The Florida Senate and House are calling a Special Session for this December 3rd and for it to run to Wednesday the 11th. The issue is the future and funding of High Speed Passenger Rail, specifically, a High Speed Rail between Tampa and Orlando.

Here is a link of the Call for Special Session.

Here is a link to a summary of the Proposed Legislation provided by Senator Jeff Atwater.

Here is a Link to the Letter Senator Atwater sent out explaining the reason for the special session.

Here is a anti-rail summary presented (for now) without comment. (h/t Mr Sid Dinerstein)

I am currently doing research on this issue and expect to hear from sources inside the State Senate with regards to the actual scope and cost of this endeavor.

I will publish a post on Saturday on what I have found out about the economic consequences of building this rail system. I encourage everyone getting or reading this post to look into the economics (including tax burdens and revenue requirements) of moving people in Florida by rail.

I will say this. Calling for this Special Session during the time when most people’s attention are focused on getting their own lives in order in preparation for the Christmas Season is not amusing. The sheer scope of this effort means that NO FUNDS should be appropriated until our representatives in Tallahassee can come home after the special session and hear from their constituents regarding this issue.

For Florida, this is the state equivalent of the Health Care debate that is occurring in Washington. Time, coupled with thoughtful and deliberate consideration, is called for.

THERE SHOULD BE NO RUSH TO PASS THIS BILL BY DECEMBER 11th.

http://www.bloggybayou.com/2009/11/bloggybayou-banned-again-from-northwest.html

I was recently banned (again) from The Northwest Florida Daily News, and got a subtle threat of Further (Legal?) action if I try to do so again without first calling the editor. (see the above Link)

Fellow RedState Readers: With the content Sharing Agreement between the Tallahassee Democrat, The Pensacola News Journal and The Northwest Florida Daily News, My fellow citizens, from Tallahassee to Pensacola, are facing a monopoly in the print media and this media is controlled by individuals hostile to Republicans and Conservatives in General.

They allow comments on their Blog Site, as long as the criticism is limited to a) People who agree with them and b) contrarians that dare not challenge the status quo.

I did two things to get them upset with me:
#1) I did some research and found out that a month or two before their parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Senior Management took out of the company millions of dollars worth of Bonuses. Staff located at Panama City (they have shutdown their offices in Fort Walton Beach) were involved with getting some of the bonus money. I found this out at the same time they were hammering our local elected tax Collector for handing out Performance bonuses. I had the audacity to point out the Double standard.

#2) I’ll let my Post speak for itself: http://www.bloggybayou.com/2009/11/decline-of-defenders-of-first-amendment.html
Just wanted to make you aware the situation, newspaper wise, that faces us in the entire Panhandle of Florida.

Your Inputs are welcome… I will respond to any questions or criticisms. I admittedly was tough on Mr. Rice and Company, but also realize that they are also looking for “Citizen Bloggers” to work for free and in the Job Description, Mr. Rice insisted that a Blogger must have “Thick Skin”

I’m retired Navy and have been chewed out by true Masters of that Art.

However, If you are so inclined and want to pass this on to your fellow republicans and have them Email Director Of Content for Florida Freedom newspapers in Protest: here Is Mr. Pat Rice’s Address: patrickr@nwfdailynews.com

Like Mr. Franklin Said: “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

Cheers
Royce White
Blog: www.bloggybayou.com
Blog Email: blogbayou@gmail.com

Currently Charlie Crist is riding the St. Petersburg Times “The Buzz’s Fact Checker” call that Marco Rubio, despite having said he never raised taxes, did so as a city councilman and, in a series of convoluted votes, also while he was serving in the Florida House.

Here is a link to the article.

And here is a link to The Buzz article where they blow their own horn by asking Governor Crist what he thought of the “Fact Checker” article.

Needless to say, our esteemed Governor was pleased with the article.

I read the article and here is a quote from the article:

“The resolutions spell out that, without raising tax rates, the city was increasing property taxes — 1.402 percent in 1998 and 5.545 percent in 1999. The roll call has then-Commissioner Rubio as voting “Y” both years.”

I suspect that the increase was due to the housing bubble that occurred that artificially inflated property values. But I digress.

What struck me about the article is … it was so convoluted that I had trouble following it. (See above quote: perfect example of Doublespeak)

Now, as a young man I studied Mandarin for my first Masters Degree (Did it so well, I was able to seduce this wonderful and attractive Chinese lady in Norfolk, VA. and make her my wife of 17 years), was a damn good Intel officer in the Navy (I would still be in the Navy today, but I got a bum ticker) and after I was medically retired, went on to get a Masters in Software Engineering. My sisters tell me that I can be a real jerk, but even they will admit that I’m a fairly intelligent jerk.

So if Charlie Crist is hoping to use this article as a springboard to win back us conservatives… Uh… No … It is so much unintelligible BS from MSM site that has its own agenda (i.e., Liberal and Stop Conservatives from winning in Florida).

Don’t get me wrong, I read “The Buzz” everyday, it is one of the better updated political blogs out there, but I never fool myself that it is not a partisan MSM tool. Nor do I trust the MSM “Fact Checkers” cause they so often distort or fail to report the facts that endanger your typical liberal agenda.

