US Seeks Expanded Power to Seize Firms, AIG Tax Bill Unconstitutional, Iran has 'penetrated' Obama Admin

1) U.S. Seeks Expanded Power to Seize Firms The Obama administration is considering asking Congress to give the Treasury secretary unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy, according to an administration document. See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/23/AR2009032302830.html And: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/24/AR2009032400847.html?hpid=topnews And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bailout_bernanke_geithner 2) The AIG (And Everyone Else) Bill: Counterproductive and Unconstitutional It’s Not Constitutional, Plain and Simple Bill of Attainder: The Constitution prohibits Congress from punishing individuals, which is the role of the justice system. This prevents legislative tyranny and is essential to ensuring that those accused of wrongs receive due process and can mount a defense. It also encourages “sound legislation,” which is not accomplished by legislators being whipped into a frenzy and interfering in personal and economic affairs. An End Run? Congress added more taxes to the bill to get around the bar of bills of attainder, but it can’t make an unconstitutional act permissible by cloaking it in the guise of a tax bill. Taxation Not the Answer: Congress is prohibited from using the tax code as a weapon of convenience against a select group of unfavorable people, even when the political opportunity exists. See: http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/20/the-aig-and-everyone-else-bill-counterproductive-and-unconstitutional/ 2a) 3 in 4 say Congress should return AIG money: President, Dodd each collected more than $100,000 Three in four Americans want members of Congress to return money they got from bailout-financed American International Group for their political campaigns, according to a new poll.  The poll from The O'Leary Report by Brad O'Leary and Zogby International today revealed that 73 percent of Americans think politicians, including President Obama and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., should not have profited from AIG and should return the money.  Obama and Dodd were the top recipients of campaign largesse from AIG over the past two years, with Obama getting $104,332 and Dodd raking in $103,900. Others got money, too, but in smaller amounts. All together, AIG donated $644,218 to federal politicians. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92797 2b) Dodd's Wife a Former Director of Bermuda-Based IPC Holdings, an AIG Controlled Company No wonder Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn) went wobbly last week when asked about his February amendment ratifying hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses to executives at insurance giant AIG. Dodd has been one of the company's favorite recipients of campaign contributions. But it turns out that Senator Dodd's wife has also benefited from past connections to AIG as well. See: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/dodds_wife_a_former_director_o.html 3) FACT CHECK: Obama having it both ways on economy? WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's plea Tuesday for patience in the economic turmoil fits with the view of most economists that a turnaround will take some time. It doesn't fit quite so neatly with his bullish budget. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_on_go_pr_wh/fact_check_obama 3a) Sen. Gregg Criticizes 'Banana Republic' Budget Proposal The ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee warned on Monday that President Obama's budget proposal will lead to unsustainable debt levels and send the country on a fiscal path resembling that of a "banana republic."  Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., offered a grim assessment of the $3.6 trillion proposal following a report over the weekend that found the budget plan would produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next decade. See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/23/republican-criticizes-banana-republic-budget-proposal/ 3b) La. Gov. Jindal urges GOP to stand up to Obama See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_on_el_ho/jindal_republicans 4) Senator proposes nonprofit status for newspapers WASHINGTON (AP) - Struggling newspapers should be allowed to operate as nonprofits similar to public broadcasting stations, Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., proposed Tuesday.  Cardin introduced a bill that would allow newspapers to choose tax-exempt status. They would no longer be able to make political endorsements, but could report on all issues including political campaigns. See: http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=D974G6TG0&show_article=1&catnum=0 5) AP source: EPA closer to global warming warning The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the first step on the long road to regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. See: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/03/24/ap_source_epa_closer_to_global_warming_warning 6) Report: Iran has assembled network of lobbyists that has 'penetrated' administration WASHINGTON — The number of significant pro-Iran lobbyists has grown and key players have gained access to the new administration of President Barak Obama, a report said. ShareThis    The Center for Security Policy said veteran Iranian lobbyists, several of them former government officials, have been granted access to the Obama administration. See: http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_iran0230_03_19.asp 7) Centrist Labor joins new Israeli government JERUSALEM – Israel's Labor Party voted Tuesday to join the incoming government of Benjamin Netanyahu, lending a moderate voice to a coalition dominated by hard liners and easing concerns of a head-on confrontation with Washington over Mideast peacemaking. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090324/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_politics 8) NKorea reasserts right to satellite launch See: http://townhall.com/news/world/2009/03/24/nkorea_reasserts_right_to_satellite_launch

Betraying Israel, China suggests one world currency as alternative to holding US assets

1) A fearful thing, betraying Israel …All of this is lost on the liberal media, just as it apparently has been on the liberal Obama administration. The World Tribune reported this week that Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi cut short his visit to Washington after getting an "extraordinarily cool" reception from the new U.S. administration.  General Ashkenazi reportedly attempted to arrange meetings with President Obama, Vice President Biden and intelligence czars Bob Gates, Dennis Blair or Michael Mullen. None of them would see him. He had valuable intelligence information about Iran to share with them.  The Tribune quoted an unnamed diplomat who told them, "The administration is sending a very clear message to Israel, and this is we want to talk about Palestine and not Iran."  When an Iranian-made atomic bomb hits the U.S., they may wish they had never said this.  And Israel Today is reporting that the Obama administration is not just cool to Israel. It alleges that President Obama "is about to break America's long ties of friendship with Israel, and maybe even take steps toward the dissolution of the Jewish state." See: http://www.hallindsey.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=340&Itemid=59 2) Treasury's toxic asset plan could cost $1 trillion WASHINGTON (AP) - The Obama administration's latest attempt to tackle the banking crisis and get loans flowing to families and businesses will create a new government entity, the Public-Private Investment Program, to help purchase as much as $1 trillion in toxic assets on banks' books. See: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090322/D973AFAO0.html 3) China calls for new reserve currency China’s central bank on Monday proposed replacing the US dollar as the international reserve currency with a new global system controlled by the International Monetary Fund. In an essay posted on the People’s Bank of China’s website, Zhou Xiaochuan, the central bank’s governor, said the goal would be to create a reserve currency “that is disconnected from individual nations and is able to remain stable in the long run, thus removing the inherent deficiencies caused by using credit-based national currencies”. Analysts said the proposal was an indication of Beijing’s fears that actions being taken to save the domestic US economy would have a negative impact on China. See: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7851925a-17a2-11de-8c9d-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 4) Rep. Frank calls Scalia a 'homophobe' in interview See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090324/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_frank

