R.I.P. Freedom: July 4, 1776-March 21, 2010

Last night at the bar, a customer asked if we could put C-SPAN on as the Obamarxcare vote was set to start soon. The fact that we are a sports bar would usually discourage such requests, but we complied with the customer's wishes.

A myriad of people from all socio-economic groups of the American landscape watched intensely as the vote began. I stopped my work doing the weekly beer and liquor inventory to join my fellow Americans in watching freedom slip away.

As the votes started coming in, the chatter started. The majority of people sharing a moment in history were pulling for freedom to once again prevail. Of course, you had your few jagoffs applauding as liberty took its last breath, and there were also the "Who-gives-a-f***" people. A few more drinks, and things would've gotten ugly. I wasn't in the mood to break up a fight; I was in mourning.

The final tally appeared, and those who danced on the grave of freedom quickly finished their drinks and left. The rhetoric as they left was laced with the sarcastic rantings about finally defeating the policies of those mean Republicans. Yes, the entitlement crowd likes to stop at the bar for a few.

I went back to doing my inventory with a heavy heart and little concentration. I had just witnessed the symbolic burning of my beloved Constitution. I questioned whether the Founding Fathers were crying. They were. And their sacrifices and hard work were all for naught last night. I was ashamed of what this country has become.

I pray that a Constitutional challenge is filed posthumously on behalf of the victim here: freedom. It's going to be a long, hard challenge to resurrect freedom once again, but, just like the mythical Phoenix, liberty will rise from the ashes once again. For the sake of future generations, it has to.

One thing you can count on, though. Those who are celebrating today will make sure they're standing there with a fire hose to extinguish the rise of the Phoenix.

It's time to make our stand, folks.

Healthscare: A Felon's Creation

Big Government.com is now breaking the news that the game plan followed by the Dems to get socialized medicine passed was authored by a federal felon.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) has pushed for a public option within the healthcare debate. Now meet her husband, Robert Creamer.

From biggovernment.com:

Rep. Schakowsky’s husband, Robert Creamer, used to be the leader of Citizen Action/Illinois. He also founded its predecessor, Illinois Public Action, in which Ms. Schakowsky served as Program Director. He runs a political consulting firm, the Strategic Consulting Group, which lists ACORN and the SEIU among its clients and which made $541,000 working for disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.

Creamer resigned from Citizen Action/Illinois after the FBI began investigating him for bank fraud and tax evasion at Illinois Public Action. He was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to five months in federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, plus eleven months of house arrest.

Now while Creamer was in prison, he wrote a book titled Listen to Your Mother: Stand Up Straight! How Progressives Can Win (Seven Locks Press, 2007). In it he outlines how to get socialized medicine rammed down the throats of the American people.

The ten points outlined by Creamer:

• “We must create a national consensus that health care is a right, not a commodity; and that government must guarantee that right.”
• “We must create a national consensus that the health care system is in crisis.”
• “Our messaging program over the next two years should focus heavily on reducing the credibility of the health insurance industry and focusing on the failure of private health insurance.”
• “We need to systematically forge relationships with large sectors of the business/employer community.”
• “We need to convince political leaders that they owe their elections, at least in part, to the groundswell of support of [sic] universal health care, and that they face political peril if they fail to deliver on universal health care in 2009.”
• “We need not agree in advance on the components of a plan, but we must foster a process that can ultimately yield consensus.”
• “Over the next two years, we must design and organize a massive national field program.”
• “We must focus especially on the mobilization of the labor movement and the faith community.”
• “We must systematically leverage the connections and resources of a massive array of institutions and organizations of all types.”
• “To be successful, we must put in place commitments for hundreds of millions of dollars to be used to finance paid communications and mobilization once the battle is joined.”

That was easy, wasn't it? Think about all the games played by the Dems in this battle of socialist proportions. They've followed this almost step-by-step.

More on this story will be hitting the web soon. Please read the article at biggovernment.com. It speaks volumes.

Btw....Schlakowsky and Creamer were in attendance at the "crashed" State Dinner. Could it be another political quid pro quo?