In addition, I visited both Rubio’s and Crist’s web sites today. And I got to tell you, to me, Crist’s site stood out above Rubio’s, but for all the wrong reasons. Down in the left hand column of Crist’s site, he brags about getting endorsements from current Republican Senators including:

A) Senator Lindsay Graham: The Poster Boy for RINOs

B) Senator John Croryn: The man that single-handedly launched a hundred Republican Florida County Organizations proclamations telling the National Republican Senatorial Committee to butt out of our Senate Race.

C) Senator John McCain: The “Maverick” Republican that led the Republicans to one of its greatest electoral defeats in history, lost to Obama in Florida and by all accounts, ran one of the most inept Presidential Campaigns in History. (Remember the “Time Out” that led to “TARP”?)

Governor Crist: With all due respect, with friends like these, who needs enemies. You have, with apparently little or no effort, hit the perfect “Trifecta” for shooting yourself in the political foot as far as Conservatives and Tea Party folks are concerned. Congratulations (?)

Look at from the Governor’s site. Odds are, once he realizes that reminding voters that he is the RINOs choice for Senator, they will be coming down, fast…

Marco Rubio has Senator Jim DeMint in his corner; Marco Rubio has pundits Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity singing his praises; Marco Rubio has RedState, one of the more influential Republican Blogs, backing him; and , of course, the ” Pièce de Résistance “, yours truly backing Speaker Rubio.

Also Governor, one trait I want in a Senator is the ability to smell a Rat. In this case, the “Rat” I am referring to is your good buddy, Scott Rothstein. For you folks who are not familiar with our Good Governor’s relationship with Mr. Rothstein..here is link to get you started.

Like I said, with friends like these, who need enemies.

The BloggyBayou take on the current state of the Florida Senate Race: Advantage Rubio…BIGTIME.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As I am writing this, it has become apparent that The Harry Reid has his sixty votes for cloture and to begin the debate of the Democratic Health Reform Bill. This battle has been lost; Sometime in the next few months, the Federal Government will inject itself into the everyday lives of normal Americans, and, if left uncontested and unchallenged, will become the final arbiter on when and how we die. Make no mistake. This will happen.

The Obama Revolution continues unabated, regardless of the overwhelming disapproval of the American people, who are now just realizing of the consequences of the 2008 presidential campaign and election. Only the Cap and Trade Bill’s future is in doubt and don’t be surprised some form of it will pass Congress. We have no one to blame but ourselves. All the information on what the troika of Obama, Pelosi & Reid intended was readily available in a plethora of mediums, of which the most important were blogs and yes, Fox News.

Admittedly, John McCain ran a horrible campaign, but to have lost to such a neophyte as Obama was due, for the great part, the complete dereliction of duty by our Main Stream Press to vet then Senator Obama. If a white Republican had gone to a church led by an unapologetic racist for twenty years, been married in it and raised his children in such an environment, he would have been, rightly so, eviscerated by the MSM press. If a white conservative politician had openly associated with a Ku Klux Klan member who in the sixties bombed black churches, this fact, would (and should!) have been shouted from the roof tops by the NY Times/Washington Post and all the three of the big three network news programs.

But reverse the politics and race and you get a docile press that ultimately resulted in President Barack Hussein Obama on 20 January, 2009.

Let’s face it, despite all the new technology and the Internet, the VAST majority of Americans are still dependent on traditional media for their news. At best, Fox News gets 3 million viewers a night. This is in a nation of over 300 million. For all my fellow conservative bloggers, the information revolution will not be complete until we convince the majority of Americans that, for the most part, the Main Stream Media cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

I do not type these words with joy, but with sadness. Our Founding Fathers envisioned a vibrant press as a bulwark to keep our government honest. It was supposed to shine the harsh light of truth on the likes of Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha and yes, Barack Obama and to keep the American People informed of what these people stand for. Instead what has happened is Washington Politics and Press have merged into some loathsome hybrid creature, both feeding off the other and both parasites on the body politic. The press has become both lazy and biased, a toxic combination for our nation.

It is not just at the national level this has occurred, but also at the local level. Our local TV news are slaves to ratings and sweeps months and offer no real political insight. They are sound bite machines, with news practically regulated to second status to the weather report.

For most of America, our newspapers have been become a vehicle for delivery of non-news. The Sunday Paper, once the staple of investigative reports and serious news, is now a mere shell of its former self with the bulk of the paper being devoted to advertisements for the latest sales, comics and Parade magazine. While many papers are transitioning to Online versions, they are essentially tabloid in nature (”Nude man shoots Bear”) and their professionalism has deteriorated to the point of self-parody.

Take for example my local paper, the Northwest Florida Daily News. Its parent company as well as its subsidiary, Florida Freedom Newspapers, Inc are undergoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy. From Panama City to Fort Walton Beach, Florida Freedom Newspapers is, for all practical purposes, the only print newspaper in area. It has a stranglehold on the area with regards to local print and online local news. Its “Director of Content for Florida Freedom Newspapers” is one Pat Rice. He was editor of the NW Florida Daily News, but has taken on this new position while the company restructures. He is a regular columnist for the paper and has an active blog. His new job is, by his own admission “a promotion that carries with it additional responsibilities for all 10 newspapers our company owns in Northwest Florida.”

On November 18th, 2009, Mr. Rice posted the following on his Blog:
__________________________________________________________

Will you buy Palin’s book? Will you (gag) read it?
Posted 11/18/2009 11:07 AM CST

The cable stations have been all atwitter these last few days about former Alaska Governor and former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s book, which hit stores in Northwest Florida and elsewhere on Tuesday.

