
"I'd like to think that 65 years from now, we will be
remembered as the ones who stopped America's slide toward
tyranny."
The crowd applauded loudly, then rose to give Mr. Flores a
standing ovation.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Austin Officials Unanimous: Boycott Arizona
They cite the new law that allows state cops to detain illegals
Typically, they vote to keep Austin weird. Guess what. Give up?
Austin has no business, no investments and no contracts in Arizona.
Austin City Councilmen voted unanimously to cut all business ties to
Arizona.
A Hispanic member of the council, Mike Martinez, proposed the
resolution which ends all city business travel to Arizona, except
to render humanitarian aid or conduct police investigations.
The city's head book keeper said Austin has no business contracts
or investments in that state.
Typically, they vote to keep Austin weird. Guess what. Give up?
Austin has no business, no investments and no contracts in Arizona.
Austin City Councilmen voted unanimously to cut all business ties to
Arizona.
A Hispanic member of the council, Mike Martinez, proposed the
resolution which ends all city business travel to Arizona, except
to render humanitarian aid or conduct police investigations.
The city's head book keeper said Austin has no business contracts
or investments in that state.
Cap and Trade? Cap and TAX is more like it!
Bill Flores: The cost of "user fee" = $1500 per family
He Calls Energy Security Family Security
Conservative Congressional Candidate Bill Flores decried the
passage of a new "Cap and Trade" bill in the House of
Representatives.
Many "think tank" economists have called the "Cap and Trade"
initiative a naive attempt to persuade other governments to
follow America's suit and stop their smokestacks from
belching particularates and acids into the skies.
The desired goal: To reduce the potential for global
warming.
So, the new law uses a complicated scheme to reward American
industries with a certain amount of credit toward having to
comply. It allows a net reduction of high carbon
"footprint" if industrialists agree to comply with
stringent and costly new government requirements as to how
much and what kind of fuel their businesses burn.
Most hardheaded realists call it a "user fee" for burning
fuel industrialists have already purchased, fair and square.
It's a modern form of taxation without representation,
something coming at the working man and woman with kids, a
mortgage and lots of bills to pay out of high-flown places
like the inner chambers of the United Nations, the Council
on Foreign Relations and the board rooms of international
banks worldwide.
They say it's an extreme example of the intrusive and
incisive government regulation to which many business
leaders object.
Cost To Families
The new House bill increases the average family's annual
energy bill by at least $1,500, according to calculations
available to Mr. Flores, who is recently retired after more
than 30 years in the offshore petroleum exploration and
drilling business.
Acording to The Heritage Foundation, "the net effect on jobs
is a gain of 261,000 green jobs and a loss of between
844,000 and 1,105,000 current jobs.
Net Loss of Jobs
"Only in Washington, D.C., would this be considered a good
trade off."
He speaks with many years of experience behind him as a
C.P.A. who pulled trial balance and profit and loss
statements on multimillion dollar corporations on a routine
basis.
"Here's some straight talk from the real world. After
spending about 30 years in the private sector developing
American energy, this proposed Cap and Trade scheme would do
three things."
* Make energy more expensive for consumers;
* Decrease America's global competitiveness;
* Do very little to improve the environment.
"One of my Texas A&M economics professors taught me, 'The
more you tax something, the less you get of it.' Thus, by
taxing current energy sources, Cap and Trade will reduce our
energy security."
Chet Edwards' Back-handed Support of Cap & Trade
Mr. Flores lambasted the performance of incumbent
Representative Chet Edwards (D-Waco), a ten-term veteran of
U.S. House District 17.
According to the accounts of insiders, Mr. Edwards voted for
a procedural resolutioin that would allow a rule change
resolution that allowed Cap and Trade to come to a vote on
the floor of the House.
After that resolution passed, Representative Edwards
obtained the permission of the Democratic leadership to vote
against the bill, thus leaving his voting record unsullied
by not voting for an apparent liberal agenda item.
A Call For A New National Energy Policy
Mr. Flores called for development of a new and
comprehensive, long-term national energy policy.
"We need the political will and courage to develop a
national energy policy for our country that makes sense not
just for the next five years, but for the next 30 years. As
I often say, we cannot have national security or economic
prosperity unless we have energy security."
He Calls Energy Security Family Security
Conservative Congressional Candidate Bill Flores decried the
passage of a new "Cap and Trade" bill in the House of
Representatives.
Many "think tank" economists have called the "Cap and Trade"
initiative a naive attempt to persuade other governments to
follow America's suit and stop their smokestacks from
belching particularates and acids into the skies.
The desired goal: To reduce the potential for global
warming.
So, the new law uses a complicated scheme to reward American
industries with a certain amount of credit toward having to
comply. It allows a net reduction of high carbon
"footprint" if industrialists agree to comply with
stringent and costly new government requirements as to how
much and what kind of fuel their businesses burn.
Most hardheaded realists call it a "user fee" for burning
fuel industrialists have already purchased, fair and square.
It's a modern form of taxation without representation,
something coming at the working man and woman with kids, a
mortgage and lots of bills to pay out of high-flown places
like the inner chambers of the United Nations, the Council
on Foreign Relations and the board rooms of international
banks worldwide.
They say it's an extreme example of the intrusive and
incisive government regulation to which many business
leaders object.
