The Solyndra Boondoggle

As a Mississippian I have two words to sum up Solyndra and the Obama administration’s decision to fund this company with tax payer money despite knowing it was a bad deal…. BEFF PLANT!

Words Have Meaning

It appears that Gov. Rick Perry has produced a few new ads attacking Gov. Romney. As many of you may have noticed in the last two debates Romney proudly declared that “words have meaning” to bolster his assertion that he is a man of his word while deflecting Perry’s allegation that he changed key words in his book. He also denied Perry’s claim that he supported Obama’s Race to the Top education program, and attacked Perry’s position on Social Security. Here are Perry’s ads in response to Gov. Romney:

What I noticed, as many of you may have, is after the debate during his interview with Hannity Gov. Romney spoke about how when you are running for President you have to be careful with the words you say on the campaign trail. He again parlayed this with his ‘words have meaning,’ and that if Gov. Perry knew he was running for President when he wrote his book he may have tempered his rhetoric on Social Security. Romney is playing his cards too close to the vest, and he has no intentions on telling us anything that isn’t tested nor is going to go off the cuff without vetting his own thoughts first. In addition, take note of Romney’s response to Bret Baier who asked him if he thought Obama was a Socialist – like the other candidates on stage had stated at one time or another – and his carefully crafted answer did everything but answer the question. Immediately, big red flag alarms went off in my head. Where else have we heard recently that a campaign message was carefully controlled and managed in an effort to please the base and attract the independent vote? If you answered Barack Obama and David Axelrod you are a winner. In fact, the Obama campaign bragged about how they ‘controlled’ the media and the message after he won. Channeling Rep. Pelosi, Romney seems to be saying, you have to vote for me to find out who the real me is. I rather have a person who speaks to his beliefs regardless of making mistakes, even at the risk of turning off a few voters, than a slick spinster like Romney.

Gov. Romney may end up a great Conservative President; but don’t say you weren’t warned if he ends up being another Scott Brown. Sen. Brown used the Tea Party-Conservative movement to get into office where the honeymoon lasted less than six months after he supported bills like The Son of Stimulus I – Stimulus II, and the FrankenTodd monster that is crippling the banking and loan industry. RINO may be too kind a word for Romney in my opinion should he return to his Massachusetts political roots if elected. This is a man that so desires to be President he will say anything to make you think he is “your” candidate if you just vote for him. We don’t need that right now with the perils that we face. And, I’m not sold on Gov. Perry either….

Perry’s Problems

Those who watched the recent debates must have walked away saying to themselves, “what in the heck happened to Perry?” The real conservatives on the stage did more damage to him than Romney. Add to that, the revealing story that the woman with cancer he claimed lobbied him to sign the executive order forcing young women to get vaccinated for HPV actually befriended him after he signed the order. Ugh! And to think, this guy electrified the crowd at both the SRLC in 2010 and the RLC in 2011 in New Orleans. He was the up and coming savior for those conservatives who were not sold on the current field. He shot to the top of the polls after he announced. Life for Perry and his fans smelled better than a bed of Texas Roses. Yet, after three debates only Michele Bachmann has fallen farther faster. He may still be second – by a good hair – in this weeks Zogby poll, but he has some explaining to do! Which brings us to the Zogby poll winner….

Who the Heck is ‘Herb’ Cain?

The other night I caught Sarah Palin on Greta’s show where they discussed the recent Zogby poll and the Republican ‘flavor of the week’ Herman Cain. Yet, I heard Sarah say, ‘Herb’ Cain at least three or four times. I hollered to my wife in the other room, “Who the heck is Herb Cain?” Face-palm! Luckily she hasn’t gotten too much grief about it; yett, it is a gaffe that makes you say, “Doh!” The Cain campaign dismissed it with ‘You can call me anything you want, just don’t call me Herm. Only my enemies call me Herm.’ What a breath of fresh air! Cain and his humor are a welcome change.

Herman Cain is gaining traction in the polls because his message makes sense. It is simple free market conservatism. The “9-9-9 Plan” hits all the hot button topics of lowering taxes, closing loopholes, expanding the tax base, and elements of the Fair Tax reform many in the Tea Party support. If he was able to get this through Congress I think we may see a emerging economy that may exceed all our expectations.

In or Out?

Tired of the talk of Palin getting into the race? No. Gov. Chris Christie? Yes. Considering the rocket ride to Republican fame he has enjoyed the last two years, the rumors are getting old when one day he’s getting into the race, then he’s out of the race. We want leaders who we can trust when they tell us something. See ‘Words Have Meaning’ above! If you tell us you are not ready, then stay out and quit taking calls from the Bush’s and other big money Republicans who find it troubling to vote for a Romney or Perry. They need to work their conservative issues out with a shrink. They are scared that their membership in the privileged political class may be revoked if they do not get an establishment candidate in office. Like Perry and Romney, the real conservatives in the race will pick him apart in the debates. Christie bought into the climate change nonsense, he didn’t join the other 26 States in the Obamacare challenge, pro-amnesty, he’s for gun control, and endorsed RINO Mike Castle over Christine O’Donnell. Michelle Bachmann would have a field day in a debate with him included…

One Line Candidate?

As much as I like her and her key role in the Tea Party movement, Michelle Bachmann has fallen out of favor in the polls faster than Tim Pawlenty quit after two debates. Just this week I got one of her campaign emails from Marcus Bachmann. The subject line read, “My wife needs your help.” No doubt I thought. She sure does! At each debate she has only offered one or two different lines from the prior debates. Much like her favorite saying, “I intend to make Obama a one term President,” she has become a one-line candidate that seems to be struggling to offer any new zingers.

