Michael Steele is once again on his strange apology tour for all ‘us’ racist Republicans. If Steele believes this is the way to promote and garner support from Tea Partiers and grassroot activists he is failing. We all know those that live and work in the Beltway of DC have strange and distorted views on those of us who live in flyover land and constitute the base of the GOP. Steele is your typical out of touch ‘moderate’ Republican who needs the love of the left wing media to make them feel good about themselves. To receive the love of the media, the first requirement is to denigrate the grassroots base of the Republican Party.

Michael Steele: Some white Republicans are scared of me

MARTIN: But your candidates got to talk to them. One of the criticisms I’ve always had is Republicans — white Republicans — have been scared of black folks.

STEELE: You’re absolutely right. I mean I’ve been in the room and they’ve been scared of me. I’m like, “I’m on your side” and so I can imagine going out there and talking to someone like you, you know, [you're like,] “I’ll listen.” And they’re like “Well.” Let me tell you. You saw in Christie and you saw in McDonnell a door open because they went in and engaged. McDonnell was very deliberate about spending –

Mr. Steele, I strongly advise you to stay away from my neck of the woods because I’m sure that if you were in my presence you’d be skeered out of your teeny tiny Beltway brain.  I don’t need your brand of Republicanism, nor do I want you to be the one promoting the GOP due to your contorted view of just what a Republican should represent.

Here’s what I (and CWAN) believe the Republican Party should represent:

CWAN Tenets

November 7, 2009

The Republican Party is fond of saying they are the party of the Big Tent in that not everyone will agree with each other 100% of the time. How far to the left before the tent no longer covers a candidate or an idea?

CWAN believes the tent has been tethered to a ship that is being steered to the Left. While Republicans have professed to believe in smaller government and limited spending, they have expanded government under their watch(1).

CWAN believes that our government is based on a two party system and we will remain in the Republican Party. However, we will promote conservative Republicans and support only those candidates who agree and vote these values.

CWAN Beliefs

1. No taxes can be levied on the American people by a treaty, or by a foreign government or foreign entity such as the United Nations.

2. The sanctity of marriage is defined as between one adult man and one adult woman.

3. There will be no taxpayer funded abortions.

4. Congress should specify the source of it’s authority under the U.S. Constitution for the enactment of laws, and for other purposes. (H.R. 1359, Enumerated Powers Act, 110th Congress)

5. Judicial candidates to be approved should adhere to the principles of interpreting the law rather than usurping the authority given by the U.S. Constitution to the Legislative Branch.

6. The U.S. Constitution grants citizens the rights to keep and bear arms for their protection without restrictions.

(1) Republicans held both federal chambers from 1995 to 2006 and the Presidency from 2000 to 2008. During this time, yearly spending has doubled (from $5,312B to $9,007B) as has the deficit (from $1.5T to $2.7T).

Conservative Women’s Action Network

Cross posted at Bear Creek Ledger

One of the best acronyms I’ve seen lately. Mark Steyn wrote a blurb on The Corner talking about the special election in NY District 23. This race has heated up tremendously but Mark Steyn came up with a perfect description for someone of Dede Scozzaflava or Arlen Specter’s ilk.

DIABLO - Democrat In All But Label Only!

Newt really needs to re-think his support for Dede Scozzafava. This isn’t RINO but DIABLO - Democrat In All But Label Only. It’s not one of those “socially liberal, fiscally conservative” bi-swinger deals — not when you’re pro-”stimulus”, pro-cash-for-clunkers. And the reductive argument that her sole redeeming value - a willingness to vote for John Boehner as Speaker — is reason enough to support her is silly in a special election. If he’s ever Speaker, Boehner won’t be till January 2011, and it’s 12 months premature for Newt to be telling voters they need to suck it up and accept that a handful of Jim-Jeffords-in-embryo-form are necessary for the Republican tide.

Now if I could only find an image that depicts a DIABLO….

