Our "Flawed" Constitution

“When a judge, at any level of jurisprudence, seeks to RE-interpret the Constitution, …with their own personal moral predilections, or …’society’s evolving standards’, what they are doing is something which is prohibited by the very constitution they are regarding.”

Quote from: Our "living breathing" Constitution - Edward Daley

Consider Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that has resulted in over 40 million abortions in the United States. Justice Harry Blackmun consulted his wife and daughter before writing the majority opinion. His daughter Sally had experienced an unexpected pregnancy while a sophomore at Skidmore College. Shortly after she married the father of the baby, she suffered a miscarriage. During the next six years she completed her graduation requirements. Sadly,her marriage collapsed. Today she questions whether she would have graduated at all had the child been born, and states that she might have made a different decision “had Roe v. Wade been around.” Sally is now chairwoman of Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando.

Why did Justice Blackmun consult his daughter regarding Roe vs. Wade? Did his decision have anything to do with Sally’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy and the pain and trauma it caused the Blackmun family? Is this how Supreme Court decisions are supposed to be made?

President Obama might think it’s the highest moral path in making Supreme Court rulings. He believes that the Constitution is a living, breathing and flawed document to be updated and refined by the Justices on the Supreme Court, based on their values, concerns, perspectives and empathies.

In the short time Obama served in the U.S. Senate, he established a record on judicial nominations when he voted against the confirmations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. In explaining his vote against Roberts, Obama opined that deciding the “truly difficult” cases requires one to resort to “one’s deepest values, one’s core concerns, one’s broader perspectives on how the world works, and the depth and breadth of one’s empathy.” In setting forth the sort of judges he would appoint, Obama has declared: “We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old – and that’s the criterion by which I’ll be selecting my judges.”

And in a radio interview on Chicago’s WBEZ-FM in 2001, Obama said that the Constitution is fundamentally flawed in that it doesn’t allow for redistribution of wealth. Pointing to the rulings on civil rights issues by the Warren court in the 1960’s, Obama said the court failed to “break free from the essential constraints” in the Constitution, which were placed there by the Founding Fathers, and launch a major redistribution of wealth. In the same interview he stated that the Constitution is “an imperfect document, and I think it is a document that reflects some deep flaws in American culture. African Americans were not -- first of all they weren’t African-Americans -- the Africans at the time were not considered as part of the polity that was of concern to the Framers. I think we can say that the Constitution reflected an enormous blind spot in this culture that carries on until this day, and that the Framers had that same blind spot. [The blind spot] reflected the fundamental flaw of this country that continues to this day.”

The U.S. Constitution is in in grave danger under this administration. How could Barack Obama take the oath of office of President of the United States and swear that he would ”to the best of [his] ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” when he has declared it imperfect, lacking, and in need of interpretation based on one’s “heart” and empathy?

Homeland Security Report on Rightwing Extremists - Revised

Below are excerpts from the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis report titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment".

“Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

“Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived loss of U.S. jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures.”

“Disgruntled Military Veterans: DHS/I&A assesses that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities of extremists—including lone wolves or small terrorist cells—to carry out violence. The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today.”

"Many rightwing extremists are antagonistic toward the new presidential administration and its perceived stance on a range of issues, including immigration and citizenship, the expansion of social programs to minorities, and restrictions on firearms ownership and use. Rightwing extremists are increasingly galvanized by these concerns and leverage them as drivers for recruitment."

OK, I reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority, I oppose abortion, I am concerned about the economy and home foreclosures, and I am antagonistic toward the new presidential administration, especially in its views of immigration and citizenship, the expansion of social programs, and restrictions on firearms ownership and use.

And what about those disgruntled military veterans?

Be afraid of those disgruntled, pro-life, states-rights,gun-toting war veterans. Be very afraid.

Tax Day Tea Party - UPDATE!!

The latest count for tea party attendance nationwide is 281,488!

Regarding yesterday’s nationwide Tax Day Tea Party, the best way to start is to quote Michelle Malkin.

“Wow.” Wow indeed. Attendance was over 225,00 and still counting.

But some people want to rain on our parade. According to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, these demonstrations are to be mocked.

