God Blessed Texas

God blessed Texas in many ways; wide open spaces, beautiful landscapes, a rich history and most of all a people with an independent streak that runs deep. That independent streak has shown itself recently in a bill that was prefiled to be introduced in the 2011 Texas state legislative session. It sets up penalties of up to $5,000 in fines and up to five years in jail for anyone guilty of the “felony” of attempting to “enforce an act, order, law, statute, rule or regulation” pertaining to Obamacare. It is sponsored by state Representative Leo Berman (R-Tyler) and if it becomes state law, then it will for all practical purposes render Obamacare “null and void and of no effect”.

The bill says the federal Act (Obamacare):

• is invalid in this state;
• is not recognized by this state;
• is specifically rejected by this state; and
• is null and void and of no effect in this state.

It further states that any “person who is an official, agent, or employee of the United States or an employee of a corporation providing services to the United States commits an offense if the person enforces or attempts to enforce an act, order, law, statute, rule, or regulation of the United States in violation of this chapter.” And it lays out how Obamacare is opposite to individual liberty and the freedoms put forth in our founding documents by saying that the “assumption of power by the federal government in enacting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590; Pub. L. No. 111-148) as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872; Pub. L. No. 111-152) interferes with the right of the people of this state to regulate health care as they determine is appropriate, and makes a mockery of James Madison’s assurance in Federalist Paper Number 45 that the powers delegated to the federal government are ‘few and defined’ while those that remain in the state governments are ‘numerous and indefinite.’”

Michael Maharrey of the Tenth Amendment Center says that there is already nationwide dissatisfaction with the onerous mandates of Obamacare.

“The passage of the health care act opened the eyes of many previously apathetic citizens, making them aware of the rapidly expanding scope and influence of the federal government and its intrusiveness into their everyday lives,” he explained.

“They intuitively understand that requiring them to purchase health insurance falls far beyond the powers granted to Congress by the Constitution. Suddenly awake and alarmed by the fact that the federal government has grown so far out of control, and frustrated by what they see as the lack of responsiveness by politicians in D.C., many Americans find themselves looking for answers,” he said.

Maharrey went on to note that 14 states have already sued to block the implementation of Obamacare, along with more than a dozen private lawsuits by others as well. But Texas is taking this “a step further.”

“While some might call this legislation radical, it rests squarely within the scope of state power as understood by the framers of the Constitution. James Madison wrote in the Virginia Resolution of 1798 that states not only have a right, but a duty to step in when the federal government oversteps its authority,” Maharrey wrote.

He quoted Madison’s work (emphasis mine):

That this Assembly doth explicitly and peremptorily declare, that it views the powers of the federal government, as resulting from the compact, to which the states are parties; as limited by the plain sense and intention of the instrument constituting the compact; as no further valid that they are authorized by the grants enumerated in that compact; and that in case of a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the states who are parties thereto, have the right, and are in duty bound, to interpose for arresting the progress of the evil, and for maintaining within their respective limits, the authorities, rights and liberties appertaining to them.

Michael Boldin, who founded the Tenth Amendment Center says that this isn’t anything new.

“One state, as Wyoming did with its Firearms Freedom Act, may decide that penalties on federal agents is the rightful response. Another, such as California with medical marijuana, may choose to create an environment conducive to non-compliance by masses of people. Either way – or somewhere in between – that’s the beauty of the American system. We can have widely varying actions, responses and viewpoints in different states while all living together in peace. One-size-fits-all solutions are actually the problem, and state-by-state decision-making is the natural response.

The Center goes on to say in a report, that 10 other states are considering similar legislation.

Whether this makes it into law or not, it is a landmark proposal that ought to make the powers that be in Washington D. C. sit up and take notice.

Conservatism: What it is and why it is needed?

Conservatism is by today’s standards closely associated with Edmund Burke’s philosophy. I think it goes beyond that, in that it is more than merely a political doctrine. It is, in my estimation, a way of life, a code of conduct that associates one’s property with one’s liberty. For how can one truly be a free man when his property is not his to do with as he wishes? Russell Kirk, a man who has had a big impact on 20^th century conservatism and has helped to shape it going into the new millennia was quoted as saying that conservatism is “the negation of ideology.”