Cross Posted at Bear Creek Ledger

Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke of Maryville, TN married the love of his life, Hota by a proxy marriage. The couple had plans on marrying upon his return from his tour of duty in Iraq. But life had different plans for them, Hota found out she was pregnant after Sgt. Ferschke deployed. When Hota announced to him that a pregnancy test came back positive, he was thrilled and they married by paper proxy.

Unfortunately, Sgt. Michael Ferschke, Alph Co.,3rd Recon Bn.,3rd Marine Division was killed in action August 10th, 2008 in Salah ad Din province in Iraq. Michael H. Ferschke III was born in a military hospital so he is a US Citizen. Things have not worked out for Michael’s mother Hota.

Hota has run into immigration bureaucracy because the marriage was by proxy.
However, she says the family is facing a new challenge when it comes to permanent residency.

She says a 1952 law is the problem. According to her, the law does not permit citizenship for Hota, because she did not consummate the marriage, given that the two married by proxy, and Sgt. Ferschke was killed before they reunited.

snip..There is a law that should cover Hotaru Ferschke. It is called the Armed Forces Naturalization Act of 2003. It reads in part-

(4) SURVIVING ALIEN SPOUSES, CHILDREN, AND PARENTS OF CITIZENS WHO DIE WHILE ON ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE IN ARMED FORCES-

`(A) BENEFITS FOR SURVIVORS-

`(i) IN GENERAL- The benefits under this paragraph shall apply only to a surviving spouse, child, or parent of a person who, while a citizen of the United States, died during a period of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States as a result of injury or disease incurred in or aggravated by such service.

`(ii) DETERMINATIONS- The executive department under which the citizen so served shall determine whether the citizen satisfied the requirements of clause (i).

`(B) SPOUSES- Notwithstanding the second sentence of subsection (b)(2)(A)(i), a person who is a surviving spouse described in subparagraph (A), and who was living in marital union with the citizen described in such subparagraph at the time of death, shall be considered, for purposes of subsection (b), to remain an immediate relative after the date of the citizen’s death, but only until the date on which the surviving spouse remarries.

Consulate officials are sticking to the letter of the 1952 law and reading the 2003 in the strictest possible way. Was it Congress intent to penalize people like Hotaru Ferschke just because her husband died in action before their marriage was consummated?

Hota’s temporary visa expires in January by order of our own government, the same government her husband lost his life for.  Hota and Michael and the Ferschke family needs your help.

Rep. J Duncan of Tn has sponsored a personal bill to remedy this wrong.

H.R.3182
Title: For the relief of Hotaru Nakama Ferschke.
Sponsor: Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] (introduced 7/10/2009)
Cosponsors (None)
Private bill
Latest Major Action: 7/20/2009 Referred to House subcommittee.
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.

Where are the rest of the Tennessee legislators in sponsoring this bill? We need to get support for this bill from more than just Tennessee Congressman and Senators. I know Congress is pretty busy right now trying to spend the country into oblivion but I think they could take some time out from their spendthrift ways to support a fallen hero and his family. Time is quickly running out. Please call your Representatives and Senators to sponsor this bill for this fallen Marine’s family.

VolunteerTV.com out of Maryville, Tn has also been following this story.

Cross Posted at Bear Creek Ledger

Zach Wamp who is running in the Tn Republican Governor Primary is continually calling his credentials as a fiscal conservative, free market supporter and pro-US Constitutionalist. I’m finding that Wamp is more a political animal than any of the positive principled values noted above. This pro union, anti states rights push with H.R. 413 shows the farce of the Wamp Campaign. We do have the vote of Zach Wamp for H.R. 1586 to Impose an additional tax on bonuses received from certain TARP recipients. Apparently, Wamp has no problem in targeting specific individuals for a 90% tax on bonuses. This vote was especially interesting to me since I’d sat through a bloggers meet up with Zach Wamp just before this vote and he was espousing his free market principles and conservative values while also expressing his regret for voting for the TARP bill. Who can possibly believe what Zach Wamp has to say since he seems to have situational Conservative principles. That phenomenon also seems to apply to Tennessee’s Blue Dog Democrats. It all depends on whether they are in Tennessee meeting with their constituents or in D.C. having to cowtow to their exalted leader Speaker Nancy Pelousi.