The title of the book is “Going Rogue,” and Palin is certainly that. Some pundits also think she is a possible contender for her party’s presidential nomination in 2012. You betcha!

I’m happy to admit that I probably won’t buy Palin’s book or read it if someone gives it to me. But not because of her political message, which I generally find to be devoid of anything but catchy phrases that only work if you are exceptionally attractive and know how to wink. Rather, I just don’t like autobiographies period, and I especially don’t like autobiographies by political people.

They always come off as self-promotional, self-aggrandizing, and self-interested to the point of being a dishonet (sic) baloney. That’s why I haven’t read Barack Obama’s autobiography, that’s why I haven’t read Bill Clinton’s autobiography, and that’s why I won’t read Palin’s book.

Much better, I think, are biographies written by at least somewhat objective and dispassionate observers. There are a number of excellent biographies out there about Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, and Dwight Eisenhower. The biography of Bill Clinton, “First in His Class,” by David Marannis is also exceptional.

But enough about the fact that most autobiographies make me gag. Today’s question is: Will you buy Palin’s book? Will you read it? And do you think she’s a possible 2012 presidential candidate for the Republicans?

As always, let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Pat

________________________________________________________

Here is a man, who by his own admission one of the more important journalists in our area, bragging about how he doesn’t read the autobiographies of current political figures. Unfortunately, I suspect that his position is held by most of the MSM. His gratuitous use of the word “Gag” when referring to reading Mrs. Palin’s book is obnoxious as it is ineloquent. It comes across like a twitter “tweat” from a twelve year old. But what is truly disturbing is how this post reveals the intellectual vapidity of this critical player in my area’s sole source of local “deadwood” and online papers. I strongly suspect this intellectual laziness is endemic across much of our newspapers, especially in areas like ours, where one franchise has a monopoly.

The hard left agenda of Barack Obama is not a surprise to the online conservative community, who read Obama’s works. Sean Hannity, for all his bluster and bulldog approach to punditry, was well aware of Obama’s autobiographies and was one of the early sounders of alarm. Indeed, of all the major news outlets, only Fox News and Talk Radio warned us to how radical the Obama’s agenda was, based in no small part, by reading both of Obama’s books; Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. For a political journalist not to have read these books in preparation to cover the 2008 election is inexcusable and irresponsible. To brag about it is unforgivable.

Autobiographies are almost as old as man. It started with crude drawing in caves, documenting a tribe’s recent hunt , moved on to hieroglyphs chiseled in stone by Egyptian Pharaohs and then to the written word. Julius Caesar, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, Nikita Khrushchev, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan are among the many who have put pen to paper to write about their life. It is up to the informed reader to discern fact from fiction and self-aggrandizement. But most importantly an autobiography offers the reader a rare glimpse into the subject’s soul; It offers a prism to help you see the man in all his varied aspects and help one determine what he is made of and what he intends to do in the future.

Perhaps the most famous example of the press ignoring an autobiography of an active politician is Adolph Hitler’s Mein Kampf (My Struggle). At the time he wrote it, he was in prison and was just another emerging figure in the chaos of Post WWI Germany. But in this rambling, chaotic screed, he laid out, for all to see, what his intentions were. The renunciation of the Versailles Treaty, the plan to gain lebensraum (living space) and above all, the plans to eradicate the Jews were painstakingly written out and defended. The Katie Courics and Pat Rices of that time failed to read it, or if they did, dismissed it as so much hyperbole.

Winston Churchill, Warrior, Politician, Pundit and Journalist, read it, warned Europe and America and was ignored until it was almost too late. The result was millions dead. Ironically, arguably the most poignant testament of the holocaust was the short autobiography of a young girl named Anne Frank, who was eventually consumed in the horror but has been rendered immortal by her decision and courage to put pen to paper before her death.

The lesson for my fellow conservatives, is that do not wait for the media to assist us in our time in the political wilderness. Indeed, I urge you to take what actions you can to stand up against the biased and lazy main stream media. The sooner we put local papers that fail to serve us out of business, the quicker a new press that will arise, in exciting new forms and unburdened the bigotry, prejudices and sheer laziness of the current press.

The road to 2010 and 2012 will be difficult. But our first lesson we must learn is not to depend on the “Professional Pundits” and “Press” to speak “Truth to Power”. They lost that ability years ago. We can only depend on ourselves to get the word out to our fellow citizens. Start putting “pen to paper” and spread the word. We are the heirs to the most successful revolution in mankind’s history. We will honor our ancestors by keeping the dream alive….

Earlier this month I posted a blog about Jim Greer, Ray Sansom and how one (or both) of these men are lying to our State Senator, Don Gaetz. Here is a link to that post.

On 5 November, the Hillsborough County Republican Party nailed Mr. Greer and his, for lack of a better word, henchman, Rich Heffley, for going into the black bag business of dirty political tricks. In a display of sheer ineptitude, both men got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Here is a link to the Hillsborough County GOP complaint. The only thing worse than being sleaze bags is being incompetent sleaze bags.