How is that ‘negation of ideology’ translated into today’s conservative movement? By its very nature, conservative is derived from the Latin verb, conservare, meaning to preserve or to save. So how do we arrive at what seems to be an oxy-moron such as ‘modern conservatism?’ How does one combine 21^st century thinking with a traditional approach to life and politics? It’s not that difficult, really. I think Kirk was onto something important when he called it ‘the negation of ideology.’ For if one is to look at the Statist’s modus operandi, it is clear that amassing power and expanding the role of government in the life of the “masses” is his number one priority. It has been said that the far left, which is the controlling faction of the Democratic Party at this time, is part and parcel with big government. In other words, the Democratic Party needs big government for power and big government needs the Democratic Party to exist. It is a symbiotic relationship that is troubling to say the least and dangerous in the extreme.

To be honest, some Republican Presidents have increased government spending as well. Let’s look at Ronald Reagan. He did increase government, but he did it in a slightly different way. Reagan dramatically cut the role of the Federal Government in domestic programs and shifted the focus to increasing the military. Of course, this is well known today to be one of the leading reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union.  So this begs the question, did Reagan increase or decrease the role of government in our lives? On the domestic front, he dramatically decreased it, so the argument can be made that he was a small-government conservative. If one takes into the account the expanded size of the Federal Government due to the military build-up during the Reagan years then the answer seems less clear unless you remember one key factor, our Constitution. It specifically calls for the Federal Government to provide for the common defense; it does not call for entitlements, or other socialistic programs. So in retrospect, Reagan was definitely a true conservative. It is very unfortunate that we do not have a true conservative in the White House at this time.

Obama is the most pure statist in American history to ever occupy the Oval Office. If you look at the unprecedented spending undertaken by this administration, then you see that we are on a course of financial ruin.

• $787 billion stimulus package
• $410 billion omnibus spending bill
• $700 billion Wall Street bailout package
• $3.6 trillion budget
• $1.2 – $3 trillion for Obamacare

To assail his critics, Obama promised to find $17 billion in cuts from his obscenely bloated budget. If it weren’t so scary, it would be laughable. As Senator Judd Gregg (R N-H) said, “It’s as if you took a teaspoon of water out of the bathtub while you left the spigot on at full speed.”

But it actually gets worse. Projections from the General Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office show that spending on entitlements will outpace economic growth from 147% to a whopping 331% by 2030. That means with our Gross Domestic Product at 72%, we will be spinning our wheels as a nation to try and cover the unfunded liabilities of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, not to mention Obamacare which is a boondoggle of gargantuan proportions.

So what we, the American public have been stuck with is the bill for a pure statist’s Utopian dream. Can we afford this? Can our children or our grand-children? The answer is no. This is only one of the many reasons why we need conservatism so much right now.

…with Liberty and Justice for all!

In the 8^th Congressional District in Illinois there is a three way race between  Democrat Incumbent Melissa Bean, Republican Candidate Joe Walsh and the Green Party’s Bill Scheurer. In a debate last week which was sponsored and moderated by the League of Women Voters a spontaneous recitation of The Pledge of Allegiance broke out, much to the dismay of moderator Kathy Tate-Bradish of the LoWV.

During the opening of the event, an audience member stood up and requested that The Pledge of Allegiance be recited. Tate-Brandish said that it would not be recited because it was not on the schedule for the evening’s program.

After several shouts of “Why not?” the audience stood up and recited the pledge over the objections of Tate-Brandish, anyway. After the audience sat down, Tate-Brandish scolded them by saying she hoped that was the last time she would be disrespected. At first, when questioned, Tate-Brandish said this about reciting The Pledge of Allegiance, “I have absolutely nothing for or against saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of something like this.”

Let’s look at that statement. She said she has nothing against saying it. Fine, so let the audience say it. She further said she has nothing “for” saying it. Why? What is it that is so bad about being patriotic these days? Well in the days following the event, League of Women Voters’ Illinois Spokesperson, Executive Director Jan Czarnik said “phony patriotism” is driving the criticism of Tate-Brandish. Czarnik spokesperson then added that it was an orchestrated attempt by GOP Candidate Walsh’s campaign to “bully” the organization (LoWV). She then went on to say, “It’s a phony patriotism issue is what it is,” she said. “They must think it helps their campaign.” Czarnik also added that someone is not a better American just by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

So now it is phony to want to recite The Pledge of Allegiance? Why is the League of Women Voters playing the blame game on this?

Walsh’s campaign denies responsibility for it and during the recitation both he and incumbent Bean stood and recited the pledge with the audience. Green Party candidate Sheurer did not. He later stated that he did not want to be “forced” to recite it.

Audience member and Island Lake resident Joseph Ptak, a Walsh supporter, claimed Friday that he was the person who stood asked for The Pledge of Allegiance at the debate. Ptak, 58, a U.S. Air Force veteran, said he thought the pledge was a proper way to begin the event that was in a high school with student participation. He said numerous veterans were in the audience, and he objects to Czarnik questioning the request’s sincerity.