'This country will go bankrupt', Obama Doubts Gitmo Decisions

1) Obama criticizes some (his own) Guantanamo release decisions WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says the U.S. hasn't done a good job sorting out who should be released from the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Obama says in a broadcast interview that some of the people released from the facility in Cuba have rejoined terrorist groups. He also says U.S. officials have not always been effective in determining which prisoners will be a danger once they are let go. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090321/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_guantanamo 2) VP adviser: AIG bonus tax may go too far WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Joe Biden's economic adviser warned Sunday that a congressional plan to tax American International Group Inc. executives' bonuses may go too far in using the tax code as a tool for retribution.  President Barack Obama has not said whether he would veto some version of a House-backed plan to heavily tax the $165 million in bonuses. Biden economist Jared Bernstein said it's important to look at what version of the proposal comes out of the Senate.  "I think the president would be concerned that this bill may have some problems in going too far—the House bill may go too far in terms of some—some legal issues, constitutional validity, using the tax code to surgically punish a small group," Bernstein said in a television interview. "That may be a dangerous way to go." Do ‘ya think?!?!?!? See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9734MA00&show_article=1 2b) Chicago Way extension runs right through D.C. Obama told Jay Leno he was surprised that those greedy AIG executives who helped lead the country into financial ruin were in line to receive $165 million in bonuses paid for by bailout cash authorized by his administration. "Stunned, stunned is the word," said Obama. Stunned? It turns out that his Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner—who didn't pay all of his federal taxes but was still deemed worthy by Obama of collecting yours—knew all about the AIG bonuses weeks ago. See: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass-bd-22-mar22,0,5436164.column 3) Senator Gregg: 'This country will go bankrupt' WASHINGTON (CNN) – Even though he was almost a member of the new Obama administration, New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg Sunday slammed President Obama’s approach to handling the country’s fiscal outlook. “The practical implications of this is bankruptcy for the United States,” Gregg said of the Obama’s administration’s recently released budget blueprint. “There’s no other way around it. If we maintain the proposals that are in this budget over the ten-year period that this budget covers, this country will go bankrupt. People will not buy our debt, our dollar will become devalued. It is a very severe situation.” Gregg, known as one of the keenest fiscal minds on Capitol Hill, also told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King that he thought it was “almost unconscionable” for the White House to continue with its planned course on fiscal matters with unprecedented actual and projected budget deficits in the coming years. See: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/22/gregg-this-country-will-go-bankrupt/ And, Resistance grows to Obama's bigger government, See: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52L0J820090322 3a) GOP predicts doomsday if Obama budget passed WASHINGTON – Congressional Republicans on Sunday predicted a doomsday scenario of crushing debt and eventual federal bankruptcy if President Barack Obama's massive spending blueprint wins passage. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090322/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_economy 3b) Fed's secrecy policy 3 years old tomorrow: In 2006, money suppliers stopped reporting publicly on money supply Just last Wednesday the Fed said it would flood the teetering financial system with an additional $1.2 trillion.  The money will be used, the Fed said, to buy government bonds and mortgage-related securities in hopes of lowering the borrowing costs for home mortgages and other types of loans, thereby stimulating economic activity. In other words, the central bank will print more money to pay for the purchases.  What the Fed does not explain publicly is how those kinds of infusions of money out of thin air, with nothing to back it, reduce the purchasing power and assets of all Americans by devaluing the dollar. The $1.2 trillion is in addition to hundreds of billions already added to the system since the beginning of the year and dwarfs even the biggest government bailouts to date. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92534 4) Shocker: 'Global warming' simply no longer happening  Temperatures dropping, fewer hurricanes, arctic ice growing, polar bear population up See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92557

US Maximum Wage, Gov Trashes US Dollar, Russia

1) Administration Seeks Increase in Oversight of Executive Pay We have a minimum wage; we’re about to have a maximum wage… WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will call for increased oversight of executive pay at all banks, Wall Street firms and possibly other companies as part of a sweeping plan to overhaul financial regulation, government officials said. …The new rules will cover all financial institutions, including those not now covered by any pay rules because they are not receiving federal bailout money. Officials say the rules could also be applied more broadly to publicly traded companies, which already report about some executive pay practices to the Securities and Exchange Commission.   WHAT?!?!!?!?!?!? See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/us/politics/22regulate.html?_r=1 2) Two corporate credit unions taken over by government WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal regulators on Friday seized control of two large institutions that provide wholesale financing for U.S. credit unions, a move they say was needed to stabilize the credit union system. The National Credit Union Administration said it has taken over and put into conservatorship the two corporate credit unions, U.S. Central Federal Credit Union, based in Lenexa, Kan., and Western Corporate Federal Credit Union, in San Dimas, Calif. U.S. Central has about $34 billion in assets while Western Corporate, known as WesCorp, has an estimated $23 billion in assets. A conservatorship enables the government to operate a financial institution. Corporate credit unions provide financing and investment services to the much larger population of retail credit unions. Some of the 28 corporate credit unions in the U.S. have sustained steep losses on paper from the depressed value of the mortgage-linked securities they hold. See: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-corporate-credit-unions-apf-14707022.html 3) Dollar Rally Crumbles as Fed Ramps Up Printing Press March 19 (Bloomberg) -- The rally that pushed the dollar to the highest levels since 2006 is in danger of crumbling as the Federal Reserve starts buying Treasuries and ramps up its purchases of mortgage debt, adding to a flood of greenbacks.  “The implications of today’s Fed decision are unambiguous,” currency strategists at Citigroup Inc. wrote in a research report within a half hour of the Fed’s decision yesterday. The dollar “should weaken,” they said.  Fed policy makers said yesterday they plan to buy up to $300 billion of U.S. government bonds and step up purchases of mortgage bonds, expanding the central bank’s balance sheet by as much as $1.15 trillion. The extra supply of dollars threatens to overwhelm investors just as the budget deficit swells. See: http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=afRBNPiWNYeY&refer=home 4) Russian planes again fly over U.S. Navy ships U.S. military officials said that in both cases, U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighters met up with the Russian aircraft about 70 nautical miles from the U.S. ships and flew alongside them until they left the area. On both days, U.S. aircraft tried contacting the Russian planes on international air frequency radio channels, but the Russian pilots did not respond, officials said. The last time Russian planes flew over a U.S. Navy ship was February 2008, when two Bears flew 2,000 feet over the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz south of Japan. Russian long-range flights skirting U.S. or other nations' boundaries have also been common over the last year. See: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/03/19/us.russia.planes/index.html?iref=mpstoryview 5) Source: 'Several' Missing Somali-Americans Back in U.S. After Overseas Terror Mission Many of the Somali-American men who were recruited to join an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group overseas have returned to the United States, according to a source familiar with an FBI investigation into the matter — but the FBI still has not revealed publicly if it is pursuing arrests in the case. See: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509839,00.html 6) US commanders say US ready for any NKorean missile WASHINGTON (AP) — Two top American military commanders say the United States is "fully prepared to respond" to North Korea's planned rocket launch next month, calling it a threat to U.S. security. The comments come as North Korea reportedly prepares for what the U.S. believes will be a long-range missile test in early April. See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gJe29dzr3Xp0pPHuipQs51_jBmYQD9715QCO0

Mob Rule, ObamaNation Mandatory Volunteerism, ACORN probe, Pelosi Praises Illegal Immigrants