Libertarian Conservative to Challenge Pelosi

John Dennis, a business owner and real-estate investor in California's 8th District, has decided to put the electoral smackdown on Nancy "I Love Botox" Pelosi and challenge her for the seat she has held since 1987. She has become a shining example of why congressional officials should have term limits.

Dennis, a libertarian conservative, graduated from Fordham University with a degree in business and went on to co-found Humanscale, one of the top 10 design firms that specializes in office ergonomics. In 2008, he served as Phonebank and Get Out the Vote director for Ron Paul's presidential campaign in San Francisco.

Dennis told Worldnetdaily.com:

"I became actively involved in politics about two years ago," he said. "I was frustrated with everything – even my own party and the lost opportunities we had to put a cap on spending and the growth of government. I was looking for good candidates to support, and I just finally decided to be a candidate myself."

Dennis is founder of the San Francisco chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus, board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of California and has served as an alternate on the San Francisco Republican Central Committee.

Here are some statements John Dennis has made on various issues. I think you're going to like what you read.

• Energy and the free market -- "The first step is to see what we can do to improve our relationships so we feel more comfortable with other countries as trading partners for our energy needs. The second thing to do is let the free market do its job. If we allow the market to do what it does best, much better than any managed economy could ever do, then, ultimately, we'll find the appropriate sources for our energy needs that'll make everybody feel comfortable and drive our economy."
• Cap and Trade -- "I'm very leery of the government," he said. "When I read the Constitution, I see our founders writing the document when they are very concerned about the potential abuse of power from the federal government. Every time I hear of a new scheme like cap and trade, it makes me ask, where's the constitutional authorization to do this? Of course, it's not there."
  
• Educational Credits for Homeschoolers -- Dennis proposes education credits for children enrolled in private, parochial and home schools.

  "It's very simple," he said. "Make a tax credit available to those folks and give them the option to take their money and go wherever they want."

• Healthcare -- "I wonder if there's a relationship there," Dennis said. "The government got involved in a particular industry, and the costs went up."

  He said free markets must be able to solve these problems, and government-run health care would seriously worsen an already overregulated system. Dennis proposes making all out-of-pocket medical expenses and insurance premiums tax deductible and using the Constitution's commerce clause to enable all insurers to compete anywhere in the United States.

• Illegal Immigration -- Dennis proposes an end to birthright citizenship, amnesty and government services for illegal immigrants.

  "People come here and use services mandated by the federal government that help bankrupt states and put hospitals out of business in border towns," he said. "To the extent that those illegal immigrants weaken the dollar and usher in the demise of the dollar, I am very opposed to illegal immigration."


• Second Amenment -- A member of the NRA, Dennis said, "The Second Amendment is fine by me, and I don't even need a Second Amendment to tell me that I have the right to defend myself."
• States' Rights -- Dennis said he is a "big fan" of the 10th Amendment and advocates a complete repeal of the 17th Amendment, the 1913 constitutional amendment that calls for direct election of senators.
• Income and Capital Gains Taxes --
  

  "Think about everything it implies," he said. "It implies that the government owns things that you work for. It owns you, and it lets you keep a portion of it."

  When he suggests ending the income tax and cutting government spending, Dennis said some people ask him, "How are we going to finance our government?"

  "My first question is, 'Why don't you want your money back?!'" he said, laughing. "Why are you making excuses for people taking away your money to spend it the way they see fit? Why don't you work to keep your money and spend it the way you see fit?"

• The Federal Reserve -- Dennis proposes an abolition of the Federal Reserve. "Central banking is an interesting thing," he said. "It's a key plank in the Communist Manifesto. It's another form of central economic planning, just like they did in Moscow during the Soviet Union era. Look what it's wrought."
• Gay Marriage and Abortion -- "I don't think the government has any business being involved in marriage in the first place. As much as I don't have anything against gays by any stretch of the imagination – as someone seeking federal office – I can't find a way to support gay marriage."