Rachel Maddow


Why was Maddow so amused by the idea of hundreds of thousands of conservatives exercising their freedom of speech and freedom of assembly that she appeared unable to control her deep throaty laugh? The term “tea bagging” set her off and seemed to be an inside joke between her and her cameramen, who could also be heard laughing. I realized that I was in the dark, so I looked up “tea-bagging” in the Urban Dictionary. Don’t bother – it’s disgusting, and something we don’t really need to know about. I mention it because it illustrates Maddow's woeful lack of professionalism.

Moving on to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Tea Party demonstrations are to be feared. (Read my post on Homeland Security.)

So, what are these foolish and frightening people really like? My observations from the Tax Day Tea Party in Chicago are quite different from those of the main stream media and the Obama Administration, who of course have never actually observed a Tea Party demonstration.

Let me clarify that the demonstrations were not funded by “the usual group of right-wing billionaires”, as Paul Krugman wrote in his column in the New York Times. If that were the case we would have had radio and TV promotion, billboards, matching t-shirts, professionally printed signs, and a lot less fun. I would have liked a t-shirt, though.

We enjoyed the weather, the speakers, the homemade signs, and the camaraderie. We found like-minded people who are grieved over the direction that America is taking toward socialism and bankruptcy. We are businessmen and women, tradesmen, soccer moms, teens and grandparents. We’re afraid for our children and our grandchildren. We’re angry about the chipping away at the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the freedoms that they guarantee.

We didn’t resort to attention-getting antics such as those of Peta, Code Pink, or ACT UP. We didn’t symbolically dump tea into the Chicago River, although many of us really wanted to. We were peaceful. And I repeat, we were over 225,000 strong.

Is the Tea Party movement a joke? I think not. Is it made up of violent racists and skinheads? Definitely not. Is it something to be feared? Perhaps.

Pictures of the Chicago Tea Party here:

Chicago Tea Party

Abortion Pride Movement

A new t-shirt being marketed by Planned Parenthood boldly proclaims “I had an abortion”. The shirt, and the broader “I’m not sorry” abortion campaign, is making headlines. In short, women should not merely have the right to end unwanted pregnancies, they should have the right to be proud of having done so.

Riding the wave is bioethicist Jacob Appel, who wants to take prideful behavior to a new level with his call for an “Abortion Pride” movement. He is no friend of the unborn, having in the past contemplated a market for the fetal organs of abortion victims. In a recent article which he authored he states that “Women who step up to the ethical plate and have the strength to say, ‘This is the wrong time,’ or ‘This is the wrong fetus,’ should hold their heads high in the streets. And our society should be proud of them too. Our message should be … genuine joy that someone has made a decision for their own and for the collective good.”

Appel’s analysis of Bill Clinton’s assertation that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare” is that the “rhetoric” does a “profound disservice to the millions of women who have abortions in this nation each year. Abortions should be safe and legal. That goes without saying. But rare? Abortions should be as frequent or as infrequent as are unwanted pregnancies.”

This is a time when right is called wrong and that which is evil is being touted as good. The elitist progressives are leading the way in this ‘brave new world’, while Christians seem to be tired of the continual culture wars and are disengaging from the battle. Now is the time to stand up and be counted.

George Soros is Having a Very Good Financial Crisis

George Soros is a billionaire hedge fund manager. He is also the money behind MoveOn.org, where he spent $25 million in a failed effort to defeat President George W. Bush’s bid for re-election in 2004.

He isn’t easy to like. He recently bragged that he is “having a very good crisis,” after making $1.1 billion last year in hedge funds. He told “The Australian” newspaper that the financial crisis has been “stimulating” and “the culminating point of my life’s work.”

Soros has stated publicly that he wishes to burst the “bubble of American supremacy,” in order to establish global “equilibrium”.

According to the American Thinker blog, he made his first billion in 1992 by shorting the British pound with leveraged billions in financial bets, and became known as the man who broke the Bank of England. He broke it on the backs of hard-working British citizens who saw their homes severely devalued and their life savings cut drastically in comparative worth almost overnight.