More random thoughts to come…

John Lunardini

When asked why she decided to organize the Picket Across America, Tina’s passion and love for Country is evident. “My concerns are the restrictions that have been put on Christians and their right to worship. Christians are being discriminated against and are forced to remove God from our lives because GOD and any Christian symbol OFFENDS someone. I have concerns about the invasion of illegal immigrants that are coming into our Country. Our national security is in jeopardy because our govt refuses to close the borders. Our tax dollars are funding NON CITIZENS while our elderly are suffering and doing without. I am concerned about the overspending that is taking place. I am concerned for our troops that are laying their lives on the line each and everyday so we can live free and safe. I feel that we need this picket so every American citizen has the opportunity to feel like they are doing something for our country. I feel that we need the Picket Across America because no one listens to just one voice, but our Leaders will listen to many. Washington needs to hear us loud and clear and have a clear understanding that WE THE PEOPLE are listening and watching and we do not like what we are witnessing and we are not going to stand for their nonsense anymore. Every American Citizen that has concerns about the direction our elected officials are taking our country should participate in the Picket.”

When questioned about the Media and Political claims of racism related to the Tea Party, or any group demanding Fiscal responsibility and limited government, Tina was clear. “I think that Americans are finally opening their eyes and ears and really figuring out what is going on. I give a lot of credit for Americans awakening to the Tea Party. The Tea Party tells the hidden side of the story that the mainstream media will not report. It is very important to know the whole story.

There is another event planned for the same day that calls for the Civil Disobedience and the shutting down of financial districts in major cities across the country. Tina was very clear that the events are not related. “The picket is a peaceful joining of Americans that love this country. We are not trying to take over or shut down anything, we just want our country restored to the Greatest Nation on Earth. Where can people go to find out information about the picket? You can go to PICKET ACROSS AMERICA on Facebook and sign up for the picket, although, signing up is not a requirement, and join in discussions and get more details.”

It is up to everyday Americans to hold their elected Officials accountable and right now many continue to refuse to listen. Join me and participate in the Picket Across American this Saturday at 9am.
We are asking every American Citizen to line the streets of America holding a picket sign that reads “CAN YOU HEAR US NOW”

So, here we have the most likable Conservative Tea-Party candidate since the heydays of Reagan, and somehow we have let a negative narrative from both sides of the aisle affect the fact that she is the best candidate to restore America back to the common sense constitutional conservatism we want so badly. Reagan in a skirt is an understatement! What are we going to do about it? Stand by as Andrew Breitbart describes in the movie like eunuchs who let her continue to be bombarded with lies and hate, and have effigies of her hang in yards while saying nothing? Or are we going to challenge the establishment and the main stream media when it comes to distorting Sarah Palin’s record? Are we going to realize that she may be the best leader we have in contrast to the progressive movement that is quickly destroying America as we know it?

Just last week even heralded Conservative women Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham opined that Sarah Palin is not fit to lead. They may ‘like’ her; but as Coulter said, she is the Obama of the Tea Party because her supporters act as if she is “the One.” Say what? Forgive us Ann for seeing that she is more conservative and true to her values than your global warming alarmist, first love – Chris Christie. Not deep enough on the issues? They obviously do not watch her when she provides political commentary on Fox News. Oh how quickly Ann and Laura have forgotten that when Sarah joined the McCain campaign how he went from dead in the water to leading Obama in the polls until McCain ‘suspended’ his campaign due to the (cough) financial crisis (cough). Less we forget how commentators, like Laura and Ann, went on and on about how we were finally hearing real conservative values which were sorely missing during the out of control spending of the Republicans and Bush and Chaney. The crowds that flocked to hear her speak at rallies because for once in long time we had a Conservative with a capital “C” to put our faith in again.

When it comes to being the Conservative cheerleader, as they alluded, fine! That’s all we need from her at Tea Party rallies until if and when she does run for President. What was Reagan doing during his “A Time for Choosing” speech for Goldwater? I think in time we will look back at some of Sarah’s speeches, like the one last week where she warned of the corporate crony capitalism and the permanent political class that is destroying America, much like we do many of Reagan’s earlier speeches warning of the evils of liberalism – albeit with a bit more pop culture flare. If the sleeping giant that has been awakened triumphs next November and beyond, we will hold Sarah Palin up as one of the most important leaders of this new movement.

So why should you watch the movie? Why should you invite your friends over to watch it? Because after most of us have stood by and watched her and her family torn down by the hateful left in Hollywood and the media, we owe it to ourselves to learn the truth about her record in Alaska, and to remember how we felt when she burst on the National scene. I know with many of you I am preaching to the choir. Yet, even though we like Palin and we hate the hate, we tend to be lukewarm to a President Palin.

I have to ask, would you hire a Yale graduate to fix your plumbing? Would you want a Princeton honor student to realign the front end of your car? Do you want a Columbia trained-Harvard law student to organize your community and run your country? Err… wait scratch that last thought! So, why wouldn’t you want a person who did not go to the best schools; but who knows what America is about, who understands what government’s role in our lives should be, and who is naturally a leader be your President of the United States? History tells us that many of our greatest achievements have not come from the brightest students or the Ivy League educated. As the movie points out, she didn’t gain her status in the political world because of her Daddy or because the establishment chose her. She had a calling to serve the people of Wasilla. Then she decided to take on the problems of Alaska in spite of the political establishment entrenched there due to the fact that corruption was hurting Alaska. She didn’t lobby McCain to choose her as Vice-President, he called her. I think given a second chance he would have chosen a safer RINO candidate approved by the Republican elites. The same Republican elites who are more interested in power over the people and not “We the People!” I don’t know about you; but I am grateful that McCain made the mistake of discovering Sarah Palin and restoring hope that there are American politicians who are willing to lead us in the right direction, with the right values, and willing to make the tough choices despite what the establishment says.