  Asked whether he believes the issue should be left to the states, he replied, "I'm running for federal office, and the states can decide what they want to do. But it's definitely not a federal issue."

  Dennis also said he's strongly opposed to federal funding of abortion.

  "I'm strongly opposed to the federal government getting involved in stem-cell research as well," he said. "That's just not its business. It shouldn't have anything to do with it. It's a really complex issue, and it's not in the Constitution that we should be subsidizing any kind of research, especially stem cell."

And there you have it. To read more about John Dennis, visit his webiste, http://www.johndennis2010.com. I urge everyone to give this guy every form of support you can possibly give.

I, for one, would HOPE to see this kind of CHANGE come to Washington.

Stimulus Pork: Cars, Crap, and Canned Food

From cnsnews.com comes this article that will make your head hurt and your blood pressure rise. Bungalow Bill pointed out the one incidence of waste in one his posts yesterday, but here are more.

Obama Stimulus Spending Includes Rental Cars, Outhouses, and ‘Sediment Removal’ Tuesday, July 21, 2009 By Matt Cover

President Barack Obama (AP Photo)

CNSNews.com) – Among the 3,266 entries in a government database detailing to-date spending under the Democrats' stimulus law are expenditures for concrete outhouses, “deli-sliced” turkey, and hotel bills.

Passed in February, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) – also called the “stimulus package” -- was sought and signed into law by President Obama, who declared at the time, “We have begun the essential work of keeping the American dream alive in our time.”

Among the more than 3,000 projects, purchases, and grants made with stimulus money obtained through the Federal Procurement Data System, some of the projects that have contributed to keeping the American dream alive include:

- $2.2 million to the Seneca Foods Corporation in Marion, NY for “fruit, canned;” the same company received another contract worth $196,797 also, for “fruit, canned”

- $4.8 million for “frozen, sliced ham”

- $5.3 million for “deli-style turkey breast” from the Jennie-O Turkey company

- $5.5 million in “canned fruit” from the Del Monte Corporation

- $16.8 million in “canned pork” from Lakeside Foods Inc

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack explained that food purchased with stimulus money went to help the needy, which also stimulated the economy.

“While the principal purpose of these expenditures is to provide food to those hardest hit by these tough times, the purchases also provide a modest economic benefit,” Vilsack said in a statement Monday.

Obama defended the broader impact of stimulus spending, saying that the ARRA was intended to “rebuild” the country better then he found it.

“[O]nce we clear away the wreckage, the real question is what we will build in its place. Even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, I have insisted that we must rebuild it better than before,” Obama said June 11.

Among the many things that have been built with stimulus money so far are:

- $971,711.42 to “replace pond liners” at the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery in Cole Harbor, N.D.

- $193,077 for a “double-vault toilet building” at the Hoyer Campground in Spokane, Wash.

- $487,944 for “toilet buildings and vaults” in the Pike and San Isabel National Forests

- $254,000 for “pre-fabricated restroom facilities” in Atlanta, Ga.

- $17,110 in hotel bills at a Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va., for the Employment Standards Administration’s annual “Prevailing Wage Conference.”

- $1.8 million for the “renovation of Slate Hill Barn and Hay Shed” in Front Royal, Va. According to the database the money was requested by the Smithsonian Institution.

Defending the stimulus from Republican critics, President Obama said the Recovery Act was doing exactly what it was intended, adding that the many projects already being funded would shield the country from the brunt of the recession.

“In a little over 100 days, this Recovery Act has worked as intended,” the president said. “We also knew that it would take some time for the money to get out the door, because we are committed to spending it in a way that is effective and transparent.”

Other things the government has spent money on are:

- $326,304 for “roadside vegetation removal” in the Six Rivers National Forest in Eureka, Calif.

- $928,194.50 to nine different firms to provide an “increased level of effort for dtv [digital television] installation”

- $25.3 million for the National Institutes of Mental Health to study schizophrenia

- $65 million for NASA’s James Webb telescope project

- $20 million for “sediment removal” at the EPA’s Iron Mountain Mine Superfund site

- $6,066.18 to buy “three laptop computers” for the National Fish and Wildlife Service

- $4,250 for “short-term vehicle rental” from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in order to “run errands” in Kings Canyon National Park in King’s Canyon, Calif.