He was accused by the Malaysian Prime Minister of causing the collapse in the Asian financial system in 1997 by his monetary machinations during a financial crisis. He is considered an “economic war criminal” in Thailand. He has credited himself with bringing down the Soviet Empire. In 2006, he was convicted in France of illegal insider trading in his attempt to take over the Societe Generale Bank, and paid a fine of $2.9 million, mere chicken feed considering that his income that year was $3 billion.

Flash back to the 2004 election: Soros was behind the push for the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, which was intended to ban “soft money” contributions to federal election campaigns. While banning donations directly to a national political organization such as the DNC or RNC, no such restrictions exist on soft money donations to 527 organizations such as MoveOn.org. Critics say this allowed Soros to gain control over the Democrat party through his large donations.

Now President Obama is working to regulate hedge funds and increase taxes on investment income. Investment income of hedge funds, currently taxed at 15% capital gains rate, could incur tax as high as 39.5%. It’s part of Obama’s plan to overhaul America’s financial regulatory systems. The risk in taxing hedge fund managers is that it is fairly easy to push them abroad and lose all the taxes.

What is the bottom line for George Soros? Which passion will he sacrifice, wealth or the liberal agenda? Most likely he will use his financial genius to make more billions while continuing to support the Democratic Party. He’s an ultra-liberal who wants control over American politics AND world financial systems.

United Kingdom Eugenics?

The UK TimesOnline reported on Sunday that Jonathon Porritt, one of Britain’s leading green advisers, will warn that Britain must drastically reduce its population if it is to build a sustainable society. Porritt’s call will come at this week’s annual conference of the Optimum Population Trust. The trust will release research suggesting that in order to feed itself sustainably the UK population must be cut by 50% to 30 million, roughly what it was in late Victorian times.

Note that the advice is not to slow growth, but to cut the current population.

How would this culling be achieved? Where are 30 million people supposed to go? Deportation of immigrants? Deportation of criminals? Widespread use of the death penalty? Large scale doctor assisted suicides? Limited births? Forced sterilization? Forced abortions? Worse?

If births are limited, who will provide for the elderly and disabled? Will culling of the elderly, disabled and weak be necessary?

It seems that Porritt should look at other ways the UK could survive in a sustainable manner. Ensure that most food is grown locally rather than imported; reward home gardening and home food preservation; allow for backyard “farms” in urban areas; or adopt less wasteful lifestyles.

Read it here: UK TimesOnline

The Plan: Rahm Emanuel’s Socialist Plan for America

Barack Obama's Chief-of-Staff, Rahm Emanuel, has co-authored a book with Bruce Reed, president of the Democratic Leadership Council and a columnist for Slate magazine. The poorly written and mercifully short book is modestly titled “The Plan: Big Ideas for Change in America”. A more appropriate title might be “The Attack: An Analysis of the Failure of George Bush” or” The Threat: How Barack Obama Will Turn America to Socialism.” The Plan is an offering of political rhetoric with a liberal amount of Bush bashing and Democratic feel-good commentary designed to stir your emotions rather than lay a foundation for real change.

In spite of its shortcomings, considering that Emanuel is perhaps the second most powerful person in the United States, this is a must read if you want to see where America is heading. (Apologies to Nancy Pelosi.)

Overarching the plan is what the authors call a “new social contract” that makes clear what you can do for your country and what your country can do for you. Thanks, but I’ll just stick with the original contract, the Constitution, although I realize why the authors might consider it a hard contract to follow, with all its restricting laws against big government power to intrude in our lives.

Components of The Plan include:

UNIVERSAL CITIZEN SERVICE: All Americans between 18 and 25 will be asked to serve their country by reporting for 3 months of basic civil defense training and community service. “Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service.”

Emanuel and Reed insist "this is not a draft," but in order for this part of the plan to come to fruition, a draft must be imposed. Additionally, they warn, "[s]ome Republicans will squeal about individual freedom," which seems to rule out any likelihood of an opt-out. I guess that’s why it’s called “universal”.

UNIVERSAL COLLEGE ACCESS: The Government would give the states tuition grants to make college free.

UNIVERSAL RETIREMENT SAVINGS : Employers would be required to offer 401 (k)'s to all workers. Workers must be enrolled and are expected to contribute unless they make an affirmative step to opt out.

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE: Cut costs to make it affordable. Give small business access to the same health plans as members of Congress.

