Gamecocks First Football Opponent Shows USC No Respect

The USM blogger on the College Football Zealots blog network was asked the question: “What team on the schedule do you fear the most?”

Naturally, most people would think the blogger would mention the opening game against an SEC team like South Carolina. Especially since some in the media have speculated the Gamecocks might possibly contend with Florida for the SEC East title in football.

However, the USM blogger is not impressed. Nor should he be, really. He probably watched the Gamecock's bowl performance in Birmingham. If the Gamecocks play like they did in the bowl game, the talented USM football team will easily win the September 2, 2010 game in Columbia.

On July 28, 2010, Gamecock Head Ball Coach Steve Spurrier acknowledged opposing coaches think they can beat us, and opposing fans don't fear us.

The state of our football program right now is that we are not very good. We got clobbered in the Papajohns Bowl by UConn. We're in the process of trying to earn respect not only of our fans but fans all over the country. We gotta earn it. We don't need to talk about what we're going to do because in the last game we were a sad bunch of guys.

Spurrier Video (July 28, 2010).

Still, you are in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and you expect some respect from your non-conference opponent. If you are a USM fan playing an SEC team in a 2010 road opener, and you are asked, What team on the schedule do you fear the most?, that question should elicit something about the opening SEC opponent. I admit that it grates a bit when the USM blogger gives neither the Gamecocks nor South Carolina's 84,000 football fans nary a mention. Here is how the USM writer answered the question about fear:

Southern Miss has adapted an attitude of "anyone, anywhere, anytime." They have always been a school that is known for going to play the best college football has to offer. Saying that, Houston's offensive power gave USM fits last season. Without defensive adjustments, the Cougars will be a tough match-up again. Central Florida is also a difficult place to play and could decide Conference USA East this season.

So, according to this writer, USM (1-5 in 2009 road games) most fears a road game in Orlando against UCF, and a home tilt against Houston this season. Hmmmmmm.

Surprising? According to Gamecock fans living down in southern Mississippi on the Gulf Coast, more than just a few of the USM fans are opening talking big about the prospect USM whipping up on the Gamecocks.

The USM Coach Larry Fedora, an offensive genius, is similarly unconcerned about the Gamecocks or their fans. He expects USM to beat the Gamecocks down . . . and on the Gamecocks home turf. Fedora publicly and boldly made just that prediction recently.

"The first college football game of the 2010 season is us. So every college football fan in this entire country will be watching us - watching the Golden Eagles beating South Carolina," he said to a rocking applause. “And I've already told the guys when it happens, walk across the field and shake their hands like you expected it to happen.”

Clarion Ledger, Fedora plots opening upset (July 16, 2010)

Most coaches are not so brash about predicting victories over opponents, particularly road SEC opponents. Apparently, the Gamecock football program does not warrant the usual respect due an SEC opponent.

Still, Fedora's brashness was enough to raise eyebrows and questions at the Conference USA news media event last weekend. But when the press asked Fedora about his guaranteed USM victory over the Gamecocks, he responded with “a confused look.” Then, he said:

"People acted like I said something I wasn't supposed to, like I'm not supposed to expect to win," Fedora said. "We want to go up there and do a good job. So that's crazy. Our guys are working extremely hard and expect to win. I wouldn't want it any other way.""We are expecting a breakout year," Fedora said. "We're going into our third year. We've upgraded our talent level and I've got the pieces of the puzzle in place. We'll be a major player in this league."

"We're going to be much better defensively," Fedora said. "It's going to be the strength of this team. We've got guys with talent who have experience. We have young guys to back them up with a lot of talent.

"We have nine returning starters and everybody has played. They've played hundreds of snaps and they know what it feels like and they know the defense.

Clarion Ledger, Confident Fedora: 'I've got the pieces of the puzzle in place' (July 26, 2010).

It is quite humbling to your humble correspondent to realize that his favorite team cannot even generate a teeny-tiny bit of respect from the USM Head Coach.


Technorati Tags: football, southern, mississippi, golden, eagles, usm, gamecocks, south, carolina, predictions, respect, larry, fedora

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Federal Alien Registration Law Implicated by Recent Arizona Ruling

Susan Bolton, a federal judge, temporarily halted enforcement of portions of an Arizona law on illegal immigration, called SB 1070. One aspect of the court's injunctive order that has not attracted much scrutiny was its analysis of alien registration requirements. The federal court enjoined Arizona from enforcing the registration law ruling as follows:

Under Section 2(B) of S.B. 1070, all arrestees will be required to prove their immigration status to the satisfaction of state authorities, thus increasing the intrusion of police presence into the lives of legally-present aliens (and even United States citizens), who will necessarily be swept up by this requirement.