- $840 to “disassemble” one desk and “properly reassemble and relocate” 2 other desks in Reston, Va.

Obama claimed that the stimulus wasn’t done yet, saying that it really wasn’t designed to kick in until late 2009 and early 2010.

“In the months to come, thousands more projects will begin, leading to additional jobs,” Obama explained. “But, as I made clear at the time it was passed, the Recovery Act was not designed to work in four months - it was designed to work over two years.”

This is just wrong on so many levels, but the one that jumped out at me while reading was $5.5 million in “canned fruit” from the Del Monte Corporation. Who do we know who has a HUGE stake in Del Monte? Hmmmm..... If you said "Nancy Pelosi", go to the head of the class. Tell me that's not payoff for political favors!

I'm rapidly becoming of the mindset "Screw them all." Maybe a clean slate is what this country needs.

Cap and Trade: The Price of a Sell Out

While surfing my usual haunts in cyberspace, I came upon this article from keenobserver.blogtownhall.com. OMG!!! It was posted on Tuesday, but, of course, we heard nothing from the slobbering, leg-tingling MSM about this. It details what some of those who voted for this travesty got in return for voting to support the largest tax to be introduced to the American people yet.

Changing her vote from "nay" to "yea" was Debbie Halvorson (D-IL). She swore up and down that she would "never cave in to pressure from Obama to vote yes on cap and trade." Shortly, after a brief conversation with Barry..."I had a nice chat with the President this morning, and I'm fine with the bill." One of two things happened at that "chat": Chicago thuggery politics or she was promised pork for her district beyond anything she imagined. Nonetheless, she needs to go if she can't stand on principle.

Next, Henry "The Nostrils" Waxman, co-sponsor of the bill (or should I say DRAFT that was voted on) cornered Alan Grayson (D-FL) who comes from a Republican area in Central Florida. It is Grayson's first (and hopefully last) term in the House. After a spirited discussion, Grayson got a "pledge of support" from Waxman in exchange for his vote. What was behind Door Number One? $50 million pledged to a new proposed hurricane research facility in Orlando, which just happens to be part of Grayson's district. BUH-BYE!!!

John McHugh (R-NY) was next to put his tail between his legs and promise his support "in the name of bipartisanship". He's up for Secretary of the Army, so he won't be back in Congress. Thank Heaven for small favors, and pray for the Army.

Blue dog Democrat Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) went from adamantly decrying the measure to an enthusiastic thumbs -up after being promised a seat at the table when joint negotiations begin on a final version should it pass the Senate. Time to weed out THAT yellow rose!

From a heavily-industrialized part of Ohio, Tim Ryan (D-OH) went against his constituency and voted "yea". He said that without this hideous legislation, we would continue to be energy-dependent on those who want to "fly airplanes into our buildings." Guess what? They still want to do that, you twit! I say we tell them to pound salt and DRILL FOR OUR OWN!!! Let's see if any earmarks make it to Northeastern Ohio.

Also from the Buckeye State, John Boccieri (D-OH) voted against what his district of Canton wanted and put his vote in the "yea" column. Boccieri told of waiting in long gas lines as a child (Carter years) and "this bill reduces foreign oil imports." Didn't anyone tell him that the oil companies are predicting having to mothball their domestic refineries and up refined oil import levels? Maybe he's been promised earmarks or a job should the Republicans win in 2010. Whatever he may have been promised, he's got to go.

By Thursday evening (June 25), Pineapple Princess and company were still 22 votes short for Friday's vote. Obama decided to invite a group of rookie Democrats, who had sworn to their constituents to stand up and vote "no", to the White House luau to tell them how he understands that they have to run every two years. They then get a call from Rahm "The Fisherman" Emanuel, who advises them that if they vote the wrong way, there will be no support (i.e. party funding) from the White House. Kinda sounds like bribery, eh? Well, that put 10 more votes into Pelosi's lap.