Cost To Families
The new House bill increases the average family's annual
energy bill by at least $1,500, according to calculations
available to Mr. Flores, who is recently retired after more
than 30 years in the offshore petroleum exploration and
drilling business.
Acording to The Heritage Foundation, "the net effect on jobs
is a gain of 261,000 green jobs and a loss of between
844,000 and 1,105,000 current jobs.
Net Loss of Jobs
"Only in Washington, D.C., would this be considered a good
trade off."
He speaks with many years of experience behind him as a
C.P.A. who pulled trial balance and profit and loss
statements on multimillion dollar corporations on a routine
basis.
"Here's some straight talk from the real world. After
spending about 30 years in the private sector developing
American energy, this proposed Cap and Trade scheme would do
three things."
* Make energy more expensive for consumers;
* Decrease America's global competitiveness;
* Do very little to improve the environment.
"One of my Texas A&M economics professors taught me, 'The
more you tax something, the less you get of it.' Thus, by
taxing current energy sources, Cap and Trade will reduce our
energy security."
Chet Edwards' Back-handed Support of Cap & Trade
Mr. Flores lambasted the performance of incumbent
Representative Chet Edwards (D-Waco), a ten-term veteran of
U.S. House District 17.
According to the accounts of insiders, Mr. Edwards voted for
a procedural resolutioin that would allow a rule change
resolution that allowed Cap and Trade to come to a vote on
the floor of the House.
After that resolution passed, Representative Edwards
obtained the permission of the Democratic leadership to vote
against the bill, thus leaving his voting record unsullied
by not voting for an apparent liberal agenda item.
A Call For A New National Energy Policy
Mr. Flores called for development of a new and
comprehensive, long-term national energy policy.
"We need the political will and courage to develop a
national energy policy for our country that makes sense not
just for the next five years, but for the next 30 years. As
I often say, we cannot have national security or economic
prosperity unless we have energy security."
Demo Natl. Committee Chair Trots Out Big Gun -
Obama Presidential Survey focuses on economic conditions
It ain't over 'til it's over. - Yogi Berra
Are you better off now than you were two years ago?
Who wants to know?
Governor Tim Kaine, Democratic National Committee Chairman,
former Governor of Virginia, former Lieutenant Governor,
Mayor of Richmond, an economist trained at the University of
Missouri, and a native of Minneapolis, that's who.
A sample of his pep talk:
"We cannot allow our government to once again fall victim to
the domestic and international failures that exemplified
Repubican rule during the George W. Bush years. We must
continue forward with the same energy that generated our
electoral victories in 2008 and our successful and historic
fight for health insurance reform."
Survey respondents, identified by code number and
registration, are asked to rate President Obama's
performance in settling the economic hash, health care
reform, foreign policy, the war in Afghanistan, handing over
responsibility to the Iraqi people, and energy policies.
The survey asks for a ranking of 13 priorities in their
level of importance.
They are the economic situation, regulation of financial
institutions and markets, lowering unemployment, dealing
with Iran, fighting terrorism, war in Afghanistan, handing
over responsiblity to the Iraqi people, nuclear
proliferation, improving education, energy independence,
America's image in the world community, and dealing with
North Korea.
Democratic Party priorities are to be ranked 1 through 5 in
these areas:
* Organizng grassroot support
* Raising funds for 2010 Congressional election
* Electing Democrats on the state and local level
* Reelecting President Obama in 2012
* Republicans' "obstructionist tactics"
It ain't over 'til it's over. - Yogi Berra
Are you better off now than you were two years ago?
Who wants to know?
Governor Tim Kaine, Democratic National Committee Chairman,
former Governor of Virginia, former Lieutenant Governor,
Mayor of Richmond, an economist trained at the University of
Missouri, and a native of Minneapolis, that's who.
A sample of his pep talk:
"We cannot allow our government to once again fall victim to
the domestic and international failures that exemplified
Repubican rule during the George W. Bush years. We must
continue forward with the same energy that generated our
electoral victories in 2008 and our successful and historic
fight for health insurance reform."
Survey respondents, identified by code number and
registration, are asked to rate President Obama's
performance in settling the economic hash, health care
reform, foreign policy, the war in Afghanistan, handing over
responsibility to the Iraqi people, and energy policies.
The survey asks for a ranking of 13 priorities in their
level of importance.
They are the economic situation, regulation of financial
institutions and markets, lowering unemployment, dealing
with Iran, fighting terrorism, war in Afghanistan, handing
over responsiblity to the Iraqi people, nuclear
proliferation, improving education, energy independence,
America's image in the world community, and dealing with
North Korea.
Democratic Party priorities are to be ranked 1 through 5 in
these areas:
* Organizng grassroot support
* Raising funds for 2010 Congressional election
* Electing Democrats on the state and local level
* Reelecting President Obama in 2012
* Republicans' "obstructionist tactics"
City Of The Fallen Angels To Arizona: JUST SAY NO!
Millions in city contracts may come home to California
The backlash over Arizona's new immigration law hit Shaky Town
with the force of an earthquake.
The Mayor of Los Angeles is expected to sign a resolution passed
yesterday by city councilmen that could potentially bar millions
of dollars in contracts with Arizona firms for goods and
services.
The new city law bars the nation's second-largest city from
conducting business or reaching new contracts with Arizona
businesses unless the immigration law is repealed.
The new city law also prohibits most city business trips to the
state.