I will note there are other Republicans sponsoring this bill: Judy Biggert (R-IL13),David Camp (R-MI4), Shelley Capitao (R-WV2), Geoff Davis (R-KY4),Charles Dent (R-PA15),Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL21),Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL25),John Duncan (R-TN2),Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO8),Elton Gallegly (R-CA24), Jim Gerlach (R-PA6), Samuel Graves (R-MO6), Duncan Hunter (R-CA52), Walter Jones (R-NC3), Peter King (R-NY3), Steven LaTourette (R-OH14), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ2), John McHugh (R-NY23), Tim Murphy (R-PA18), Thomas Petri (R-WI6), Todd Platts (R-PA19), Ted Poe (R-TX2), Dennis Rehberg (R-MT), Dave Reichert (R-WA8), Micahel Rogers (R-MI8), Thomas Rooney (R-FL16), Peter Roskam (R-IL6), Ileana Ros-Lehtinien (R-FL18), Paul Ryan (R-WI1), John Shimkus (R-IL19), John Sullivan (R-OK1), Lee Terry (R-NE2), Todd Tiahrt (R-OH12), Michael Turner (R-OH3), Don Young (R-AK).

Then of course we have to include other TN ‘Blue Dog Democrats’ in this list: Lincoln Davis (D-TN4), Bart Gordon (D-TN6).

So much for Republican and Tennessee Blue Dogs who cherish the US Constitution and our TN Right to Work laws.

H.R. 413 - PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE COOPERATION ACT OF 2009

Yet another misnamed, blatant attempt to payoff the labor unions for the vast amounts of money “donated” to corrupt labor friendly politicos. The bill would force municipalities and special districts to recognize and negotiate with a police or fire department union.

Forget states rights and any concept of home rule. Forget that the people who pay the bills, the local taxpayers, might like a say in how their money is spent. Forget that these public service employees already have a valid employment contract, willingly signed, and that in many cases the voters approve unionization if asked.

Nope, not enough according to the unions desperate for new members. We need a federal law because the people might not agree with us. Very democratic!

Hopefully this abomination will die in committee and we’ll see another payback quashed.

H.R. 413:Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act of 2009

I had some other surprises in looking at the sponsors of this bill. I heard Rep Paul Ryan of WI give a rousing speech at CPAC 2009 espousing the US Constitution and Conservative principles. Then there’s Duncan Hunter who took over his father’s district, ran on Conservative principles and adhering to the US Constitution. Funny how nuanced that US Constitution must be!

Cross Posted at Bear Creek Ledger

Rep Gordon, Cooper and Lincoln Davis must think it’s perfectly fine for a tax cheat to be in charge of a powerful House Ways and Means Committee. This committee just oversees the IRS and the federal tax code. It’s kind of like keeping the fox to guard the hen house.

Here’s the Resolution by Rep John Carter to remove Rep Charley Rangel from Chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

It isn’t like Rangel has done anything wrong? Culture of Corruption – Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY).

I can’t wait to hear one of these “Blue Dogs” tell us how fiscally responsible they are.

Here’s the Roll Call on the resolution vote.

I guess that Bart Gordon, Jim Cooper and Lincoln Davis think that tax laws and PAYING TAXES are just for us non-legislative peons. They think that keeping a tax cheat in charge of the committee that makes tax law is the right thing to do. Interesting morals these Blue Dogs have.

