Stealth ban on drilling; Kagan endangers Constitution; AZ out of control; Dems "deem" passed budget

"Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!" - Patrick Henry (The American Patriot's Almanac, by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb, pg. 92 ) On March 23, 1775, with hostilities between Americans and British troops breaking out in New England, Patrick Henry stood in a packed St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, and made a fiery argument to the Second Virginia Convention that the time had come for the colonies to gather their strength and commit themselves to action. His ringing words still remind us that freedom must be defended: "Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of Hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?... The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat, but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged, their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable—and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come! “It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" 1) Erosion of the First Amendment as seen on CNN and BP Oil Spill Anderson Cooper of CNN gave a report on how the Obama administration is preventing members of the press from coming [within] 65 feet of the gulf oil spill. So far [enough] away to prevent photographers journalists from closely looking or taking pictures of oil coated birds and animals, and seeing what the heck they’re doing, if anything at all, in the gulf. Kudos to Anderson Cooper for filing this report and standing up for first amendment rights. If this is not an erosion of the first amendment, I don’t know what is. Remember, this is the same Obama administration that wants control of the internet. Constitutional rights are absent in their vocabulary. See: http://cubachi.com/2010/07/02/first-amendment-being-eroded-as-seen-on-cnn-and-bp-oil-spill/ 1a) Stealth ban on Gulf drilling NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The offshore drilling ban imposed after the BP disaster is only supposed to hit operations in deep water -- 500 feet or more. But drillers in shallow water say they haven't been issued permits since the April 20 explosion. The delay has already forced hundreds of layoffs, and many more could be on the way. …Deep water drilling, which is currently banned while an investigation into the Deepwater Horizon accident is underway, is estimated to employ at least 35,000 people on both the rigs and in jobs that support them. Nearly that many jobs could also be at stake over shallow water drilling. While shallow water rigs are smaller and employ only about half as many people, there are almost twice as many of them in the Gulf, according to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association. "Do not close down Louisiana's economy with this ill-conceived freeze," Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle said in a recent statement on the deep water ban. "Louisiana's offshore industry is critical to the economic survival of this nation." See: http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/25/news/economy/shallow_drilling_ban/index.htm 2) Constitution Is Endangered If Kagan OK'd Barack Obama revealed his goal for the Supreme Court when he complained on Chicago radio station WBEZ-FM in 2001 that the Earl Warren Court wasn't "radical" enough because "it didn't break free from the essential constraints placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution" in order to allow "redistribution of wealth." Now that Obama is president, he has the power to nominate Supreme Court justices who will "break free" from the Constitution and join him in "fundamentally transforming" America. That's the essence of his choice of Elena Kagan as his second Supreme Court nominee. She never was a judge, and her paper trail is short. But it's long enough to prove that she is a clear and present danger to the Constitution. When Kagan was dean of Harvard Law School, she presented a guest speaker who is known as the most activist judge in the world: Judge Aharon Barak, formerly president of the Israeli Supreme Court. The polar opposite of the U.S. Constitution, which states that "all legislative powers" are vested in the elected legislative body, Barak has written that a judge should "make" and "create" law, assume "a role in the legislative process" and give statutes "new meaning that suits new social needs." Barak wrote that a judge "is subject to no authority" except himself, and he "must sometimes depart the confines of his legal system and channel into it fundamental values not yet found in it." Channel? Does he mean he channels in a trance, as Hillary Clinton supposedly channeled discourse with the long-deceased Eleanor Roosevelt? Despite Barak's weirdo writings, or maybe because of them, Kagan called him her "judicial hero." Judge Robert Bork, a man careful with his words, says Kagan's praise of Barak is "disqualifying in and of itself." Bork said that Barak "establishes a world record for judicial hubris." He wrote that Barak embraces a judicial philosophy that "there is no area of Israeli life that the court may not govern." …Federal law requires all educational institutions receiving federal funds to present an educational program on the U.S. Constitution on every Constitution Day, Sept. 17. Kagan thumbed her nose at Constitution Day 2007 by hiring a transnationalist to the Harvard faculty, Noah Feldman, and featuring him for two days of speeches. Transnationalists are lawyers who advocate integrating foreign and international law into the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and laws. In his Harvard Constitution Day address, Feldman urged the "use of international legal materials in constitutional decision-making ... to help actually decide cases," and opined that "international