This could affect investments and contracts in Arizona worth as
much as $58 million, much of which involve airport, port and
energy service.
These contracts cannot lawfully be affected by the boycott.
But that leaves about $7.7 million in city contracts that could
possibly be affected, according to Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who
co-authored the resolution.
Some of the contracts include helicopter services, Taser guns,
waste management, engineering and surveillance equipment.
Some members of the L.A. city council hope that now the jobs and
contracts can come home to California.
Critics of the new resolution immediately began to point out the
possibility of federal restraint of trade litigation against the
sprawling exurban conglomeration of cities and towns that extends
from the Mexican border to Santa Barbara - the place the
modulating drive-by truckers call Shaky Town, home of the
Dodgers, tar pits, freeways, the hula hoop and Tinseltown's
elusive dreams.
Proponents pointed out that Los Angeles and its environs is a
melting pot for immigrants in which many peoples' nation of
origin is not too far back down the road to Mexico, South and
Central America, Asia, Russia, Africa or the Caribbean.
Arizona recently took the constitutionally unprecedented action
of legalizing state authority to detain illegal aliens for
federal immigration authorities if their illegal status is
discovered in connection with a probable cause investigation of
an alleged criminal offense against the peace and dignity of the
People of the State of Arizona.
The backlash over Arizona's new immigration law hit Shaky Town
with the force of an earthquake.
The Mayor of Los Angeles is expected to sign a resolution passed
yesterday by city councilmen that could potentially bar millions
of dollars in contracts with Arizona firms for goods and
services.
The new city law bars the nation's second-largest city from
conducting business or reaching new contracts with Arizona
businesses unless the immigration law is repealed.
The new city law also prohibits most city business trips to the
state.
This could affect investments and contracts in Arizona worth as
much as $58 million, much of which involve airport, port and
energy service.
These contracts cannot lawfully be affected by the boycott.
But that leaves about $7.7 million in city contracts that could
possibly be affected, according to Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who
co-authored the resolution.
Some of the contracts include helicopter services, Taser guns,
waste management, engineering and surveillance equipment.
Some members of the L.A. city council hope that now the jobs and
contracts can come home to California.
Critics of the new resolution immediately began to point out the
possibility of federal restraint of trade litigation against the
sprawling exurban conglomeration of cities and towns that extends
from the Mexican border to Santa Barbara - the place the
modulating drive-by truckers call Shaky Town, home of the
Dodgers, tar pits, freeways, the hula hoop and Tinseltown's
elusive dreams.
Proponents pointed out that Los Angeles and its environs is a
melting pot for immigrants in which many peoples' nation of
origin is not too far back down the road to Mexico, South and
Central America, Asia, Russia, Africa or the Caribbean.
Arizona recently took the constitutionally unprecedented action
of legalizing state authority to detain illegal aliens for
federal immigration authorities if their illegal status is
discovered in connection with a probable cause investigation of
an alleged criminal offense against the peace and dignity of the
People of the State of Arizona.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Flores Bus Makes First Campaign Stop At Six-Shooter
"Get Chet" - Candidate emphasizes need to get out the vote
I like it; I love it; it's at the right hand of God and we
gon' have it. But first, where's the hundred thousand
votes?
What hundred thousand votes? Why, the hundred thousand
votes I'm gonna need to get elected and hang up my hat and
prop my boots up on the desk and get on the phone and get
this for y'all.
That's the hundred thousand votes I'm talking about.
- Lyndon Johnson, professional politician
Traveling out of his College Station home base, Bill Flores
played it close to the vest.
Right now, the only thing he needs to do is get himself
elected.
A man designated as a Republican rainmaker and one of the
Republican National Congressional Committee's Young Guns,
it's his sole portfolio.
He's not playing. He's put close to a million dollars of
his own money into the campaign and he's got the Republican
National Committee behind him.
Every day is Get Chet day throughout his District 17
stomping grounds.
"Get here and we'll do the rest." That's the message from
Capitol Hill.
The 17th District is one of 85 seats targeted by the GOP to
change hands from Democrat to Republican representation this
year.
Our man Duke Machado, President of the Hispanic Republican
Club of McLennan County, met the man at the Clarion Hotel
for a closed strategy session with known vote getters.
He asked Mr. Flores what his reaction to the prospect of the
Hispanic vote may be.
The candidate, a veteran oil man, CPA and chief financial
officer of offshore drilling companies, put on his poker
face and played it straight down the line - the party line.
Get out the vote.
Same old story.
We're talking volunteers, again.
"People don't even have to come down to campaign
headquarters to volunteer," he said. "They can stay at home
and work the phone."
He needs volunteers to find out who wants to or needs to
register to vote, get absentee by mail voting applications,
or needs transportation to the polling places for the early
voting. There are signs to put out, voters transportation
to be arranged and doors to knock upon, he said.
It's beginning to look a lot more like a general election
season in a census and redistricting year, to say the least.
Watch this column for word of future Bill Flores campaign
stops.
I like it; I love it; it's at the right hand of God and we
gon' have it. But first, where's the hundred thousand
votes?
What hundred thousand votes? Why, the hundred thousand
votes I'm gonna need to get elected and hang up my hat and
prop my boots up on the desk and get on the phone and get
this for y'all.
That's the hundred thousand votes I'm talking about.
- Lyndon Johnson, professional politician
Traveling out of his College Station home base, Bill Flores
played it close to the vest.