Cross Posted at Bear Creek Ledger

Back in May of this year this massive tax hike was broached by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and now Pelousi is talking about it. For those who don’t understand what a VAT would mean, think of it as a widget that is going to be produced for the market. At every point in the making of that widget a tax is added to it’s cost. Each hand that touches that widget adds taxes. If you want to add 20% to the cost of anything you buy then you’d love the Euro style VAT.  By the way, this doesn’t mean that ANY other taxes will be going away, it means the VAT will be in ADDITION to all the other taxes we pay.

Back in May I had posted on the new drive by the Democrats to shove a VAT down our throats:

There is nothing these Democrats controlling Congress and Obama will not do to kill the capitalist engine and destroy the US economy. To pay for all their wild spending and socialist mandates they finally have gone where they never dared to go in the past. A National Sales Tax or Value Added Tax (VAT).

Sen. Conrad broaching the VAT was just the opening salvo, now Pelousi is upping the ante.

From The Foundry:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined a growing liberal chorus calling for a massive tax hike through the implementation of a value added tax (VAT). A VAT is similar to a national sales tax. Businesses would pay it at each stage of the production process and consumers at the cash register. European countries have had VATs for years.

Francis Cianfrocca wrote about “Get Ready for the VAT” last May in Redstate:

My expectation was that Obama would wait till after the midterm election in November 2010, and then start sending out surrogates to float the idea of a VAT. After he himself was safely re-elected in 2012, he would come out and champion the idea himself and get it done.

It looks like we won’t have to wait that long. Already, the PR push has started. Eighteen months ahead of what I thought the schedule would be.

The push he’s referring to comes from a Washington Post story which I referenced in my May posting:

latest move by Democrats and Obama to push this new hobbling and crippling of the economy.
At a White House conference earlier this year on the government’s budget problems, a roomful of tax experts pleaded with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to consider a VAT. A recent flurry of books and papers on the subject is attracting genuine, if furtive, interest in Congress. And last month, after wrestling with the White House over the massive deficits projected under Obama’s policies, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee declared that a VAT should be part of the debate.

“There is a growing awareness of the need for fundamental tax reform,” Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said in an interview. “I think a VAT and a high-end income tax have got to be on the table.”

This is the plan folks, this will be what HAS to be done to save the country and it will need to be IMMEDIATELY. At least IMMEDIATELY after the Dems and Obama pass takeover of healthcare and the energy industry.

Cross posted at Bear Creek Ledger

Kevin David Jennings is Obama’s Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. Wow! Is that cool? Obama is so concerned with ‘the children’ he’s got an assistant deputy secretary just to monitor schools so they are safe. Unfortunately, Obama chose a guy who’s a radical homosexual who believes it’s okay for adult men to have sexual relations with young boys (that’s very young boys). What a perfect person to have directing educators. In fact, NAMBLA thinks it should be legal for adult men to marry boys under the age of 10 years old.

I’m sure that Obama and his thugs did the proper vetting of Kevin David Jennings which means the Obama Administration must be pro-NAMBLA. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama himself thinks statuatory rape of a 15 year old boy is acceptable behavior. Must be true since we all know that the Obama Administration has this thorough 62 page vetting document used for all potential White House employees. Course, there is that little trick Obama uses when he’s got tax cheats, felons, Valerie Jarrett’s connection to Habitat Company and now the NAMBLA loving Kevin David Jennings.  Obama just grants an ethics exemption! Those Democrats just think of everything.  Granting an ethics exemption, think about it.

Here’s another interesting little tidbit that I’m sure would have been extremely difficult for the Secret Service and FBI to dig up. Kevin David Jennings wrote the forward for a book called “Queering Elementary Education”. BTW, another person endorsing the book is Bill Ayers. There’s much more on Jennings’ overt promotion of teaching children how to perform homosexual acts. There’s damning video.

I strongly encourage concerned parents to read: Protecting Children–Not right or left, just right or wrong

People are always blaming the politicians for being corrupt, self serving, reckless and unaccountable. Who’s fault is this anyway? Well, it’s the American people who don’t pay attention, don’t read or understand the Constitution and vote for politicians based on what that particular politician can do for THEM when they should be voting based on that politician adhering to the U.S. Constitution. Americans need to wake up, learn about the US political system from the federal level down to the local level. Don’t leave it to everybody else to do the right thing.