“I’m a Joe Walsh supporter, but first and foremost I’m an American,” Ptak said.

What has this country come to when a spontaneous rendition of The Pledge of Allegiance is labeled as “phony patriotism” and used as a foil by a leftist organization such as the League of Women Voters? This is yet another example of everyday Americans waking up and taking a stance against the creeping Marxism of the far left. Kudos to Mr. Ptak and to those audience members who stood up not only for The Pledge of Allegiance, but also for America.

Video of the spontaneous recitation of The Pledge of Allegiance -

GOP Candidate Joe Walsh’s comments after the debate -

Past videos talking about today’s problems

Here a few videos that are from as far back as the 1970′s, yet they are so very appropriate to what is going on in America today.

Here is Ronald Reagan – and as the title to the video says, “Now more relevant than ever.”

Former Prime Minister of England, Margaret Thatcher. She, like Reagan knew how to deconstruct the liberal arguments.

Economist Milton Friedman laying it all out and punching holes in Phil Donahue’s sails.

And finally,  another Reagan video. I wish I could claim credit for this video, but I cannot. I found it over at FloppingAces.net and knew I wanted to post it here.

Separation of Church and State Only Applies to Judea-Christian Beliefs

A Massachusetts public school district allowed middle school students to participate in a Muslim prayer during a school sanctioned field trip to a Mosque. From the letter/permission slip sent out to parents:

“During our visit, we will get a chance to hear from Islam from members of the Cultural Center, learn about the architecture of a Mosque and observe a midday prayer service.”

A concerned parent did a bit of investigation into this Mosque and found out some interesting facts about this Mosque. It is called the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center and is run by the Muslim American Society, which has been identified by Federal authorities as the “overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.” The Muslim Brotherhood is a political arm of the radical Islamic terror movement. According to one of the MB’s own documents from 1991 says that, “the goal of the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S. is ‘settlement’, defined by the author as a form of jihad aimed at destroying Western civilization from within and allowing for the victory of Islam over other religions.”

Many of the Mosque’s leaders have ties to Islamic terrorism. In fact, the founder of the Mosque, Abdulrahman Alamoudi is currently serving a 23 year prison sentence for his terrorist related activities.

An FBI insider once described Alamoudi as an “expert in the art of deception” because of his abilty to appear to be a moderate Muslim while privately embracing a radical anti-American agenda. Behind the scenes, much of Alamoudi’s energy was devoted to fundraising activities on behalf of Hamas, Hezbollah, Osama Bin Laden and al Qaeda. He also had dealings with the Libyan regime of Muammar Qadhafi.

It is also documented that he has said, among other inflammatory anti-American statements:

-         “I think if we were outside this country, we can say, ‘Oh, Allah, destroy America,’ but once we are here, our mission in this country is to change it. There is no way for Muslims to be violent in America, no way. We have other means to do it. You can be violent anywhere else but in America.”

-         In October 2000, Alamoudi attended an anti-Israel protest outside the White House. Speaking to a group of Palestinian-terrorist-supporters, he declared: “I have been labeled … as being a supporter of Hamas. Anybody supporters of Hamas here? … We are all supporters of Hamas … I wish they added that I am also a supporter of Hezbollah.” – Source

The Cultural Center’s own website encourages wife beating, stating that, “Hinting at punishment is an effective means of discipline, so the reason for hanging up a whip or a stick in the house was explained in another report, where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Hang up the whip where the members of the household can see it, for this is more effective in disciplining them.’” – Since this controversy, it seems that the ISBCC has taken this particular page down from their website, however, I found a copy of the report here.

Thankfully, the field trip was videotaped by one of the parents whose child was on the trip. The video plainly shows one of the Mosque’s spokespersons telling the students, “You have to believe in Allah, and Allah is the one God, the only one worthy of worship, all forgiving, all merciful.” The same spokesperson goes on to practice revisionist history saying, “Islam was actually very advanced in terms of recognizing women’s rights. At the time of the Prophet Muhammad, women were allowed to express their opinions and vote. In this country, women didn’t gain that right until less than a hundred years ago; so Islam was very advanced in terms of recognizing women’s rights.”

Now we know that this is simply not true. In Muhammad’s 7^th century rule of Islamic Arabia, he was a supreme ruler and did not allow ANYONE (neither women OR men) to vote, claiming divine sanction from Allah himself. And in today’s Saudi Arabia, men and women have very limited political rights. In fact in Saudi Arabia today, women are not even allowed to drive automobiles.