1) Mob Rule: Scorn Trails A.I.G. Executives, Even in Their Driveways The A.I.G. executive who was nicknamed “Jackpot Jimmy” by a New York tabloid walked up the driveway toward his bay-windowed house in Fairfield, Conn., on Thursday afternoon. "How do I feel?” said the executive, James Haas, repeating the question he had just been asked. “I feel horrible. This has been a complete invasion of privacy." Mr. Haas walked on, his pink shirt a burst of color on a slate-gray afternoon. The words came haltingly. "You have to understand,” he said, “there are kids involved, there have been death threats. ..." His voice trailed off. It looked as if he was fighting back tears. "I didn’t have anything to do with those credit problems,” said Mr. Haas, 47. “I told Mr. Liddy” — Edward M. Liddy, the chief executive of A.I.G., the insurance giant — “I would rescind my retention contract.”  He ended the conversation with a request: “Leave my neighbors alone.” See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/nyregion/20siege.html?_r=1 1b) Senate Republicans brake rush to tax AIG bonuses WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans are drawing out a flap that has made the Obama administration squirm, applying the brakes to Democratic attempts to quickly tax away most of the bonuses at troubled insurance giant AIG and other bailed-out companies. …If the government goes around canceling contracts like those calling for AIG bonuses, people might stop entering into contracts that call for using government bailout money designed to get credit flowing again to help spend the nation out of recession.  Some firms could be scared away from the bailout program, said Scott Talbott, senior vice president of government affairs for the Financial Services Roundtable.  "Ultimately it will undermine the recovery efforts," Talbott said. "It will have a chilling effect on ability to attract and retain employees," Talbott said Indeed it will! See story 1c!!!! See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090321/ap_on_go_co/aig_bonuses 1c) Fannie, Freddie Decry Bill to Tax Bonuses Legislation to severely tax bonuses at companies receiving government aid may imperil the Obama administration's housing recovery program by igniting an exodus of employees from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, employees at the companies said. See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031903810.html The AIG mess: My husband’s commentary: “The AIG executives and other similar capitalistic executives are the new Jews of Nazi Germany. In very bad times, a scapegoat is needed for the populace to blame. Because of their hard work and strong values, The Jews in Germany were generally successful and therefore they were targets for all the ills of post war Germany. And the angry people bought it. "Yeah! Get those Jews -those dirty bastards!" So then, their glorious government with a fresh and charismatic young ideologue named Hitler took power with the "ultimate solution" to all of Germany's woes. And the people cheered with glassy eyed adoration and took up their own bricks to break the Jews windows drag them out of their homes, send them to camps and systematically kill them. The truth is that Germany's troubles before, during and after World War One were all due to corrupt government. Government is, almost universally, the root of evil in all countries; including the rise and fall of the third reich.”   2) Auditors project deeper deficits for Obama budget President Barack Obama's budget would produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next decade, more than four times the deficits of Republican George W. Bush's presidency, congressional auditors said Friday. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090321/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_budget And: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/03/20/auditors_project_deeper_deficits_for_obama_budget 2) House adopts plan for 'volunteer' corps, Also requires new evaluation of 'mandatory' service for all The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a plan to set up a new "volunteer corps" and consider whether "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people" should be developed.  The legislation also refers to "uniforms" that would be worn by the "volunteers" and the "need" for a "public service academy, a 4-year institution" to "focus on training" future "public sector leaders." The training, apparently, would occur at "campuses."  The vote yesterday came on H.R. 1388, which reauthorizes through 2014 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, acts that originally, among other programs, funded the AmeriCorps and the National Senior Service Corps. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92288 2a) ObamaNation, volunteerism, The Give Act By Judi McLeod Monday, March 16, 2009  The biting winds of change are blowing through ObamaNation. The same “volunteerism” that kept America running since the days of its founding, wiped out with the stroke of a pen, will no longer be volunteerism. It becomes forced labor and like the practice of another era, presses American citizens of all ages and creeds, unknowingly into military service.  On paper, H.R. 1388 is the “Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act”; the more innocuous sounding “The Give Act”, for short. But “The Give Act” is not part of Obama’s distant future for unsuspecting American citizens, because it hits the House floor tomorrow. See: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/9374 3) Glenn Beck: Pelosi praises illegal immigrants OLTMAN: I think it's bad enough, Glenn, to have congressmen going around the country pandering to illegal aliens, trying to overturn the laws, certainly not protecting jobs for American workers. But when a speaker of the house who is second in line to succession to the president and a national political figure starts pandering to illegal aliens and telling them that they are very patriotic because they are taking responsibility for our country's future, I think that's something everybody ought to hear. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/23008/ 4) Democrat Conyers suggests probe of ACORN In an startling partisan shift, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. on Thursday proposed holding hearings on claims the liberal activist group ACORN engaged in a pattern of crimes ranging from voter fraud to a mob-style “protection” racket.  Mr. Conyers, Michigan Democrat and fierce partisan, suggested a congressional probe after scathing testimony about the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) during a hearing on various voting issues related to the 2008 presidential election.  Mr. Conyers called the accusations “a pretty serious matter.” See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/20/conyers-suggests-probe-of-acorn/ And: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92369 5) U.S. backs global alternative to dollar: EU crisis builds momentum for IMF to form alternative exchange Increasingly, the International Monetary Fund, with the support of the United States and Russia, appears positioned to launch a one-world currency at the upcoming G-20 meeting in London.  The move is intended to be a last-ditch effort to prevent massive bank failures from occurring throughout the European Union. The idea is for the IMF to issue at least $250 billion in Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, to IMF member states as a method of placing a safety net under developing countries that might otherwise have to declare bankruptcy. The idea gained momentum Tuesday when the Moscow Times published an article revealing that the Kremlin intended to use the G-20 meeting, beginning April 2, to push for the IMF to utilize SDRs as "a super-reserve currency widely accepted by the whole of the international community." See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92207 6) Wal-Mart awards $2 billion to U.S. hourly employees See: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52I4PS20090319 7) INTERVIEW-U.S. farm group backs world grain reserve proposal See: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/reuters/2009/03/19/2009-03-19T141723Z_01_LJ943430_RTRIDST_0_CEREALS-G8-US-INTERVIEW.html

Obama Received AIG Bonus, ACORN mob tactics, FED Devaluing our Currency, Obama 2.0

1) Dodd: Administration pushed for language protecting bonuses (CNN) -- Senate Banking committee Chairman Christopher Dodd told CNN Wednesday that he was responsible for language added to the federal stimulus bill to make sure that already-existing contracts for bonuses at companies receiving federal bailout money were honored. Dodd acknowledged his role in the change after a Treasury Department official told CNN the administration pushed for the language. See: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/18/aig.bonuses.congress/index.html Remember from the last post that AIG has sent BILLIONS overseas to European banks. This is all a smoke screen… 1a) House passes bill taxing AIG and other bonuses WASHINGTON – Denouncing a "squandering of the people's money," lawmakers voted decisively Thursday to impose a 90 percent tax on millions of dollars in employee bonuses paid by troubled insurance giant AIG and other bailed-out companies. The House vote was 328-93. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate and President Barack Obama quickly signaled general support for the concept (emphasis mine). "I look forward to receiving a final product that will serve as a strong signal to the executives who run these firms that such compensation will not be tolerated," the president said in a statement. …Republicans took Democrats to task for rushing to tax AIG bonuses worth an estimated $165 million after the majority party stripped from last month's economic stimulus bill a provision that could have banned such payouts. Remember, government money comes with strings… …The bill would impose a 90 percent tax on bonuses given to employees with family incomes above $250,000 at American International Group and other companies that have received at least $5 billion in government bailout money. It would apply to any such bonuses issued since Dec. 31. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090320/ap_on_go_co/aig_outrage 1b) Obama Received a $101,332 Bonus from AIG Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions according to Opensecrets.org. The two biggest Congressional recipients of bonuses from the A.I.G. are - Senators Chris Dodd and Senator Barack Obama.  See: http://www.examiner.com/x-268-Right-Side-Politics-Examiner~y2009m3d17-Obama-Received-a-101332-Bonus-from-AIG 2) Fed to pump another $1 trillion into U.S. economy WASHINGTON: The Federal Reserve sharply stepped up its efforts to bolster the economy on Wednesday, announcing that it would pump an extra $1 trillion into the financial system by purchasing Treasury bonds and mortgage securities. Having already reduced the key interest rate it controls nearly to zero, the central bank has increasingly turned to alternatives like buying securities as a way of getting more dollars into the economy, a tactic that amounts to creating vast new sums of money out of thin air. But the moves on Wednesday were its biggest yet, almost doubling all of the Fed's measures in the last year. …But there were also clear indications that the Fed was taking risks that could dilute the value of the dollar and set the stage for future inflation. Gold prices rose $26.60 an ounce, hitting $942, a sign of declining confidence in the dollar. The dollar, which had been losing value in recent weeks to the euro and the yen, dropped sharply again on Wednesday. See: http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/18/business/fed.php 3) Hill panel testimony to accuse ACORN of mob tactics A lawyer for a whistleblower on the activist group ACORN is prepared to tell a House panel Thursday that the group provided liberal causes with protest-for-hire services and coerced donations from the targets of demonstrations through a mob-style "protection" racket.  ACORN called it the "muscle for the money" program, according to prepared testimony Pittsburgh lawyer Heather Heidelbaugh plans to deliver at a hearing of the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, civil rights and civil liberties.  A copy of her prepared testimony was obtained by The Washington Times.  The protest shakedowns are among a slew of accusations that Ms. Heidelbaugh intends to make against the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. She also will accuse the nonprofit group of violating tax, campaign-finance and other laws by sharing a list of President Obama's maxed-out campaign donors to solicit more funds for a get-out-the-vote drive. The accusations, which are based entirely on sworn court testimony late last year by ACORN whistleblower Anita Moncrief, range from unlawfully coordinating campaign activity with Mr. Obama's presidential campaign to deliberately engaging in voter-registration fraud and misusing federal grant money. See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/19/hill-panel-testimony-to-accuse-acorn-of-mob-tactic/ 4) Obama's campaign network mobilized to promote agenda Four months after the election, President Barack Obama is resurrecting his campaign army in Florida and nationwide to help him sell his $3.5 trillion budget to Congress. It's the first call to action by Organizing for America, the Democratic Party initiative to turn the campaign's vast grass-roots network into a year-round support system that registers voters, promotes the administration's policies and lays the groundwork for a second term. Known informally as Obama 2.0 because it represents the second phase of the Internet-savvy campaign, the program will test the staying power of a celebrity president long after the bumper stickers start to fade.  The Democratic Party plans to deploy staffers across the country over the next several weeks, including 35 to 40 people in Florida, the nation's largest swing state. The campaign-in-waiting could set the stage for Florida Democrats in the 2010 election, when a U.S. Senate seat and possibly other statewide offices will be up for grabs. See: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/story/955747.html 5) At G20, Kremlin to Pitch New International Currency The Kremlin published its priorities Monday for an upcoming meeting of the G20, calling for the creation of a supranational reserve currency to be issued by international institutions as part of a reform of the global financial system.  The International Monetary Fund should investigate the possible creation of a new reserve currency, widening the list of reserve currencies or using its already existing Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, as a "superreserve currency accepted by the whole of the international community," the Kremlin said in a statement issued on its web site. See: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/600/42/375364.htm 6) Guantanamo Detainees May Be Released in U.S. WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Eric Holder said some detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may end up being released in the U.S. as the Obama administration works with foreign allies to resettle some of the prisoners. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123741378746277081.html?mod=googlenews_wsj 7) Tax Day tea parties expected to number more than 1,000 'We don't necessarily need mainstream media anymore' See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92276 8) Mystery solved: Police chief ordered troops: U.S. Army forces sent to Alabama town after shooting spree See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92191 9) Obama secures $500,000 book advance See: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/19/Obama_secures_500000_book_advance/UPI-82081237468228/ Rush comments: I remember when Mr. Newt announced a book deal when he was Speaker of the House, my gosh, the Drive-Bys and the Democrats just castigated Newt for trading on his office.  See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_031909/content/01125104.guest.html