At 3 a.m. Friday morning (June 26), the 325-page addendum was tacked on. In it, the agriculture area undecideds were promised federal subsidies on ethanol and "sweeteners" for fertilizer production. Conservative Democrats struck deals on farming offsets and CO2 allowances. The coal states were promised that the cap and trade energy tax would be postponed until 2020. Even then, they left enough loopholes to allow western coal industries to not have to scale back their emissions.

According to the piece, Pelosi checks Patrick Kennedy (D) out from a drug rehab hospital at about 8 a.m. Friday morning so he can vote on this measure . The vote is set for noon, but Pelosi postpones it until 7 p.m. when she finds she's still short.

In the late afternoon of Friday, June 26, Obama calls Republicans elected from heavily-Democratic areas and tells them that if they vote "yea", the Democrats won't run anyone against them in 2010. In addition, the majority of their state's pork will be diverted to their home districts for whatever they want to use it for. Presto chango!!! These were the last eight votes needed to make the Pineapple Princess happy.

To the Democrats who joined most Republicans in voting against this piece of garbage legislation: Thank you for seeing it for what it is and voting on the side of the American people.

To those who voted "yea": We here in the blogosphere won't let people forget. I hope selling your souls to this regime was worth it. Maybe you can think about it when you're no longer a member of Congress.

“A government big enough to give you anything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.” -- Thomas Jefferson

One Week? No Way!!!

According to cnsnews.com, House Speaker Nancy "Pineapple Princess" Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry "Pinky" Reid (D-NV) will not give any of the American people one week to read any healthcare legislation up for a vote. Does this really surprise anyone?

“The issue of a public option is probably the most significant debate that we will have in the House on the legislation, as I see it now. But the bill will come forth under the regular order, and that's why the three chairmen put out the draft now,” she said. “They put out some principles earlier on. The President put out his principles. We had a month before the Memorial Day break for everyone to see what was happening there to take ideas from our members.

“So it was in the public domain, but not as a bill,” said Pelosi, continuing to respond to the question of whether she would give the public a week to review the final bill. “Now they have put out this draft which has been well received, and I'm very proud of the work. It's a well managed approach to how we go forward. And when we are ready with a draft then we will put that forth, but as I say, it will be under the regular order.”

Under regular order rules, the House can vote in three calendar days and the Senate within 48 hours after the drafts are posted out of committee. The three House committees working on the health-care plan have released what they call a “discussion draft” of the legislation. It is 850 pages long.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has produced its own 615-page draft that is missing key sections, including the section that would explain the “public option”—or government-run health insurance organization.

A final compromise versions would most likely be over 1,000 pages long. Does anyone out there truly believe that the members of Congress would be able to read this let alone the American people? It would be like me trying to read "Atlas Shrugged" before taking a comprehensive test on it 48-72 hours later. To read and understand something that large in a short period of time is about as possible as Obama producing the long-form birth certificate.

The same tactic was used by the House of Representatives on the recently-passed Waxman-Markey "Cap and Trade" bill. An amendment was inserted into the bill and made public at approximately 3 a.m. Friday morning with the final vote coming 16 hours later. The vote was supposed to have been only a mere 9 hours later, but since the Bolshevik Bitch saw she didn't have the votes she pushed the final vote back to 7 p.m. Even with seven extra hours, lawmakers did not have adequate time to read the entire bill before voting on it.

The mindset of Congressional leadership seems to be "Trust Us." They think the American people are probably too stupid to understand what these hideous bills really say, so why waste a week giving them an opportunity to read something they won't understand?

I, for one, am appalled. We are NOT stupid. In fact, we're smart enough to know that what they are doing in Congress is nothing but unethical and outrageous. But they feel no shame because they consider themselves above the rest of the American people. We, as American citizens, have EVERY RIGHT to know EXACTLY what is going into any piece of legislation. The level of arrogance is sickening.