Right now, the only thing he needs to do is get himself
elected.
A man designated as a Republican rainmaker and one of the
Republican National Congressional Committee's Young Guns,
it's his sole portfolio.
He's not playing. He's put close to a million dollars of
his own money into the campaign and he's got the Republican
National Committee behind him.
Every day is Get Chet day throughout his District 17
stomping grounds.
"Get here and we'll do the rest." That's the message from
Capitol Hill.
The 17th District is one of 85 seats targeted by the GOP to
change hands from Democrat to Republican representation this
year.
Our man Duke Machado, President of the Hispanic Republican
Club of McLennan County, met the man at the Clarion Hotel
for a closed strategy session with known vote getters.
He asked Mr. Flores what his reaction to the prospect of the
Hispanic vote may be.
The candidate, a veteran oil man, CPA and chief financial
officer of offshore drilling companies, put on his poker
face and played it straight down the line - the party line.
Get out the vote.
Same old story.
We're talking volunteers, again.
"People don't even have to come down to campaign
headquarters to volunteer," he said. "They can stay at home
and work the phone."
He needs volunteers to find out who wants to or needs to
register to vote, get absentee by mail voting applications,
or needs transportation to the polling places for the early
voting. There are signs to put out, voters transportation
to be arranged and doors to knock upon, he said.
It's beginning to look a lot more like a general election
season in a census and redistricting year, to say the least.
Watch this column for word of future Bill Flores campaign
stops.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
GOP Chair To Hold Organizational Confab At The House
Not open to the public, it's open to people who will work
What will it take to wrest away the reins of Congressional
power, grab state house mojo and sway local policies to the
level of an elephant's eye?
Numbers.
To be effective, the Party of Lincoln must marshal its
forces in new and more efficient ways.
These are not, indeed, the days of the summer soldier and
the sunshine patriot. These are the times that try men's
souls, saith Citizen Tom Paine.
Now more than ever, saith Richard M. Nixon.
It's a mid-term year, a census year and a time of
redistricting.
Serious business.
"I'd rather have four people who will work with me than 16 I
have to work around," said Tom Bratcher, newly sworn Bosque
County Republican Chairman.
That magic number, 16, refers to the number of voting
precincts in Bosque.
The purpose: swearing in people in three categories to serve
as precinct chairmen.
It's an organizational meeting, one to which the public is
not invited.
To do that takes a sit-down and this one will be held in
private, at his house near Meridian, with dinner and a
guarantee that each precinct chairman is sworn.
That includes all who have been a) elected by voters on
Primary day; b) by the County Executive Committee of
precinct chairmen through the nomination of his predecessor,
Helen Dozier; or c) by the same committee at this meeting
which is to be held tonight.
The oath requires a candidate to swear or affirm that he or
she will protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States of America and of Texas "against all enemies, foreign
or domestic."
They can serve as election judges, too, but they must take
on the duties and responsibilities of precinct chairmen if
the GOP hopes to change the political map of Bosque County
in this year of decision, Congressional redistricting and
the desired goal of a reversal of Congressional
representation in one of the most gerrymandered districts on
record - Chez Chet, Texas House of Representatives District
17.
Its shape follows the slanting path of the river, the
railroad and the highways from Cowtown to College Station.
Dr. Bratcher refers to the Republican Party manual.
"...The job is year in and year out - not just before an
election. Precinct chairs who are doing an effective job
will produce: 1) an increase in the precinct's turnout in
the Republican primary and 2) an increase in the number of
straight ticket votes cast in that precinct in the general
election."
How is that to be done?
According to the manual, to accomplish the primary goal,
that of building the party in a neighborhood, each precinct
chair "needs to become an expert on his/her area and what it
will take for Republican candidates to win there."
Successful candidates for the office will:
* Recruit volunteers who will
* coordinate activities by serving as the link to
* get out the vote.
Get out the vote.
How is that to be done?
It comes back down to tried and true methods.
According to the manual, to get out the vote, you must
* Register potential GOP voters
* Contact GOP voters
* Encourage early voting
* Assist getting GOP voters to the polls "as needed"
It's not enough to just agree to serve as an election judge,
then sit back during the years and months before elections
and wait for the great day, hoping everything turns out the
way one would like.
Who gets the job done?
Volunteers.
It's not enough to just say you would like to do the job of
precinct chairman, says Dr. Bratcher.
"I want to see people who are involved in (Bosque County
Republican) Club activities."
To make them work together as a team, one must "recruit,
train, supervise and encourage" them to register with the
County Tax Assessor-Collector as assistant voter registrars
and make sure everyone who would like to register to vote is
registered.
It's almost reminiscent of the days of Huey P. Long's South
Louisiana Ar-ah See Ay Program - RCA - or, how you call,
Registered Coon Ass.
The Kingfish, a native of the red dirt cotton lands near
Shreveport, was at a disadvantage in the land of the Red
Stick - Le Baton Rouge - the land of the pirogue, the gator
and the concertina. That's where the oil wells are, either
on rather soggy ground or off sho', as it were.
A chairman needs people who will go down the phone list and
let them know it's time to find out who would like to vote -
on the great day, early, or absentee.
From there, the job is to get them to the polls to cast that
vote in person early, or place the appropriate applications
in their hands to make their desire to vote absentee come
true.