Unity '09, Russia Arming, Obama Manipulating Stock Market?

1) Unity '09: Dem groups quietly align

A broad coalition of left-leaning groups is quietly closing ranks into a new coalition, "Unity '09," aimed at helping President Barack Obama push his agenda through Congress.  Conceived at a New York meeting before the November election, two Democrats familiar with the planning said, Unity '09 will draw together money and grassroots organizations to pressure lawmakers in their home states to back White House legislation and other progressive causes. The online-based MoveOn.org is a central player in the nascent organization, but other groups involved in planning Unity '09 span a broad spectrum of interests, from the American Civil Liberties Union to the National Council of La Raza to Planned Parenthood, as well as labor unions and environmental groups. See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20008.html 2) Medvedev orders large-scale Russian rearmament MOSCOW (AFP) — President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday announced a "large-scale" rearmament and renewal of Russia's nuclear arsenal, accusing NATO of pushing ahead with expansion near Russian borders. Meeting defence chiefs in Moscow, Medvedev said he was determined to implement reforms to streamline Russia's bloated military and stressed Moscow continued to face several security threats needing robust defense capacity. "From 2011, a large-scale rearmament of the army and navy will begin," Medvedev said. …The head of Russia's strategic missile forces, Nikolai Solovtsov, told news agencies that Russia would start deploying its next-generation RS-24 missiles after the December 5 expiry of the START-1 treaty with the United States. Moscow hopes to replace the treaty with a new accord. Russia says its nuclear-capable, multiple-warhead RS-24 missiles are capable of overcoming defences such as the US missile shield. See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jm82XaN3cRVKmuux4vxfTXGexI4Q 3) Gates readies big cuts in weapons …Now, as the only Bush Cabinet member to remain under President Obama, Gates is preparing the most far-reaching changes in the Pentagon's weapons portfolio since the end of the Cold War, according to aides. Two defense officials who were not authorized to speak publicly said Gates will announce up to a half-dozen major weapons cancellations later this month. Candidates include a new Navy destroyer, the Air Force's F-22 fighter jet, and Army ground-combat vehicles, the offi cials said. More cuts are planned for later this year after a review that could lead to reductions in programs such as aircraft carriers and nuclear arms, the officials said. See: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/03/17/gates_readies_big_cuts_in_weapons/   So, at the same time Russia is massively rearming, the US is making big cuts. Does that seem wise to anyone? 4) Is Obama manipulating the stock market?  Economist claims president 'jawboning' economy to boost Dow …Bolser said Bernanke's appearance on "60 Minutes" appeared to be part of the Obama administration's plan to influence the stock market and push the economy in a positive direction. …Bolser noted the Fed was backing up the Obama administration's positive rhetoric with a series of highly complicated market transaction designed to build up the stock market by pumping billions into various avenues, including the purchase of futures contracts, aimed at forcing the Dow to rally. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92100 5) Veterans Groups Blast Obama Plan for Private Insurance to Pay for Service-Related Health Care President Obama's plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs for the treatment of troops injured in service has angered veterans groups who say the government has a moral obligation to pay for service-related medical care.  See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/17/vets-group-blasts-obama-plan-private-insurance-pay-service-related-health-care/ And: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92111 6) Study: Israel may attack Iran nuclear sites with ballistic missiles Ballistic missiles could be Israel's weapon of choice against Iranian nuclear facilities if it decides on a pre-emptive attack and deems air strikes too risky, according to a report by a Washington think-tank. See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1071718.html 7) China Gains Key Assets In Spate of Purchases SHANGHAI -- Chinese companies have been on a shopping spree in the past month, snapping up tens of billions of dollars' worth of key assets in Iran, Brazil, Russia, Venezuela, Australia and France in a global fire sale set off by the financial crisis.  The deals have allowed China to lock up supplies of oil, minerals, metals and other strategic natural resources it needs to continue to fuel its growth. The sheer scope of the agreements marks a shift in global finance, roiling energy markets and feeding worries about the future availability and prices of those commodities in other countries that compete for them, including the United States. See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/16/AR2009031603293.html?hpid=topnews 8) GOP eyes Bush v. Gore for Coleman A state court could rule any day now on Norm Coleman’s challenge to Al Franken’s 225-vote lead in Minnesota, but the race may be far from over no matter what the judges say.  Top Republicans are encouraging Coleman to be as litigious as possible and take his fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if he loses this round, believing that an elongated court fight is worth it if they can continue to deny Democrats the 59th Senate seat that Franken would represent.  And in pushing a possible Supreme Court conclusion, Republicans are raising case history that makes Democrats shudder: Bush v. Gore. See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20084.html 9) Sources: US to sign UN gay rights declaration WASHINGTON – The Obama administration will endorse a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that then-President George W. Bush had refused to sign, The Associated Press has learned. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090318/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_gay_rights

Obama Protest Ignored by Media, Iranian Drone Shot Down, Fines for Growing Food?

1) Obama Protests aka Tea Parties Largely Ignored by Media Since CNBC's Rick Santelli first suggested a Chicago Tea Party to protest President Obama's plans to "stimulate" the economy and bailout homeowners through unrestrained government spending, organized demonstrations have been occurring across the fruited plain. In fact, as Glenn Reynolds reported moments ago, there's one happening today in Cincinnati.   Unfortunately, unless you frequent conservative websites, you'd have no idea that such events were being staged.  See: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/03/15/obama-protests-aka-tea-parties-largely-ignored-media 2) More on States Refusing Stimulus and Why Debt-laden state governments were supposed to be the big winners from the $787 billion economic stimulus bill. But at least five Republican Governors are saying thanks but no thanks to some of the $150 billion of "free" money doled out to states, because it could make their budget headaches much worse down the line. And they're right. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123535040968044863.html 3) Obama’s Scary Hoover-Style Tax Hikes The composition of the tax hikes in the 2010 budget is frighteningly similar to the Revenue Act of 1932, the much-maligned Hoover tax hikes that put the “Great” in Great Depression by putting an enormous tax burden on millions of Americans, largely through excise taxes. These taxes, raised even further by FDR, were justified by the promise that the funds would be returned in the form of relief programs, which is to say that some portion of the tax revenue, after administrative costs in Washington, would go back to the states with strings attached, often to further political rather than economic objectives. See: http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/02/kerpen_obama_hoover/ 3b) The Cost of the Cap-and-Trade Program for American Households A cap-and-trade program to control greenhouse gas emissions will impose an enormous economic burden on American households, according to a new study by the George C. Marshall Institute.