RETURN TO FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY: End “corporate welfare”.

A HYBRID ECONOMY: Cut American gasoline use in half over the next decade. Accelerate energy research. Embrace the plug-in hybrid auto. End our dependence on Middle-Eastern oil.




Thumbs down for The Plan, both the book and the intent.

You've Gotta' Love the Irony

First Lady Michelle Obama broke ground today on a new vegetable garden near the South Lawn that will supply the White House kitchen. She was encouraged in the project by noted California chef Alice Waters, considered a leader in the movement to encourage consumption of locally grown, organic food. During Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, Ms. Waters organized a series of fund raising dinners that served foods purchased at a Washington area farmer’s market.

However, if Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. and Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio have their way, it will soon be nearly impossible to purchase food from local markets. HR 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 was introduced in February by DeLauro, whose husband works for Monsanto, the world’s leading producer of herbicides and genetically engineered seed. The bill calls for the creation of a Food Safety Administration to allow the government to regulate food production at all levels, and mandates property seizure, fines up to $1 million per offense and criminal prosecution for producers who fail to comply with regulations. Under the broad wording of the legislation, anyone who transports any food product for retail sale would be subject to strict government regulation that is sufficient to put small farms and local growers out of business.

Senate Bill 425, the food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act is sponsored by Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown, and backed by lobbyists for Monsanto and Tyson. The measure establishes a nationwide “traceability system” monitored by the FDA for all stages of manufacturing, processing, packaging and distribution of food, at a cost to taxpayers of $40 million.

And just 3 days ago President Obama announced he’s forming a Food Safety Working Group to propose new laws and stop “corruption” of the nation’s food.

So much for buying locally. Sorry Ms. Waters - I hope Michelle’s garden does well.

The Everywhere President

Sometimes I feel like I just can't get away from him. His face is everywhere.

Why is the President of the United States, during a time of economic distress, appearing on a late night talk show to yuk it up with Jay Leno, and on ESPN to give his thoughts on March Madness? Why did he boogie with Ellen Degeneres on her show while on the campaign trail? Today on Politico.com, Andie Coller gives her take on the communication strategy of the Obama presidency.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20254.html

National Civilian Security Force

The House has passed legislation to create President Obama’s promised civilian service force, ostensibly to vastly expand “volunteerism” in the U.S., via H.R. 1388. The bill passed 320-105, so we can thank BOTH sides of the aisle for the new Obama army. The bill is now headed to the Senate.

This is Obama’s promised “national civilian security force” which will be “just as strong, just as powerful, and just as well funded" as the military.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s

Critics have warned that passage of the legislation is a backdoor way to require mandatory service under the guise of “volunteerism.” It could require individuals to give 3 years of paid “volunteer” service, with details of where and how they would volunteer determined by the government. Think ACORN/Saul Alinsky/Hitler Youth.

Smart Phone Spying

The millions of people who use their cellphones daily to play games, download applications and browse the Web may not realize that they have an unseen companion: advertisers that can track their interests, their habits and even their location.

Eswar Priyadarshan, the chief technology officer of Quattro Wireless, which places advertising for clients like Sony on mobile sites, says he typically has 20 pieces of information about a customer who has visited a site or played with an application in his network.

An advertising system could know, for instance, that someone is 27 years old, male, a New England Patriots fan (which NFL.com can track), plays Blackjack, travels frequently between Boston and New York on weekdays (which applications using GPS can track) and uses a 3G iPhone. That would make him attractive to a host of advertisers, like the Delta Shuttle or a Las Vegas hotel, whose ads would appear while the consumer was browsing the Web on his phone.

"It's potentially a portable, personal spy," said Jeff Chester, the executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, who will appear before Federal Trade Commission staff members this month to brief them on privacy and mobile marketing.

Several firms are experimenting with a program called AisleCaster that can offer specials based on a person's exact location in a supermarket aisle or mall.

Un-cover Tax?

A Brooklyn assemblyman has introduced a bill that would require patrons to pay the state $10 every time they visit a “strip club”. Felix Ortiz, a Democrat, said the fee could raise as much as $500 million for victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual abuse and child prostitution. After the city takes its cut, I wonder how much of that money would actually reach these victims. Not to mention that the dancers in strip clubs are victims of a sexual racket with ties to organized crime. He would rather tax these vile businesses than close them down?

