Monthly Archives: July 2011

Energy, Florida, Judiciary, Pensacola

RICO Suit Against BP Dismissed

A RICO lawsuit brought against BP by Pensacola’s own Levin-Papantonio law firm was thrown out by a federal judge on Friday.

No proof . . .

Barbier dismissed the claims, saying there is no proof the plaintiffs were directly harmed by the alleged racketeering.

Levin-Papantonio and a Greenwood, Miss. law firm alleged that BP defrauded regulators in connection with the safety of its drilling operations, its ability to respond to any oil spill, and its response to the actual spill, to the level of racketeering.

Plaintiffs Attorney Mike Papantonio made this statement a year ago.

“If you consider why we are where we are with this catastrophe, it’s because we allowed the oil industry to dictate what we were supposed to do rather than us dictating what they are supposed to do. An agency charged with safeguarding all of us became captive and simply an extension of the petroleum industry.”

Last Friday, US District Judge Carl Barbier said . . .

there was no proof that the plaintiffs, which include businesses and homeowners, were directly harmed in a way to sustain their claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, or RICO. That law originally was intended to fight organised crime.

So a year later it turns out that following current law takes precedence over woulda coulda shoulda “law.”

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier gave BP another win by setting aside claims filed by one of BP’s partners in the well project that resulted in the disaster.

BP won another battle last month when the court said that the Sierra Club can not join the suit as a plaintiff. Because “the Sierra Club failed to show that its interests in the suit were strong enough to grant its motion to join the matter as a plaintiff.” No standing.

I guess we won’t be seeing Dick Cheney being frog marched for anything to do with the Deepwater Horizon accident.

2011 July BP Civil RICO Dismissal

[scribd id=60103140 key=key-1lvzxa3tr5b4h5qjky3d mode=list]
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Economy, Media, Pensacola, Politics

Liberal Translation

2 Comments

There are a couple of things going on in Washington. I mean besides class warfare and wealth envy from Democrats and the Progressive talkers out there.

From now on, instead of increasing taxes, the term to use (in Obamaspeak) is increasing revenue. After all, who doesn’t want more revenue? Fact is, they just can’t sell their plan if they have to be honest about what they want to do, which is raise taxes, on millionaires and billionaires. Translation, mostly small business owners.

Next is the debt ceiling debate and the way President Obama is lying about it and its effects on social security checks in a few weeks.

The deception that Obama counts on is that the dumb masses will equate, like he suggests, that if he doesn’t get the debt ceiling increased, and if he doesn’t get to raise taxes, then Social Security, Medicare, and Military checks might not be paid. And as Ed Shultz and Mike Papantonio and their callers suggest, the Republicans want old people to just get sick and die, and will leave soldiers oversease stuck there with no ammo, food, or a way home.

One of the Liberal callers to the Ed & Pap show actually told Ed Shultz that the two, debt limit and SS payments were not related. Shultz passed that on as a big oh hum. Without comment. How could he comment? After all, it was only yesterday that President Obama told America that those checks might not be cut if he doesn’t get to raise taxes and increase the national debt. The fear the President spews has no limit. It’s amazing to me how Ed Shultz missed such a contradiction.

As you might suspect, there is no connection with all of those obligations and the debt ceiling. Not now, and not next month either. Those obligations are already made and are separate from the over $14 Trillion in national debt. Truth is, the country is currently pulling in enough tax revenue to cover current recipients for now and at lease another decade. Truth is, it is the out-of-control government expansion, government spending, and government policies like Obamacare that is causing the FUD factor to prevail in all business decisions and a double dip recession to . . . flourish.

Economy, Pensacola, Politics

Miller Cosigns Cut-Cap-Balance

Our very  own Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL-1) cosigns the Cut-Cap-Balance letter sent to house leaders Boehner (R-OH-1) and Cantor (R-VA-7).
RSC letter to GOP leadership

 

Fairness Doctrine, Media, Politics

Administration Avoiding FOX?

That’s not news. That’s just the way it is. Only now there are emails that substantiate what everyone to the right or Arlen Specter always knew.

—”According to one October 22, 2009, email exchange between Dag Vega, Director of Broadcast Media on the White House staff, to Jenni LeCompte, then-Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs in the Treasury Department, Vega informs LeCompte that ‘…we’d prefer if you skip Fox please.'”

Of course you don’t want to explain yourself to the FOX viewers or get questions that you’d rather not have to answer. This administration is as transparent as they want to be. In a way, their political survival depends on the dumb masses.

Link: Washington Whispers: E-mails Show Obama Effort to Blackball Fox

Economy, Politics

The FUD Factor Reigns In Obamanomics

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For more than two years now, starting as a presidential candidate, President Barack Obama has said how creating jobs was his top priority. How he will not rest until everyone who wants a job can get one. Judging by all the vacations he has had, are we supposed to think that he has fixed the economy? With unemployment and home foreclosures at an all time high, I don’t think so.

It’s been a busy week in Washington. {October 1, 2010} While they were spinning their wheels on campaign finance issues and creating faux small business stimulation, they also saw fit to adjourn without passing a budget (so much for that debt commission‘s warning of fiscal cancer, and the now missing 2011 budget) and without dealing with the fact that taxes will be going up come January when the ten-year Bush tax cuts are scheduled to expire.

Congress did manage to extend the FUD Factor indefinitely though.

Businesses are not expanding, growing, or hiring; not because they can’t get loans, but because they are in a business climate right now of fear, uncertainty, and doubt over what the future will bring. And going on recess without dealing with the tax code shows the President’s commitment towards turning the economy around. It’s not there. All his promises were ‘words, just words.’ His priority has not wavered from the politics of remaining a majority party. He could care less about your wallet, your bank account, or that of future generations of Americans.