The school has since apologized to parents and promised to not let this happen in the future. However, I wish to warn parents everywhere that the religion of Islam is very big on practicing “dawah,” which literally means “proselytizing for Islam.” This goes back to what the Cultural Center’s founder, Abdulrahman Amoudi espoused when he called on Muslims to abandon violence in America because, “once we are here, our mission in this country is to change it.” An Islamic Dawah organization offers a guidebook to help convert young schoolchildren to Islam. From their website:

Students are routinely exposed in their classroom to new information and opinions, hence they tend to be more receptive to new beliefs and ideas. – Source

Schools are therefore fertile grounds where the seeds of Islam can be sowed inside the hearts of non-Muslim students. Muslim students should take ample advantage of this opportunity and present to their schoolmates the beautiful beliefs of Islam.

Where is the ACLU in all of this? While the ACLU did sue a school in Minnesota because it was proselytizing Islam, they must feel that in Massachusetts, the separation of church and state only applies to the Judea-Christian religions. The ACLU’s New England Education Director, Nancy Murray is a strong supporter of the Muslim American Society.

Once again, it falls to us radical, right wing, domestic terrorists (otherwise known as average Americans) to stand up for our children and our way of life. I just thought you should know.

Here is the video shot by the parents of one of the children who attended the trip to the Mosque:

ICE supports catch and release for illegal aliens

John Morton was a farmer, surveyor, and jurist from the Province of Pennsylvania. He provided the swing vote that allowed Pennsylvania to vote in favor of the Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continental Congress during the American Revolution. John Morton signed the Declaration of Independence and went on to chair the committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation.

Quite a resume wouldn’t you say? Also quite a namesake to live up to, but the current ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Director, who just also happens to be named John Morton shouldn’t be worried about over shadowing the founding father that he shares a name with. Just a couple of months after he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security and put in charge of ICE, Mr. Morton made a public statement concerning the Arizona immigration law that the DOJ eventually filed a lawsuit over. John Morton said that ICE wouldn’t necessarily deport or even detain any illegal aliens that Arizona officials handed over.

A top Department of Homeland Security official reportedly said his agency will not necessarily process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona authorities. John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, made the comment during a meeting on Wednesday with the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, the newspaper reports. “I don’t think the Arizona law, or laws like it, are the solution,” Morton told the newspaper.

The best way to reduce illegal immigration is through a comprehensive federal approach, he said, and not a patchwork of state laws.

So as Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) put it, “If he (John Morton) feels he cannot enforce the law, he shouldn’t have the job. That makes him, in my view, not fulfilling the responsibilities of his office.” Sessions went on to say that Morton probably wasn’t the right man for the job.

Now fast forward to just last week and an ICE memo that was leaked to the press shows that Morton wasn’t just trying to make the headlines back in May; rather it shows that leadership at ICE is intent on not only just turning it’s back on illegal aliens, but it is supporting a “catch and release” policy.

From the memo:

3.3             As a general matter, immigration officers should not issue detainers against an alien charged only with a traffic-related misdemeanor unless or until the alien is convicted…

To be fair, the memo does go on to say that if a suspected illegal is guilty of or suspected to be guilty of something more than a mere traffic violation, then and only then will ICE detain them.

So what we have here is an administration that is flouting the Constitution, flouting Federal Mandates and in fact, flouting the will of the American public by refusing to detain persons who are in the United States illegally. According to Title 8 Section 1325 of the U.S. Code, “Improper Entry by Alien,” any citizen of any country other than the United States who:

• Enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place
  other than as designated by immigration officers; or
• Eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers; or
• Attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully
  false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a
  material fact; has in fact committed a federal crime.

It doesn’t matter that local peace officers across the country constantly come across unlicensed illegal aliens driving unsafe and uninsured vehicles. It doesn’t matter that those same illegal alien drivers routinely traffic in human smuggling. It doesn’t matter that people who have overstayed visas, or are just in the country illegally have been responsible for terrorist attacks or have been caught planning terrorist attacks; for example some of the 9/11 hijackers were in the country illegally. None of the illegal aliens who participated in the 9/11 attacks had a previous arrest record, so had Mr. Morton been in charge of ICE before 9/11 and those hijackers were detained and turned over to ICE, then presumably they would have been let go. These men, along with the Fort Dix plotters, the Times Square bomber’s money brokers all knew that they could drive our streets without fear of local cops or ICE deporting them.