This is not an endorsement. We still have a long ways to go til next November. This is a message to get you to go watch the movie! And then come back and tell me if during the part of the movie where they tell the story of her acceptance speech you don’t feel that pride well-up inside you just like it did three years ago when we were “Present at the Creation.”

John Lunardini

I am notoriously ditzy and the more nervous or tired I get, the worse the ditz factor. I am also somewhat of a control freak so the knowledge that I am 30,000+ feet in the air tends clash with all things me and sends me into a ditz crisis of massive portions. During the ditz factor my ability to think and use common sense goes out the window. Between forgetting or losing belongings, makeup or shoes, I am a walking disaster when traveling. I suspect that my friends and family secretly discuss, and I think wager, on what calamity may befall me and how much it will cost. They openly gasp at the notion of me flying alone and I have heard the statements “she needs a lease” and “Oh no not again” uttered. In 2010, I traveled to the 9/12 March in DC. While traveling to DC, my drivers license fell out of my pocket on the flight to Baltimore. In a post-9/11 world, you cannot get on a train, enter many buildings, or check into a hotel without photo ID, much less catch a return flight home. I am glad to report, that Most of those tasked with protecting commuters/travelers in DC were proficient doing their jobs, which made my experience challenging to say the least. I was able to cry my way onto the train leaving the Baltimore airport – sorry. Disturbingly, After several days of struggling to maneuver the city without “Proper ID“, I was able to get on my flight home with an expired Sam’s Club Card that was 20 years old and does not remotely resembled present day me. I know that Sam Walton is a legend in the Retail industry but does a expired and obviously OLD Sam’s Card with a very questionable picture really merit as legitimate ID? I was prepared for the worse case scenario arriving at the airport that day as The Airline informed me that without “Proper ID” that the TSA would get to know me intimately prior to allowing me on that flight. To say the least, my discomfort with flying was elevate that day. The entire flight home, the vision of my horrid Sam’s Card ID played through my mind and I could not help but wonder if others had also gotten on my flight using such inappropriate means. In the days prior to my flight home, I spoke repeatedly with the Airline, Security, and the TSA in an effort to find my license that I knew was on that plane. Despite be assured by Airport Security and the Airline that the plane had been thoroughly searched and that my license was absolutely not on board, I received my license in the mail a month later from the Airline at another airport after it was found on the plane, yes that would be the exact same plane that was “thoroughly” searched. To this day, the DC trip ranks among one of my greatest ditz moments.

It is an understatement to say that I was in ditz factor overload for my Houston trip. I am proud to report was that Southern Hospitality prevailed and that the TSA Agents in Jackson were wonderful. They were polite, friendly, nonthreatening and used common sense in their threat assessments. I had 2 prescriptions in my bag that exceeded the TSA allowable size limits on liquids. I immediately made them aware of the scripts. Agents simply did a chemical strip test to ensure that they were not bomb components, searched my bag and purse and sent me on my way to Houston with a smile. With rationale and logic, the TSA agents in MS understood that if the contents purse, bag and prescription were not a dangerous, that I did not pose a threat.

I am sorry to say that my experience in Houston with the TSA was in stark contrast to Mississippi. Tired, with information overload after 2 days of nonstop sessions, the ditz factor was in play. During a Ditz factor, I am reduced to humiliating levels of ditziness. Example, when you walk into Bush Intercontinental Airport, they have automated the ticket process. You scan your license, credit card, or passport to get you boarding pass. Sad to say, in ditz mode my brain shuts down, common sense is gone and I could not figure out how to scan anything. A nice gentleman, also traveling, finally helped me out while Numerous Profoundly “Professional” Airport Staff, tasked with supervising the process and Customer service including 2 Officers, ignored the Flying Public, Security (their job), and talked to each other about the party they attended the night before and the levels of intoxication they achieved. Between anger and disgust with the Staff and myself, I looked at the nice guy and said “thanks for your help, I am from the country”. I don’t know WHERE that came from or why I said it.. I live in a nice size town in MS and I am college educated and literate. Oh well, he probably thought I was mentally challenged and patted himself on the back for helping a special needs person. I am forever grateful for his help.

While waiting in line for my Security Screening, I walked forward and left my main bag alone about 6ft behind me until a guy said “hey lady, your bag”. I smiled and thanked him but he gave me the “look”, you know the “are you stupid” look? FYI leaving your luggage is not the smartest thing to do while headed into TSA Screening. I made it through the ID check and questions without incident. I placed my suitcase, purse, shoes, computer, Computer bag, Phone in the individual trays and immediately told the Agent about the prescriptions in my bag. I thought the veins would pop out of the woman’s neck. She took a step back, motioned for another officer and told me to take them out of the bag. No problem, I complied. She had me open the bottles, just stared at them for a couple of minutes and pulled me out of line. I was taken to the dreaded body scanner and all eyes were on me. I stood on the little footprints in the scanner, with no shoes, praying that the someone with a foot fungus or another contagious disease had not recently stood there. You would think that would be the end right? Apparently, my scripts and maybe the ditz factor, really ticked that woman off because as soon as I stepped out of the naked scan I was patted down. It was not the full invasive pat down but It was invasive enough to make me feel so violated that I ask her if this meant we were dating. The anger from being molested gave me enough brain power for that witty quip. I was not alone in my Pat-down and Nakes scan humiliation. A young woman, obviously of Middle Eastern decent was traveling with her Caucasian mother and father-in-law and all were US born citizens. She was in tears and her family irate. He father-in-law was visibly shaken and said that he never thought he would see the day that American Citizens were treated like criminals to appease would-be criminals. We all shared a moment of expressing our outrage, grief, and dismay at state of our Nation that we love. It was a sobering moment and brought into perspective exactly how our government is allowing the Terrorists to win the war on Terror as we approach the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.
President Bush told Americans after 9/11 the to continue to shop, go to the movies and live your life. A free nation defeats Terrorism by maintaining the Freedoms and Liberties that made it great in the first place. Even in the midst of the ditz factor, my heart broke for the Nation I love and the Liberties lost in the name of security. Our government is Constitutionally mandated to secure our borders and defend this country and it’s citizenry; yet our borders remain open for all who cross illegally and closed to all who seek to enter legally. Americans citizens are treated as suspected terrorists without cause or provocation in an act of appeasement, while concessions are made to the very groups that have funded or continue to have affiliations with the terrorists seeking to destroy and destabilize our nation.