If necessary, come election day, either the statutory day or
early voting day - or by absentee ballot - one must have
drivers on hand who will agree to go get people, put them in
the car and haul them to the polling place if necessary.
It's an everyday thing on every election day - nationwide.
Just ask the Republican National Congressional Committee,
the folks from across the aisle in the Party of Jefferson,
or any other major dude.
They will clue you in.
Some voters are shut-ins, others cannot drive for one reason
or another, and friends and family are unavailable to get
the job done.
Each vote counts the same. No one is more equal than others.
It takes knowing who and when and how each vote is to be
obtained, how to assist, and when to act.
It's knowing house by house, street by street and road by
road who needs what to cast that vote for the good of the
party and how to help them do it.
That is what really counts.
The alternative is grim. There is no count whatsoever.
You can do both, serve as an election judge and serve as
precinct chairman, but Dr. Bratcher, a tenured professor of
mathematics at Baylor University, will require each
candidate for Precinct Chair to sign up with a declaration
that "Yes, I would like to continue as Precinct Chair;" or
"No, I no longer wish to serve as Precinct Chair; or "Yes, I
volunteer to be a Precinct Election Judge."
It seems one makes his or her choices and then sticks to
them in this life boat drill.
It's no picnic and it is definitely no pleasure cruise.
The job of Precinct Chair starts on the day after the
General Election in November and runs right through until
the next one, he says. It says so in the manual, too.
The job of election judge begins and ends on election day.
You can do both, but the responsibilities of neither one are
mutually exclusive.
The ultimate goal: to open a County Republican Headquarters
on Highway 6 in Clifton, 119 N. Avenue G, on the day of the
next Bosque Republican Club meeting, May 18.
That's the day when Bill Flores arrives riding in his
campaign special, the bus that goes to Capitol Hill.
He aims to sup with the Bosque County Republican Club.
What will it take to wrest away the reins of Congressional
power, grab state house mojo and sway local policies to the
level of an elephant's eye?
Numbers.
To be effective, the Party of Lincoln must marshal its
forces in new and more efficient ways.
These are not, indeed, the days of the summer soldier and
the sunshine patriot. These are the times that try men's
souls, saith Citizen Tom Paine.
Now more than ever, saith Richard M. Nixon.
It's a mid-term year, a census year and a time of
redistricting.
Serious business.
"I'd rather have four people who will work with me than 16 I
have to work around," said Tom Bratcher, newly sworn Bosque
County Republican Chairman.
That magic number, 16, refers to the number of voting
precincts in Bosque.
The purpose: swearing in people in three categories to serve
as precinct chairmen.
It's an organizational meeting, one to which the public is
not invited.
To do that takes a sit-down and this one will be held in
private, at his house near Meridian, with dinner and a
guarantee that each precinct chairman is sworn.
That includes all who have been a) elected by voters on
Primary day; b) by the County Executive Committee of
precinct chairmen through the nomination of his predecessor,
Helen Dozier; or c) by the same committee at this meeting
which is to be held tonight.
The oath requires a candidate to swear or affirm that he or
she will protect and defend the Constitution of the United
States of America and of Texas "against all enemies, foreign
or domestic."
They can serve as election judges, too, but they must take
on the duties and responsibilities of precinct chairmen if
the GOP hopes to change the political map of Bosque County
in this year of decision, Congressional redistricting and
the desired goal of a reversal of Congressional
representation in one of the most gerrymandered districts on
record - Chez Chet, Texas House of Representatives District
17.
Its shape follows the slanting path of the river, the
railroad and the highways from Cowtown to College Station.
Dr. Bratcher refers to the Republican Party manual.
"...The job is year in and year out - not just before an
election. Precinct chairs who are doing an effective job
will produce: 1) an increase in the precinct's turnout in
the Republican primary and 2) an increase in the number of
straight ticket votes cast in that precinct in the general
election."
How is that to be done?
According to the manual, to accomplish the primary goal,
that of building the party in a neighborhood, each precinct
chair "needs to become an expert on his/her area and what it
will take for Republican candidates to win there."
Successful candidates for the office will:
* Recruit volunteers who will
* coordinate activities by serving as the link to
* get out the vote.
Get out the vote.
How is that to be done?
It comes back down to tried and true methods.
According to the manual, to get out the vote, you must
* Register potential GOP voters
* Contact GOP voters
* Encourage early voting
* Assist getting GOP voters to the polls "as needed"
It's not enough to just agree to serve as an election judge,
then sit back during the years and months before elections
and wait for the great day, hoping everything turns out the
way one would like.
Who gets the job done?
Volunteers.
It's not enough to just say you would like to do the job of
precinct chairman, says Dr. Bratcher.
"I want to see people who are involved in (Bosque County
Republican) Club activities."
To make them work together as a team, one must "recruit,
train, supervise and encourage" them to register with the
County Tax Assessor-Collector as assistant voter registrars
and make sure everyone who would like to register to vote is
registered.
It's almost reminiscent of the days of Huey P. Long's South
Louisiana Ar-ah See Ay Program - RCA - or, how you call,
Registered Coon Ass.
The Kingfish, a native of the red dirt cotton lands near
Shreveport, was at a disadvantage in the land of the Red
Stick - Le Baton Rouge - the land of the pirogue, the gator
and the concertina. That's where the oil wells are, either
on rather soggy ground or off sho', as it were.