See:http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=17637

3c) Glenn Beck: Obama wants your thermostat …Czar Browner says, I think first of all that the science has just become incredibly clear that the impacts are real, that they will be real and we need to do something right away. We need to make sure that we're moving electricity in the smartest way -- listen to this -- and using the most cost effective electricity at the right time of day. Eventually we can get to a system where an electric company will be able to hold back some of the power so that your air conditioner won't operate at its peak. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22793/ And: http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/energy/2009/03/09/on-climate-change-the-science-has-just-become-incredibly-clear.html 4) AIG ships billions in bailout abroad (yes, billions, not a measly $165 million) Billions of American taxpayer dollars used to bailout insurance giant AIG are flowing to some of the largest foreign banks in the world, according to new documents released by beleaguered company Sunday. See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20039.html 5) US says it shot down Iranian drone last month See: http://townhall.com/news/world/2009/03/16/us_says_it_shot_down_iranian_drone_last_month And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq 6) Lose your property for growing food? Big Brother legislation could mean prosecution, fines up to $1 million House Resolution 875, or the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in February. DeLauro's husband, Stanley Greenburg, works for Monsanto – the world's leading producer of herbicides and genetically engineered seed.  DeLauro's act has 39 co-sponsors and was referred to the House Agriculture Committee on Feb. 4. It calls for the creation of a Food Safety Administration to allow the government to regulate food production at all levels – and even mandates property seizure, fines of up to $1 million per offense and criminal prosecution for producers, manufacturers and distributors who fail to comply with regulations. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92002

Cuba and Venezuela could host Russian bombers, Iran, Other Stories

1) Report: Cuba, Venezuela could host Russian bombers

Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.9776268a25e75ad5b44b4d87e8a32a02.4a1&show_article=1 And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090314/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_bombers_cuba 2) America is irritating the rest of the world with its current fiscal practices. Remember in the last post that China was “worried” about our spending? Now notice the following quotes from the article cited below: “But officials remained cool to a U.S. push for more coordinated government spending to stimulate economies”; and “Germany, which has been the most outspoken critic of the U.S. push for more spending, said that fixing the financial system has to come first.” See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090315/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_g20_finance_ministers 3) Iranian president declares his country a space and nuclear power TEHRAN, March 13 (RIA Novosti) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Friday that pressure from Western powers trying to keep Iran in economic isolation have in fact spurred the country to become a space and nuclear power.  "Had you not been bad-tempered and blocked the way, the Iranian nation would not have been present in space, and would not have become a nuclear power," Fars news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying at the inauguration ceremony of a natural gas deposit in the Bushehr province. See: http://en.rian.ru/world/20090313/120554424.html 4) The White House Misfires on Limbaugh …Was it smart politics and good policy? No. For one thing, it gave the lie to Barack Obama's talk about ending "the political strategy that's been all about division" and "the score-keeping and the name-calling." The West Wing looked populated by petulant teenagers intent on taking down a popular rival. Such talk also shortens the president's honeymoon by making him look like a street-fighting Chicago pol instead of an inspirational, unifying figure. The upward spike in ratings for Rush and other conservative radio commentators shows how the White House's attempt at a smackdown instead energized the opposition. Did it do any good with voters not strongly tied to either party? I suspect not. With stock markets down, unemployment growing, banks tottering, consumers anxious, business leaders nervous, and the economy shrinking, the Obama administration's attacks on a radio talk show host made it seem concerned with the trivial. See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123682426946303905.html 5) Louisiana Governor Rejects Unemployment Stimulus Money See: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/13/jindal-to-reject-98-million-less-than-sanford-perry/ 6) Clinton middle school students get condoms as part of health fair giveaway Clinton middle school parents were in for awkward conversations Thursday night after some students got condoms as part of a school health fair giveaway. "I kind of freaked out," said a Clinton seventh-grade girl, adding she was so shocked and embarrassed when she pulled a condom out of a goodie bag that she dropped it. "I turned to my friend and said, 'What do I do with this?' and I gave it to someone. I wasn't going to keep it."  The Ryan Medical Center, a health care provider located in the school, handed out the bags as part of an HIV/AIDS awareness program. See: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/03/12/2009-03-12_clinton_middle_school_students_get_condo.html

Special Announcement: Don't miss John Stossel on "Bailouts and Bull", on ABC's 20/20, Today at 10 ET/9 CT!!! See: http://abcnews.go.com/2020

1) China “worried” about US Treasury Holdings

BEIJING (AP) - China's premier expressed concern Friday about its massive holdings of Treasuries and other U.S. debt, appealing to Washington to safeguard their value, and said Beijing is ready to expand its stimulus if the economy worsens. Premier Wen Jiabao noted that Beijing is the biggest foreign creditor to the United States and called on Washington to see that its response to the global slowdown does not damage the value of Chinese holdings. "We have made a huge amount of loans to the United States. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I'm a little bit worried," Wen said at a news conference following the closing of China's annual legislative session. "I would like to call on the United States to honor its words, stay a credible nation and ensure the safety of Chinese assets." See: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090313/D96T37FO0.html And: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090313/ap_on_bi_ge/as_china_us_economy 2) ACORN and MoveOn Now Targeting Moderate Democrats… Republicans hammered Barack Obama over his connection to ACORN during last year’s election, but now ACORN is taking a swing at some Democrats — with the help of liberal activists at MoveOn.org.  The role reversal arises out of the groups’ anger at moderate House Democrats who opposed a housing bill that has more generous bankruptcy rules for people facing foreclosure.  Next week this coalition will begin airing TV ads criticizing House Democrats who voted against the measure, which would for the first time give judges the authority to restructure home mortgages — a procedure known as a cramdown.  The House last week voted 234-191 to pass the housing bill with the bankruptcy provision, but 24 Democrats, mostly moderates, voted against it. ACORN, a coalition of housing activists, has made this measure a top priority in the new Congress. See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19913.html 3) Centrist Dems dodge labor bill Eleven Democratic senators and 22 Democratic House members who cosponsored the 2007 version of EFCA — or “card check,” as its opponents call it — have steered clear of the version unveiled this week by Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). 

In the midst of a recession, moderate Senate Democrats don’t want to tie themselves to legislation that’s been billed as bad for business. But they don’t want to distance themselves from the legislation, either, for fear of alienating their loyal supporters in labor.

See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19918.html

4) Where using embryonic stem cells leads… Use aborted foetus organs in transplants, urges scientist Kidneys and livers from aborted foetuses could be given to the desperately ill and ease the organ donor shortage, a leading scientist has claimed.  Professor Sir Richard Gardner, an Oxford University stem cell expert, said foetal tissues may offer a more realistic solution to the lack of organs than other technologies being developed.  But the proposal has horrified pro-life and Christian groups, who say it is 'morally abhorrent', and raises the prospect of abortions being timed to suit transplant patients. See: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1161085/Use-aborted-foetus-organs-transplants-urges-scientist.html 5) Obama’s New ‘Council on Women’ Seen As Vehicle to Promote Feminist Agenda White House (CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama on Wednesday created a new bureaucracy to deal with women’s health, domestic violence and economic security. But some conservatives fear the new council will actively promote the feminist agenda in the government. See: http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=44925 6) Do you hate the rich? What's the point? This country has convinced itself that you can have it all. But you can't; you can only have one or the other.  We can hate the rich and want them to go broke or we can want them to prosper so they can pay for all our free stuff. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22662/ 7) For those of us in Illinois…let’s move out! Illinois income tax rate may rise by 50% TRIBUNE UPDATE: Gov. Pat Quinn today acknowledged he plans to raise income taxes in the wake of a Chicago Tribune story that he is considering a 50 percent increase on individuals. He declined to confirm details in the Tribune report, which said he is looking at raising the personal income tax from 3 percent to 4.5 percent as well as increasing personal exemptions. See: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-quinn-tax-hike-13mar13,0,7352846.story

Special Announcement: Don't miss John Stossel on "Bailouts and Bull", on ABC's 20/20, Friday at 10 ET/9 CT!!! See: http://abcnews.go.com/2020