United States v. State of Arizona, 2:10-cv-01061-SRB, at page 17 (D. Ariz. July 28, 2010) (Order granting in part and denying in part the United States’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction). The ruling provided:

The United States asserts, and the Court agrees, that “the federal government has long rejected a system by which aliens’ papers are routinely demanded and checked.” (Pl.’s Mot. at 26.) The Court finds that this requirement imposes an unacceptable burden on lawfully-present aliens.

United States v. State of Arizona, 2:10-cv-01061-SRB, at page 21 (D. Ariz. July 28, 2010) (Order granting in part and denying in part the United States’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction).

However, the federal Alien Registration Act already requires every alien over the age of 14 who is in the United States “to apply for registration and to be fingerprinted before the expiration of such thirty days.” 8 U.S.C. 1302. It compels all lawfully present aliens to register and carry immigration documentation.

(e) Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties

Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

8 U.S.C. § 1304(e).

Similarly, except in very rare circumstances, federal law states that all persons desiring to cross our international border must have a valid Visa. See 8 U.S.C. 1181 .

The Alien Registration Act was enacted in 1940, and was used to prosecute communists during the McCarthyism period of U.S. history.

The court's order on SB 1070 lists a series of possible exceptions to the Alien Registration Act and suggests those exceptions create constitutional prohibitions against enforcement of registration requirements. However, the registration requirements are federal. Thus, the recent Arizona ruling, at least in Judge Susan Bolton's mind, may implicate the constitutionality of not only Arizona's registration requirements but the federal as well.

Other Links About Arizona Law:
Federal Lawsuit Against Arizona
1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Biden and Pelosi Sport Anti-Arizona Bracelets
Report From the Arizona Border
Racial Profiling and Arizona's Immigration Law

Technorati Tags: arizona, law, sb, 1070, alien, registration, act, bolton, analysis, citation, immigration, illegal

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DISCLOSE Act Stalled In Senate

Politico is reporting that the DISCLOSE Act is still stalled in the Senate. There is speculation that Senator Ben Nelson (D. Neb.) may not join the rest of the Senate Democrats to vote for enacting the law. The three Moderate Republicans from Maine and Massachusetts which the Democrat majority has counted on in the past for support of their legislation are not in favor of the DISCLOSE legislation.

The vote is still razor thin and deals could be cut to give the Democrats enough votes to break the filibuster. They just need 60 votes and it appears they have about 59. We are not out of the woods yet on DISCLOSE or DISGUISE.

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DISCLOSE Act Awaits Senate Vote, Reconciliation, President Signature

The campaign speech-suppression legislation is intended to effect American mid-term elections. The 118 page law went directly to the Senate floor and skipped the committee process. No hearings to debate the pros and cons of a law that interferes plainly in political speech.

Some call it the DISGUISE Act because it is a poorly disguised attempt to give Democrats a leg up in the upcoming November elections.

A bill that proponents champion to "increase transparency" is rushed through the Senate with as little transparency as possible.

Only a four days for the public to see or read the lengthy bill. No chance for our Senators to read it. They just make a bunch of speeches and vote blindly for it.

The new bill number is S. 3628, ‘‘Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act’’ or the ‘‘DISCLOSE Act’’.. Call your Senator and oppose disclose.



Technorati Tags: DISCLOSE, Act, campaign, free, speech,

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We Are Going Broke And Cannot Find Any Cuts In Spending

The Democrat Congress recently bypassed a Republican filibuster to pass an extension of unemployment benefits by borrowing more money. It was an emergency.

Congress could not find anywhere to cut spending.

I have an idea. How about eliminating the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)? You can find a huge quantity of unneeded subsidy spending issued by the USDA.

According to the USDA, the United States spent $245.2 billion in crop subsidies from 1995-2009.

It all went to the good ole family farmer, right?

Wrong sport-o. The huge percentage of those funds went to agri-business.

From 1995 to 2009, the top 10 percent of recipients were paid 74 percent of all USDA subsidies.” Environmental Working Group Farm Subsidy Database.

Where is all the jack headed?

Iowa, Illinois, and Texas are the top three states receiving USDA subsidies. I mean they are the top three if you consider being best at sucking up tax-payer dollars a good thing. Those three states got almost a quarter of all of the billions spent on subsidizing United States agri-business.

Agricultural South Carolina ranked 30th. We are behind such agricultural Meccas as New York (29th) and Michigan (20th).