A chairman needs people who will go down the phone list and
let them know it's time to find out who would like to vote -
on the great day, early, or absentee.
From there, the job is to get them to the polls to cast that
vote in person early, or place the appropriate applications
in their hands to make their desire to vote absentee come
true.
If necessary, come election day, either the statutory day or
early voting day - or by absentee ballot - one must have
drivers on hand who will agree to go get people, put them in
the car and haul them to the polling place if necessary.
It's an everyday thing on every election day - nationwide.
Just ask the Republican National Congressional Committee,
the folks from across the aisle in the Party of Jefferson,
or any other major dude.
They will clue you in.
Some voters are shut-ins, others cannot drive for one reason
or another, and friends and family are unavailable to get
the job done.
Each vote counts the same. No one is more equal than others.
It takes knowing who and when and how each vote is to be
obtained, how to assist, and when to act.
It's knowing house by house, street by street and road by
road who needs what to cast that vote for the good of the
party and how to help them do it.
That is what really counts.
The alternative is grim. There is no count whatsoever.
You can do both, serve as an election judge and serve as
precinct chairman, but Dr. Bratcher, a tenured professor of
mathematics at Baylor University, will require each
candidate for Precinct Chair to sign up with a declaration
that "Yes, I would like to continue as Precinct Chair;" or
"No, I no longer wish to serve as Precinct Chair; or "Yes, I
volunteer to be a Precinct Election Judge."
It seems one makes his or her choices and then sticks to
them in this life boat drill.
It's no picnic and it is definitely no pleasure cruise.
The job of Precinct Chair starts on the day after the
General Election in November and runs right through until
the next one, he says. It says so in the manual, too.
The job of election judge begins and ends on election day.
You can do both, but the responsibilities of neither one are
mutually exclusive.
The ultimate goal: to open a County Republican Headquarters
on Highway 6 in Clifton, 119 N. Avenue G, on the day of the
next Bosque Republican Club meeting, May 18.
That's the day when Bill Flores arrives riding in his
campaign special, the bus that goes to Capitol Hill.
He aims to sup with the Bosque County Republican Club.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Charlie Cook's Survey Key To GOP Precinct Strategy
Minority Leader Boehner Spearheads Direct Mail Campaign
A quick peek at a GOP direct mail piece offers a glimpse of
the conservative party's precinct by precinct strategy to
take back the Congressional majority.
This past Saturday morning, a lifelong supporter of liberal
causes in a blue state on the eastern seaboard found a
fundraising, consciousness raising letter and survey in her
mailbox.
Addressed to her as "Dear Fellow Republican," the letter,
which is franked by Representative John A. Boehner (R-Ohio)
seeks non-deductible contributions for the National
Republican Congressional Committee. It is not paid for by
any candidate, but by the committee itself.
The addressee, who has a Registration Number and a Voting
Precinct Code, has never once voted in a Republican Primary
in her entire adult life. She has always voted Democrat.
Nevertheless, it's an interesting document in this all-out
GOP effort to regain the majority in Congress, especially in
Texas U.S. House District 17, represented by ten-term
veteran Congressman Chet Edwards, a Waco Democrat who serves
a district with a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) rating of
R + 20.
It is a factor the veteran GOP pollster calculates based on
the results of the two latest general Presidential
elections, the number of registered voters from the majority
party and other factors such as primary results.
What's more, it is a very high partisan rating for the GOP
in this 12-county district long represented by a Democrat.
Viewers who watched the ObamaCare televised debate on C-Span
will remember Congressman Boehner as the deeply tanned
Representative who spoke like a Dutch uncle from the well of
the House by demanding on the Speaker call the role
immediately, to suspend the debate, and get on with the
show. He is the House Minority Leader.
His letter carries the same angry tone:
"Of course, to repeal 'ObamaCare' and undo all the other
big-government schemes that Speaker Pelosi has strong-armed
into law, we have to win huge victories at the polls in
November and elect a new House Republican Majority."
He assures recipients of the Precinct Survey that "Your
answers to this...can help us do just that. Your opinions
will inform our 2010 Campaign Battle Plan - a plan that will
focus on 85 Democrat-held seats where we have candidates
running strong campaigns and political experts like Charlie
Cook belive are in-play for November."
Naturally, District 17 is one of those 85 seats.
As Mr. Bill Flores, Republican opponent of Representative
Edwards has announced, he intends to lay out the GOP
strategy at a seminar to be held next Saturday, May 15, at a
community center in Kosse, deep in the heart of District
17's Brazos River Valley blackland territory. A pre-
registered luncheon delegation of about 150 Precinct
Chairmen, County Republican Chairmen, poll watchers and
other volunteers will gather for an afternoon seminar on
just how to get out the vote for a Republican challenger to
the Democratic status quo.
A sampling of the questions on the survey reads like a
Republican litany on tax and spend politics, high taxes and
the dangers of socialized government regulations.
For instance, "Pelosi and Obama are proposing $1.4 TRILLION
in new taxes over the next 10 years as part of their new
federal budget. On top of that, the new Pelosi national
energy tax would add a projected $1,761 to the average
family's utility bill.
"Do you believe voters in H_____town will oppose Nancy
Pelosi if she advances a second massive budget-busting
'stimulus spending bill'?
"Do voters in H______town believe America is on the wrong
track under Pelosi/Obama rule?