1) Texas gov. rejects stimulus money for unemployment

HOUSTON – Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced Thursday he turned down $555 million of federal stimulus funding that would expand the state's unemployment benefits, saying the money would have required the state to keep paying for the expanded benefits after the stimulus money ran out. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090313/ap_on_re_us/stimulus_texas 1a) Pelosi dodges chance to end automatic pay raises See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090313/ap_on_go_co/congress_pay 1b) Obama's honeymoon bliss fading The most optimistic say Obama and Democrats in Congress will face a political backlash unless the economy improves by Election Day 2010. See: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obama-honeymoon-fades-2009-03-11.html 2) 'Deep concern' Obama ready to talk to Hamas Terrorist group calls for murder of Jews, destruction of Israel JERUSALEM – There is deep concern among Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization that the U.S. government has changed its attitude toward Hamas and may be ready to end the terrorist group's isolation, a senior PA negotiator told WND. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91441 2a) Should we let Iran go nuclear? Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also dismissed his American counterpart’s desire for direct talks, saying they could only happen if the U.S. abandons her “satanic, coercive and aggressive ways.”  Yet even as the leaders of Iran talk about annihilating Israel and the U.S., and feverishly try to build, buy or steal nuclear weapons, a growing chorus of “experts” in the U.S. foreign policy community are actually suggesting a nuclear-armed Iran might not be such a terrible thing. See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22566/ 2b) Taliban say Obama's call on moderates "illogical" KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban on Tuesday turned down as illogical U.S. President Barack Obama's bid to reach out to moderate elements of the insurgents, saying the exit of foreign troops was the only solution for ending the war. Obama, in an interview with the New York Times, expressed an openness to adapting tactics in Afghanistan that had been used in Iraq to reach out to moderate elements there. "This does not require any response or reaction for this is illogical," Qari Mohammad Yousuf, a purported spokesman for the insurgent group, told Reuters when asked if its top leader Mullah Mohammad Omar would make any comment about Obama's proposal. "The Taliban are united, have one leader, one aim, one policy...I do not know why they are talking about moderate Taliban and what it means?," See: http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE5291GQ20090310 3) Birds of a feather? Newsweek bails out Air America Left-leaning radio network strikes deal to broadcast news magazine's show See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91523 4) Survey: Less Than 1 Percent of Young Adults Hold Biblical Worldview This is the reason for God’s coming wrath… See: http://www.christianpost.com/Society/Polls_reports/2009/03/survey-less-than-1-percent-of-young-adults-hold-biblical-worldview-10/

Dick Durbin's Letter to Me

Dick Durbin’s Response to Me, Received Today Via E-mail  (see March 2 post for my original letter) Notice he does not respond at all to my original question about his bill (attached to the DC Voting Rights Bill) which directs the FCC to "promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest" and is essentially the Fairness Doctrine through the back door. “March 12, 2009 Dear Mr. and Mrs. Ward: Thank you for contacting me regarding the Fairness Doctrine. I appreciate hearing from you and share your opposition to this standard.  In February of 2009, I voted for an amendment to the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 prohibiting the FCC from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) implemented the Fairness Doctrine in 1949 to serve two purposes; to ensure broadcasters cover issues of public interest on the airwaves, and to guarantee a space where contrasting viewpoints could be expressed. In 1987, the FCC abolished the Fairness Doctrine arguing that the growth in the number and the variety of broadcasters along with first amendment concerns made the measure obsolete.  I believe that, due to the technological advances and the growth in the number of broadcasters using the public airwaves, the Fairness Doctrine is no longer necessary.  Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch. Sincerely,  Richard J. Durbin United States Senator  RJD/tr”

1) ‘Manchurian Candidate’ Starts War on Business: Kevin Hassett

March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Back in the 1960s, Lyndon Johnson gave us the War on Poverty. In the 1970s, Richard Nixon launched the War on Drugs. Now that we have seen President Barack Obama’s first-year legislative agenda, we know what kind of a war he intends to wage.  It is no wonder that markets are imploding around us. Obama is giving us the War on Business. Imagine that some hypothetical enemy state spent years preparing a “Manchurian Candidate” to destroy the U.S. economy once elected. What policies might that leader pursue?  He might discourage private capital from entering the financial sector by instructing his Treasury secretary to repeatedly promise a brilliant rescue plan, but never actually have one. Private firms, spooked by the thought of what government might do, would shy away from transactions altogether. If the secretary were smooth and played rope-a-dope long enough, the whole financial sector would be gone before voters could demand action. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_hassett&sid=amhpOT5rlR1Y 1b) Why The Founding Fathers Would Want Obama's Plans to Fail

Obama and Pelosi, along with their most ardent supporters, are the types to see a crisis, like our current economic mess, as a “great opportunity,” as the president put it last Saturday. They are the types, after a long period out of power, to attempt to use that “great opportunity” to push through far-reaching changes in national policy that had only a tangential connection, if at all, to the crisis at hand. And they are the types the Founding Fathers wanted to stop.

See:http://www.dcexaminer.com/politics/Why-The-Founding-Fathers-Would-Want-Obamas-Plans-to-Fail-40992107.html

1c) Congress approves massive $410B spending bill See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_go_co/congress_spending 2) 9/11 defendants: 'We are terrorists to the bone'   SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Five men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks mock U.S. authorities and proclaim themselves "terrorists to the bone" in a war crimes court filing released Tuesday.   See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090310/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_guantanamo_sept11_trial 2b) Detainees Say They Planned Sept. 11 The five detainees at Guantánamo Bay charged with planning the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have filed a document with the military commission at the United States naval base there expressing pride at their accomplishment and accepting full responsibility for the killing of nearly 3,000 people. See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/us/10gitmo.html?_r=4&hp 3) More on the Murdering of Human Embryos "What he did in his executive order yesterday was open the door to the creation of embryos, whether by cloning or by other technologies, specifically for research in which they would be killed, creating new human life. And all an embryo is, a human embryo is an early stage of life. You and I were once embryos as we were adolescents and children. It's just a stage of development. So this opens the door for human beings for research in which they are destroyed and that's just contrary to the basic principles not only of the Judeo-Christian moral tradition but of the American tradition that says each of us as human beings throughout our lives has dignity and worth and cannot be reduced to the mere status of an object or disposable research material. …By the way, there was something I think very disturbing about the president's speech yesterday. He said that he was opposed to reproductive cloning, and a lot of people took that to mean that the president was against cloning in general. But he's not. In fact, he's not against cloning at all. He's in favor of using cloning technology to create new human embryos, human beings that would be destroyed in research. What he's opposed to is permitting those embryos to live. By reproductive cloning, he just means a ban on implantation once the cloning is complete, the human embryo is created and it's there. He wants them to be used in research and destroyed but not implanted. That's not opposition to cloning." See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/22532/ And: http://townhall.com/columnists/DavidLimbaugh/2009/03/10/the_orwellian_presidential_bully_pulpit 4) More Heat in China: Officials: US ship in China spat was hunting subs WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy ship that got into a scrape with five Chinese vessels last weekend in the South China Sea was looking for threats such as submarines — presumably Chinese — in waters that China claims as its own, defense officials acknowledged Tuesday. The United States maintains that the unarmed USNS Impeccable was operating legally in international waters when it was surrounded and harassed by the Chinese. Beijing responded hotly to a U.S. protest over Sunday's incident, and neither nation is backing down, even as they prepare for a much-anticipated first meeting between President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao next month. …Analysts also noted that the incident, capping a string of provocations in the South China Sea, comes as China nears announcement that it will expand its naval capabilities. China this week also unveiled its plans for a nearly 15 percent increase in defense spending this year. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_china_incident 5) Franken sees 'light at end of tunnel' on Minn race Democrat Al Franken said Tuesday he sees "a light at the end of the tunnel" and expects to be seated as Minnesota's next senator. The former "Saturday Night Live" comic and liberal satirist traveled to Washington for meetings, including the Senate Democratic Caucus lunch. Emerging from the weekly gathering, Franken told reporters he had been asked to give an update to the caucus on his protracted battle with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman. See: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/03/10/franken_sees_light_at_end_of_tunnel_on_minn_race