According to the USDA's 2007 Agriculture census data from 1997-2009, South Carolina received $1.17 billion in subsidies. South Carolina has approximately 25,000 farms. Of those farms, only 7,700 or so accepted government subsidies. But just 770 of the South Carolina recipients collected 80% of the $1.17 Billion paid by the government. Environmental Working Group Farm Subsidy Database, South Carolina Summary Information

The top recipient of government lard in South Carolina was Rogers Brothers Farm in Hartsville. It received payments totaling $8,776,100 from 1995 through 2009. Most of the money related to corn products.

Connelly Farms in Ulmer reaped the next biggest harvest of government money. It gathered $5,778,658 over fifteen years. The year 2005 was a great harvest yielding Connelly Farms $712,985.

The eighth biggest recipient of South Carolina beneficiaries of government funding is not even a South Carolina farmer. It is Southeast Atlantic Grains whose owners live in West Virginia. Southeast owns several farm operations here in South Carolina.

The agricultural subsidy game is so complex, and set up in such a way that the largest farms get the biggest subsidies. This encourages the bigger agricultural operations to gobble up the smaller, killing small business and forcing dependency on the larger.

Agricultural subsidies, or "loans" as they are sometimes euphemistically called, are too complex to fix. The best thing we can do right now is just kill the whole bloated, federal agricultural government bureaucracy.

Technorati Tags: agriculture, subsidies, crops, farms, usda, corporatism,

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Gamecock Fullback Patrick DiMarco SEC Media Days Interview

Like a leader who admits mistakes, Fullback Patrick DeMarco, who won the Joe Morrison Award as the Offensive Player of the Spring, apologized to his team mates. DiMarco apologized at SEC Media Days for the historically unsatisfactory Gamecock offensive performance. SEC Football Media Day Player Quotes, The Wynfrey Hotel; Birmingham, Ala. (July 22 2010).

"Our offense has hindered our team sometimes the last couple of years. We’re hoping with our new offensive line coach and some new glitches in the offense that it’ll make the difference in some of those close games that we’ve lost the last few years."

DiMarco has faith in a turn around for 2010. That starts with faith in starting quarterback Stephen Garcia. “He’s matured a lot. I’m his roommate, and I’ve seen a huge change since he’s come to campus. He’s busting his butt, putting in the extra effort, working on his own with the receivers this summer, things that haven’t been done before.”

Considering the off-season criticism of his quarterback, it was surprising to hear DiMarco reveal a close relationship between Garcia and The Head Ball Coach. “Coach Spurrier has worked with him [Garcia] on staying in the pocket, looking down-field more."

That comment suggests Garcia will scan for receivers running deeper pass routes this year. "[W]ith a year under his belt, he’ll hopefully see receivers downfield he didn’t see last year.”

THAT is a nightmarish thought to opposing defensive coordinators.

Stephen Garcia completed 239 passes in 2009, and he averaged almost 12 yards per completion. That is a pretty good average. Better statistically, for instance, than the 2009 NCAA FBS passing leader, Junior Houston quarterback, Case Keenum.

Along with 17 touchdown passes, Garcia completed passes of 40, 43, 44, 52, 69, and 80 yards in 2009. Adding to the 2010 passing attack fear factor, the Gamecocks will likely start three wide receivers who average 6-4, 225. All the greedy Gamecock receivers have big, meaty, football-grabbing hands. Those are some nice big targets for Garcia.

And, yes . . . YAC is a potentially huge factor. If you have to ask what YAC means, just think of something very great.

In 2010, opponents will reckon with a nasty Gamecock downfield passing attack.

That should open up the running game nicely.

DiMarco hinted the running game may improve. Perhaps referring to touted incoming freshman running back, Marcus Lattimore, he said: “We have a lot of young guys that can possibly play for us and contribute to our season. If that works out then we should win now.”

Winning is very much on the mind of the Gamecock football players. The Gamecock football team, and its fans, just finished a wild summer celebration. The Gamecock fans are feeling it and we have been telling DiMarco the national championship baseball victory just made us even hungrier for big football wins. “I got some text messages saying it’s our turn now. It’s true. They stepped it up and did something, and now it’s time for us to do something.”

Ever practical, however, DiMarco's caution brings us back to reality. We have not proved anything yet.

The Gamecocks have a very tough opening day opponent in Southern Miss. The opening game on September 2, 2010, will be at home, on national television, ESPN.

The USM game is huge for the 2010 Gamecock football team. DiMarco said it best. “It’s exciting. Everyone will be watching. It’s an honor to start the season with everyone watching you. It’s as big as you can get.”