"The bottom line is, we have to protect people who have been victimized by unscrupulous individuals,” Ortiz said. He needs to do his homework on the predators right in his own back yard: the sexual predators, pimps, gang members, drug dealers, pornographers, and child molesters who frequent these clubs.

The Constitution Explained with Glossary of Terms

There's a new link on the sidebar, under America's Historical Documents. It links to a page that gives an overview of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, including a dictionary of terms. It's very informative. You can go directly to the link here:

http://www.resistnet.com/group/federalformsdocumentscontacts/forum/topics/the-constitution-explained

Men Not Working

In Lake Worth, Florida, out-of-work laborers are hanging out in front of the Home Depot, waiting and hoping for work.

This seems at first glance to be admirable. These are able-bodied men with skills in brick laying, carpentry, landscaping, painting etc. doing whatever it takes to support their families. However, a further look brings pause.

The Home Depot blames the unemployed men for causing accidents and driving away customers. The competition is fierce, as the job seekers rush vehicles, shouting at the drivers. The local sheriff's office receives calls from customers who are frightened or annoyed after being surrounded by job seekers. General contractors and builders often send their wives in trucks to pick up supplies at the store, and the women are startled or frightened when the men surround the truck and try to open the doors.

The job seekers are allowed to stand on the sidewalk or along the shoulder in front of the store, which is considered public property. But sheriff's officials say the trouble begins when they block the entrance or run into the parking lot, defying trespass laws. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that most of these men are here illegally. Why would we expect them to obey our laws?

One of the men, an undocumented Guatemalan national who had a regular job in construction until being laid off late last year, said he and the others only want to work and have no other way to find steady pay. Where was he employed and by whom?

The men say they should be allowed to find a way to earn money. No, they should not be allowed to look for illegal work, nor should they or anyone else be allowed to trespass and harass shoppers. These men should spend more time and energy going through the process to become documented and contribute to our society, instead of taking all that America has to give while giving nothing back.

Déjà Vu All Over Again

Today the Senate is voting on another massive spending bill which contains more than 2,900 pages and $410 billion in spending. More than $7.7 billion is in pork-filled earmarks such as $1.8 million for pig odor and manure management, $200,000 for a "tattoo-removal violence-outreach program" in Los Angeles and $473,000 for the National Council of La Raza.

The Omnibus Spending bill doesn’t require competitive bids, which will result in more favors for lobbyists and friends of members of Congress. President Obama says that it’s too late to make changes to the bill.

Call your Senators and Congressmen.

Tax Avoidance

Never mind that our “do as I say, not as I do” President tells us to lower our thermostats while he keeps the White House at topical temperatures because, as his senior adviser, David Axelrod, explained, “He’s from Hawaii, O.K.? He likes it warm.”

Never mind that many of us will be planting “Tax Gardens” to cut grocery expenses while he feasts on Japanese Waygu steak at $100 per steak, accompanied , I presume, with a salad of arugula.

Never mind that we will forego movies and restaurants while he hosts weekly champagne-sipping get-togethers with top-grade musical entertainment in the White House East Room.

He is the President, after all. He has to entertain, and our Presidents do bring their own entertaining style to the White House. The Clintons opted for Arkansas glitz, while George W. Bush preferred barbeques and boots. Barack Obama enjoys lavish elegance (read expensive) with all the style of the extremely wealthy, the people Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid want to barbeque.

But never mind all of that.

We simply do what we deem necessary to keep afloat during the financial catastrophe that is being foisted on us as recovery. Meanwhile, we are punished for our hard work or good fortune. We can find a lovely irony in a simpler lifestyle that relieves us of some of our tax burden.

I find pleasure in avoiding sales tax, federal gasoline tax, state gasoline tax, local gasoline tax, “gas guzzler “ tax, property tax, school tax, luxury tax, alcohol tax, restaurant tax, entertainment tax, gun tax (oops, I probably should pay the gun tax), highway tax, city tax, county tax, utilities tax, insurance tax, air fare tax, hotel tax, rental car tax, sport and fishing equipment tax, import tax– and those are just the ones that I can think of, many of them hidden in the price or premium.