Congratulations Mr. Greer on single handily launching a revolt in the Florida GOP (I am assuming that Governor Crist had no knowledge of this, but only a full an open investigation into all RPOF financial and and electronic communications can we really be sure)

On 16 November, 2009, The Okaloosa County Republican Executive Committee, in a overwhelming vote, formally asked that at the next quarterly meeting of the RPOF that Mr Greer be given a vote of “No Confidence” and that he formally resign his post as Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

I strongly suspect that other counties are going to soon follow suit. Enough is Enough. I have been attending Tea Parties in our area and they point to the morass and air of corruption that Mr. Greer has fostered. They also point to the embrace of “Porkulus” by Gov. Crist and then his comical attempts to backtrack on his endorsement of it, despite numerous documents and YouTube videos of him backing same said Porkulus fiasco.

In Okaloosa County, I have made it clear to the Tea Party leaders that if they want to keep Mr. Crist from going to the Senate, that they HAVE to register Republican so they can vote against him in the Primary. I have made no secret of my desire to see Marco Rubio elected and I have pushed him to the local Tea Party Patriots as a man they can trust. I hope I made a good enough arguement to get them to urge fellow Tea Party members to register Republican in order to stop Crist and vote Rubio. Time will tell and I WILL NOT stop trying.

We, the Grassroots Republicans, can also garner Tea Party Patriot votes (and respect) by showing to them we mean business when it comes to cleaning up our own mess. If Jim Greer had any sense of decency, he would call an emergency meeting of the RPOF County Chairs and State Committee men and women tomorrow, resign and allow the County Chairmen and State Party reps find someone who can restore trust to the RPOF.

I state again to my Senator, Don Gaetz. You have been lied to by either Ray Sansom or Jim Greer or, as I strongly suspect, both. In addition, Jim Greer has been caught doing a very poor imitation of Dick Nixon. Talk to the Hillsborough GOP chair if you don’t believe me.

It is time to man up Senator. Either you are with us or against us on this. It is a black or white decision..there is no gray area here. I and all Grassroot Republicans expect action and Tea Party members are watching to see if they can ever again put their trust in the Republican party.

Jim Greer’s resignation or firing is the first step back for Republicans to show we can be trusted to do the right thing.

The first Tea Party I attended months ago was a somewhat chaotic affair, it was held outdoors under threatening weather and there was no real organization, just enthusiasm.

The Tea party I saw yesterday was still enthusiastic but it was light years improved with regards to organization. When I first got there, a young lady with an orange flag stopped me and asked me if I had special needs parking. I said no and she told me where to go park. I was waved into my parking space by a volunteer wearing a neon green t-shirt with the word “Staff” in big bold letters and “fwbteaparty” underneath. The cars parked ran the gamut from Mercedes to ancient Pick-up trucks

Unlike the last Tea Party, this was held inside the Fairgrounds building. The entrance was decorated with both professionally and hand-made signs, all geared towards the concept of limited government and against the present course our country is on. As I entered was asked for a 2 dollar entrance fee to help offset costs and then was asked if I was a veteran. I said yes and they gave me a gold badge to wear to identify me as a former member of the military. Booths were there, most were for candidates running for various political offices (Including Henry Kelly who is running as an independent for FL District 1 House and is Vice Chairman/Legislative Team leader of the FWB Tea Party). Other candidates were there with booths (Not as many as we had at the Republican Caucus last week) as well a T-shirt sales. John Krause was there running as a Republican for the District 1 House seat, as well as Craig Barker, Mayor of Destin running for the State District 4 representative. Numerous people were walking around with the “Staff” t-shirts and everyone was polite.

I met with Chris Saccomanno (He is the Tea party Leader and we have been exchanging Phone calls and Emails but this was our first face-to-face meeting) and he was very polite (note: he was wearing gold badge) and our combined conversations have revealed that we had much more in common politically than not. People were vying for his time, so I said my goodbye and said good luck!

It was reported by the NW Florida Daily News that the number of attendees was 200. There were people like me that came for the first half, but had other duties and had to leave (I had to play “Mr. Dad” that day for my son)..I am also confident that others showed up after the NW Florida Daily News posted their article (it was posted online almost 45 minutes before the event was over). So I would say the number of folks there was around 300 and I may be undercounting. And remember, this was being held on a “College Football” Saturday.

Entering the auditorium, there was a stage, with sound system and a video projector for films and slides on a screen and a digital camcorder to record the speakers. (FWB has their own Website and YouTube page) Rows of chairs were aligned neatly around the stage.

Henry Kelly started things off with a the pledge of allegiance and national anthem and then had a rundown of the day’s schedule and emphasized that they had reserved time for members of to come forward and speak. There were to be talks about the census, cap and trade (both sides of the issue represented) and a talk from the supervisor of elections.

I had to go after the first hour and half (Dad duties), but from what I saw impressed me in terms of organization, tone and presentation. There was no anger, there was no extremism, there was only very polite people who had taken time from their day off to express their concern for the path that our country is taking us.

Now I quote from an article on Tea Parties written in the Washington Post by David Corn:

“A recent poll found that only 25 percent of Americans have a positive opinion of the Republican Party (compared to 42 percent for the Democrats). Hanging out with “Nazi”-shouters who wave racist and hateful signs is not likely to boost the popular appeal of congressional Republicans. Boehner and company are not merely playing to the base; they’re saddling up with the worst elements of the right. It won’t be a pretty ride.”

