WI Democrat Chair Mike Tate

Following the Milwaukee Taxpayers’ Tea Party this weekend that attracted somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 people, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chairman Mike Tate told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

“These are extremist elements pulling together, distinct vocal minorities that frankly don’t believe in this country,”  Tate said. “They don’t want to see more people have access to quality affordable health care; they don’t want clean air and water. They fundamentally don’t understand how the American government, economy and capitalism work.”

Dominic, a friend and contributing author on this site, made some very salient points on these comments from the left:

“The Chairman of the Democrat Party of WI opens his mouth and green slime flows. I ask all of my fellow citizens who have a pure heart to consider a little trick. Instead of feeling insulted by this drivel, feel exalted! The more they march toward a radical unsupported fringe attitude, the closer they are to elimination.

Almost no one will believe this guy except his brain washed cadre. That’s about 25% of the country. By keeping on in a civil, determined way we will prevail. Lets show the other 75% we are civil well informed citizens of The United States.”

As Dominic points out, the Democrat and leftist messages have long since ceased to be any attempt to change hearts and minds. They are simply reinforcements of the mantra they’ve been chanting for years, intended to keep the faithful in step with their ideology.

What the left does not seem to see – or chooses not to see – they are preaching to a continually shrinking audience. Others may argue with me, but I’m seeing a large number of previously liberal “converts” to a more right or at least centrist view. I’m also finding those who still call themselves Democrats or leftists (I don’t want to imply that I think the two are one in the same) that are beginning to openly question the ideology of the left. I don’t see much evidence of the opposite.

Update (September 22, 2009)

In this brief article I’ve only focused on the effect of Mr. Tate’s statements, not on the actual content.  Kevin Binversie offers a great rebuttal to Mr. Tate at his Lakeshore Laments blog.

Copyright © 2009 Journal Sentinel Inc.

Saturday’s  Milwaukee Tea Party and Constitution rally was held at Veterans Park on the shores of Lake Michigan. By anyone’s measure, the rally was a huge success.

If I wasn’t dealing with some temporary limited mobility issues I would have been there, but the pictures and videos are pouring in from FaceBook, Twitter and the ever growing conservative blogosphere.

Milwaukee area radio had been buzzing about the event for the past few weeks. It seemed every time I heard about the rally on the radio or read something on the event website, yet another great speaker had been added to the lineup:

• Michelle Malkin Author, Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies
• Scott Walker Milwaukee County Executive
• Vicki McKenna Rock Star of Radio WISN Radio Milwaukee, WIBA Radio Madison
• Joe the Plumber Author: Fighting for the American Dream
• Rachel Campos-Duffy Blogger at AOL Parent Dish Author: Stay Home, Stay Happy
• Pat Snyder WSAU Radio, Wausau
• James T. Harris WTMJ Radio, Milwaukee
• Willie Soon, Ph.D Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
• Marc Marano Former Spokesman for Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma Web site: ClimateDepot.com
• Eric O’Keefe Sam Adams Alliance
• David Clarke Milwaukee County Sheriff
• Mark Block Wisconsin State Director, Americans for Prosperity
• Pastor David King Founder, Milwaukee God Squad
• Rebecca Kleefisch Conservative Correspondent at Midday With Charlie Sykes
• Linda Hansen Wisconsin Prosperity Network
• Manny Perez JNA Staffing & Representative, National Hispanic Assembly
• Chad Kent Chad Kent Speaks
• Tim Dake Wisconsin GrandSons of Liberty

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department estimated attendence at 10,000, and as has been the norm at Tea Party events, there were no problems with violence.

All except for that one liberal provocateur.

The Underground Conservative has a great article on the incident that ended with the arrest of the lib disruptor. As detailed in that article, lib bloggers are already trying to spin this into a story of “mob violence”.  Statist blogger Renee Crawford claims in her version of events that the disruptor was a – say it with me – victim being chased down by a mob of angry white men, acting in response to the call to violence that the speaker at the time of the incident  (Vicki McKenna) was “preaching” from the stage.

Multiple recountings from other attendees tell quite a different story. They recall a hostile agitator getting into as many people’s faces as he could, screaming a mixed bag of obscenities and liberal talking points. All agree he was there spoiling for a fight.  The video that is posted in the Underground Conservative article backs this up. Despite Renee’s interesting claim that she was the one to call in the police “to save him from the mob”, he was arrested after striking a woman who was trying to take his picture.