Taxes, how do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.

I am actively looking for ways to decrease my tax burden. I know how to be frugal and I know that when I decrease my spending, I also decrease the taxes that I pay. I’m saving money while giving less support to President Obama’s socialist agenda. I can control my spending, alter how I work, plant a vegetable garden, shop at roadside stands (if I can find one), shop online to avoid sales tax, barter for goods, trade services, put my money in a credit union, drive less, refuse to park at a parking meter, turn off the lights, heat with wood, cancel collision coverage on my 10-year old Civic, pay cash, stay out of debt, avoid toll roads, stop eating out, buy necessities at resale shops or on sale, reevaluate what IS necessary, use coupons and aim low. I’m sure that if I remain vigilant and thoughtful, I can find other ways to avoid paying taxes while spending money wisely.

Perhaps you can rent a out an extra bedroom, start homeschooling, car pool, raise and sell vegetables, raise chickens, sheep or goats, retire from productive employment, sell the house, move to another country – oh, bad idea, I forgot about the “exit tax”.

Lately the media and some politicians have spoken of “tax avoidance and tax evasion” in the same breath, as if it is illegal or at least immoral to avoid paying taxes. When I consider the things that our taxes are supporting, I believe it’s morally wrong to pay a penny more than I am legally required to. Avoiding taxes is a moral choice, a political position, an activist decision, a silent revolt.

“Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes. Over and over again the Courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everyone does it, rich and poor alike and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands.” – Judge Learned Hand

Gupta Withdraws

CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, has withdrawn his name from consideration as Surgeon General of the United States.

The Office of the Surgeon General, under the direction of the Surgeon General, oversees the U.S. Public Health Service. The office is currently under the direction of Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson. The Surgeon General serves as America's chief health educator by providing Americans the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury.

Geithner Goes It Alone

Annette Nazareth, a former senior staffer and commissioner with the SEC, has withdrawn from consideration as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's chief deputy. Although Nazareth has undergone more than a month of intense vetting, Geithner's choice of Nazareth was never announced officially. She has drawn criticism for her role at the SEC in creating what some consider to be lax oversight of the banking industry.

In the midst of the banking crisis, Geithner has been staffing his department slowly, resulting in uncertainty about the Treasury staff and unnerving financial markets. He has yet to name even one of his 17 top deputies. Treasury has to name about 100 appointees in all. Geithner has assembled a 50-person "shadow cabinet", but they lack any authority to make decisions or represent the departments in meetings.

At a Senate hearing last Thursday about American International Group Inc., which has received bailouts totaling more than $170 billion, Senator Chris Dodd said that he asked Treasury for someone to appear, but no one was available. Dodd said "I am not pleased that we don't have someone here from Treasury to explain what their role in this is."

Geithner's inability to assemble a team and his missteps in putting together a financial rescue program have raised concerns on Wall Street. "This doesn't help confidence," said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's in New York. " Geithner is stuck there all my himself trying to do everything. They don't have anybody confirmed, and Treasury is a big shop to try to run with one person, especially right now."

NYC Rally

Uh-oh, taxpayers aren't alone in voicing frustration.

According to an article on the WCBSTV website, tens of thousands of New Yorkers marched on City Hall on March 5, in protest of proposed funding cuts. Chants of "No more cuts! No more cuts!" were heard throughout lower Manhattan. The protesters, made up of labor unions, community groups and "everyday New Yorkers", are asking for "fair tax reform", in the form of STATE tax increases for New Yorkers making $250,000 or more - this would be on top of the tax increases already proposed by the Obama administration.

Let the wealthy pay - and pay, and pay!

Illinois HB 0687

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has long been setting the standard in Illinois for attacks on the Second Amendment . He intends to ban guns in Chicago. The problem, of course, is that only law-abiding citizens who legally own their guns would be affected, never mind the Constitution.

Now Illinois congressman Kenneth Dunkin (D) is following in Mayor Daley’s footsteps and is attempting to move his anti-gun agenda forward with Illinois HB 0687. There is, however, a difference in how he would go about it. The approach is to raise the cost of gun ownership by requiring Illinois gun owners to insure their firearms with $1,000,000 liability policies against damages resulting from willful acts involving the use of their firearms by anyone, even by someone who has stolen it. The insurance, if it could be obtained, would be prohibitively expensive.