Here is a link to the Article and here is a link to David Corn’s Bio. This man is far left and yet he is considered a main stream commentator in the Washington Post. His article is a pure hit piece on a movement that scares the left. That should be a call to Republicans to listen to these people. It hasn’t been the Republicans generating headlines, it has been Tea Parties and Town Halls. The left knows where the threat is and are preemptively trying to short circuit it.

What I saw today was a group of everyday folks who are worried at the direction our country is on and determined to change that course. They know spending has gotten out of control, they see our President apologizing for imagined sins and they see a administration that is in the process of abandoning the war on terror and, in effect, going back to a 9/10 mentality. (There were many veterans there, but we in the panhandle are home to many retired veterans so I wouldn’t attribute this makeup to other tea parties in the country).

I am a committed Republican. I believe that only through the Republican party can we generate an opposition that can slow down the Obama administration in 2010 and kick it out in 2012. However, I understand the frustration of the Tea Party crowd. When they speak of Republicans, they are speaking of the entrenched elite that have consistently “played” the game of compromise politics with the compromise always being in the Democrat’s favor.

For Example, Eric Holder was confirmed as Attorney General with wide Republican support. Yet here is a man who engineered the Marc Rich pardon, was a partner in a law firm that was in the forefront of defending terrorists who have sought to do our country harm and now has decided to grant the architects of the 9/11 attacks the same freedoms and rights that they sought to destroy and bring them in our country for trial. Not one Republican should have supported his nomination, yet here is a list of those Republicans that did:

Alexander (R-TN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Chambliss (R-Ga)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Sessions (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Voinovich (R-OH)

While there are some true conservatives in the list, for the most part it’s like “Casablanca”…you know…”Round up the usual suspects”.

What I would say to the FWB Tea Party members: Take time to sit with the members of the Okaloosa Republican Party leadership. You will find people just as frustrated as you with our “establishment” GOP. Look at my blog and you will see someone who decided to become active in Republican Party politics in order to, in a very small way, help it renew its roots with the American people and turn itself into the party of limited government and an unapologetic strong foreign policy. Go to websites like “RedState” and you will find Republicans who feel as you do.

I cannot speak for other Republicans, but only for myself. However, what I see in the Tea Party movement is a way for the Republicans to regain their soul and passion for their country. Republicans should not try to take over Tea Parties, but nor should they object to Tea Party members joining our ranks. What we need to do is find common ground in races that we can have major impact on.

In Florida, there is one obvious race that many reform minded Republicans can join forces with the Tea Party. It is the Senate Race between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist.

One of the reasons I went from passive voter to active Republican was because of a bipartisan TARP program, followed by a totally wasteful stimulus package that has, by all accounts, been useless and whose only achievement has been to triple our deficit and will eventually trigger inflation and burden us with debt for generations to come. ( Here is a link to my take on the current spending.)

This was a bright line for me and Charlie Crist crossed it when he embraced Obama/Pelosi economic plan. That was not the actions of a true Republican. So I went out, looked over the list of candidates that could defeat Crist and came up with Marco Rubio. I’m sure there are issues that I would disagree with Mr. Rubio, but he is closest to my core political beliefs and is the only real threat to keep Crist from winning the Republican nomination. It was a practical decision on my part.

For Tea Party members here is a way you can help stop Obama. First, you have to vote for Rubio in the Primary and the only way to do that is to register as Republican. If Rubio fails in the Primary, you are looking at either Charlie Crist as Senator (an Arlen Specter clone) or worse yet, a Democrat who will vote the Democratic party line. There are no Independent threats to Crist (or the Democrat nominee) in the general election. The only way for you to stop Crist is in the Primary. So I urge you to spread the word to fellow Tea Party members statewide who are not registered Republicans to register as one in order to vote for Rubio and stop Crist. 2010 favors the Republicans and I am confident Rubio, if nominated, will win.

In Okaloosa, I am well aware that Mr. Kelly is running for Congress. Registering Republican will not prevent you from voting for Mr. Kelly in the General Election. Principles are the core of politics, but tactics are crucial in implementing those core principles. One Senator is worth 10 house seats and it is in the Senate where a minority can more easily stop a majority. Odds are Democrats will lose seats but not control in the house in 2010. Increasing the Republican conservative numbers in the Senate are key.

Conservative Republicans across the country are making their feelings known. For example, Senator Bennett of Utah, one of the most pliable of the Republicans, is facing open revolt from the Republican Right in his state and may not survive the primary. I have no doubt Tea Party Members are a key part of that conservative ground swell in Utah.

So here is where I suggest it is in our best interests to join forces. You would not be making a pact with the devil, but with friends. Republican hands are open to you. To Okaloosa Republicans, I urge you to listen and attend Tea Parties. Let’s have a booth at the next one held by the FWB Tea party and start talking. All I ask is both sides listen to the other. Both of us might be pleasantly surprised.

We all know that the current administration is harking back to the FDR’s New Deal to justify its Keynesian intrusion into our economy. We are also aware that when it is pointed out that the New Deal was an abject failure to restart the American economy and that is was only with the advent of WWII that full employment was achieved, Obama supporters will often shoot back that the initial monies devoted to the New Deal was not enough and that is was the truly MASSIVE war spending the restored America to its financial supremacy. Thus the justification for enormous stimulus bill and the passing of the current budget and talk of more stimulus. I will agree with the Democrats judgment with only a few minor caveats:

1) We beef up our Armed Forces to the same relative levels they were in WWII. Out of a population of 140 Million, that was approximately 16 million men and women, or 11.5 % of the population. With current population of the US over 300 million, that means an armed forces of around 34.5 million. Talk about reducing the unemployment rate!