All I can say is: Renee, you’re amazing. 10,000 people somehow missed what really happened in front of their eyes, but you got it right.

Renee has tried to defend her article with comments she left at the Underground Conservative article. According to her attempt at defense, her description of “a mob of angry white men” was not a racist comment.

A second time you have simply amazed me, Renee.

Update:

This is the best video clip I’ve seen so far showing the attitude of this thug, as well as the complete lack of his being “chased by a crowd of angry white men”. Renee Crawford had also made the claim that Joe The Plumber was also involved in the altercation, intimating that he had acted as an aggressor. Joe is clearly visible here, attempting to calm the thug down and keep the situation from escalating.

And our liberal thug friend was not alone. It was good to see that the Obama supporters turned out in such force for their counter-protest:

Copyright © 2009 Journal Sentinal Inc.

]]> http://www.weeweedup.us/2009/09/20/milwaukee-tea-party-10000-strong-plus-1-lib-thug/feed/ 1 http://www.weeweedup.us/2009/09/17/acorn-roast-continues/ http://www.weeweedup.us/2009/09/17/acorn-roast-continues/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:06:38 +0000 thejanitor http://www.weeweedup.us/?p=275 The US House today voted to defund community advocacy group ACORN, which for years has been under the shadow of voter registration fraud allegations.

Very recently the group has come under intense public scrutiny due to the release of video apparently showing employees at several ACORN locations advising conservative activists posing as a prostitute and pimp how to break a number of laws including prostitution, tax evasion and human trafficking.

The House measure passed 345-75, according to the office of House Republican leader John Boehner.

This is the latest in a series of governmental blowbacks following the release of the sting tapes:

• The Senate voted earlier this week to withdraw housing and urban development funding.
• Minnesota Governor Pawlenty has directed his state to cut funding to ACORN.
• LV Gov. Jindal has signed an Executive Order halting Louisiana state funding of ACORN.
• The City of New York has suspended funding, and the State of New York is beginning a criminal investigation.
• California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent a letter to California Attorney General urging ACORN Investigation.
• U. S.  Census Bureau severed ties with ACORN.

Here are the “No”, “Present” and “Not Voting” lists from the House vote:

While this story is limited in scope to my local community, I hope it will be an informative illustration of the tactics used by our friends to the left.

This is the second in the possibly continuing saga of the efforts of Racine, WI community organizer Kelly Gallaher to use thug tactics and intimidation to further the statist goals and agenda she believes in.

I’ll present a short recap of the last two episodes involving our local Poster Child of the Left. More details leading up to these events can be found here.

Ms Gallaher, a principal of local liberal activist group Community for Change (C4C) gained some noteriety when she mass emailed a controversial “battle plan” designed to “overwhelm” the recent series of Listening Sessions hosted by U.S. Representative (WI – 1st District) Paul Ryan. Ms Gallaher chose to include contact information including her phone number, in the email.

Apparently Ms Gallaher has never learned the lesson of What goes on the internet, stays on the internet – for everyone to read and download.

As could be expected, her inflamatory email was soon in many hands, including bloggers, media, and Rep Ryan’s office. As word of the email spread, Rep. Ryan’s office and others were asked for copies of the document. His office complied with these requests.

By the time of the Racine Listening Session, the email had been circulating for a couple of days.  C4C decided to attempt to disrupt the meeting, using the email as their pretext.

Ryan Gleason, another C4C principal was at the session with other members of his organization. C4C felt the need to resort to sneaky tactics in order to attain the microphone. Mr. Gleason had several operatives planted in the audience. As soon as one of these plants was given the mic, she immediately asked that it be given to Mr. Gleason.

Once he had the microphone, Mr. Gleason accused Rep. Ryan of being the original source of the distributed copies of the email, a charge for which there is no substantiating evidence. Rep. Ryan has never made a secret of distributing the email when asked. The charge that he was the “first” is simply baseless, and a lie of convenience.

Mr. Gleason then went on to paint Ms. Gallaher as an “innocent victim” who’s personal information (including her phone number, which is published in the Racine telephone directory) had been “maliciously” distributed, leading her to be fearful for her personal safety and keeping her from personally attending the meeting.