Technorati Tags: patrick, dimarco, sec, media, days, south, carolina, gamecocks, fullback, spurrier, stephen, garcia

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Wall Street Reform Law Enacted

The President has signed the Dodd-Frank Wallstreet Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law. The law is 2,319 pages long. Nobody likely knows all the suprises that are hidden in this gem. One thing is certain. It is a huge delegation of power to the Executive Branch. That means less freedom for you and more tyranny for me. Here is a sharp graph from Mark J. Perrry's Blog for Economics and Finance, Carp Diem:

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History of Money in the United States

These October 2, 2008, educational videos were published at the John From Chicago's YouTube Channel.

Educational video explaining the Constitutional and legal history of the US Dollar. This video contains many high resolution images showing many examples of all the the money the United States has produced since the very beginning. This is the thinking of the people who support a return to the Gold Standard, and rightful Constitutional money. I used nothing but established historical facts, and clear images of the money itself. This is what Ron Paul is talking about, and this is WHY we have the crisis we have now. Regardless of partisan politics, or economic philosophy, gold and silver money is the law. It's vitally important all Americans understand what exactly a dollar IS.

PART 1



PART 2

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FEDEX Uses YouTube to Fight Anti-Competitive Legislation

FedEx is using YouTube to call attention to Congressional meddling in the shipping market. A new YouTube video, embedded below, contains this message:

The Wall Street Journal opposes the 230-word provision -- the "Brown Bailout" -- in the FAA Reauthorization bill, calling it "political favoritism at its worst, benefiting only UPS and the Teamsters while raising transportation costs across the economy."

See Wall Street Journal, The Big Brown Union Bailout (April 26, 2010).

The law to which the video refers relates to two labor laws. The gist of the change in the law eliminates an anti-unionizing advantage formerly enjoyed by FEDEX. The end result of the law is that the change makes it easier for the Teamsters to unionize local FEDEX operations. Union organizing disputes will now force FEDEX before the National Labor Relations Board. That Board, which has Subpoena power and can directly impact an organization, is now staffed with a majority of radically pro-union, Obama Administration appointees.

All this does not sound like a policy intended to facilitate creation of jobs.

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Miraculous! Thank The Lord

The gushing subsurface well is stopped for the time being. The new cap is working.

Here is a picture of the cap being readied for service. On July 12, 2010, the Associated Press reported BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said, "The new cap is designed to funnel oil to vessels on the surface as part of a containment system that could prevent crude from spilling for the first time since April 20.

BP is drilling two relief wells so it can pump mud and cement into the leaking well for a permanent fix."

The cap is not totally stable. Keep praying for the miracle.

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We Will Not Be Silenced: A Film Review

We Will Not Be Silenced is a documentary film by Gigi Gaston that exposed wide-spread vote fraud during the 2008 Democrat Presidential Primary. The film demonstrates how organized supporters of Barack Obama inflated votes in unruly Democrat Caucuses.

If you are concerned about the disintegration of our democratic voting rights in America, you should watch this film. The recent Eric Holder Justice Department decision not to prosecute the New Black Panther party suggests that future American elections will be subject to even greater voter intimidation and corruption of the election process.

Here you can find We Will Not Be Silenced Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Part 1 is at the link at the beginning of this post.

The film We Will Not Be Silenced shows how our voting rights can be taken away by mob rule.

It is scary because we in America are used to civil, peaceful polls. How should we react when an angry mob tries to keep us from the polls or Caucus?

The New Black Panther Party was nailed in Philadelphia by a video. Video evidence of bullies corrupting the process can help to expose the illegal tactics and bring it into the light. Unless something is done by state law enforcement, I foresee the problem becoming worse. The federal Justice Department is not going to lift a finger to deter the fraudulent accumulation of votes that will keep the Obama Administration in power.

Imagine the border states where many illegal and undocumented people are becoming increasingly militant. They are whipped into anger by false allegations and the idea that enforcing the rule of law is equal to racism.

Community Organizer.

Conservative commentators like to make fun of Barack Obama's experience as a “community organizer.” They laugh and say it is not equal to executive experience.

That may be so, but his skills as a community organizer are reflected by tactics to gather the majority of votes in an election. In the political process, votes are like gold.