2) For the next 4 to 5 years or so we go about making sure every major industrial power in the world is turned into so-much burnt out debris so that for the next 25-30 years we have little or no economic competition (hey, we got to give our guys and gals in uniform something to do). I know, I know, people will die, but look on the bright side; All the dust and pollution in the air will reflect back those awful sunrays and cool down the Earth, right?

3) To support above said effort, we devote almost all of our industrial capacity towards making sure that our 34.5 million man Armed Forces are the best equipped military in the world. That also means major R&D into exotic technologies like nuclear fusion, anti-gravity, space based weapons, Anti-Obesity Drugs, etc. (Can you say “Manhattan Project”?) Solar and wind power will just have to wait.

4) During this 4-5 year period (aka “War”), we allow the government to set prices, wages, dictate profit margins, raise taxes on a progressive scale up to 90% on some people and tell practically everyone where they can or cannot work. But, best of all, the government gets to implement that great equalizer, RATIONING!! Yes sir! Nothing like total economic rationing to force people to save their money they earn from full employment and since they will have nothing to spend it on, we can get them to invest in OBAMA BONDS (aka “War Bonds”). I can see it now, all our Hollywood stars hawking them across the fruited plain. (My money is on Sean Penn to be our equivalent of Abbot and Costello and sell the most). Just to give you a taste of what rationing will sound like, give this a listen!

5) After the 4-5 period (aka “War”), the government gets to keep it’s progressive tax rate up to the 90 percentiles, cause it won’t really affect our working people until the world rebuilds again.

6) The only downside to this is that after our 30 year window of economic prosperity, Disco would make a comeback….

Of course, we could do just what Reagan did and reduce taxes on individuals and business and get the same result.

This particular fireside chat occurred during the Easter Week of 1938. You can download it and listen to it here. I urge you to take 30 minutes of your day and listen to it. The parallels to today are stunning.

Some background: It’s spring, 1938. The New Deal lay in shambles. The country was in what can only be called the Great Depression II. The graph (that you can download/view here) shows unemployment had risen to near 1933 levels and was still rising. The massive government spending during the first four years had run its course, and no real permanent economic foundation had been established. At the 12:56 mark, FDR gives his reason why this slide into recession happened: It was a failure of consumer demand due to lack of buying power (aka: massive unemployment had reduced consumer demand) Sound familiar?

FDR proposed his “Three Rounds of Ammunition” to fight the new depression. Here they are:

1)Round One: At the 13:34 mark: Government unemployment benefits and more government funds invested in government make work programs (can you say AmeriCorps/Acorn?)

2)Round two: At the 14:33 mark: Make credit available to banks, easy money for easy loans ( More TARP?)

3)Round three: At the 15:22 mark: Pork barrel spending: Government slum clearance, Public works infrastructure, federal aid to highways, flood control; Build federal buildings (can you say Porkulus?)

As you continue to listen to the speech, here are other points where the similarities between then and now are eerily alike:

At the 21:34 mark: FDR notes the banks have plenty of “idle money” (sound familiar?)

At the 21:50 mark FDR states it is the government’s job to get that money into the economy and get government work moving again (TARP anyone?).

At the 22:17 mark: FDR begins making the claim that the government led efforts will eventually pay for itself by getting the private sector back on its feet (GM/Chrysler takeover folks? When TARP recipients re-pay the money back, we will make money)

At the 22:44 mark: FDR blames Hoover for the country still being in the dumps. Remember, this is 1938! FDR was entering his sixth year and the economy had tanked again during his second term. The remarkable thing is, people bought this line of reasoning. (Sound familiar? Never ever expect Democrats to take responsibility for his actions if things go sour on their watch… hell they are still blaming Hoover every now and then.)

At the 23:08 mark: FDR mocks the people who fear the deficit spending and Public works would be a drag on the economy and not work to establish true economic recovery. Now remember, FDR is speaking at a time the country had dipped back into what we today would call a depression and it occurred after the government spending of 1933, the original New Deal… and FDR brazens it out, touting all the alleged good he has done! Sounds like Hans Solo from Star Wars: “It’s not my fault!” He then ups the ante with more of the same policies. (Aren’t we hearing the calls for a “second round of stimulus?”)

At the 24:51 mark: FDR claims it takes the federal government to trigger economic activity.. (sound familiar?)

At the 26:26 mark: FDR argues for redistribution of wealth (FDR always argued to keep profits for private enterprises to a minimum and would hide behind the phrase “fair profit for business” throughout his years as president. Sound Familiar? Windfall Profits tax, Raise capital Gains tax?)

At the 27:09 mark: FDR more or less says “I tried to reduce the debt but we got to spend more because the previous spending didn’t work…. Don’t worry, we will get it back in payment of loans and increased tax revenues.” (Obama is parroting, for all practical purposes the same thing)

At the 29:55 mark: FDR states only government can get the economy moving, but once it does, then we can start reducing the deficit. (sound familiar? Obama triples the debt, but says he is concerned with the deficit and will make it a priority once government spending takes hold)

The rest of FDR’s speech is that all must get behind his plan (or else) and he is merely a humble public servant.