No, this is just another example of the far left’s agenda being forced down the throats of the American public by President Obama. His appointee, Mr. Morton allows the illegal aliens to have no fear of deportation; but maybe that is appropriate since Mr. Morton has no fear of living up to the legacy of the founding father of our country that he shares a name with.

Hat tip to the Mark Levin Show

ICE memo

Fox News

CBS News Poll: Grade Obama’s Job as Prez

From CBS News.com:

With President Obama completing his first year in office this week, we are giving you the chance to weigh in on how you think he has done on the job.

It is hard to fathom that CBS News is turning on Obama, or even giving Americans the chance to have a MSM platform to show their feelings about his job performance, but while it is there, take the time to go and give our President a grade on his performance while in office so far.

You also get the chance to view the results, so it is well worth the 20 seconds or so that it takes to do the poll.

CBS News Obama Poll

Memorial Day – A thank you for the ultimate sacrifice

Last year, I wrote a Memorial Day article and posted it on my blog. Here it is, and after I revisit that article, I would like to add a thought or two to it.

As we mark Memorial Day this year, let us reflect on why we set aside one day to show our gratitude to the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to preserve our freedoms and the American way of life. United States soldiers have gone into battle in each and every corner of the world to meet the call and pay the price for freedom. Every since our great country was founded, we have enjoyed a unique place in the world. For our country is markedly different in that we are, as Ronald Reagan in his first Inaugural Address in 1981 said, “….a nation that has a government—not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth.” This is not to be taken lightly and many times in our nation’s history we have sent our young men and women into harm’s way in order to preserve our place in the world. At other times, our military has gone to face the evils of the world to liberate others. And when natural disasters strike, no matter where in the world, the United States always responds with humanitarian efforts, often delivered by our military.
One must stop and think, that but not for the strength, resolve, compassion and courage of the United States military Europe would be vastly different than it is today. Not only would the lines on the maps quite probably be changed but many, many more lives would have been lost to the evils that plagued our world during WWII. Again, to point to Ronald Reagan, ours is a “shining city on a hill,” and on this day, let us take the time to thank our military personnel for their service to this great country. I know that I will, for my family knows what it means to have loved ones go off to battle. My father served in WWII and my younger brother served during the first Iraq war. Thankfully they both came home to us. Not all families are that fortunate, so let us not also forget that the soldiers are not the only ones to feel the sacrifice that comes with service to our country So as we go about grilling our hamburgers and getting a cold drink from the cooler, let’s take the time to show our gratitude to our service personnel. Thank a vet. Offer a friendly word to the family of a soldier. The next time you are in line at the grocery store or post office and you see one of our military people, let them know how much they mean to us. Let them know that we thank them from the bottom of our hearts, because freedom isn’t free and they, more than anyone else know just how true that is.

On the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy D-Day Invasion, Ronald Reagan related a heartfelt and touching letter written to him from the daughter of a D-Day veteran. A letter in which she explained her father’s desire to return to the beaches of Normandy; a letter in which Private First Class Peter Robert Zanatta, of the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion says,
“Someday, Lis, I’ll go back. I’ll go back, and I’ll see it all again. I’ll see the beach, the barricades, and the graves.”
Reagan was so moved by this letter and by the fact that Private Zanatta had succumbed to cancer 8 years earlier and thus, was deprived of his chance to return to Normandy. President Reagan so eloquently related this story to those in attendance that day in France.

“Lisa Zanatta Henn began her story by quoting her father, who promised that he would return to Normandy. She ended with a promise to her father, who died eight years ago of cancer, “I’m going there, Dad, and I’ll see the beaches and the barricades and the monuments. I’ll see the graves, and I’ll put flowers there just like you wanted to do. I’ll feel all the things you made me feel through your stories and your eyes. I’ll never forget what you went through, Dad, nor will I let anyone else forget. And Dad, I’ll always be proud.”
Through the words of his loving daughter, who is here with us today, a D day veteran has shown us the meaning of this day far better than any president can. It is enough for us to say about Private Zanatta and all the men of honor and courage who fought beside him four decades ago: We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.

Thank you.”

I think the best line from that speech was when Reagan said:
“We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.”

Your laugh for the day…maybe even the whole week.

A hilarious sketch from two very talented comedic actors, Tim Conway and Harvey Corman.

- Enjoy -

Ray Stevens Strikes Again!

Ray Stevens has a new song about illegal immigration and he posted a video of it on youtube. I felt it was well worth posting here on Present Discontent and as with all of Ray’s material, it is funny, poignant and enjoyable on its own. However, it is a good snapshot, if you will of the illegal immigration problem we face here in the United States.

So enjoy the song, and leave a comment if you would.