If the TSA Rules are designed to instill confidence to those who are flying, they are failing miserably. Israel would is the perfect example of Air travel Security Success and it is shame that political correctness has blocked implementation of a similar system.

The only way to change the path of our country is to change it leaders. Our battle is not limited to Washington but starts at home in our communities, State Houses, districts and ultimately in DC. We can change the president, but if we do not change the lawmakers that write the laws, cater to lobbyists and pass laws that are in direct opposition to the best interest of our nation and constitution, we have failed. We have failed if we change the Governor but fail to change the Lawmakers in our statehouses that continue to pass law after law without checking to see what laws pertaining a given issue currently sits on the books, that are obstructing laws to protect us from an encroaching Federal Government and unfunded mandates. We have failed if we allow Local Officials to violate our constitutional rights through unnecessary taxation, waste, regulations, ordinances and our communities to become miniature replica of DC. The TSA is an example of everything Governmentally wrong in our nation on a grand scale. It is a symptom of the problems we face from our governments locally all the way to the National level. We cannot surrender our freedom for the false allusion of security. Common sense should trump political correctness on any given day. Do not leave your future and our legacy in the hands of a few, so Speak now or forever lose your freedom.

I’m sure those who saw the President’s speech Monday in reaction to the S&P downgrading our credit rating are aware that it was everybody’s fault but his and the Democrats. I may have misheard; but I think Ms. O’Leary’s cow was blamed too. After Monday’s speech Rush Limbaugh decided to read off just a few (6 PAGES!) of the things Obama blames for his and our problems.

Even today during a speech to workers in Holland, Michigan Obama doubled down on his blame game:

Now, some of what we’re facing today has to do with events beyond our control. As the economy was improving and improving through 2009, 2010, the beginning of this year, suddenly it was hit with the unrest in the Middle East that helped send gas prices through the roof. Europe is dealing with all sorts of financial turmoil that is lapping up on our shores. Japan’s tragic earthquake hurt economies around the globe, including ours, cut off some supply chains that were very important to us. And all of this has further challenged our economy. And as we’ve seen, it’s playing out in the stock market, wild swings, up and down, and it makes folks nervous, and it affects the savings of families all across America.

Now, challenges like these — earthquakes, revolutions — those are things we can’t control. But what we can control is our response to these challenges. What we can control is what happens in Washington. Unfortunately, what we’ve seen in Washington the last few months has been the worst kind of partisanship, the worst kind of gridlock –- and that gridlock has undermined public confidence and impeded our efforts to take the steps we need for our economy. It’s made things worse instead of better.

See, he just said it has nothing to do with his administration’s policies. I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten more responsibility out of my five year old when he is caught doing something wrong.

It’s not just the President who engages in the politics of blame. It seems to be a virus that spreads throughout liberal ranks. In fact, with Obama leading the way, I’d call it “trickle-down blame.”

Just today the far left Sen. Dick Durbin is calling in federal law enforcement to assist police in the crime ridden city of East St. Louis. And, in classic progressive fashion it is not the fault of the thugs who are at the root of the crime problem. No, they just can’t help themselves.

“You cannot have this club scene turn out to be the wild west, where innocent people are victimized by it, no matter what the revenue is to the city of East St. Louis,” he says. “And you can’t open liquor stores on every corner near housing developments and expect good things to come if you’re open all night.”

The story continues:

Sister Julia Huiaskamp has tutored many kids in the area, and she says opportunities are few.

“We have many, many children who have been cheated by the public schools system here, who do not have the skills they need to get a job, even if there were any jobs to find,” Huiaskamp says. (emphasis mine)

So, clubs, liquor stores and the public schools cheating our children are to blame for the rampant crime in East St. Louis. No, it can’t be the lack of responsibility of the individual or the parent who is actually supposed to ‘parent’ their children. It’s always someone else who is at fault. No ‘man-up’ to see here. Just keep moving along.

Welcome to the Democrats newest solution to all our problems, “trickle-down blame.” What remains to be answered is if it is not the fault of the President and his policies, or that of any Democrats, then what purpose do they serve? Why are they in public office? Why are they elected, and why do they want to be elected?

And, if you don’t agree with me, that’s your fault!

John Lunardini

Dean says he believes the city needs to install more cameras, especially along Kelly Drive. Unless the violence is put in check.

The second story is that of a disabled woman in Columbia, South Carolina who upon being offered assistance with her groceries was then pummeled with a can of food and had her wallet stolen. Her reaction is almost commonplace from trusting victims:

Canady said she was grateful when Wilson came over to help, because she’s disabled and has difficulty reaching some items.

“I thought that girl fell right out of heaven,” said Canady. “I needed help this afternoon.”

Now with 19 stitches on her forehead and two black eyes, Canady says the incident was a wake-up call. Next time she won’t be so trusting with strangers who put up a nice front. “I want somebody to ask her why did she want to hurt me,” she said. “I still don’t know it.”