"Are you aware that if you take all the debt we've run up
over 200-plus years as an independent nation, beginning with
President George Washington through today, it is President
Obama's plan to double that debt in just five years?
"In general, do you believe that people in your area are
against giving amnesty to illegal aliens?
"Do you believe that Republicans must stand for strong
enforcement of our borders?
"Shoud Republicans uphold worksite arrests and the
deportation of illegal aliens?
"Is it important to oppose liberal judges who legislate from
the bench?
"Do you support our Second Amendment right to keep and bear
arms?
"Do you believe our Republican Party must be united around
conservative, free-market principles in order to stop the
radical left wing Pelosi agenda?
"Do you support our Party's effort to replace Nancy Pelosi
as Speaker of the House?"
In questions aimed at voters who became members of the
National Republican Congressional Committee by donating at
least $35 dollars, the questionnaire asks:
"Which news outlet do you reply on most for information
about the critical issues facing America?
"ABC; CBS; NBC; Fox News Channel; CNN; MSNBC; News/Opinion
Websites; Daily newspaper; Radio; E-Mail; News Opinion
Magazines; Other _________.
"Which of the following news programs or comentary do you
listen to or watch on a regualar basis? (Please check all
that apply)
"Rush Limbaugh; Glenn Beck; Hannity; G. Gordon Liddy; Laura
Ingraham; The O'Reilly Factor; NPR; Neal Boortz; Other
"Generally speaking, how would you describe H_____town
politically, compared to the rest of America?
"More Liberal; As Liberal; Moderate; As Conservative; More
Conservative"
The literature directs those who have an interest and did
not receive a questionnaire that they can take the survey at
www.nrcc.org/2010RPS
A quick peek at a GOP direct mail piece offers a glimpse of
the conservative party's precinct by precinct strategy to
take back the Congressional majority.
This past Saturday morning, a lifelong supporter of liberal
causes in a blue state on the eastern seaboard found a
fundraising, consciousness raising letter and survey in her
mailbox.
Addressed to her as "Dear Fellow Republican," the letter,
which is franked by Representative John A. Boehner (R-Ohio)
seeks non-deductible contributions for the National
Republican Congressional Committee. It is not paid for by
any candidate, but by the committee itself.
The addressee, who has a Registration Number and a Voting
Precinct Code, has never once voted in a Republican Primary
in her entire adult life. She has always voted Democrat.
Nevertheless, it's an interesting document in this all-out
GOP effort to regain the majority in Congress, especially in
Texas U.S. House District 17, represented by ten-term
veteran Congressman Chet Edwards, a Waco Democrat who serves
a district with a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) rating of
R + 20.
It is a factor the veteran GOP pollster calculates based on
the results of the two latest general Presidential
elections, the number of registered voters from the majority
party and other factors such as primary results.
What's more, it is a very high partisan rating for the GOP
in this 12-county district long represented by a Democrat.
Viewers who watched the ObamaCare televised debate on C-Span
will remember Congressman Boehner as the deeply tanned
Representative who spoke like a Dutch uncle from the well of
the House by demanding on the Speaker call the role
immediately, to suspend the debate, and get on with the
show. He is the House Minority Leader.
His letter carries the same angry tone:
"Of course, to repeal 'ObamaCare' and undo all the other
big-government schemes that Speaker Pelosi has strong-armed
into law, we have to win huge victories at the polls in
November and elect a new House Republican Majority."
He assures recipients of the Precinct Survey that "Your
answers to this...can help us do just that. Your opinions
will inform our 2010 Campaign Battle Plan - a plan that will
focus on 85 Democrat-held seats where we have candidates
running strong campaigns and political experts like Charlie
Cook belive are in-play for November."
Naturally, District 17 is one of those 85 seats.
As Mr. Bill Flores, Republican opponent of Representative
Edwards has announced, he intends to lay out the GOP
strategy at a seminar to be held next Saturday, May 15, at a
community center in Kosse, deep in the heart of District
17's Brazos River Valley blackland territory. A pre-
registered luncheon delegation of about 150 Precinct
Chairmen, County Republican Chairmen, poll watchers and
other volunteers will gather for an afternoon seminar on
just how to get out the vote for a Republican challenger to
the Democratic status quo.
A sampling of the questions on the survey reads like a
Republican litany on tax and spend politics, high taxes and
the dangers of socialized government regulations.
For instance, "Pelosi and Obama are proposing $1.4 TRILLION
in new taxes over the next 10 years as part of their new
federal budget. On top of that, the new Pelosi national
energy tax would add a projected $1,761 to the average
family's utility bill.
"Do you believe voters in H_____town will oppose Nancy
Pelosi if she advances a second massive budget-busting
'stimulus spending bill'?
"Do voters in H______town believe America is on the wrong
track under Pelosi/Obama rule?
"Are you aware that if you take all the debt we've run up
over 200-plus years as an independent nation, beginning with
President George Washington through today, it is President
Obama's plan to double that debt in just five years?
"In general, do you believe that people in your area are
against giving amnesty to illegal aliens?
"Do you believe that Republicans must stand for strong
enforcement of our borders?
"Shoud Republicans uphold worksite arrests and the
deportation of illegal aliens?
"Is it important to oppose liberal judges who legislate from
the bench?
"Do you support our Second Amendment right to keep and bear
arms?
"Do you believe our Republican Party must be united around
conservative, free-market principles in order to stop the
radical left wing Pelosi agenda?