The History of Spending

We can only turn this country and our economy around if Americans decide that liberty and freedom are worth more than subservience to a government that thinks they know better how you should live and work your life.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free”. President Ronald Reagan

Cross posted at Bear Creek Ledger

Back on August 24th I had a post about Obama allowing China to fly their flag on the White House lawn and there was a commenter telling me that story had been debunked.

Guess you were wrong Geoff, because this did occur and here’s the video.

The Obama administration made history on Sunday September 20, 2009 for allowing the communist government of China to raise their national flag to celebrate the 60 year anniversary of the birth of the totalitarian communist regime that enslaves over 1 billion people in China.

Some additional information from ALIPAC:

We now have solid confirmation that the communist government of China did in fact raise their flag above Washington, DC for the first time this past Sunday, September 20, 2009.

Official Chinese media sources originally proclaimed that the flag of the People’s Republic of China would be raised on the secured south lawn of the White House, where American groups cannot get permits for events.

When news of this event got out on the web and talk radio, there was an intense backlash. ALIPAC’s repeated calls to the White House information offices, as well as calls from bloggers and talk radio show hosts went unanswered.

Then the Obama administration told a news source that the rumors were unfounded and just another example of how the Internet misleads people. They failed to mention that the Chines flag raising ceremony was indeed a reality.

Here you can see the video of the Chinese communist flag being raised in Washington, DC with much fanfare and expense. It is being raised to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the communist takeover of China in 1949. In 1949, communist dictator Mao Zedong placed almost 1 billion people under the slavery of communism and forced American ally Chiang Kai-shek into exile in Taiwan.

The Communist Government of China then proceeded to engage in “comprehensive reforms” that led to the deaths of 36 million people due to oppression and famine.

snip…Since America’s politicians seem to be having trouble making decisions that are in the best interest of the American public these days, we thought you might want to see this video of America’s communist military enemies raising their flag over our Capital with much celebration

So much for unfounded rumors Obama. What? Were you just lying and figured no one would notice!

Cross Posted at Bear Creek Ledger

This is what they are calling a conceptual bill.

Here’s the plan from the Heritage Blog

Their plan is to proceed to a House passed non-health care bill to provide a shell of legislation to give Obamacare a ride to the House then to the President’s desk. Sound confusing? We lay out the steps below, but essentially the Senate would pass health care reform as an amendment to a completely unrelated bill so the Senate and House could act quickly and without further debate. Even worse? Nobody really knows what that legislation looks like but they plan on voting for it anyway.

Right now, the Senate Finance Committee is in the midst of marking up health care reform “legislation.” Due to Senate procedure, what they are actually marking up is a 200+ page conceptual framework of the actual legislation, not a real bill. That means that not only has no Senator even read the bill but, there is a high probability that the bill hasn’t even been written yet. If the Committee sticks to their artificial deadline of completing work by this Friday then they would have passed a conceptual document reforming the nation’s health care system, spending trillions, without ever seeing an estimated 1,500 pages of legislation, which may or may not be written.

The plan is to start debate early next week with a 4 step scenario.

Go read the the 4 step sham these corruptocrats plan to use to ram this down the throats of Americans.

BTW - they will be using H.R. 1586 which was approved a few months back in the House. It’s the bill to tax AIG at 90% for any bonuses. Remember, Rep. Zach Wamp, that bill you voted yes on? That was shortly after you had met with a group of conservative bloggers here in Middle Tennessee. In that meet up you repeatedly talked about your free market principles and beliefs. You spoke about your regret in voting for the TARP bill and would take back the vote if you could. Hard to believe you really have any beliefs or principles. Sad to say, after the meet up I was somewhat impressed with you. At least until I saw your vote on the taxing of bonuses.

Cross Posted at Bear Creek Ledger