Here is what the producers of We Will Not Be Silenced say about whether the ends justify the means:

This documentary is about the disenfranchising of American citizens by the Democratic Party and the Obama Campaign. We the People have made this film. Democrats have sent in their stories from all parts of America. We want to be heard and let the country know how our party has sanctioned the actions of what we feel are Obama Campaign "Chicago Machine" dirty politics. We believe this infamous campaign of "change" from Chicago encouraged and created an army to steal caucus packets, falsify documents, change results, allow unregistered people to vote, scare and intimidate Hillary supporters, stalk them, threaten them, lock them out of their polling places, silence their voices and stop their right to vote, which is, of course, all documented in "We Will Not Be Silenced."

"We Will Not Be Silenced" is about the people who fight back by simply telling their stories: Teachers, professors, civil rights activists, lawyers, janitors, physicists, ophthalmologists, accountants, mathematicians, retirees - all bound together by their love of America and Democracy. They will tell us their experiences and how they feel betrayed by their own party. They will discuss how their party has disenfranchised them and how, when they saw and reported multiple instances of fraud, everyone turned a blind eye. Rather than support and protect the voices and votes of its loyal members, the DNC chose to sweep this under the rug by looking the other way, or using ceremony and quasi-investigations to assuage angry voters. It is our opinion there never before has been such a "dirty" campaign; the campaign that has broken the hearts and spirits of American voters, who once believed in the Democractic voting system.

Back in 2008, we could not figure how ACORN's fraudulent registration process could give anyone an advantage. How can Mickey Mouse actually vote? It was a joke.

The joke is on us.

ACORN's bogus registrations are a means to accumulate votes--fraudulent votes. Perhaps people vote multiple times under different names. Maybe the people are not U.S. citizens, or they have felony convictions. Maybe the voters are not even real people.

In any case, this film should open your eyes and you will thank me for strongly recommending you view it. Please visit the film-makers website and buy a copy of the film.



Technorati Tags: We, Will, Not, Be, Silenced, Voting, Fraud, Intimidation, Democrat, Primary, Obama, Clinton, ACORN, Panthers

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Urgent: Pray For a Miracle in the Gulf of Mexico

This morning, I checked my email and a friend sent me a link to story by writer Terrance Aym suggesting the BP Gulf of Mexico Oil disaster could be cataclysmic.

The bottom line: BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling operation may have triggered an irreversible, cascading geological Apocalypse that will culminate with the first mass extinction of life on Earth in many millions of years.

The oil giant drilled down miles into a geologically unstable region and may have set the stage for the eventual premature release of a methane mega-bubble.

Terrance Aym, Helium, Doomsday: How BP Gulf disaster may have triggered a 'world-killing' event (June 30, 2010). Aym's article has links to scientific writings supporting the speculation.

Perhaps not so coincidentally we studied 1 Corinthians this week at our Bridgepointe Bible study group. In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote that,

A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial: to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit . . . to another, the performing of miracles . . . .

1 Corinthians 12:7-10.

On June 15, 2010, President Obama gave a speech about the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster and said this:

The blessing is not that God has promised to remove all obstacles and dangers. The blessing is that He is with us always," a blessing that's granted "...even in the midst of the storm."

The oil spill is not the last crisis America will face. This nation has known hard times before and we will surely know them again. What sees us through — what has always seen us through — is our strength, our resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we summon the courage to reach for it. Tonight, we pray for that courage. We pray for the people of the Gulf. And we pray that a hand may guide us through the storm towards a brighter day.

President Obama's remarks to the nation on the BP oil spill (June 15, 2010).

President Obama showed leadership with his remarks on June 15 about prayer.

This is the time when Americans need to pray for a miracle in the Gulf of Mexico. Pray that God will seal the hole and repair the rending earth on the sea floor.

We need a miracle in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Bible says that some people are gifted through the spirit of God to perform miracles. Maybe you are the believer to whom God has given this gift. Please pray for a miracle in the Gulf. Pray also God will use this oil disaster to show us in America, once again, his power.

Technorati Tags: prayer, miracle, gulf, of, mexico, disaster, apocalypse

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Romney Critical of U.S. Negotiators in Op Ed on New START Treaty

Republican and probable 2012 presidential candidate has weighed in with concerns about the Obama Administration's April 19 STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). See Mitt Romney, Obama's worst foreign-policy mistake, The Washington Post (July 6, 2010). Romney's editorial does a good job of itemizing the many problems with the proposed Treaty with Russia.

On June 19, I made a post on U.S. disputes with Russia about the meaning of our obligations under the New START Treaty. My post has additional detail about issues regarding the negotiation and conflicting interpretation of key provisions.

The Treaty must still be ratified by the Senate. Ratification requires at least 60 votes in favor. Expect that the Democrats will try to push this through before the election. On the other hand, with all the worms in this Treaty, it could be a tough vote to swallow just before facing the electorate in November.