When it became obvious that Mr. Gleason had no intention of talking about the subject at hand (Health Care) and was planning to continue his speech-making, Mr. Ryan asked that the microphone be returned. Mr. Gleason ignored the request and continued. When a Ryan aide attempted to retrieve the microphone, Mr. Gleason handed it to Miles Kristan (who later described himself as an “independent activist”) who began an anti-war tirade. Police then escorted Mr. Kristan from the building.

I was at the Racine session, sitting directly two rows behind Ryan Gleason.  Mr. Gleason and Mr. Kristan quite obviously knew each other and were engaged in whispered conversation up until the incident.

Image Copyright © Pete Selkowe, racinepost.com

Ms Gallaher did get her chance to whine about her victim status on Tuesday September 1, at another Ryan listening session which was meant to focus on issues of interest to the Black community. Kelly, with operatives in tow, was in the audience at this session.

Mr. Ryan one-upped her by inviting her to speak before she or her plants had a chance to act. An obviously flustered Ms. Gallaher was then given over 10 minutes of the session’s limited time to voice her complaints.  Gallaher’s main accusation and claim to victimization:  “You did this for political reasons … You lit a fire that blew them toward me. It all came from your office. I want an apology.”

Rather than giving her ammunition with an undeserved apology, Ryan responded with empathy for her situation and again stated the facts of the issue: “Do I regret that these things happened to you? Yes,” he said. But he added, “You’re a spokesperson for a partisan organization”  that threatened “to overwhelm” the listening sessions  … We were asked if we had knowledge of organizations trying to overwhelm the listening sessions. Yes… I am sorry these things happened to you. I feel bad about that. … this is an issue people feel strongly about. I want people to come, individuals. We don’t want partisan organizations to overwhelm these sessions.”

Ms. Gallaher attempted to interrupt Ryan’s responses to her charges, and was promptly shot down.

Image Copyright © Pete Selkowe, racinepost.com

Unsuprisingly, Ms. Gallaher had brought along professional disruptor Miles Kristan, who asked the same irrelevant question on the Iraq War that he seems obsessed with.  Ryan responded with a candid answer.

“I regret the way the war was prosecuted,” Ryan said, “the administration made a couple of colossal blunders … The bad decisions made in spring of 2003…what I regret are the immediate aftermath of those.” He then credited the success of the surge:   “Wonderful things are happening.”

Soon after this exchange Mr. Kristan  resorted to trying to shout down Representative Ryan. He was escorted out of the building, dramatically keeping his arms raised as if he was being arrested. In truth he was simply asked to leave, and did not even receive a ticket.

And now, on to the latest exploits of Ms. Gallaher and (presumably) Community for Change.

After the Racine tea party, a group of like minded individuals decided to meet on a regular basis, and have been meeting at a local Racine franchise restaurant.The meetings are informal. There are no dues collected, no attendance is taken, it’s not part of a 401C and is not structured or formalized in any way.

Enter Kelly Gallaher.

She had apparently learned of these meetings and decided to attempt yet another round of intimidation and disruption. After asking several employees who to discuss her “concern” with, she approached the restaurant owner and intimated that the business could be boycotted because he was permitting this group to meet at his establishment.

She even went so far as to threaten that his restaurant might be associated with … (wait for it) … racists. We’ve all heard the “If you don’t agree with Obama you must be a racist” mantra now being screeched by the left at all levels, so it’s no suprise Ms. Gallaher followed the marching orders.

The restaurant owner apparently decided that rather than succumb to Ms. Gallaher’s threats, to instead speak with the group about her actions. A photo of Ms. Gallaher was obtained and shown to the restaurant owner, who positively identified her as the woman who made the threats against the group and the restaurant.

You can read the first hand account here, at the Libertea Racine blog.

Ms. Gallaher is certainly a “political operative” of the first order.  She has twice demonstrated her willingness to use questionable tactics to achieve her goals. At the same time, she will pull the victim card at the drop of a hat when her own plans backfire and it’s her own feet put to the flames.

As I write this, the story is just starting to get legs and some attention outside of the local community. It  was briefly referred to by local radio host Mark Belling, and I expect there will be much more detailed discussion by tomorrow in many different types of media. I’m equally as certain that there will be some response from Ms Gallaher and C4C. My bet is that she will again be portrayed as a poor victim of the radical right.