What Happened? There was a slight dip in unemployment, but a great deal of that can be attributed to the massive arms build-up in preparation for WWII. Remember, we didn’t just gear up the arms industry starting on December 7th 1941. FDR did see the threat of Hitler and Japan and had the foresight to initiate our military build-up, plus push through assistance to Great Britain once the WWII started. (Give credit where credit is due, but also give credit to one of the great unsung heroes of American Politics: FDR’s future Presidential Opponent, Republican Wendell Wilkie who also backed the arms build-up and was crucial in convincing Congress to help the British, thus making FDR’s effort “bipartisan”). In addition, don’t underestimate the draft that started in 1940 and its major impact on the jobs numbers.

What were the final results of FDR’s “New Deal” and “New New Deal?” FDR’s own Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau, Jr summed it up best in his testimony to congress in 1939:

“We are spending more money than we have ever spent before and it does not work. I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get jobs. We have never made good on our promises. I say after eight years of this administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started and an enormous debt to boot.”

It took WWII to drag us out of the Depression. Here is a link to my own analysis as to how that happened. Bottom Line, we took 16 million people in their prime and put them in uniform; We spent billions in defense; invoked rationing and savings and as soon as WWII was over we still had another recession in 1947-48 as we reabsorbed and re-focused on a consumer-based economy. As we had little economic competition for the next 30 years, it was easy to leave the FDR progressive tax system in place. It wasn’t until the late 1960’s and 70’s that the world caught up and the result was the great stagflation of Jimmy Carter. It took Ronald Reagan and his MASSIVE tax cut to reverse 50 years of FDR policies to make us competitive in a global economy once again.

I recently was banned under my Blog name “BloggyBayou”.  If you  are interested why, here  is the Link:

http://www.bloggybayou.com/2009/11/nw-florida-daly-news-freedom-of-speech.html

Freedom of the Press was recognized as a critical right by our Founding Fathers.  It was supposed to be the people’s watchdog over an overzealous government and  (1st amendment and all)  It was supposed to be freewheeling and rambunctious and open to all points of view.  At least that’s how our Founding Father’s envisioned it.

What they didn’t foresee was the rise of the Press as an insular institution, that dictates views and limits expression.  With the rise of radio, then television, the power of the press was becomingly increasingly centered in the hands of a few.  With the advent of TV, newspapers were dealt a near mortal blow with the result being that fewer print papers (deadwood media) exist and once dominant magazines such as Time and Newsweek are fighting for their financial lives.

The end result is communities like Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Niceville have only one small paper to meet our local print newspaper needs. To make it worse, it and its parent company are in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the paper has shut its local Fort Walton offices down and moved the operation to Panama City. Such is the nature of the economy we live in.  But, with the NW Florida Daily News being the only game in town, they get to set the tone of the debate  in this area as far as print media goes. On the Internet, it’s a different story.

In a recent Blog post, Pat Rice, referred to Sarah Palin and Fred Thompson as “Uber-conservatives” .  As you can tell from my above post, I called him on it.  It was an ugly, vicious smear because  its connotations of the right wing of the Republican party as being Fascist were obvious.  Once I called Mr. Rice on it, he changed the “Uber” to “Hyper”, but his true feelings were already laid bare for all to see.

Then, after Mr. Rice indicated that I was under some type of alien mind control, I pointed out succinctly and accurately that his stewardship of online site left much to be desired.  As a retired Navy Officer, it was a gentle dress down in my opinion, but it apparently was too much for Mr. Rice to handle. He had me barred and my Posts taken off the site.  I stand by my posts and you can read them for yourselves at my Blog (www.bloggybayou.com).

Mr. Rice recently advertised that they were looking for “citizen bloggers” to work for free, but advised they needed thick skin and have to be able to take the heat and be able to dish it out.  If banning criticism and banning people from his site for making accurate  observations as to how good a job he is doing Mr. Rice’s  idea of thick skin, then I suggest it is time for the NW Florida Daily News find a new “Director of Content for Florida Freedom Newspapers” (my posts point out his, in my opinion, dismal performance…It took him almost 10 months to correct his own Bio to reflect his true status in his organization). In the wild wooly world of the Internet, what I did was just a slap on the wrist. If you want to see some really vicious stuff, go to the “Daily Kos”.

When DARPA came up with the internet, it saved us from the tyranny of the elite Main Stream Media.  Making people disappear from photographs and comments and writings vanish was once stock-in-trade in Stalinist Russia.  The Internet has made that infinitely more difficult. We “Citizen Journalists” are just getting started and number one on our list is to hold our political elites accountable (Latest Example: Charlie Crist denying he supported “Porkulus”- That didn’t take long to disprove).  Number two on the list is to hold the mainstream media accountable.

Finally, the Email sent to me by the paper said the following:

“Your account has been blocked from posting at nwfdailynews.com. To restore
access, please contact Pat Rice at (850) 747-5092.”

I won’t contact Mr. Rice, but I will meet him in a neutral public place with third parties to tape and record our entire conversation.  I get to ask questions and query his motives and methods, as he mine.

As for being blocked to post at NW Florida Daily News..You really must get more tech savvy Mr. Rice…. I just posted again (and got a screen shot to prove it if you ban me again).