How do these two different stories in two different cities contribute to our lives being overtaken by soft tyranny? How are the useful idiots being used by our progressive leadership as they were by the Marxist-Leninists, the Nazis, and even today by the radical leaders of Islam?

In the first story the victim cries out for more governmental intervention, soft tyranny, with street cameras in hopes that more surveillance will lead to less crime. The unintended consequence of this is more intrusion into our private lives by the government and another contributor to the ‘guilty until proven innocent’ growing mindset. While street cameras are good in theory they erode privacy rights, and some claim they contribute to the perceived apathy of law enforcement who may over-rely on a grid of cameras versus the proven effectiveness of foot patrols. His plea for more cameras reminds me of this Friederich Hayek quote:

‘Emergencies’ have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded

The second story links the two crimes together and begins the slippery-slope of the nefarious methods by progressive to achieve soft tyranny. For soft tyranny to reach into our personal lives as moral beings it must first erode much of our common decency toward our fellow men and women. The heart of our Constitution, and the liberty it grants, is that it relies on a moral populous. Could this example just be dismissed as a random crime? Sure. In fact, it may just be that. Correlation does not imply causation; yet, it is troubling that our President pounds the bully pulpit daily of class warfare, racial inequality and oppression that can be solved if only the rich were not so selfish. Crime and violence is nothing new to our society. But, the scope of the depravity and the lack of randomness of its victims is a trend that can be traced back to the progressive roots of those who want a more centralized government. How’s that Great Society working out for us?

Mark Levin points out in the first chapter of Liberty and Tyranny,

In the civil society [a.k.a. ordered liberty or social contract – ed.], the individual is recognized and accepted as more than an abstract statistic or faceless member of some group; rather, he is a unique, spiritual being with a soul and a conscience. He is free to discover his own potential and pursue his own legitimate interests, tempered, however, by a moral order that has its foundation in faith and guides his life and all human life through the prudent exercise of judgment. As such, the individual in the civil society strives, albeit imperfectly, to be virtuous—that is, restrained, ethical, and honorable. He rejects the relativism that blurs the lines between good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust, and means and ends. (p.3)

Unique, spiritual, moral order and faith are not conducive to a liberal leadership that is hell-bent on imposing its will upon the people. They need the useful idiots to believe the class warfare drumbeat. They need a sector of society to reject social norms and civility to further their justification for more government, more regulations, more restrictions, and more laws that only harden their grip over this Nation. Examples include the one on one crimes cited, mobs of youths accosting fair goer’s in Wisconsin or college students and unions violently protesting some Capitalist organization for their ‘injustice of the week.’ Adding fuel to the fire every liberal and their mother cries of bomb-strapped ‘tea-party terrorists’ holding America hostage, a tried and true tactic of the left to control the narrative of hate and keep their minions riled up. Think about that last statement. The leftists can’t even call the actual America hating terrorists terrorists! Again from “Liberty and Tyranny,”

… [T]he Statist has an insatiable appetite for control. His sights are set on his next meal even before he has fully digested his last. He is constantly agitating for government action. And in furtherance of that purpose, the Statist speaks in the tongue of a demagogue, concocting one pretext and grievance after another to manipulate public perceptions and build popular momentum for the divestiture of liberty and prosperity from its rightful possessors. The industrious, earnest, and successful are demonized as perpetrators of various offenses against the public good, which justifies governmental intervention on behalf of an endless parade of “victims.” In this way, [both] the perpetrator and the victim are subordinated to the government’s authority—the former by outright theft, the latter by dependent existence. (p.8)

By manufacturing a false schism between the “haves” and the “have-nots” the progressives have set forth on a path of totalitarianism by offering to right this injustice through big government. Most troubling is that the underlying result of this demagoguery is that it encourages those useful idiots to take matters into their own hands until the government can step in to save our society from ourselves. F.A. Hayek warns:

Human envy is certainly not one of the sources of discontent that a free society can eliminate. It is probably one of the essential conditions for the preservation of such a society that we do not countenance envy, not sanction its demands by camouflaging it as social justice, but treat it, in the words of John Stuart Mill, as ‘the most anti-social and evil of all passions.’

The byproduct of this is that law abiding citizens call for more police and more exertion of the government into our lives. We become uncomfortable in our surroundings with very little remedy to turn too. Unknowing to the populace, this only emboldens the centralized planners who seek to use governmental regulation to take away the private property and limit the rights of the hard-working moral individual, the “haves,” to spread around to the victims of our unjust Capitalist society, the “have-nots.” Levin continues:

When living freely and pursuing his own legitimate interests, the individual displays qualities that are antithetical to the Statist’s—initiative, self-reliance, and independence. … [T]he individual must be drained of uniqueness and self-worth, and deterred from independent thought or behavior. This is achieved through varying methods of economic punishment and political suppression. (p.9)

I would take this assertion one step further. That the individual must be drained of self-worth through the outright civil disobedience and violence against his or her person and property by the left-labeled oppressed individuals. We have heard the call for more direct action by liberal leaders from their supporters. First it was Obama during the campaign by encouraging his supporters to get in the face of those who speak ill of their candidate. Then it was the Pelosi led congress who said that healthcare would be passed by any means necessary. Next came Wisconsin teachers and Democratic senators abandoning their classrooms and constituents in unrestrained protest. We are seeing enraged protests by union goons on the lawns of private residences. ACORN, and other progressive groups are calling for more radical actions against banks in hopes of collapsing the ‘system,’ that by their definition, ‘keeps them down.’ Now it is violent and disruptive flash mobs who prey on the liberal group-think of injustice at the hand of the oppressive rich and greedy. They preach that entitlements to wealth, health and housing are a right, and that you should get more if only the rich would pay their fair share. Besides being an integral part of the Communist Manifesto and the evil screed The Coming Insurrection, all these beliefs only lead to discontent and moral decay from those whom should embrace the liberties and opportunities available. Instead what our progressive leaders have learned is that these useful idiots are the invisible army that will assist in bringing about centralization and more control of the people through coercion and the decaying values of our Constitutional society.