Any takers?

Could it be?

The Republican National Committee is finally realizing that “nice guys finish last” and is hitting back at the Left, as this article from the RNC website demonstrates:

Perhaps Democrats Should Spend More Time Demanding Apologies From Members Of Their Own Party

RNC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL STEELE: “In another stunning example of hypocrisy, congressional Democrats are wasting taxpayers’ time and resources on a legislative measure to censure Congressman Joe Wilson so they don’t have to talk about their exceedingly unpopular health care plan. Without question, Joe Wilson made a terrible error in judgment and has wasted no time in extending a personal apology to the president. The president has accepted his apology. If we are going to march Members down to the well of the house to apologize, Joe Wilson is going to have to get in line behind Nancy Pelosi, who attacked the intelligence community who protects us, Charlie Rangel who cheated on his taxes, Jack Murtha – a walking scandal, and we all know how the Democratic leadership tried to protect William Jefferson. Democrats don’t want an apology. They want a side show – something to shift the focus away from their government-run experiment on health care.”

WHERE IS THE APOLOGY? PELOSI: CIA IS A BUNCH OF LIARS

Pelosi Accused The CIA Of Lying To Her In September 2002. Reporter: “Madam Speaker, just to be clear, you’re accusing the CIA of lying to you in September of 2002?” Pelosi: “Yes, misleading the Congress of the United States, misleading the Congress of the United States. I am.” (Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Press Conference, Washington, DC, 5/14/09)

Pelosi Admits That She Was Briefed On The Legality Of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques In September 2002. Pelosi: “The CIA briefed me only once on enhanced interrogation techniques in September 2002 in my capacity as ranking member of the Intelligence Committee. I was informed then that the Department of Justice opinions had concluded that the use of enhanced interrogation techniques were legal.” (Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Press Conference, Washington, DC, 5/14/09)

• Pelosi Claims The Only Time Waterboarding Was Mentioned, Was To Assure Her That It Was Not Being Used. Pelosi: “The only mention of waterboarding at that briefing was that it was not being employed.” (Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Press Conference, Washington, DC, 5/14/09)

But An Intelligence Report Indicates That Pelosi Was Briefed On The Use Of Harsh Interrogation Tactics In 2002; Contradicting Her Previous Statements. “Intelligence officials released documents yesterday saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was briefed in September 2002 about the use of harsh interrogation tactics against al-Qaeda suspects, seeming to contradict her repeated statements that she was never told the techniques were actually being used.” (Paul Kane, “Memo Says Pelosi Knew About Use Of Harsh Tactics,” The Washington Post, 5/8/09)

September 4, 2002: Reps. Pelosi And Porter Goss (R-FL) Were Briefed On Harsh Interrogation Tactics. “In a 10-page memo outlining an almost seven-year history of classified briefings, intelligence officials said that Pelosi and then-Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.) were the first two members of Congress briefed on the tactics. Then the ranking member and chairman of the House intelligence committee, respectively, Pelosi and Goss were briefed Sept. 4, 2002, one week before the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.” (Paul Kane, “Memo Says Pelosi Knew About Use Of Harsh Tactics,” The Washington Post, 5/8/09)

WHERE IS THE APOLOGY? RANGEL FAILED TO REPORT ASSETS AND PAY TAXES

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) Failed To Report More Than $660,000 In Assets During 2007. “In late August, the slowest news period of the year, Rangel filed updated financial disclosure reports showing he failed to report more than $660,000 in assets during 2007, a potential violation of House ethics rules.” (Glenn Thrush, “Pelosi Loath To Drop Hammer On Rangel,” The Politico, 9/5/09)

Rangel Is Already Under Investigation For Misusing Rent-Controlled Apartments, Avoiding Taxes, And Using Government Letterhead To Raise Money. “The ethics panel has already spent a year peering into Rangel’s use of several rent-stabilized apartments in a luxury Harlem apartment complex, his failure to pay all taxes on a Dominican Republic vacation villa, and his use of Congressional letterhead to raise funds for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College in New York City.” (Glenn Thrush, “Pelosi Loath To Drop Hammer On Rangel,” The Politico, 9/5/09)

