Yesterday, Democrat leaders announced they may soon bring Harry Reid’s new health care bill to the Senate floor in an effort to grant the President’s wish for a government takeover of our nation’s health care by Christmas. This is in spite of the fact that 99 senators have never seen Reid’s new bill that was written in secret. Reid even hinted he may rush to a vote before the bill’s been public for 72 hours, as even Democrats have demanded.

To begin debate on this new version of Obamacare, Reid will play a shell game. He needs 60 senators to “vote to proceed” to an unrelated piece of legislation, and once he clears that hurdle he will strike that bill’s text and insert his new health care bill. But don’t be fooled by senators that will say they oppose a government takeover but just wanted to allow debate on health care, they are not being honest.

The simple fact is this: Any senator that votes to proceed to the Reid-Obama bill is voting for a government takeover of health care.

Why? Because, President Obama and Harry Reid cannot pass a government takeover without clearing 60 vote procedural hurdles in the Senate — but they also know that vulnerable Democrats likely cannot win reelection if they vote for this unpopular bill. So they want all Democrats to stick together on the vote to proceed, then some Democrats will vote against final passage of the bill and claim they tried to stop it.

Senators who say they just want to allow for debate are trying to deceive their voters while giving President Obama the crucial votes he needs to pass a government takeover of health care.

Voters should be watching and remember who stands up for their freedom and who stands with the special interests who want to ram through this takeover.

Democrats have now offered 5 different versions of Obamacare (the first House bill, the second House bill, the Senate Finance bill, the Senate HELP bill, and now Reid’s bill). And despite the nuances, every Democrat bill we’ve seen puts Washington in control of health care, slashes Medicare coverage for seniors, raises premiums for families, raises taxes, places bureaucrats between patients and doctors, punishes young adults who choose not to buy coverage, and opens the door to government rationing of care.

We know the Reid plan will be more of the same and cannot be fixed by a few amendments on the Senate floor. The attempt to give Washington control over one-sixth of our economy is rotten to its core. And any improvements made to the bill will be a mirage that will vanish as soon as the bill goes behind closed doors in conference with the Pelosi bill.

Americans have loudly and repeatedly rejected the President’s government takeover of health care. It’s time to for the Senate to listen, stop the shell games, and start over with real solutions that will provide every American the opportunity to afford, own and keep a health care plan that best meets their needs. To that end, I introduced the Health Care Freedom Plan earlier this year. It would give Americans hundreds of health plan options through interstate competition, create fair tax treatment for those who don’t get their insurance from an employer, and provides real tort reform to stop frivolous lawsuits.

We can have a real debate about common sense solutions, but only if we first stop this government takeover. And we can stop this bill if we don’t let Democrats try to have it both ways.

Don’t let them vote for a government takeover of health care before they vote against it. The “vote to proceed” to Obamacare may be one of the most important votes any Senator takes. Make sure your senator knows you are watching.

For weeks leading to his arrest, Zelaya flouted the constitutional authority of the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court, and claimed for himself extra-constitutional control of his nation’s military and political institutions. Every institution from the Electoral Tribunal to the Supreme Court ruled that his actions were unjustified and illegal. Zelaya’s open defiance of democratic norms has set Honduras on a path toward violence, instability, and tyranny.

I am hopeful that as President Obama grows in office, he will eventually turn away from despots like Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, and Zelaya, and give the United States’ full-throated support to the people of any country who are fighting for the same values we cherish and defend in America. The people fighting for freedom around the world, in Iran and Honduras, should never have to wonder which side America will choose between freedom and tyranny.

President Obama’s call for the reinstatement of Zelaya is a slap in the face to the people of Honduras. And the resolution written by the Organization of American States tramples over the hopes and dreams of a free and democratic people.

The rule of law is working in Honduras. President Obama should not undermine the democratic institutions that guarantee freedom by forcing an illegitimate President back into power.

This is not an ideal transition, but Hondurans are adhering to their constitution. The United States should support the Honduran people and their legitimate leaders in their brave and heroic stand for freedom and the rule of law.

REPORTER: A group of Republican senators has written a letter to the Secretary urging her to relist North Korea on the terror list. They specify certain unnamed ongoing terrorist activities. Do you share that assessment, and where do you want to go with that?

STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN PHILIP CROWLEY: …As for North Korea, I think we’re aware of that letter. But as far as I know, firing off missiles and over-heated rhetoric is unwise and unhelpful, but does not meet the legal definition of terrorism.