While Pelosi, Reid, and the rest of the shysters on Capitol Hill keep playing their elitist games, the seeds of revolution continue to grow and flourish. One day, those seeds will come to complete fruition, and the American people will finally be heard.

Tea Party Attendees DO Have a Sense of Humor!!

This is a GREAT idea!! Hats off to the brainchild of this one. From worldnetdaily.com:

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A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA
Wee the people: Port-a-potty named for Pelosi
Tea partiers dedicate new thrones to Washington's 'imperial' leaders

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Posted: June 22, 2009
8:55 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Enthusiastic tea partiers in Virginia have decided to give "imperial leaders" in Washington a seat of power they believe they truly deserve – a portable toilet throne.

Tea party organizer Karen Miner Hurd told WND her group is expecting between 3,000 and 5,000 people at the upcoming June 26 protest at Chesapeake City Park in Chesapeake, Va. While she is excited about the turnout, Hurd has a predicament: She must raise funds for 30 portable toilets on a shoe-string budget.

"How do you tell people you need money for bathrooms?" she asked. "Does that excite or inspire anybody? Not very much."

So Hurd asked taxpayers to sponsor commodes and name them with their least favorite politicians.

"It started growing, and once people started seeing the list of people who were named, I got more and more requests," she said. "People started to love it."

At a June 16 tea party, the group loaded 10 portable johns into trucks and paraded them through three cities – complete with names of politicians who they believe are trying to flush the nation down the toilet.

The "Don't Flush U.S." campaign was born.

Now she has asked the public to send in their nominations and help sponsor toilets for the next party by sending donations. The following are just a few of the names 34 currently under consideration:

• Nancy Pelosi's Throne

• McCain, John

• U.S. Congress – Our #2 Problem

• ACORN john (Always Cr-ppy, Offensive, Rotten, Noxious)

• I.R.S. john – Eliminate it!

• "Porky Little Projects" john

• Royal Pain in the Tax

• Office of Tim Geitner's Accountant

• Harry Reid's Throne

• Eric "toilet paper" Holder

• Marxist Government Think Tank

• Federal Depository

"The names are of people who have horribly abused taxpayer money or people who have betrayed us. We have some Republicans listed," Hurd said. "Some people like Nancy Waters, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and the Murtha john and the Kerry john were pretty self-evident, we felt."

Hurd said the campaign has chosen not to use references to President Obama.

"We were very careful about that. We don't even mention him remotely," she said. "He is the president, and we respect the office."

The following video is of a similar but smaller parade held on June 12 in Armada. The toilets are taken to tea parties to accommodate thousands of protesters.

And how can politicians avoid having their names plastered on a toilet and paraded through town?

"For those interested in avoiding being on the 'honor' roll on the Don't Flush U.S. site, you can do so by promoting free enterprise, staying within the boundaries of the Constitution, self-limiting your political career by not running for eternal office, avoiding excessive regulation of liberties, exercising good governance, going on a permanent pork-fast, and using common sense," the group's website states.

"Abolishing the I.R.S. and repealing the 16th Amendment will provide permanent immunity from ever being nominated for a throne."

Hurd says she is simply giving taxpayers an outlet for their frustrations with government.

"They are all acting like kings and queens in D.C., and we just thought we would make it official and give them a throne," she said. "Every time you go, you can send a message."

Pineapple Princess Jeered in Houston

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D) was met outside a Houston venue Friday night by approximately 600 Tea Party protesters. Pelosi was in Houston to give an onstage interview at the Wortham Center. The event was sponsored by the Progressive Forum (naturally) whose members paid $19 to $144 to attend.

“Turn back while you still have the chance! Don’t support the liar!” Doug Audirsch, of Porter, shouted while hoisting a sign over his head that called for “Less 1984 — More 1776.” He was one of many who jeered those attending the event. Another protestor was dressed in a Wonder Woman bustier holding a sign that read "I'm the ProLife gun toting Consitutionalist the D.H.S. warned you about."

American citizens have had enough, and Tea Parties are just the beginning. When protests fail to produce results, history has demonstrated what could be our future. Where will you stand?