The House Ethics Committee Is Also Investigating Rangel’s Trips To The Caribbean. “The committee recently broadened the investigation to include Caribbean trips taken by Rangel and four other lawmakers to determine if they complied with a ban on corporate-funded travel.” (Glenn Thrush, “Pelosi Loath To Drop Hammer On Rangel,” The Politico, 9/5/09)

WHERE IS THE APOLOGY? MURTHA AND VISCLOSKY DOLING GOV MONEY FOR CAMPAIGN CASH

Reps. John Murtha (D-PA) And Peter Visclosky (D-IN) Have Been Linked To Lobbying Firm PMA, Which Has Been Raided Twice By FBI Agents. “Murtha and Visclosky have both been linked to the lobbying firm PMA, which was twice raided by federal agents in recent months.” (Jay Newton-Small, “Key Dems’ Ethical Clouds Could Haunt Pelosi,” Time, 8/22/09)

Murtha And Visclosky Have Received $3.5 Million For Steering Money To PMA Clients. “Over the last decade firms that PMA helped get hundreds of millions of dollars worth of earmarked projects – pet projects inserted into the appropriations process by lawmakers — have given Murtha and Visclosky more than $3.5 million in campaign contributions.” (Jay Newton-Small, “Key Dems’ Ethical Clouds Could Haunt Pelosi,” Time, 8/22/09)

Visclosky Was Forced To Give Up Control Of His Appropriations Subcommittee After Being Subpoenaed In The PMA Investigation. “But, Visclosky was forced to resign his chairmanship of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee after he was subpoenaed in relation to the PMA investigation.” (Jay Newton-Small, “Key Dems’ Ethical Clouds Could Haunt Pelosi,” Time, 8/22/09)

WHERE IS THE APOLOGY? MORAN TAKEN MORE THAN $100,000 IN PMA-CONNECTED DONATIONS

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) Received $53,100 In Campaign Cash That Was Tied Directly To PMA On A Single Day In 2006. “Moran’s total take for June 6, 2006, shows how PMA’s bundling increased its presence. On that day, Moran’s campaign took in $57,000, according to FEC records. Of that total, $19,650 came from employees of Planning Systems, ProLogic and FiberGate. But another $15,500 came from PMA employees and another $7,750 from other PMA clients. Counting donations of spouses and other relatives of PMA clients, the lobbying firm was connected to $53,100 of the $57,000 total that Moran collected that day.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

From 2003 To 2005, Moran Received At Least $60,685 From A Group Of Companies With PMA Ties. “Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) received cash infusions from this same group regularly. In June 2003, Moran’s campaign banked $22,685 from employees of the four companies. Over a week in June 2004, he received $19,250. On one day in June 2005, he received $18,750 from members of this group.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

• Cryptek, FiberGate, And Planning Systems Have Contributed To Members Of Congress In Bunches. “Employees of Cryptek, FiberGate, Planning Systems and ProLogic have tended over the years to generate campaign donations to Members of Congress in bunches, suggesting that the check writing was an organized activity, not random donations.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

• Three PMA Directors Are Listed As “Equity Security Holders” For Cyrptek. “In bankruptcy filings submitted in a Virginia court in November, Cryptek listed three PMA directors among its ‘equity security holders’ — Paul Magliocchetti, Mark Magliocchetti and John Lynch. “(Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

• Louis Brown, A PMA Director, Is A Director At FiberGate And The Son Of PMA Founder Paul Magliocchetti Was Once Employed At FiberGate. “One of PMA’s clients is an Alexandria, Va., fiber optic company called FiberGate. According to Virginia corporate records, one of three directors of the firm is Louis M. Brown Jr. Brown has also been a director at PMA since 2005. Mark Magliocchetti, son of PMA founder Paul Magliocchetti, was also once employed at FiberGate.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

• Brown, A PMA Director, Was Listed As A Director At Planning Systems Until 2008. “Until 2008, Brown was also listed as a director of Planning Systems Inc., an information technology firm that was a PMA client and received millions of dollars worth of earmarks.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