"Do you support our Party's effort to replace Nancy Pelosi
as Speaker of the House?"
In questions aimed at voters who became members of the
National Republican Congressional Committee by donating at
least $35 dollars, the questionnaire asks:
"Which news outlet do you reply on most for information
about the critical issues facing America?
"ABC; CBS; NBC; Fox News Channel; CNN; MSNBC; News/Opinion
Websites; Daily newspaper; Radio; E-Mail; News Opinion
Magazines; Other _________.
"Which of the following news programs or comentary do you
listen to or watch on a regualar basis? (Please check all
that apply)
"Rush Limbaugh; Glenn Beck; Hannity; G. Gordon Liddy; Laura
Ingraham; The O'Reilly Factor; NPR; Neal Boortz; Other
"Generally speaking, how would you describe H_____town
politically, compared to the rest of America?
"More Liberal; As Liberal; Moderate; As Conservative; More
Conservative"
The literature directs those who have an interest and did
not receive a questionnaire that they can take the survey at
www.nrcc.org/2010RPS
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Players Call For MLB Commish To "Move The Game"
Arizona SB 1070 got a new set of enemies Tuesday.
Major League Baseball players, nearly 30% of whom are
Latino, are demanding that the 2011 All-Star Game be moved
from Phoenix, Arizona, unless the law is repealed.
The new state law would allow police who have a reasonable
suspicion to investigate and detain anyone they find to be
an illegal alien. They would then be turned over to fed-
eral authorities for deportation.
Commissioner Bud Selig has the final decision on whether to
move the All-Star Game, "but he isn't likely to listen to
the players unless he hears from fans, too," according to
the liberal website "MoveOn.org"
The site administrators included a point and click petition
that will end up in the commissioner's e-mail in-box.
Major League Baseball players, nearly 30% of whom are
Latino, are demanding that the 2011 All-Star Game be moved
from Phoenix, Arizona, unless the law is repealed.
The new state law would allow police who have a reasonable
suspicion to investigate and detain anyone they find to be
an illegal alien. They would then be turned over to fed-
eral authorities for deportation.
Commissioner Bud Selig has the final decision on whether to
move the All-Star Game, "but he isn't likely to listen to
the players unless he hears from fans, too," according to
the liberal website "MoveOn.org"
The site administrators included a point and click petition
that will end up in the commissioner's e-mail in-box.
Monday, May 3, 2010
New Republican Chairman Busy Branding GOP With Voters
With all respect for due form and process of law, the judge
swore in the new Bosque County Republican Chairman Monday
morning.
In a new move toward branding the GOP in voters' eyes, Dr.
Tom Bratcher swore to uphold, protect and defend" the
Constitution of the United States against "all enemies,
foreign and domestic" as Mr. Justice Rex D. Davis of the 10
Court of Appeals at Waco dictated.
Dr. Bratcher is a tenured professor of mathematics at Baylor
University.
He is replacing Mrs. Helen Dozier, who for more 20 years
held the position through a time of transition from a single
party state to a double party Courthouse with constitutional
officers from both Democratic and Republican tickets holding
office.
"There is no room among us to sit on the benches," said Dr.
Bratcher in brief remarks following the ceremony. He
explained that of 16 voting precincts, only about half have
a Precinct Chairman. Previously, the post was held in dual
fashion by the Election Judge for Republican Primaries in
each precinct.
That's just not what he and his Vice Chairman, Janet
Jackson, are driving at. They want to recruit, train and
motivate people to serve in each of three precinct positions
- Chairman, Election Judge, and poll watcher.
Those who would like to learn more and help get out the vote
may contact Dr. Bratcher at 597-0258 and Mrs. Jackson at
254-709-1187. They are holding and planning training classes
at this time.
As soon as he was sworn in, Dr. Bratcher appointed Mrs.
Janet Jackson Vice Chairman and Mattie Bragg Derryberry as
Treasurer of the Bosque Republican Party.
swore in the new Bosque County Republican Chairman Monday
morning.
In a new move toward branding the GOP in voters' eyes, Dr.
Tom Bratcher swore to uphold, protect and defend" the
Constitution of the United States against "all enemies,
foreign and domestic" as Mr. Justice Rex D. Davis of the 10
Court of Appeals at Waco dictated.
Dr. Bratcher is a tenured professor of mathematics at Baylor
University.
He is replacing Mrs. Helen Dozier, who for more 20 years
held the position through a time of transition from a single
party state to a double party Courthouse with constitutional
officers from both Democratic and Republican tickets holding
office.
"There is no room among us to sit on the benches," said Dr.
Bratcher in brief remarks following the ceremony. He
explained that of 16 voting precincts, only about half have
a Precinct Chairman. Previously, the post was held in dual
fashion by the Election Judge for Republican Primaries in
each precinct.
That's just not what he and his Vice Chairman, Janet
Jackson, are driving at. They want to recruit, train and
motivate people to serve in each of three precinct positions
- Chairman, Election Judge, and poll watcher.
Those who would like to learn more and help get out the vote
may contact Dr. Bratcher at 597-0258 and Mrs. Jackson at
254-709-1187. They are holding and planning training classes
at this time.
As soon as he was sworn in, Dr. Bratcher appointed Mrs.
Janet Jackson Vice Chairman and Mattie Bragg Derryberry as
Treasurer of the Bosque Republican Party.