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Congress on Recess with No Oversight: Obama Appoints Donald Berwick

On July 6, 2010, President Obama used recess appointment rules to appoint Donald Berwick as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services (CMS). A recess appointee avoids a public confirmation hearing.

It is probable that the public hearing for Berwick would have been raw meat for liberty agitators. Here is Berwick stating that government should use health care rationing as a means to "redistribute wealth." Berwick calls government redistribution "a must." Berwick favors using government bureaucrats to ration health care by making "tough choices." Here is video of Berwick expressing his views.

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Steele's Comments About Afghanistan Deserve Attention

At an RNC Fundraiser in Noank, Connecticut, Michael Steel, the Chairman of the GOP, set off a firestorm of moderate Republican criticism.

Referring to President Obama's campaign remarks, Steel stated: "Keep in mind again, for our federal candidates, this was a war of Obama's choosing." A homemade video of the remarks are posted on YouTube.

This main stream media story about Steele is much ado about nothing. Or perhaps worse. Maybe it is a distraction by moderate Republicans so they can sneak back into their bi-partisan legislative mode.

When Steele said Afghanistan was a "war of Obama's choosing" he was just referring to Obama's campaign promises about the War in Afghanistan.

Remember in 2007, Obama used the Afghanistan War as a foil to criticize the Bush Administration for invading Iraq. Obama claimed Iraq was the wrong war in which to fight al Queda.

We did not finish the job against al Qaeda in Afghanistan. We did not develop new capabilities to defeat a new enemy, or launch a comprehensive strategy to dry up the terrorists' base of support. We did not reaffirm our basic values, or secure our homeland.

Instead, we got a color-coded politics of fear. Patriotism as the possession of one political party. The diplomacy of refusing to talk to other countries. A rigid 20th century ideology that insisted that the 21st century's stateless terrorism could be defeated through the invasion and occupation of a state. A deliberate strategy to misrepresent 9/11 to sell a war against a country that had nothing to do with 9/11.

And so, a little more than a year after that bright September day, I was in the streets of Chicago again, this time speaking at a rally in opposition to war in Iraq. I did not oppose all wars, I said. I was a strong supporter of the war in Afghanistan. But I said I could not support "a dumb war, a rash war" in Iraq. I worried about a " U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences" in the heart of the Muslim world. I pleaded that we "finish the fight with bin Ladin and al Qaeda."

Obama'08, Remarks of Senator Obama: The War We Need to Win (August 1, 2007).

Moderate Republicans like Lindsy Graham and John McCain used Steele's recent comments in Noank as an opportunity to tout winning the War in Afghanistan. However, they should consider Steele's other comment about Afghanistan:

If he's [Obama's] such a student of history, has he not understood that you know that's the one thing you don't do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan? All right, because everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed. And there are reasons for that.

Our elected leaders would do well to follow Steele's advice and consider history. We ignore it to our peril.

Generally speaking, Steele was right to speak out. We need to go beyond his comments and take a very hard look at whether supporting and tottering Afghanistan government is a wise policy considering our current lack of economic resources.

Technorati Tags: michael, steele, afghanistan, moderate, republicans, hysterical, war, of, obama's, choosing

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Federal Lawsuit (link) Against Arizona

When he was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for Arizona, Dennis Burke said, “We’ve created a market for human smuggling that accompanies an already-existing drug-smuggling industry, which flourishes in Arizona. What we have here is a third-world economy next to the most prosperous economy in the world.”

Now he has put his signature on page 24 of the federal government's lawsuit against Arizona's immigration law. See United States vs. Arizona (July 6, 2010).

The lawsuit demands the court declare the Arizona law void and issue an injunction prohibiting its enforcement. The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief—no monetary damages. However, the federal government does ask the federal court to award it costs.

The federal government's lawsuit alleges that the federal immigration scheme gives prosecutorial discretion to the federal law enforcement authorities. The lawsuit suggests that the federal government may choose not to enforce its laws prohibiting illegal immigration when the undocumented person is not otherwise violating U.S. laws.

The Arizona statute, however, makes it clear that the presence of illegal aliens constitutes a violation. When an illegal alien is lawfully stopped, and a reasonable suspicion raised about the person's lack of status, Arizona police must ask for immigration documentation. All legal immigrants in the U.S. are required to carry immigration documents with them at all time. That is the federal law. Thus, the Arizona law does not conflict with the federal statutes in this respect, but merely uses this requirement to establish lawful status.