WHERE IS THE APOLOGY? TOWNS HAS BEEN IMPEDING COUNTRYWIDE INVESTIGATION;
HE RECEIVED LOANS TOO

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) Has Refused To Subpoena Countrywide Mortgage Documents To Investigate Possible Sweetheart Loans; Towns Received Two Loans From Countrywide. “A powerful House Democrat who has turned down a Republican’s call to subpoena records of a mortgage program at Countrywide Financial Corp. received two home loans from the lender. Some information in the lawmaker’s mortgage documents raises the possibility they were made through the program, which provided loans to public figures and other favored borrowers often at lower interest rates or with lower origination fees than were available to the general public. The loans were made to Rep. Edolphus Towns of New York, who heads the House Oversight and Government Reform committee.” (John R. Emshwiller, “Key Lawmaker Received Countrywide Loans,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/7/09)

The Interest Rates On Towns’ Loans Were Lower Than The National Average At The Time. “The initial interest rates on two five-year, adjustable-rate Countrywide loans Mr. Towns and his wife took in September 2003 were 4.5% and 4.625%, according to the mortgage documents. Around the time of those loans, the average rates nationally on such loans ranged from about 4.7% to about 5.3%, according to HSH Associates, a Pompton Plains, N.J., publisher of mortgage-rate data.” (John R. Emshwiller, “Key Lawmaker Received Countrywide Loans,” The Wall Street Journal, 8/7/09)

WHERE IS THE APOLOGY? MOLLOHAN FUNNELED MONEY TO ASSOCIATES AND FORMER AIDES

Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) Was Forced To Step Down From Ranking Member On Ethics Committee After Accusations That He Funneled Money Into His State And Might Have Used His Position For Personal Gain. “Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (W.Va.) stepped down temporarily from his post as ranking Democrat on the House ethics committee, amid accusations that he used his congressional position to funnel money to his own home-state foundations, possibly enriching himself in the process.” (Jonathan Weisman, “Democrat Leaves Ethics Panel,” The Washington Post, 4/22/09)

Mollohan Secured Appropriations That Funded Salaries For Mollohan Associates And Former Aides And Which Led To Generous Campaign Contributions To Mollohan. “Even some Democratic leadership aides said he has not fully answered questions surrounding the appropriations he obtained, which funded generous salaries for Mollohan associates and former aides. One of them, the Institute for Scientific Research, paid its three top executives a total of $777,000 in 2004. Employees of those nonprofit groups and associated contractors, in turn, contributed generously to Mollohan’s campaign committees and a Mollohan family foundation.” (Jonathan Weisman, “Democrat Leaves Ethics Panel,” The Washington Post, 4/22/09)

Mollohan Directed More Than $150 Million To Five Nonprofits In His District; One Is Run By His Former Aide With Whom Mollohan Bought $2 Million In Property. “During the same period, Mollohan used his position on the House Appropriations Committee to secure more than $150 million in appropriations for five nonprofit entities that he helped establish in his congressional district. One of the groups is headed by a former appropriations aide, Laura Kurtz Kuhns, with whom Mollohan bought $2 million worth of property on Bald Head Island, N.C.” (Jonathan Weisman, “Democrat Leaves Ethics Panel,” The Washington Post, 4/22/09)

Mollohan’s Real Estate Holdings And Assets Increased From $562,000 In 2000 To $6.3 Million In 2004. “Mollohan’s real estate holdings and other assets jumped in value from $562,000 in 2000 to at least $6.3 million in 2004, said Ken Boehm, chairman of the legal center.” (Jonathan Weisman, “Democrat Leaves Ethics Panel,” The Washington Post, 4/22/09)

WHERE IS THE APOLOGY? CONYERS USED STAFF FOR POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS; CLAIMED FAILURE IN COMMUNICATION

After Forcing Staff To Work On Political Campaigns, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) Merely Acknowledged A “Lack Of Clarity” In Communicating With Staff. “In 2006, the House ethics committee struck a deal with Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) after investigating allegations that he ordered his legislative staffers to work on political campaigns, baby-sit for him and pick up his dry cleaning. The committee announced that Conyers acknowledged a ‘lack of clarity’ in his communication with staff members regarding their official duties and responsibilities, according to a statement released at the time.” (Carrie Johnson and Paul Kane, “Lawmakers Accused Of Flouting Rules On Use Of Staff,” The Washington Post, 5/8/08)

“Two Former Aides To Rep. John Conyers Have Alleged That He Repeatedly Violated House Ethics Rules.” (Jonathan E. Kaplan, “Former Conyers Aides Press Ethics Complaints,” The Hill, 3/1/06)