In conclusion, it is not just soft tyranny the liberal progressives want, it is a totalitarian utopia that ultimately will dictate every aspect of our lives. Societal values will not matter as individualism and responsibility will be replaced by Statism and self-worth gauged on what the government allows us to do. Once again, Mark Levin says it best:

The Modern Liberal believes in the supremacy of the state, thereby rejecting the principles of the Declaration and the order of the civil society, in whole or part. For the Modern Liberal, the individual’s imperfection and personal pursuits impede the objective of a utopian state. In this, Modern Liberalism promotes what French historian Alexis de Tocqueville described as a soft tyranny, which becomes increasingly more oppressive, potentially leading to a hard tyranny (some form of totalitarianism). (p.4)

Anyone up for a violent flash-mob or London style riot?

John Lunardini

Note: A thank you to Mark Levin and “Liberty and Tyranny” and to F.A. Hayek

Somebody get President Obama a Whaaaambulance! The Washington Examiner reports that Valarie Jarret claims “He’s getting absolutely no sleep. He’s working tirelessly, meeting with his economic team, doing a lot of outreach, exploring all kinds of possibilities for compromise…”

Funny, I’m sleeping fine these days. Sure I watch my favorite political shows about he debt debate. I read the news and listen to what my Representative’s position is on this ‘crisis.’ I agree this is a problem and America needs to address it. Why am I sleeping fine? Well, is it a crisis? Will the short term solutions matter?

On the one hand, we are told that August 2nd is financial Armageddon if we don’t get something passed. Yet, this date has changed three times this year. The one truth I know about August is that Obama has plans to celebrate his 50th birthday with a lavish party on August 3rd with another long vacation planned at Martha’s Vineyard in mid-August. This (cough*)well-needed(cough*) vacation comes after another bungled “chicken little” moment. The prediction of world doom fell short as Judgement Day did not strike us May 21st. Harold Camping, owner of the Family Radio Network who championed this doomsday has revised his biblical prophecy to October 21, 2011. This time we will only perish by fire. Whew!

What do Harold Camping, the Obama administration, and Democrats have in common? They propagate scare tactics. Doomsday, financial ruin, racism, and old folks not getting checks and eating dog food are used to influence the masses through fear. Well, these tactics make me tired! And, at this point in history you either have to get your facts from Media Matters or Cameron Diaz to believe this meme.

The other argument for the urgency of raising the debt ceiling is that our credit rating is going to tank. We’ll be Greece faster than you can melt Crisco! This news comes to us from Moody’s, Fitch and S & P. The same group that endorsed the sub-prime market that crashed the housing market.

Wall Street underwrote $3.2 trillion of loans to homebuyers with bad credit and undocumented incomes from 2002 to 2007. Investment banks packaged much of that debt into investment pools that won AAA ratings, the gold standard, from New York-based Moody’s and S&P. Flawed grades on securities that later turned to junk now lie at the root of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, says economist Joseph Stiglitz…

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama lay responsibility for the carnage with Wall Street itself. The Securities and Exchange Commission in July identified S&P and Moody’s as accessories, finding they violated internal procedures and improperly managed the conflicts of interest inherent in providing credit ratings to the banks that paid them.

And this from bnet.com:

The ratings agencies business model is based on a flagrant conflict of interest — they’re paid by the firms whose credit they evaluate. That makes them vulnerable to pressure from investment banks and securities issuers, which naturally want a bullet-proof rating in order to attract investors.

In the years leading up to the housing bust, Moody’s, S&P and Fitch passed out AAA ratings like candy bars at Halloween. In mid-2007 and early 2008, with the real estate market in free-fall and mortgage delinquencies soaring, they suddenly started downgrading scads of formerly top-rated securities. In January of ‘08, for instance, S&P lowered ratings on more than 6,300 and 1,900 CDOs — in a single day. Then, the deluge. The bottom fell out of the secondary market for subprime loans, and the rest is history.

If Obama isn’t sleeping well he should look more into the rating agencies and their relationships than the threats of downgrading our credit rating. Think about it. They are telling us that to retain our AAA status we must raise the debt ceiling and borrow more money so we can endure $1 trillion a year deficits under the Obama budget without a sound plan on how we are going to pay our debt. Only in Washington can your baseline budget increase 8% every year! Try running that scam by Equifax or TransUnion for your personal credit score. I agree with Rep. Ron Paul (see I can agree with him *smile*) if the debt is the problem, how do you solve it with more debt?

No matter the outcome we are in trouble. We will face higher inflation and lower credit ratings anyway. Default will occur either because of increased debt or our debtors calling for their money. We cannot continue on this path.

Finally, it is a fact that monthly the government brings in enough money to pay our interest on the debt, pay social security, medicare and medicaid, our military and still have a small surplus. The problem is that we have numerous other entitlements and bills that we cannot pay in this case. In the prophetic words of Jimmy McMillan, “The rent is too damn high!” It is this entitlement society and get elected at any cost leadership that drives this type of deficit spending. And it needs to stop!