Insurers would be rightfully reluctant to insure a gun against all willful acts. Life insurance policies contain exceptions for suicide and fire insurance excludes acts of arson by the policy holder. It’s hard to imagine that an insurance provider would insure a gun against any and all willful acts, without exception.

HB 0687 is immoral at best and unconstitutional at worst. We should not be required to pay for the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. It reminds me of a poll tax, which was found by the United States Supreme Court to be unconstitutional. The court ruled that it was a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to make the affluence of the voter an electoral standard. It seems that the same reasoning would apply to the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Otherwise low-income citizens would be unable to exercise that right.

I, among many, intend to stand against this bill. A good place to start is to participate in the IGOLD event in Springfield on March 11.


http://igold.isra.org

Chicago Tea Party

Part of the reason I wanted to get American Dreamer up and running was to be able to post about the Chicago Tea Party last Friday, February 27.

I hadn’t participated in any type of demonstration since I moved to Illinois over ten years ago, largely because the corruption in Illinois politics is so deeply ingrained that change seems hopeless. Yes, there is irony in that choice of words. Chicago’s favorite son, Barack Obama, has become President of the United States. Disturbing and troubling change has come rapidly in his short time as President.

The touted “stimulus bill” was pushed through Congress so quickly that the congressmen and women didn’t read it before voting. The new “transparent” administration assured concerned citizens that the $820 billion package would be posted on line 48 hours prior to the vote, a promise that was broken. The bill is filled with special-interest appropriations, raising suspicion that the troubled economy was a straw man for a Congressional spending frenzy. A grass roots movement sprang up, spreading rapidly across the United States. Ordinary citizens took to the streets in protest of the bill.

I was happy and proud to attend the Chicago protest alongside hundreds of other Illinoisians exercising our right to free speech and assembly. At one point I stood away from the crowd and surveyed the event with an intentional lack of expectation. I saw a speaker with a bullhorn, a young man with a British accent dressed in costume and powdered wig (Samuel Adam), a variety of hand-written signs, several “Don’t Tread on Me” flags along with American flags, people leading the crowd in various chants, clusters of Chicago city police around the fringe of the crowd, and several camera crews from news outlets. I felt like a 60s radical! It was exhilarating to participate in the tradition of American protest.
More protests are now being planned for “tax day”, April 15.

Go here and click on a state for more information:


http://taxdayteaparty.com



I'm reading the novel right now, so I had to include this:






I wish they would just tell us what they think . . . "





I love this photo of the Chicago skyline:





That's me hiding behind the "Save the Free Market" sign: (by permission)





Sam Adams:

Going John Galt

“Going Galt” is a fascinating phenomenon which is especially interesting to me at this time, because I’m reading Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged. Otherwise, I would have no idea what it means to Go Galt.

Go here to read more.

http://onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=436024

America's Christian Heritage

In my first post I must acknowledge my belief that the foundation of America’s greatness is her Christian heritage. I learned in second grade that one of the first acts of the men of the Virginia Company upon their arrival at Cape Henry was to erect a wooden cross in the sand. As an adult I understand more fully that they recognized the necessity of thanking God for his faithfulness and protection.
These first Americans were committed to the advancement of the Christian faith.

In the first charter of Virginia they proclaimed their desire to “propagate the Christian Religion to such people as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God.”

The Second Charter of Virginia stated that their principal purpose was “the Conversion . . . of the people in those parts unto the true worship of God and the Christian religion.”

The Mayflower compact stated their purpose to be the “advancement of the Christian faith.”

The charter of the New England Confederation stated their purpose as “… namely, to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ...” and George Washington said, "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."

There is an attempt today to ignore, even rewrite, the religious underpinnings of America. My conservative convictions are based on these underpinnings. I value and adhere to the beliefs that all men are created equal, that we are one nation under God, that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We cannot improve on the brilliance of our Constitution and Bill of Rights for equality and freedom, nor can we remain free if we forget that all life and freedom is first given by God.