Conyers’ Former Deputy Chief Of Staff Alleged That Conyers Forced Aides To Work On Campaigns And Perform Personal Tasks. “Deanna Maher, a former deputy chief of staff in Conyers’s [sic] Detroit office, and Sydney Rooks, a former legal counsel in the district office, provided evidence for the allegations by sharing numerous letters, memorandums and copies of e-mails, handwritten notes and expense reports with The Hill. In letters sent separately by each woman to the House ethics committee, the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office, they allege that Conyers demanded that aides work on several local and state campaigns and forced them to baby-sit and chauffeur his children. They also charge that some aides illegally used Conyers’s [sic] congressional offices to enrich themselves.” (Jonathan E. Kaplan, “Former Conyers Aides Press Ethics Complaints,” The Hill, 3/1/06)

Conyers Forced Aides To Work On “Several Local And State Campaigns Including His Wife’s Failed Bid For A Seat In The State Senate.” “The crux of the allegations involves complaints that Conyers used his staff to work on several local and state campaigns including his wife’s failed bid for a seat in the state Senate. In 2003, the Detroit Free Press reported about the allegations that Conyers repeatedly violated House rules by forcing staffers to work on campaigns without taking leave.” (Jonathan E. Kaplan, “Former Conyers Aides Press Ethics Complaints,” The Hill, 3/1/06)

WHERE IS THE APOLOGY? MCMAHON REFUSES TO RETURN TAINTED RANGEL MONEY

Rep. Michael McMahon (D-NY) Refuses To Return Campaign Contributions From Rangel, Who Is Under Investigation For Multiple Ethics Violations. “Despite calls from Republicans, Rep. Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) is not planning to return $15,000 in campaign contributions from embattled Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Manhattan), who is facing a widening ethics investigation.” (Staten Island Advance, “Rep. McMahon Says He Won’t Return Money From Embattled Congressman,” Staten Island Advance, 9/4/09)

When the White House backed down to a degree and modified the lesson plans, I considered this to be a small victory.

As I write this, the speech has yet to be televised, and the advance text of the speech has not been released. Until this happens and I can make my own reasoned judgment on the content, I am not ready to condemn this speech.

Is this speech unprecedented? Sure. Is it an inherently bad idea for any President to make a short speech at the beginning of the school year? Not necessarily.

If the speech is (as I’ve heard it may be) only an appeal to do the best possible in school, then I won’t object to it. If Obama makes a tradition of such a speech and repeats this performance with a speech of similar content at the beginning of each school year, I’d applaud him for it. And I’d hope the next President, regardless of the winning party, would continue the tradition in the same spirit.

I’ll say it again, my final opinion is still dependent on the content of the speech, which is still unknown.

I listen to a lot of talk radio as I work. It’s almost a continual background noise. In the past couple of days, I’ve heard widely different opinions on this issue. I’ve also noticed something very disturbing to me.

A few radio personalities have taken a “wait and see” approach to the speech, similar to my own opinion. And in every case, callers to these programs berated the host and have engaged in much of the same illogic and name-calling that I would have previously attributed as the arsenal of the far left. The main thrust of most caller’s arguements was that this speech would work to “indoctrinate” their kids into Obama’s far left agenda.

I have two children in the public school system, one in high school and one in middle school. I trust my kids to use their own judgment to the best ability their experience and knowledge will allow. I know that we will have discussions of the speech and their feelings about it. I may not like their opinions, and they might not like mine. Looking back, I  am amazed at the views I held when I was my kid’s age, and well into my twenties.

I hope everyone can take a step back and reasonably examine this issue. Is the real issue a fear that kids will be “indoctrinated” by this speech and following lesson plan? Or is this a case of “Obama Hatred Syndrome” similar to what happened to so many on the left during the Bush administration?

One look at the design of this site makes my personal feelings about Obama and his policies crystal clear. At the same time, I would hate to see conservatives fall into the same trap that we accused the left of during the Bush years.

I don’t like Obama’s agenda. From what I’ve seen of his actions while in office, I am pretty sure I would have personal issues with him as well. However, I’m not ready to let my dislike for the man and his policies devolve into the type of seething “Everything he does is Evil” emotional tailspin that I saw the left do for so many years.