There is fear over what business or industry is next in line for government intervention or control. The uncertainty of the full effects of Obamacare on businesses, insurance carriers, and their employees. And the doubt that America will remain a free-enterprise, market-driven, capitalistic society for much longer. That’s why businesses are sitting on whatever capital they have. They are hoping that Obama makes a U-turn in his drive towards centralized government control. Or, that we get an adult in The White House who knows something about the Constitution, freedom, and liberty, the pillars of what has made the United States the greatest country in the world in just a couple hundred years.

All the major legislation Obama pushed through his Democrat-controlled Congress was based on the fear of the world coming to an end if it wasn’t passed immediately. It was always an emergency. There was no time to read what was in it.

Seems to me that spreading the FUD factor has become the modus operandi of this administration. And November 2nd {2010} can’t some soon enough.

Now, nine months later, all measures of the economy are down with no signs of improvement. What would it take for President Obama to come to the realization that his policies are not helping the economy to grow or create jobs? In fact, they are detrimental to both, no matter where the debt limit is.

Economy, Fair Tax, Politics

FairTax Debut July 26, 2011

Good News. Out from under the thumb of Charles Rangel (D-NY), the new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) 4th, has scheduled a hearing on the FairTax Bill before the entire House Ways and Means Committee on July 26, 2011!

Finally, the FairTax will see the light of day for the first time. As Vice President Joe Biden would say, this is a big f’n deal.

There is something you can do to help in the effort for tax reform and the FairTax.  See below from FairTax Nation.

FairTax Nation

Replace All Federal Taxes on Income with the FairTax Act of 2011, HR 25 & S 13

A message to all members of FairTax Nation

Good news! Rep. Camp the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a hearing on the FairTax Bill before the entire House Ways and Means Committee on July 26, 2011! This is the first step toward moving the bill to the floor of the House for a vote!

We have a lot of work to do to maximize impact with the FairTax hearing.

1) If you can make it to Washington to Storm the Hill please come. Halls full of FairTaxers make a great impression! For information go to: www.FairTaxNation.com If you show up in DC, they know you are serious!

2) Please contact your members of Congress who sit on the House Ways and Means Committee, inform them about the hearing and encourage them to attend. Contact them now and again a few days before the hearing.

Full committee can be found at: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/About/Members.htm#5

Contact information for members of congress can be found at: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

3) Contact CSPAN and encourage them to broadcast the hearing. http://www.cspan.org/About/Contact-C-SPAN/

4) Contact you members of Congress and let them know the hearing is taking place. A personal visit to their local office, etc. is a great way to get their attention.

5) I am not sure how to do this yet, but I would like a DVD of the hearings to distribute to members of congress and other tax organizations.

6) Attend the August town halls, tea parties, campaign stops, and talk – talk -talk about the FairTax.

Remember we need you at the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames Iowa on August 13, 2011. This is an extremely expensive event, for example the cost of just the fuel to run the generators is a big expense. If you want to donate to the grassroots effort go to www.FairTaxNation.com Information on the Straw poll will be posted shortly.

We must always remember to be politely persistent as we still have a long path ahead of us but the path seems to be getting shorter every day!

Questions? Just ask!

Marilyn Rickert

Economy, Fair Tax, Politics

Submit Them Mr. President

Funny thing happened last Friday after President Obama told congress to get those trade agreements to him. Actually, the House Ways and Means committee has been waiting for President Obama to submit them, for years. He isn’t waiting on congress. Congress has been waiting on him. But he sure did look commanding and all when he chastised the wrong body for delaying the treaties.
Below is a press release from Rep. Camp, chairman of the House Ways and Means.
Camp: Weak Economy One More Reason to Pass Long-Pending Trade Agreements, Reform Tax Code
250,000 jobs for American workers hinge on President submitting trade pacts to Congress
Friday, July 08, 2011
Today’s disappointing jobs number proves yet again that our economy is too weak, too fragile and too shaky.  Washington’s failed stimulus has produced more spending, more debt and more taxes, but not more paychecks.
In order to get Americans back to work producing the economic growth this country needs, we need to let the private sector do what it does best, invest and create jobs.
Washington must focus on pro-growth job creating policies that will get people back to work – like comprehensive tax reform and increasing America’s exports.
By leveling the playing field for American farmers, manufacturers and service industry, the three long-pending trade agreements will increase American exports and lead to the creation of 250,000 more jobs.  The President should immediately submit these agreements to Congress, {emphasis added} where they enjoy broad bipartisan support.  The longer it takes for these agreements to be implemented, the more market share we risk losing to our foreign competitors.
Immigration, Politics, Race Relations

Southern Poverty Law Center Targets Schlussel

The ‘Inner Circle‘ targets Schlussel. There is an inner circle of pro-illegal alien and Islamic extremist deniers within the Southern Poverty Law Center that doesn’t like it very much if you have a penchant for calling a spade a spade.

Litigious groups like this one typify the Left’s replacement for the voting booth and congress. Anything that exposes the truth or a fraud must be attacked. Nothing new here.

What’s new is that Schlussel is asking for donations to help her fight the weasels.

Link: Pro-Illegal Alien / Pan-Muslim SPLC Targets Schlussel; How You Can Help

Economy, Politics

Let There Be Light, Bulbs

Whilst the media is pre-occupied with the game of chicken going on over raising the debt ceiling and/or taxes, tomorrow could be the beginning of the end of the government mandated demise of the incandescent light bulb.

A House vote planned for Monday on repeal of the 2007 light bulb efficiency standards led Energy Secretary Steven Chu to remind us that only our betters know what’s best for us.

Link: House plans Monday vote to repeal light bulb rule