1) US protests 'harassment' by Chinese vessels

WASHINGTON – Chinese ships surrounded and harassed a Navy mapping ship in international waters off China, at one point coming within 25 feet of the American boat and strewing debris in its path, the Defense Department said Monday. The Obama administration said it would continue naval operations in the South China Sea, most of which China considers its territory, and protested to China about what it called reckless behavior that endangered lives. At one point during the incident Sunday the unarmed USNS Impeccable turned fire hoses on an approaching Chinese ship in self defense, the Pentagon said. At another point a Chinese ship played chicken with the Americans, stopping dead in front of the Impeccable as it tried to sail away, forcing the civilian mariners to slam on the brakes. …Pentagon officials said the incident followed "increasingly aggressive" acts by Chinese ships against the Impeccable on Wednesday and Saturday and against the USNS Victorious surveillance ship on Thursday while it operated in the Yellow Sea. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090310/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_china_incident 2) N. Korea warns intercepting 'satellite' will prompt counterstrike+ PYONGYANG/BEIJING, March 9 (AP) - (Kyodo)—North Korea warned Monday that any move to intercept what it calls a satellite launch and what other countries suspect may be a missile test-firing would result in a counterstrike against the countries trying to stop it.  "We will retaliate (over) any act of intercepting our satellite for peaceful purposes with prompt counterstrikes by the most powerful military means," the official Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesman of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army as saying.  If countries such as the United States, Japan or South Korea try to intercept the launch, the North Korean military will carry out "a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds" of the countries, it said. …The United States, Japan and South Korea have said that even if Pyongyang calls the launch a missile test, it would violate existing U.N. Security Council resolutions. See: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96Q4L200&show_article=1 3) Pelosi Backs Talk Radio Regulations: More on Back-Door Fairness Doctrine House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is supporting legislation that will force the Federal Communications Commission to “promote diversity” on the airwaves – a move many see as a stealth effort to regulate conservative-dominated talk radio without bringing back the controversial Fairness Doctrine.  Pelosi, D-Calif., has thrown her support to an amendment in a Senate bill that directs the FCC to explicitly “take actions to encourage and promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest,” according to CNS News.  The amendment has become known as the Durbin amendment, after its sponsor, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin, D-Ill.  “Certainly, I support Mr. Durbin in most things,” Pelosi told CNS News. “Diversity in media ownership is very, very, important.” See: http://www.newsmax.com/headlines/pelosi_durbin_amendment/2009/03/08/189685.html 4) Memo to President Obama: First Things First, Please Welcome to the Barack Obama bear market. On Inauguration Day, the official beginning of the era of “hope” and “change,” the Dow stood at 8,281. On Friday, it closed at 6,626 – the fastest drop for any president in more than 90 years. Given his track record so far on economics, no wonder Obama wants to talk about health care instead. But before Americans decide to trust the President to “reform” the greatest and most innovative health care system in the world, they might want to take a look at the Administration’s approach to addressing the nation’s most pressing crisis. What policies have Obama and his team presented to reassure the markets and offer the promise of stabilization and renewed growth?  The short answer: None. Rather, the Obama team has inadvertently (one hopes) followed a course that has succeeded only in depressing the market by spooking Wall Street and heightening the climate of fear. See: http://townhall.com/columnists/CarolPlattLiebau/2009/03/09/memo_to_president_obama__first_things_first,_please 5) Eligibility issue sparks 'edit war': Wikipedia blocks users from posting criticism of Obama A WND article reporting yesterday that Wikipedia had been scrubbing President Obama's biography of criticism has resulted in an "edit war" on the website in which a large number of users were barred from posting on key issues, including any mention of challenges to Obama's eligibility.  Ultimately, administrators at Wikipedia, the online "free encyclopedia" mega-site written and edited by its users, entirely locked Obama's page so that only top editors could make changes to the entry – and only if a change is supported by a consensus of editors. See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91257

1) Source: Obama to reverse limits on stem cell work (Translation: Your Tax Dollars Will Now Fund the Murdering of Human Embryos) WASHINGTON – Reversing an eight-year-old limit on potentially life-saving science, President Barack Obama plans to lift restrictions Monday on taxpayer-funded research using embryonic stem cells. The long-promised move will allow a rush of research aimed at one day better treating, if not curing, ailments from diabetes to paralysis — research that crosses partisan lines, backed by such notables as Nancy Reagan and the late Christopher Reeve. But it stirs intense controversy over whether government crosses a moral line with such research. Obama will hold an event at the White House to announce the move, a senior administration official said Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the policy had not yet been publicly announced. Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can morph into any cell of the body. Scientists hope to harness them so they can create replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases — such as new insulin-producing cells for diabetics, cells that could help those with Parkinson's disease or maybe even Alzheimer's, or new nerve connections to restore movement after spinal injury. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090307/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_stem_cells What this article doesn’t say is that equal or better advances have been made with non-embryonic stem cells found in cord blood… 2) The Assault on Rush Continues… WASHINGTON – A Democratic official rebuked conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh on Friday for suggesting a health care proposal will be named in memory of Sen. Edward Kennedy, who is battling brain cancer. On his radio show, Limbaugh said President Barack Obama's proposed health care revisions will be championed by "the liberal lion Teddy Kennedy." Limbaugh has been at the center of a partisan dispute since telling a conservative group last month that he hoped Obama's economic policies would fail. Democrats have accused Republicans of letting Limbaugh be their de facto leader, which GOP officials deny. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090307/ap_on_go_co/limbaugh_kennedy 2b) Congressman Frank Blames Foreclosures on Mr. Lim-baugh See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030609/content/01125113.guest.html Well, I also hope his policies fail. They are destructive for the Republic and for every kind of liberty.  3) Minn. high court rejects Franken's Senate request The Minnesota Supreme Court on Friday blocked Democrat Al Franken's petition for an election certificate that would put him in the U.S. Senate without waiting for a lawsuit to run its course. The decision means the seat will remain empty until the lawsuit and possible appeals in state court are complete. Republican Norm Coleman's lawsuit challenging Franken's recount lead is at the end of its sixth week, and both sides expect it to last at least a few more weeks. See: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/03/06/minn_high_court_rejects_frankens_senate_request

1) FDIC Could Be Insolvent This Year

“A large number” of bank failures may occur through 2010 because of “rapidly deteriorating economic conditions,” Bair said in the letter. “Without substantial amounts of additional assessment revenue in the near future, current projections indicate that the fund balance will approach zero or even become negative.”  The FDIC last week approved a one-time “emergency” fee and other assessment increases on the industry to rebuild a fund to repay customers for deposits of as much as $250,000 when a bank fails. The fees, opposed by the industry, may generate $27 billion this year after the fund fell to $18.9 billion in the fourth quarter from $34.6 billion in the previous period, the FDIC said. Smaller banks are outraged over the one-time fee, which could wipe out 50 percent to 100 percent of a bank’s 2009 earnings, Camden Fine, president of the Independent Community Bankers of America, said yesterday in a telephone interview (emphasis mine). See: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=alsJZqIFuN3k This is a shakedown and power grab!!!!! I wonder if this has anything to do with the banks that said, “Thanks but no Thanks” (See previous posts). Do ‘ya think???? 2) Russian scholar says US will collapse — next year “MOSCOW – If you're inclined to believe Igor Panarin, and the Kremlin wouldn't mind if you did, then President Barack Obama will order martial law this year, the U.S. will split into six rump-states before 2011, and Russia and China will become the backbones of a new world order. Putin, the former president who is now prime minister, has likened the United States to Nazi Germany's Third Reich and blames Washington for the global financial crisis that has pounded the Russian economy.”   Well, I kind of agree with him on that one… See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090304/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_us_the_end_is_near 3) Senate Republicans force delay on spending bill WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans, demanding the right to try to change a huge spending bill, forced Democrats on Thursday night to put off a final vote on the measure until next week. The surprise development will force Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill to avoid a partial shutdown of the government. See: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090306/ap_on_go_co/congress_spending 4) GLENN BECK: Obama’s Budget Is a Loaded Weapon Aimed at You See: http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/03/04/beck_obama_budget/ 4a) China Now More Capitalist than America STRASZHEIM: China has treated capital better than we have for a decade. There is no tax on gains held short term or long term -- KUDLOW: Wow. STRASZHEIM: -- in the Chinese market. KUDLOW: Wow! STRASZHEIM: Zero, the tax rate is zero. See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030509/content/01125108.guest.html 5) More on the Palestinian State Palestinian Arabs will never accept the existence of a Jewish state on any of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Nor are they willing to abandon their belief, indoctrinated for decades, that all of Israel is "occupied territory." Simply put, if Israel shrinks to one downtown square in Tel Aviv the Palestinian Arabs will still not be satisfied.” See: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/03/if_obama_abandons_israel_what_1.html 5a) Obama's Iran Crisis: It's arriving faster than he thinks.   We've never held out much hope for those talks, which would inevitably be complicated and protracted. Mr. Obama is already trying to lure Russian help on Iran by offering to trade away hard-earned missile defense sites in Eastern Europe. Russia's President claims to be unimpressed. And now it turns out that the rate at which Iran's nuclear programs are advancing may render even negotiations moot.” See: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123612623865424027.html 5b) 'Israel seriously considering Iran military op' Israel is seriously considering taking unilateral military action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, according to a report by top US political figures and experts released Wednesday.  The report also says Israel's time frame for action is growing shorter, not only because of Iranian advances, but because Teheran might soon acquire upgraded air defenses and disperse its nuclear program to additional locations.  The report, "Preventing a Cascade of Instability," was put out by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP). It also argues that international sanctions against Iran need to be intensified urgently for the engagement the Obama administration is planning with Teheran to be effective. See: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1236103158937&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