I’m sure many will disagree with me and I welcome reasonable debate. Also I’ll restate what I said earlier. If when I hear the speech I find it does try to promote his agenda, I’ll be right there in front ripping him for such a crass political act. I won’t fear that my kids will be irreparably harmed by this speech, but I will personally hold Obama responsible for trying to inject politics into our public schools. However, I’m not going to accuse him of something tht has not yet occurred, and may never occur.

Irena Sendler 1910 - 2008

An amazing woman named Irena Sendler passed away on May 12, 2008, in Warsaw, Poland. You may or may not have heard her name in the past few years, in connection with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prizes.

During WW II  Irena, a Polish Roman Catholic, was an administrator at the Warsaw Social Work Department. Unknown to the Nazi occupiers, she was also a member of the  Polish Underground and the Zegota resistance organization.

As an employee of the Social Work Department, Irena had a special permit to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to check for signs of typhus, something the Nazis feared would spread beyond the Ghetto.

Assisted by some two dozen other Zegota members, Irena saved 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto, providing them false documents, and sheltering them in individual and group children’s homes outside the Ghetto. The majority of this rescue work was done in the summer of 1942 in a three month period.

Irena was caught by the Gestapo and put in Pawiak Prison, where she was tortured and had a leg and foot fractured. The Zegota resistance organization bribed a guard to have her released in the night to a member of the Underground, shortly before she was to be executed. Irena remained in hiding throughout the rest of the war.

She had buried some of the names of the rescued children in jars, along with the help of a friend, to reconnect the children to their families after the war. She tried to locate any parents who might have survived. The connecting of children to family was very difficult because of the large number of Jewish adults killed at Treblinka and other death camps.

In 2007, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

She was not selected. The award instead went to former Vice President Al Gore.

For a slide show on Global Warming.

Get your Calendar!

It’s OK guys, we’re all friends here.  Admit it.

Nothing adds that finishing touch to your den, workshop, dorm room,  tree fort, what have you – like a full color calendar filled with a year’s worth of gorgeous women.

Just imagine if you could add such a calendar to your decorating motif … and help the cause of Liberty?

By now you’ve probably guessed, you can!

The Ladies of Liberty have taken their best shots, and are compiling them into a calendar that you can own for a donation of $20. The group’s goal is to raise $2000. They’ve almost hit that goal, and your donation may be the one to put them over the top!

Who are the Ladies of Liberty? Here’s their Mission Statement and Philosophy, stolen directly from their website:

LOLA MISSION

“The mission of the Ladies of Liberty Alliance (LOLA) is to build a community of liberty-minded women who are empowered to achieve their individual goals in the fight for freedom. This is accomplished through education and networking opportunities that are focused on inspiring and supporting all women who want to gain the confidence and support to fulfill their dreams.”

LOLA PHILOSOPHY

LOLA’s members are the counterparts to the Ron Pauls, the Lew Rockwells, the Peter Schiffs, the Jeff Frazees, and the countless others who are taking a stand. LOLA is a group of dedicated women who have come together to provide the foundation necessary for the advancement of a philosophy of liberty–philosophy being necessary to preserve any free and prosperous society.

This organization  differs from many of the others springing up in the wake of this Revolution in that, while others play the vital role of encouraging political activism, LOLA will focus on providing the educational foundation and practical applications of the axioms that we all realize must be embedded in the minds and the hearts of our neighbors in order to win back our self-esteem, our dignity, and our Liberty.

In answer, we say: We will provide the example. We will stand courageous in defense of what is so rightfully ours: Liberty. Our voices will carry throughout the towns and cities of this nation, and it will not be said that We did nothing.

The opportunity to influence the leaders of today and tomorrow is ours. We intend to take it. Note that our goal is not to create “politicians”. We have no desire to lead men in chains or to empower others to do so. The force of reason and an appeal to morality is what we seek to bolster. And we will.

This organization is young-in its infancy–and there are many directions in which it must be taken in order to achieve the greatest success. That is where you come in. A part of it is yours to shape. Join the Ladies of Liberty Alliance and play a part in the shaping of a nation.

The Ladies of Liberty Alliance 2009-2010 calendar can be yours for a donation of $20 or more.  Follow this link to learn more and order yours!