The primary thrust of the federal lawsuit is that the federal government has the sum total power NOT to enforce immigration laws passed by Congress. The lawsuit asserts that Congress gave the Executive Branch agencies discretion NOT to enforce the laws as they see fit. The lawsuit claims Arizona's law deprives it of discretion NOT to enforce the laws enacted by Congress.

Missing from the lawsuit are allegations that Arizona's enforcement would result in unconstitutional racial profiling.

Technorati Tags: arizona, immigration, federal, lawsuit, injunction, declaratory, judgment, AZ, 1070

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Government Uses Safety Excuse as Press Damage Control

The picture to the right shows a large oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. More relevantly, it demonstrates an absence of skimmer vessels.

Questions have arisen about the credibility of White House press releases on the government's oil disaster clean up efforts.

The Republicans documented White House disinformation in a report by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, How the White House Public Relations Campaign on the Oil Spill is Harming the Actual Clean-up, Darrell Issa (R. CA-49) (July 1, 2010).

The White House blog details a number of assets deployed in the region to combat the spill. This includes vessels, boom, and dispersant. The number of assets claimed, however, does not appear to match what is actually in the field. Parish officials maintain that the thousands of vessels cited in the blog are non-existent. One senior official refers to them as “phantom assets.” When asked to elaborate, he explained that when he asks the federal government to provide the location of its assets, it either refuses or cannot do so. Daily helicopter search grids performed by the Parish sheriff’s department confirm to him that very few of the assets claimed are deployed.

The allegations of government propaganda are all the more troubling due to complaints that our press is being kept away from government operations. In the embedded CNN report, Anderson Cooper discusses in detail how new government "safety" rules will inhibit open and transparent reporting on the government efforts to meet cleanup demands.



Cooper's tough report follows a directive to south Louisiana citizens issued by the Unified Command. The government order was allegedly authorized under the Ports and Waterways Safety Act. That seems a stretch, but nevertheless, citizens are threatened by federal sanctions including a $40,000 fine and a felony criminal charge. The charge allegedly could be made against anyone (including media) who venture within 20 meters (65 feet) of a Unified Command boom or government cleanup operation. I say "allegedly" because we need to be shown that Congress really gave the Unified Command such power under the Ports and Waterways Safety Act.

The Unified Command's safety zone dictate is set forth here:

The Captains of the Port for Morgan City, La., New Orleans, La., and Mobile, Ala. , under the authority of the Ports and Waterways Safety Act, has established a 20- meter safety zone surrounding all Deepwater Horizon booming operations and oil response efforts taking place in Southeast Louisiana.

Vessels must not come within 20 meters of booming operations, boom, or oil spill response operations under penalty of law.

The safety zone has been put in place to protect members of the response effort, the installation and maintenance of oil containment boom, the operation of response equipment and protection of the environment by limiting access to and through deployed protective boom.
In areas where vessels operators cannot avoid the 20-meter rule, they are required to be cautious of boom and boom operations by transiting at a safe speed and distance.

Violation of a safety zone can result in up to a $40,000 civil penalty. Willful violations may result in a class D felony.

Permission to enter any safety zone must be granted by the Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New Orleans by calling 504-846-5923.

Coast Guard establishes 20-meter safety zone around all Deepwater Horizon protective boom; operations (June 30, 2010)

Cooper's CNN report on June 30 created a flurry of responses from the Unified Command to debunk his allegation the safety zone will inhibit media reporting. Three times since the CNN story, the Unified Command has justified its safety zone or explained it.

The Unified Command at first published a photograph allegedly showing a maliciously damaged and cut up oil boom. It then corrected the caption and stated the boom had been intentionally cut by Command workers and that vandalism was only "suspected." Boom Vandalism and Mishaps Slow Response Effort (July 4, 2010).

The Unified Command then issued a July 4 statement to again allege the restriction was needed for safety reasons due to boats cutting booms or damaging them. Megan Moloney's Unified Command Statement (July 4, 2010). That allegation is unsupported by any evidence, and was denied by two Louisiana parish officials in Cooper's report.

The Unified Command also re-announced the procedures by which media might gain access to within 65 feet of government operations by just requesting permission. The re-announcement seems calculated to minimize the media suggestion it is being denied access. Procedures Established For Media to Access Safety Zones On A Case-By-Case Basis (July 3, 2010).

One wonders if the media requests referenced in the last announcement will be followed shortly by Unified Command orders to scramble people to make the area in question “look busy.” It also remains to be seen if bloggers or citizen journalists will be granted permission to investigate the area of alleged government clean up operations, or if such requests will be handled by telling the applicant, "We'll get back to you soon."