tribunals' rulings must be treated as law." See: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=538850 2a) Elena Kagan won't admit to Orrin Hatch she wrote something but admits its in her handwriting; manipulates ACOG statement to protect partial birth abortion See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8Fdu3Q20K4 2b) Elena Kagan: “I’ve been a democrat all my life”. See: http://srnonline.americancreative.com/videos/srn_070210_Politico.php 3) Uptick in Violence Forces Closing of Parkland Along Mexico Border to Americans About 3,500 acres of southern Arizona along the Mexican border is closed to U.S. citizens due to increased violence in the region. The closed off area stretches 80 miles along the border and includes part of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. It was closed in October 2006 "due to human safety concerns," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday in response to news reports on the closure. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu told Fox News that violence against law enforcement officers and U.S. citizens has increased in the past four months, further underscoring the need to keep the 80 miles of border land off-limits to Americans. The refuge had been adversely affected by the increase in drug smugglers, illegal activity and surveillance, which made it dangerous for Americans to visit. "The situation in this zone has reached a point where continued public use of the area is not prudent," said refuge manager Mitch Ellis. “It’s literally out of control (emphasis mine),” said Babeu. “We stood with Senator McCain and literally demanded support for 3,000 soldiers to be deployed to Arizona to get this under control and finally secure our border with Mexico.” This is effectively saying, to the cartels and smugglers, “You can have this land. We’re too cowardly, lazy, or stupid to protect it.” See: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/16/closes-park-land-mexico-border-americans/ 3a) Do you support Arizona's tough new law on illegal immigration? Poll question: In July, Arizona will begin enforcing a new law that requires law enforcement officers to check someone’s immigration status if they have reason to suspect that he or she is in the country illegally. Do you think this is a good idea? When I answered the poll, 95.7% of almost 2 million respondents said “YES”. See: http://world-news.newsvine.com/_question/2010/05/12/4274124-do-you-support-arizonas-tough-new-law-on-illegal-immigration 4) House Democrats ‘Deem’ Faux $1.1 Trillion Budget ‘as Passed’ Last night, as part of a procedural vote on the emergency war supplemental bill, House Democrats attached a document that "deemed as passed" a non-existent $1.12 trillion budget. The execution of the "deeming" document allows Democrats to start spending money for Fiscal Year 2011 without the pesky constraints of a budget. The procedural vote passed 215-210 with no Republicans voting in favor and 38 Democrats crossing the aisle to vote against deeming the faux budget resolution passed. Never before -- since the creation of the Congressional budget process -- has the House failed to pass a budget, failed to propose a budget then deemed the non-existent budget as passed as a means to avoid a direct, recorded vote on a budget, but still allow Congress to spend taxpayer money. See: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37893 5) Barney Frank Assures "Banks Will Fail" With Financial Regulation Reform Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) on passing financial regulation reform and banks: "They will fail and that's without question." "Sarah Palin was half-right, we do have death panels this year, but they're for big financial institutions. So they'll go out of business," Frank said. See: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/06/30/barney_frank_assures_banks_will_fail_with_financial_regulation_reform.html 6) Six Months to Go Until The Largest Tax Hikes in History In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011: First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011: Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. Higher taxes on marriage and family. The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut. The return of the Death Tax. This year, there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones. Higher tax rates on savers and investors. The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 20 percent in 2011. The dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 39.6 percent in 2011. These rates will rise another 3.8 percent in 2013. Second Wave: Obamacare There are over twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare. Several will first go into effect on January 1, 2011. They include: The “Medicine Cabinet Tax” Thanks to Obamacare, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin). See: http://www.atr.org/sixmonths.html?content=5171 7) Justices extend gun owner rights nationwide WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court held Monday that Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live, expanding the conservative court's embrace of gun rights since John Roberts became Chief Justice. …In the guns case, Justice Samuel Alito said for the court that the Second Amendment right "applies equally to the federal government and the states." The court was split along familiar ideological lines, with five conservative-moderate justices in favor of gun rights and four liberals opposed. Roberts voted with the majority. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100628/ap_on_bi_ge/us_supreme_court_guns 7a) Chicago’s response: Chicago approves new gun restrictions Grumbling about a U.S. Supreme Court they say is out of touch with America’s cities, Chicago aldermen voted 45-0 today to approve a rushed-through compromise gun ban. The law, weaker than the gun ban tossed out Monday but with some even stronger new provisions, allows adults in Chicago to buy one gun a month, 12 a year, but they must pay registration and permit fees and take five hours of training. Within 100 days, anyone who wants to keep a gun in the city will have to register, get their training and pay the fees. Also within 100 days, any of the estimated 10,000 Chicagoans convicted of a gun offense will have to register at their local police station like sex offenders. …The aldermen did not hold back their contempt for the five members of the U.S. Supreme Court who threw out the city’s gun ban Monday. “No Supreme Court judge could live in my community and come to the same conclusion they did a couple days ago,” Ald. Sharon Denise Dixon (24th) said. People! It’s irrelevant whether the Supreme Court judge “lives in your community”. The ban was unconstitutional, pure and simple. It is not based upon where you live. Further, if you would loosen the gun laws in your city, you would see crime go DOWN, not up. See: http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/2458402,new-chicago-gun-law-passed-070210.article 8) Pelosi: Unemployment Checks Fastest Way to Create Jobs Unemployment benefits are creating jobs faster than practically any other program, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. Talking to reporters, the House speaker was defending a jobless benefits extension against those who say it gives recipients little incentive to work. By her reasoning, those checks are helping give somebody a job. "It injects demand into the economy," Pelosi said, arguing that when families have money to spend it keeps the economy churning. "It creates jobs faster than almost any other initiative you can name." No, silly Pelosi! Hire Census workers for two weeks, then fire them! That's the fastest way to create jobs! See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/01/pelosi-unemployment-checks-best-way-create-jobs/ 9) Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can’t Stop Digging Hole CHICAGO — Even by the standards of this deficit-ridden state, Illinois’s comptroller, Daniel W. Hynes, faces an ugly balance sheet. Precisely how ugly becomes clear when he beckons you into his office to examine his daily briefing memo. He picks the papers off his desk and points to a figure in red: $5.01 billion. “This is what the state owes right now to schools, rehabilitation centers, child care, the state university — and it’s getting worse every single day,” he says in his downtown office. Mr. Hynes shakes his head. “This is not some esoteric budget issue; we are not paying bills for absolutely essential services,” he says. “That is obscene.” For the last few years, California stood more or less unchallenged as a symbol of the fiscal collapse of states during the recession. Now Illinois has shouldered to the fore, as its dysfunctional political class refuses to pay the state’s bills and refuses to take the painful steps — cuts and tax increases — to close a deficit of at least $12 billion, equal to nearly half the state’s budget (emphasis mine). See: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/business/economy/03illinois.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&src=busln 10) We Spit in Your Eye and Call It Holy Water (Sandy Rios on the Russian Spies Discovered in the US) …Spies….from a foreign country…trying to undermine the security of their nation…but not to worry…. The press has soothed us with the notion that yes, they were spies, but they were bad ones. Sloppy…outdated…they probably didn’t gather much information. No harm done…just the stuff of a movie…life goes on. The President of the United States had nothing to say. Twice he was asked to comment and both times he refused. We heard through that same press that he was miffed…angry the arrests had come shortly after he had shared hamburgers publicly with Russian President, Dmitry Mevedev. How dare the FBI conduct such an embarrassing arrest at such an inconvenient time. The President was not angry at the Russians, just at the FBI for embarrassing him. He showed no sign of indignation, outrage, or protection for his homeland. Instead, his press secretary, Robert Gibbs rushed to microphone to assure “I do not believe this will affect the reset of our relationship with Russia.” Good. A foreign power tries to infiltrate our country, steal secrets and compromise high-ranking officials…but not to worry…this will not affect our relationship with them. See: http://townhall.com/columnists/SandyRios/2010/07/02/we_spit_in_your_eye_and_call_it_holy_water/page/full 11) Audiences fleeing nightly broadcast news …TVNEwser reports that more than a million former viewers stopped watching NBC News Brian Williams, ABC News’ Diane Sawyer, and CBS News Katie Couric during the second quarter of 2010, compared to the same quarter last year. The total losses by network were 440,000 for NBC, 260,000 for ABC, and 340,000 for CBS. TVNewser’s Chris Ariens further notes that the first quarter of the year “was not kind to the evening newscasts either. World News and Evening News saw their lowest averages ever for the first three months of 2010. And it was ’round about this time last year those two broadcasts hit all-time ratings lows. It should be noted the anchors, CBS’ Couric and ABC’s Gibson, were off that week.” Instead of having only three broadcast network news operations which often share common political, cultural and economic narratives in their reporting, viewers today have Fox News, C-SPAN, CNN, MXNBC, CNBC and other cable-based televised news sources, plus the Internet is steadily growing what could well prove to be the ultimate replacement for Brian, Diane and Katie, net-based news operations like Pajamas TV. See: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/audiences-fleeing-nightly-broadcast-news-97483879.html