Today's Special, Taking Power

Today’s Special is about the administration’s power grab in ways that are extra-constitutional. Their full court press against business and industry through ‘bailouts’ and ‘takeovers’ is evident. In fact, these two words have now become synonymous in Washington.

What comes next is right out of the Hugo Chavez playbook. Taking control of those responsible for government oversight like the Office of Inspectors General, and control of the census completes the task.

“Requiring the Census director to report directly to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is a shamefully transparent attempt by your administration to politicize the Census Bureau and manipulate the 2010 Census,” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)

Who knew that the census bureau was in such bad shape that it needs to be taken under the wing of Rahm Emanual  and the executive branch? Since its inception, Congress has the oversight of the census. Why does it now need to be in the executive branch? Can you say ACORN?

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Has Palin Changed The Game?

From a perspective of politics as usual, one could easily call her decision to pass the baton to her Lt. Governor a ‘misunderstanding‘ about governing.

What we know is, like it or not, Palin doesn’t do politics ‘as usual.’

I’ll go out on a limb and say what no media person has said yet. That, being driven by her love of country and her State, she is stepping out of political office so that she can get her message out without being a burden on Alaska in dealing with endless lawsuits.  Which, by the way, is what she said. The tide of media opinion suggests she can’t take the heat and is getting out of the kitchen. Fact is, her message resonates with conservatives, which is a smaller, less intrusive government, where capitalism and free markets, personal freedom and liberty will once again prevail. Her core beliefs are what is driving her. Not conventional politics. Her priorities are faith, family, and then her State, in that order. Essentially, it is all the things that the Obama administration, which only believes in an all powerful and controlling federal government, does not believe in.

There’s no reason to not believe the reason she gave for leaving, nor to doubt the sincerity with which she gave it. (Anyone see a teleprompter?) And I’d wager a guess that her not playing ‘politics as usual’ will give David Axelrod  Excedrin headache number 13 trillion. All the speculation from pundits of her cutting and running is misplaced, wishful thinking.

She hasn’t given up. She has changed the game.

You go girl.

Fair Tax Advocates At Tea Party

Though not widely publicized, there was a ‘Tea Party’ at 9th Ave. & Creighton Road today. Lest there be any doubt, I am a supporter of the Fair Tax. It alone would begin a lasting economic recovery on into the future, without adding to or piling on the current national debt.

The crowd of somewhere between 300-400  people were all, at least the ones I saw and spoke to, well behaved and passionate about what they believe, that the country is going in the wrong direction, in so many ways. Trying to spend our way to prosperity and borrow our way out of debt, taking over private companies and industries all add up to economy killers. Markets pull back at the fear of being next on the hit list. Risk-taking and investment stop. Jobs end. Exactly what we are seeing happen right now.

That’s why most people were there, home-made signs and all. They sang patriotic songs along with a PA system that someone had set up. This is what grassroots looks like.

I, and a few other Fair Tax advocates were there to answer questions about the Fair Tax and to enlist Fair Tax supporters. I am happy to report that we picked up 41 new supporters in those two hours today.

Thanks to two of our newest members Mr. Brown and Mr. Doyel, and to Community Coordinator Jim Whatley, for their help and participation at our Fair Tax table. We handed out pamphlets and spoke to a lot of people. Everyone we spoke to that had questions or were just curious, liked the Fair Tax once they learned more about it.

Special thanks to Lee for the umbrella. We were offering FREE SHADE for people that signed up to join us.

Part of building our grassroots support includes recruiting Community Coordinators and County Coordinators. To learn more about the FFTEA and the above positions,  please check out our website.

I was interviewed by PNJ reporter Thyrie Bland for an article that will be in tomorrow’s paper.

Pictures will be posted here as well as on our FFTEA Panhandle website as soon as I get them.

Update 07/05/09: PNJ article, Protesters take aim at taxes, socialism

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Two Mexican Midget Wrestlers Killed by Fake Prostitutes

What?

MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities say two professional wrestlers found dead in a low-rent hotel in the capital may have been drugged to death by female robbers.

Autopsies are being performed on the two midget wrestlers, one of whom went by the name “La Parkita” — or “Little Death” — and wore a skeleton costume in the ring. The other was known as “Espectrito Jr.”

Authorities say two women were seen leaving the men’s hotel room before the bodies were discovered.

Prosecutor Miguel Angel Mancera said Wednesday that gangs of female robbers are experienced at using drugs to knock men out and rob them, but they may have used too strong a dose.

That may have been because of the wrestlers’ small stature, although larger men have also died in similar crimes.


Hotel Mexifornia? Cancel that trip to Mexico honey. I know, this has nothing to do with politics. Sometimes I’ll digress. But a headline like that bears a second look.

link: Two Mexican Midget Wrestlers Killed by Fake Prostitutes

Helen Thomas, The Point Is Control

‘It’s a pattern of controlling the press.’ The ‘events are pre-packaged.’ This is what Helen Thomas, the Grande Dame of The White House press briefing room, told White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs about the ‘town hall meeting’ that President Obama has planned. Another infomercial. ‘Yes, and if you act now (vote for everything that I think is good for you, you don’t have to read it), you’ll get a second one absolutely FREE.’ Emphasis on ‘free.’

Of course I have to agree with both Chip Reid and Helen Thomas that it is disingenuous to call it something that it is not, where questions solicited over the internet are screened in advance, and they pick and choose the ones they want to answer.

That is not any-one’s definition of a town hall meeting. This is a town hall show. I wonder if someone from Air America radio is advising David Axelrod on how to fool the American people? This is similar to the way that Air America radio host Mike Papantonio and Robert Kennedy Jr run their Ring of Fire radio show. That show is to talk radio as this ‘town hall’ event is to a town hall event.

Frankly, I’m glad to see the media standing up, instead of laying down, to Gibbs (the administration) on the willful deception going on in The White House. They have certainly come a long way since the presidential campaign season when they had enough ‘plants’ in ‘debates’ that were run by them to open up a roadside stand. In either case, it is the same deception. Is this the change you were expecting?

This video is noteworthy just for the sheer incompetence on display in the performance of the White House Press Secretary. This is a real gem.

In responding to Helen Thomas telling Gibbs that the White House screens the questions and calls reporters on the night before to tell them that they will call on them at the ‘town hall’ meeting, Gibbs responds to Thomas with ‘eh, we’ve had this discussion ad nauseum’ and then points to someone else to change the subject. But not before she responds with ‘of course you would, you don’t have any answers.’ Priceless.

See the entire exchange below. Get the kids and some popcorn, you will want to see this again and again.