Technorati Tags: government, propoganda, freedom, of, press, ports, and, water, safety, act, unified, command

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For Liberty: A Review

If you wonder where the Tea Party movement really started, you need to watch For Liberty: How the Ron Paul Revolution Watered the Withered Tree of Liberty.

For Liberty, produced and directed by Chris Rye & Corey Kealiher, was released on September 23rd, 2009. The film is a documentary about the 2007-08 presidential campaign cycle of Ron Paul, then a relatively obscure Congressman from Texas.

Like the Tea Party movement of today, Paul's campaign that began in 2007 advocated a philosophy of sound money, strict Constitutionalism, and individual liberty. As Dr. Paul's campaign unfolded, it inspired a grassroots movement unmatched in American history - the repercussions of which continue to reverberate today and into the future of the American psyche.

The 115 minute film follows this historic campaign from the perspective of grassroots activists. It recounts the unique and groundbreaking projects the Ron Paul Revolutionaries undertook as they brushed aside traditional campaign methodology and rejected the mainstream, neocon Republican candidates.

The film is strongly critical of FoxNews, which obviously took extreme measures to discredit Paul. The film shows the unfair treatment directed toward Dr. Paul by Fox moderators during the Republican debates. In fact, Fox actually excluded Dr. Paul on at least one occasion. The unfair treatment lead Paul supporters to pelt Sean Hannity with snowballs.

The animus toward Paul explains why Fox now often touts Sara Palin as the Tea Party leader. It is clear, however, as documented by this film, that the Tea Party movement's symbols and ideas originated in 2007 with Ron Paul campaign supporters.

You can watch the film free on the Internet at the link in the first paragraph. However, purchases of the film will help fund the freedom movement.

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Gamecock 2010 National Championship Video

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More on ACORN Voter Intimidation Scheme

In the video embedded below, Megyn Kelly of Fox News interviews Christian Adams and Bartle Bull.

The story is huge to me because it cuts to the core of American liberty. If our democratic voting is compromised, then we lose the ability to control the politicians at the ballot box.

Here, Bartle Bull articulates a chilling possibility . . . that henchmen will be sent to the polls for the purpose of intimidating poll watchers against challenging persons attempting to cast illegal votes. Bull states that in 2008 ACORN registered millions of fraudulent names. Now, we are vulnerable to persons entering the polling places and casting illegal votes. If the poll watchers can be cowed, the ACORN strategy could work in America.

The Adams story is huge because it appears that the Obama Justice Department is complicit and will not act to stop the intimidation from taking place. Where this could easily play out is in the case of undocumented Mexicans present in America. Undocumented illegal voters, supported by loud, intimidating, organized muscle interposed against unarmed poll workers, could easily sway an election and deprive a rightful candidate of victory. Dismissal of the New Black Panther case could embolden the tactic.

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November Elections Threatened by Voter Intimidation//ACORN Thugs

In 2008, many states prosecuted ACORN organizations for registering massive numbers of fraudulent persons.  At the same time, the New Black Panther party sent armed men to a Philadelphia polling place.  The men, carrying weapons while dressed in para-military outfits and jack boots, insulted white voters as they made their way in to vote.

The Bush Administration brought civil charges against the two men and the national New Black Panther Party.  The Bush Justice Department sought an injunction against the individuals and the party which has 28 Chapters nationally.  The injunction would have made it less likely that the Black Panthers could interrupt voting in the November 2010 elections.

However, after Obama (black) was elected and he appointed Eric Holder (black) to lead the Justice Department, the charges were suddenly and inexplicably dropped.  The Bush Administration had already secured victory over all defendants by default and all that remained was for the Justice Depatment to secure the injunction remedy.  Again, such a remedy would have subjected the Black Panther Party to contempt of court sanctions if it had acted to intimidate white voters again in the upcoming election.

Political appointees of the Department, including Steve Rosenbaum, who has since been scuttled out of DC and assigned to work for Justice here in South Carolina, squelched the case and ordered the non-political attorneys working it to drop it.  The Department of Justice obtained no injunction against the Panthers.

Recently, a Justice Department lawyer, Christian Adams, quit the Department on June 4 when he was prohibited from giving testimony about Justice Department racism and political corruption.  This video shows a statement by Bartle Bull, a long-time Democrat, giving his testimony about the voter intimidation.  This case is important because it means the Obama Justice Department may implicitly approve of white voter intimidation at polling places this coming November.

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