Cheers,

BloggyBayou

13 of our fellow Americans are dead. Over 30 wounded. The Shooter, one of own. A man whose professional existence was made possible by the generosity of the American taxpayer and our system of government that espouses the ideal that all are created equal and a one’s religion is one’s own business.

We are told not to jump to conclusions. Our President, says not to judge until all the facts are in. CAIR (Council on Islamic-American Relations), the Islamic front group, condemns the act, but fails to note that the FBI severed its once-close ties with CAIR as evidence mounted of the group’s links to a support network for Hamas, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.

The known facts so far is that Major Nidal Malik Hasan was shouting “Allah Akbar” as he coldly snuffed out the lives of 13 people. The facts are Major Nidal Malik Hasan has made numerous complaints about the Global War on Terror and has expressed sympathy for those Muslims who strap bombs to their bodies and blow them and innocent others to bloody chunks of humanity. There are reports this Physician was proselytizing to his patients. By all accounts he is a devout devotee to Islam and it plays a central role in his life. He made no attempt to hide his anger at being deployed to the Middle East and his behavior was noted by our military. The man was a ticking time bomb of Islamic religious fervor and in our politically correct and cowed society (where we do not hold a President accountable for attending a racist, anti-American church for 20 years), the best our military could do to stop him was give him a poor performance report.

I will not play the “PC” fool. At 1:34 PM Central Standard Time on 5 November 2009, the worst Islamic terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11 took place. There is no other way to look at it. No amount of CAIR statements will convince me otherwise. We are dealing with a religion whose epicenter allows no non-believers walk. We are dealing with a religion whose main bastion and amongst many of its adjacent states, treat women as chattel and embrace violence as a legitimate method of converting the infidel.

Islam is still, at its core, a religion of barbarism, mired in its beliefs that are still stuck Middle Ages. It uses the tools of freedom that the West makes available to protect itself and its way of life (Here is the link CAIR’s to “Know Your Civil Rights” site) and then, as their numbers grow, begin to insist their “religious law” (Sharia) trump our civil law. Relatives committing honor killings on young people are on the rise. Just because their children decided the gifts of Western Civilization offered them a better life.

These acts are happening in the West! Can you imagine the horrors that women and children under the Taliban suffer? Can you imagine the abuse and terror that is inflicted on the women and children of Saudi Arabia? I am not talking about the families of the rich in Saudi Arabia, who let their wives and daughters travel and live in the west to escape the prison of Islamic law, but of the everyday woman who has never known a day where in public she can let her face feel the warmth of the sun or the kiss of gentle wind on her face. Why does the West not stand up to such barbarism?

Why? Two reasons: Our dependence on foreign oil and the imposition of concept of “Political Correctness” by our intellectual and political elites that threatens our lives as much as any terrorist organization.

The United States has become the crack whore of foreign oil. America’s goal should be the country that has the cheapest and most abundant energy supply on earth. We are an energy rich nation, both in natural resources and scientific knowledge. Nuclear power is American power. Forged in the crucible of war, this uniquely American source of power is the key to our future energy independence. We are rich in hydrocarbon fuel in the form of oil, shale and coal. Why are we afraid to embrace it?

Because of the Political Correctness of “Global Warming”. The same elites who tell us not to consider the murders committed by Major Nidal Malik Hasan as a “Islamic Terrorist act” are the same people who espoused “Man-made Global Cooling” in the Seventies are the same people who are scare-mongering to drum up support for “Man-made Global Warming” today. These people are not concerned with the practical running and operation of an economy for the greater good. Their intent is to impose on the United States a set of naïve and dangerous ideals that were formulated by the extreme left in the Sixties that have no real basis in rationality or progress.

Don’t expect the current administration to counter this dangerous philosophy, because they are the leaders of it. Even as I type this, there are brave young men and women in Iran rising up against the Islamic State and President Obama has sided with the corrupt and evil Mullahs and their stooges. So much for being the Light of Freedom for the World.

Don’t expect the current Congress to step up and make a stand. We have, over the past 50 years, allowed our elected officials (both Republican and Democrat) transform themselves into privileged “Mandarins” who are no longer public servants and are, for the most part, unaccountable to the normal rule of law that we, as citizens, must live under. Re-election is how they measure their personal success and any action that makes that possible, justifies it, regardless of the consequences of those actions.

I say now: The Front Line on the Global War on Terror, The Front Line of this Clash of Civilizations is not on in the mountains of Afghanistan or the deserts of Iraq. The Front Line is on Main Street, USA. There is where the real battle is being fought.

Do we make the effort to rid ourselves of energy dependence?

Do we condemn and resist the obvious, that Islam, as it is practiced at its heart, is cruel and dangerous philosophy that endangers our children and grandchildren?

Do we call out the apologists for this distorted religion and shun them in the way we finally did to the likes of the KKK and segregationists?

Do we continue to hemorrhage our wealth and work to support these reactionary regimes?

Do we continue to be afraid to speak the obvious truth that when a devout Muslim wantonly kills, whether he does it on his own or with an organized cabal, that it is intrinsically an act of Islamic terror?

Or do we take the blinders off and start speaking the plain and obvious truth about our war with Islamic fundamentalists and take the obvious and necessary route to regain true independence from the despots of the Middle East?

The Elections of 2010 and 2012 will answer these questions.