I was talking to a person this morning who said he would rather face several years of pain and austerity by learning how to live within our means so we are prepared as a country for the next one hundred years vs. continuing on this self-made path of financial ruin. And, this is why I am sleeping well, even if our President isn’t. I am resigned and prepared to take our lumps now, make the hard decisions to ensure our future as Americans. And, even if our weak-knee Republicans are too scared to take that plunge at least I know that I can sleep well knowing that I am prepared to suffer for this county we so love if it means a better future for our children.

Don’t get me wrong. The debt crisis is very real and very serious. Yet, without extreme cuts across the board, especially entitlement programs and social security/medicare/medicaid, the current bills our Congressional leaders and Obama are proposing are not worth he paper they are written on. Even more distressing is that they continue to use fear to manipulate the public. We the people cannot let them win! With resolve and purpose we can survive anything they throw at us – even if it is smelly! While Obama tosses and turns over another late night, I’ll be sleeping well, thank you. Good night, sleep tight!

The following guest editorial is reprinted with permission from the author, Madison Attorney, Richard Wilbourn, who is a member of the MS Tea Party.

THE MISSISSIPPI TEA PARTY ON REDISTRICTING

From March through mid-May, redistricting efforts were at the forefront of Mississippi politics. Initially, a House committee loaded by Speaker Billy McCoy with nine Democrats (and only one Republican) and chaired by Rep. Tommy Reynolds produced what many argued was a gerrymandered redistricting plan for the Mississippi House of Representatives. Their plan had one apparent goal – keep the current liberal House leadership in power for another decade notwithstanding Mississippi’s steady march toward becoming a more and more politically balanced state.

The Reynolds/McCoy Redistricting Plan

The Reynolds/McCoy plan worked to elect liberals by doing three things. First, it drew many of the most likely challengers to liberal incumbents out of those liberal incumbents’ districts. One liberal incumbent, Bennett Malone, admitted to this aspect of the scheme. Second, it packed districts currently held by Republican representatives with even higher concentrations of Republican voters but spread Democrat voters out more thinly over a majority of House districts. Finally, it over-populated Republican districts and under-populated Democrat districts. Thus, Republican districts had on average several thousand more voters per district than Democrat districts.

Why is concentrating Republicans in fewer districts and then overpopulating those districts with more people significant? Imagine the State has 100 voters, 60 of whom are Republican and 40 of whom are Democrat. If you put five Democrats and only three Republicans in six districts and spread the remaining 52 voters (10 Democrats and 42 Republicans) out over the remaining four districts, you end up with a Democrat controlled legislature despite there being more Republican voters. While four of the ten districts in this example lean heavily Republican (they have high Republican concentrations) and are large (they are overpopulated), the remaining six districts consisting of only eight voters in each lean Democrat. Even though they are small, the six small districts get to elect one representative per district just as the four large ones do.

Effectively, that is what Billy McCoy and Tommy Reynolds tried to do through their redistricting efforts. Sound unfair? Yes. Sound anti-democratic? You bet it is.

What the Tea Party Did To Defeat the Reynolds/McCoy Redistricting Plan?

It became clear the Democrats had enough votes to pass their plan. Many legislators prefer not to vote against something they know their chamber is going to pass anyway. Rep. Reynolds and Speaker McCoy released their plan on the afternoon of Thursday, March 3, 2011, and required the House to vote on it the next day. Thus, they provided very little time for the public to analyze a very complicated plan. Further, Speaker McCoy allowed less than one hour of floor debate. In response, the Mississippi Tea Party jumped into action.

The challenge to getting House Republicans to oppose the Reynolds/McCoy redistricting plan was that for most of them, the scheme actually made getting reelected easier. For many Republicans in the House who are facing tough general elections under the current districting map, the Reynolds/McCoy Plan offered the rather attractive carrot of an easy, inexpensive campaign with nearly certain re-election prospects. The argument the Tea Party had to make in a very short time was that the Reynolds/McCoy scheme needed to be rejected so that conservatives might have a shot at a House majority even though in the short run that would surely mean a lot of self-sacrifice for those very Republicans voting against the scheme. Self-sacrifice is often a hard sell.

The Mississippi Tea Party drafted a letter and sent it to all members of the House of Representatives and distributed it just before debate on the scheme began. The letter had an impact. The next day, the Clarion Ledger quoted parts of the letter in its front page article about the House vote on the Reynolds/McCoy redistricting scheme.

While the Reynolds/McCoy scheme did pass the House, the Tea Party was successful in getting nearly all House Republicans along with some of the members of the black caucus to vote against it. That was significant because without unified opposition by the Republicans in the House, the Tea Party knew it would not be able to convince Republicans in the Senate to reject the House scheme when it came time for the Senate to vote on it. After all, why should a Republican Senator fight against a plan that only affects the House if a significant number of House Republicans actually voted in favor of that plan?

The Mississippi Tea Party immediately began working with their allies in the Senate to identify those Senators who might fall for Billy McCoy and Tommy Reynolds’ scheme. Since the House was holding the Senate plan hostage in order to force the Senate to approve the Reynolds/McCoy redistricting scheme, some Senators indicated they might be willing to vote for the House scheme in order to get their own Senate plan enacted. Enacting the Senate plan would eliminate the specter of Senators having to run not only in 2011, but possibly in 2012 as well. Of course, not even the hardiest politician likes to knock on doors in Mississippi’s July heat or ask for campaign contributions.

The Tea Party’s members immediately contacted uncommitted Senators and it packed the Senate gallery on the day of the critical vote on the Reynolds/McCoy scheme. Certain key Senators voted against the Reynolds/McCoy scheme due to Tea Party pressure. With their votes, the Senate rejected the Reynolds/McCoy scheme and invited conference with the House to devise a fair plan.