REPORTER: They seem to say – but they don’t refer to those tests as a terrorist activity – to say that other ones are ongoing, that those are — Is there anything else that you’re aware of?

MR. CROWLEY: To list a country on the terrorism list, there’s a legal requirement there. And what we’ve seen so far, I don’t think meets that legal test.
 

Based on this statement, I eagerly await the State Department to certify:
 

1. That it was not terrorism if North Korea did cross into China to kidnap American journalists, who will be sent to a North Korean labor camp.
2. That reports from our ally Japan are wrong about North Korea currently helping to launder money for terrorist organizations.
3. That the rockets Hamas continues to launch into Israel do not come from North Korea or contain North Korean parts.
4. That North Korea has not aided Hezbollah with their attacks on Israel (CRS report pg. 17)
5. That North Korea is no longer aiding Syria’s nuclear weapons development, a country still listed as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
6. That North Korea is no longer supporting Iranian Revolutionary Guards (CRS report pg. 21)
7. That President Obama’s defense officials and United Nations officials quoted in the Wall Street Journal are incorrect in their warnings that renewed “fears about Pyongyang’s ability and need to smuggle weapons of mass destruction around the world… Iran and Pakistan have already used North Korean materials to develop domestic ballistic missiles. Syria, Yemen, Libya and Egypt have also purchased North Korean missile components in recent years.”
8. like Libya, North Korea has renounced terrorism and is a party to all 12 of the international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism.
9. That no representatives of the Iranian government have been present at North Korean nuclear and missile tests as they were believed to be in 2006.

 
Last year, in a move many of us strongly disagreed with, President Bush removed North Korea from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List, not because they had stopped supporting terrorists but in hopes it would be a carrot to encourage them to join negotiations and halt development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.
 
They exploited Bush’s actions by accessing previously frozen funds and loans to speed along their weapons programs. In recent weeks, North Korea once again tested a nuclear weapon and proved to the world their program is alive and well and successfully launched a number of ballistic missiles. Right now, they are preparing to test another missile that has the capability of striking the United States.
 
The carrot didn’t work. It’s time for the stick.
 
Even Secretary Clinton agreed in her interview that North Korea wasn’t de-listed because they suddenly renounced terrorism.  The truth is that United States decided to look the other way in order to get North Korea to cease its nuclear activities, but North Korea has neither renounced terror nor given up its nuclear program. 
 
In recent days, it was also reported that the U.S. may finally impose some economic sanctions on North Korea. This is a step in the right direction, but we must go further. The sanctions that come with being listed on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list are tougher and urgently needed. It will send a strong message to North Korea and the rest of the world that the time for rhetoric is over. It’s time for action in defending the United States and our allies from North Korean aggression.

America recently celebrated 232 years of independence. Back in 1776, a new nation was set apart to be founded on principles of limited federal government, equal rights, religious freedom, liberty and economic opportunity – all of which have become ingrained in the American experience.

It is these principles that lay at the heart of the conservative movement. They support our policies and underline our ideas. The war of ideas gets more aggressive by the day and it’s imperative that conservatives not cede the field to the left. Liberal activists work overtime to push an agenda that limits our freedoms and expands the hand of government in our lives, forcing their way into our schools, our jobs, our churches and even our homes. More than ever conservatives need to stay alert and involved in what’s going on at the local, state and federal levels of government.

Last year’s immigration debate is a shining example of the difference your involvement can make. Calls, comments and blog posts from the grassroots level triggered a national dialogue impossible for Congress, as well as the mainstream media, to ignore.

Thanks to modern technology, online communities such as RedState provide convenient forums for debate and information sharing. RedState has been critical in the fight to secure our borders, win the War on Terror, end wasteful spending and uphold our values.

If we don’t continue to challenge those in power pushing the liberal agenda, we could spend decades attempting to fix all the damages from what we let slip through. It’s vitally important that grassroots communities of the conservative movement stay invested and involved in what’s going on in Washington. If we’re going to preserve America’s freedoms for the generations to come, the change will come from the outside – not from inside the walls of Congress. It’s your voices and your ideas here at RedState that empower those of us in Washington demanding change.

Despite all the negativity whirling through the media, there is much for conservatives to be optimistic about as we rise to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The “morning in America” that conservatives look back on with fondness doesn’t have to be a memory of the past. It can be a hope for the future as ordinary people working together to effectively promote conservative principles accomplish extraordinary things.

Thank you, RedState, for promoting freedom and traditional principles through a dynamic new forum. I look forward to participating in the ongoing discussion. And Happy 4th Birthday — no doubt there will be many more to come.