1) Rush Job: Inside Dems' Limbaugh plan

"The administration is enabling me,” he wrote in an e-mail to POLITICO. “They are expanding my profile, expanding my audience and expanding my influence. An ever larger number of people are now being exposed to the antidote to Obamaism: conservatism, as articulated by me. An ever larger number of people are now exposed to substantive warnings, analysis and criticism of Obama's policies and intentions, a ‘story’ I own because the [mainstream media] is largely the Obama Press Office.” See: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19596.html See also: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2009/03/04/msnbcs-david-shuster-badgers-ron-paul-even-you-wont-slam-rush   Yes, the government is demonizing a private citizen/member of the press. That’s a great idea for advancing the cause of freedom…oh, I forgot - they’re not interested in advancing the cause of freedom. They’re interested in taking freedom away.  2) 'U.S. plans to pledge $900 million for Gaza' “The United States plans to pledge more than $900 million to help rebuild Gaza after Israel's offensive against Hamas and strengthen the Palestinian Authority, a U.S. official said on Monday.  The money will be channeled through UN and other bodies and will not be distributed via the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to make the announcement next week at a Gaza donors conference in Egypt.” See: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1066381 Rush Limbaugh’s comment: “But clearly President Barack Obama wants a Palestinian state, and he is going to give Hamas $900 million in an effort to bring that about. It's one of the most starkly anti-Israel positions our government has taken.” See: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_030409/content/01125104.guest.html 3) Iran: Israeli nuclear sites within missile range “Iran's military chief warned Israel Wednesday that its nuclear facilities are within range of Iranian missiles, the latest message from Tehran that it will strike back if attacked.” See: http://townhall.com/news/world/2009/03/04/iran_israeli_nuclear_sites_within_missile_range   4) Obama Lied, the Economy Died “The other difference is that Bush didn't lie about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He merely was mistaken. Whereas Obama told a whopper when he claimed that he is not for bigger government. As he said last week: ‘As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by Presidents Day that would put people back to work and put money in their pockets, not because I believe in bigger government -- I don't.’”

Bush wasn’t mistaken. “Nonexistent” yellowcake uranium was moved from Iraq to Canada (See: http://www.bloggernews.net/116579). But the rest of the above article is good.  

5) National Chairperson for the Communist Party of America Praises Obama

See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22279/?ck=1

1) Obama Defends Tax Hikes

See: http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/03/03/top_obama_officials_defend_tax_hikes_as_necessary Again, takes hikes, even on “the wealthiest of Americans” HAVE NEVER CAUSED ECONOMIC RECOVERY. NEVER! But, hey, if we try it just one more time, I know it’ll work this time! 1a) Economy would be recovering, except for Obama policies “Chapter and verse, a Wall Street Journal editorial makes a convincing case that the economy actually would be recovering were it not for the anti-growth policies being pursued by the Obama administration.” See: http://townhall.com/blog/g/8e31b41d-ab6d-40d5-ad3f-7af7591e76f5?comments=true&commentsSortDirection=Descending And: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123604419092515347.html And: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22187/ “In completely unrelated news, Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" sold more copies in 2008 than any other year since its release in 1957. You know what, there's been -- there could be a lot of book burnings that people are just taking it off the shelf and just burning it. Americans -- I'm quoting from the article -- Americans are flocking to buy and read "Atlas Shrugged" because there are uncanny similarities between the plot line of the book and the events of our day, says Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Center For Individual Rights.” See: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/22226/ 2) Banks Say Thanks, But No Thanks “If you had any doubts about the impact and effectiveness of the $700 billion TARP funding approved by Congress last year (which I opposed), look no further than the growing list of banks that are choosing to opt out of the program and give the money back. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported yesterday that TFC Financial Corp. has joined Northern Trust and Iberiabank Corp. as financial institutions who are staying clear of the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program.  The way TCF Chief Executive Bill Cooper views it:  ‘I don't want to be part of the new regulatory regime that's growing up around TARP. Congress is now talking about putting their oar in the water on just about everything we do. That puts us at a competitive disadvantage.’” See: http://townhall.com/blog/g/f6651e03-566c-46d9-8e8e-20e2ea83df73?comments=true&commentsSortDirection=Descending 3) Clinton: US to support Palestinian state JERUSALEM (AP) — “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. will ‘vigorously’ pursue the creation of a Palestinian state. Clinton is making her first visit to the Mideast as the top U.S. diplomat. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, she said pursuit of a peace agreement that includes a Palestinian state ‘seems inescapable.’” See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jYWGHTcH7n6ITHFwuTfQzyzEy8lgD96MIALG0 Further, “Asked about Netanyahu, Clinton acknowledged the possibility of disagreements with any Israeli government and made clear the U.S. would push forward with its efforts to forge a peace deal that includes the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.” See: http://townhall.com/news/world/2009/03/03/us_inescapable_movement_to_palestinian_state That has NEVER worked. Palestinians don’t want land - they want Israel obliterated as they have continually stated. But hey, if we try it just one more time, I know it’ll work this time!   4) The Pakistani Time Bomb “The Council's report says that "we (presumably America) are running out of time to help Pakistan change its present course toward increasing economic and political instability, and even ultimate failure."  The Council is concerned that Pakistan is unable to curtail al-Qaida, which operates openly in many parts of Pakistan, and the Taliban, which recently took over Swat, a region the size of Delaware. About 3,000 Taliban managed to fight off 12,000 Pakistani troops, forcing Islamabad into a truce.  The Pakistani government agreed to a very dangerous compromise that allows the region to be governed according to Shariah law. In effect, this was a capitulation to the Taliban that greatly increased their stature among the militant tribes along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. This now puts the U.S. military at greater risk along their vulnerable eastern flank and endangers their supply route that must go through part of that territory from the Khyber Pass. It has also left a safe haven for the leaders of al-Qaida.” See: http://www.hallindsey.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=333&Itemid=1

Letter to Dick Durbin: Re: Back Door Fairness Doctrine

Please consider sending the following letter to Dick Durbin, or paste it into his "contact me" link at : http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm ______________________________________ March 2, 2009 Senator Dick Durbin 525 South 8th St.Springfield, IL 62703 Senator: We are aware that, in spite of the recent passing of the Broadcaster Freedom Act, you have personally proposed an amendment, as an attachment to the DC Voting Rights Bill, that would order the Federal Communications Commission to “promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest.” While on the surface appearing to be all about “fairness,” be advised, Mr. Senator, that a growing number of your constituents, including we the undersigned, recognize this as anything but. Rather, we understand that this is a sly but purposeful attempt to eventually impose, albeit by other means, the effects of the Fairness Doctrine itself—namely the restriction of any free speech expressing opposition to, or criticism of, the viewpoints of your (Democrat) party, especially as it currently flows over the airwaves of conservative talk radio. Please remember, Senator, that you are a public servant, elected to represent the voice of your constituents and, above all, protect our Constitutional rights. We are outraged that you have proposed an amendment which would give government the power to legislate in such a way as to interfere with our 1st Amendment Right of Free Speech. And we would like an immediate response to this letter, explaining why you have done so. Should we continue to see you devoting your time in Washington to looking for ways to grow government, subsequently restricting the rights and freedoms of Americans through the penalization of free market principles, we will do everything in our power to see that you lose your Senate seat in the next election. Sincerely,