The NAACP Lawsuit

Speaker McCoy and his lieutenants apparently had no interest in coming up with a fair plan. Besides ridiculing in the press the leader of the Senate, he promptly announced his refusal to appoint House conferees to meet with the Senate conferees. Also, within a few hours of the Senate vote, the NAACP filed a lawsuit demanding federal judges force Mississippi to implement the Reynolds/McCoy House redistricting scheme – the very scheme the Senate had just rejected! That litigation eventually included many parties (mostly liberal ones) taking various positions.

The lawsuit was not totally bereft of conservatives. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann was one of the defendants sued by the NAACP. He argued that the federal court lacked jurisdiction. He said that the Mississippi Constitution gives the legislature until 2012 (the second year after the decennial census) to complete redistricting. The remainder of the parties including the Republican Party and the Governor conceded jurisdiction but argued for different “interim remedies.” Like the NAACP, the Republican Party and Governor asked the court to draw new lines. However, they at least requested those new lines avoid the excesses of the Reynolds/McCoy scheme. Nearly all the other parties joined the NAACP in asking the Court to simply impose the Reynolds/McCoy scheme for the House and the “Terry Burton Plan” for the Senate. The NAACP made this request even though neither plan had garnered the unqualified support of both chambers. Indeed, the House scheme had never been approved by the full Senate or even a Senate committee in any form. To the contrary, the Senate had specifically rejected it.

After considering the arguments and briefs of the parties, the Court did something very rare. It issued an “inclination” order stating that it intended to impose the Reynolds/McCoy scheme as requested by the NAACP, State Democrat Party, Attorney General Jim Hood, and several other litigants.

The Mississippi Tea Party Files a “Friend-of-the-Court” Brief

At this juncture, the Mississippi Tea Party again jumped into action. It drafted and submitted a “friend-of-the-court” brief. The brief argued in favor of the position advocated by Secretary of State Hosemann. The Tea Party brief also went further by demonstrating that both on its face and in its application, the Mississippi Constitution did not violate the U.S. Constitution. Significantly, the Tea Party’s brief was the only brief submitted challenging the Court’s authority to impose a remedy between the time of the inclination order and the Court’s final order.

The Tea Party and the Citizens of Mississippi Win!

What happened next was remarkable. The Court issued its final order on May 16, 2011. The Court reversed course and not only held that the Court lacked authority to implement an interim remedy, it held that elections should go forward under the existing lines that had been drawn in 2002.

The federal court order of May 16, 2011 is highly important. Not only is it a victory for the Tea Party, it affirms the legal legitimacy of its conservative message. Moreover, it resoundingly repudiates the liberal and socialistic groups that have in the past often succeeded in getting laws – laws wanted only by liberals – implemented through the judicial process after failing to get those same laws passed through the democratic, legislative process.

But that’s not all. Most importantly, it resurrects the US constitutional principle of federalism in a civil rights case in a southern state while blocking the highly partisan and rigged Reynolds/McCoy redistricting scheme from being implemented.

Why Winning the NAACP Lawsuit Is So Important – The Billy McCoy Era Is Over!

Already, there have been fruits of this exciting victory. Most visibly Speaker Billy McCoy has announced he will not run for reelection. Since his announcement comes on the heels of the federal court’s rejection of his and Tommy Reynolds’ House redistricting plan, the timing suggests more than mere coincidence. Their redistricting scheme was designed to not just keep a Democrat majority in the House, but to keep a highly partisan, liberal Democrat majority in dominant control of the House. Without the rule-changing political trickery of the Reynolds/McCoy redistricting scheme, it was apparent that Billy McCoy would not be reelected as Speaker. After all, he won the speaker chair in 2008 by only one vote even though the Democrats heavily controlled the House at that time. Since then seven House seats have switched from Democrat to Republican and another Democrat (Tracy Arinder) has become an independent. Further, there is no evidence that this trend is abating. If Billy McCoy barely won the speaker’s chair when he had an overwhelming majority in 2008, without the benefit of the Reynolds/McCoy scheme it is not possible for him to win the speaker’s chair with a much smaller majority in 2012.

With the realization that Billy McCoy is not going to return as Speaker, a domino effect has occurred. In the House, the Speaker appoints all committee chairmen and vice-chairmen. Thus, all the current committee chairman or vice-chairman depend on Billy McCoy to keep their positions. When it became apparent that Billy McCoy would not be speaker in the next session, many of his appointed chairmen and vice-chairmen headed for the exits. The following chairmen and vice-chairmen have all announced they are retiring: Harvey Moss (D-Dist. 2), Greg Ward (D-Dist. 4), Warner McBride (D-Dist. 10), Jack Gadd (D-Dist. 13), David Norquist (D-Dist. 28), Shaun Walley (D-Dist. 105), Deryk Parker (D-Dist. 107), Frances Fredericks (D-Dist. 119) and JP Compretta (D-Dist. 122).

What is even more exciting about this development is that including Speaker McCoy, all but three of these retiring representatives received an “F” under the Tea Party’s grading system. (None received higher than a “C”.) In other words, even if there is no conservative running for those seats, it is hard to imagine their replacements being any worse than those seats’ current occupants. Certainly some replacements will be better. Thus, the Mississippi Tea Party has already changed the political landscape by creating an environment to have fewer liberal legislators even if it does nothing further.

The news gets even better. Several of these seats are in districts with relatively conservative electorates where a credible conservative challenger is running. The Mississippi Tea Party is now concentrating its efforts on such districts. The Tea Party would like swap the “F” liberals for “A” conservatives. Because of the defeat of the Reynolds/McCoy redistricting plan, this fall’s election has more than a dozen races where that is a serious possibility. The opportunity to move the political center of this State in a strongly conservative direction is substantial. Please help us make that happen.

To learn more or to join the MS Tea Party please go to msteaparty.ning.com