Must-Read - Unions vs. Right to Work

The Op-Ed page of the Wall Street Journal has been a bastion of common sense in a world of ridiculously biased print news media. In fact, other than the Washington Times, there is no other national newspaper that contains a shred of the sort of common sense we regularly find on the WSJ's Editorial Page.

Obviously, the same cannot be said for the rest of that newspaper, but at least it's partially good, like Fox News Channel has Glenn Beck, and despite Shep and the rest of the biased, hardcore leftists (and confused 'Progressives' like Bill O'Reilly) working at FNC, Glenn (and sometimes Hannity and Megyn Kelly) is NOT part of the problem; he (and sometimes they) are definitely part of the solution!

Anyway, this Op-Ed discussion unions and the right to work is excellent, as one might expect when one considers the source; I love the subtitle of this article: "Collective Bargaining on a Broad Scale Is More Similar to an Antitrust Violation Than to a Civil Liberty." That is so true! Also, this is a pretty short, but sweet article; great for a short break at work. I think you'll enjoy it:

Unions vs. the Right to Work

Collective Bargaining on a Broad Scale Is More Similar to an Antitrust Violation Than to a Civil Liberty.

By ROBERT BARRO | FEBRUARY 28, 2011

How ironic that Wisconsin has become ground zero for the battle between taxpayers and public- employee labor unions. Wisconsin was the first state to allow collective bargaining for government workers (in 1959), following a tradition where it was the first to introduce a personal income tax (in 1911, before the introduction of the current form of individual income tax in 1913 by the federal government).

Labor unions like to portray collective bargaining as a basic civil liberty, akin to the freedoms of speech, press, assembly and religion. For a teachers union, collective bargaining means that suppliers of teacher services to all public school systems in a state—or even across states—can collude with regard to acceptable wages, benefits and working conditions. An analogy for business would be for all providers of airline transportation to assemble to fix ticket prices, capacity and so on. From this perspective, collective bargaining on a broad scale is more similar to an antitrust violation than to a civil liberty.

In fact, labor unions were subject to U.S. antitrust laws in the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which was first applied in 1894 to the American Railway Union. However, organized labor managed to obtain exemption from federal antitrust laws in subsequent legislation, notably the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 and the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
Remarkably, labor unions are not only immune from antitrust laws but can also negotiate a "union shop," which requires nonunion employees to join the union or pay nearly equivalent dues. Somehow, despite many attempts, organized labor has lacked the political power to repeal the key portion of the 1947 Taft Hartley Act that allowed states to pass right-to-work laws, which now prohibit the union shop in 22 states. From the standpoint of civil liberties, the individual right to work—without being forced to join a union or pay dues—has a much better claim than collective bargaining. (Not to mention that "right to work" has a much more pleasant, liberal sound than "collective bargaining.") The push for right-to-work laws, which haven't been enacted anywhere but Oklahoma over the last 20 years, seems about to take off.

The current pushback against labor-union power stems from the collision between overly generous benefits for public employees— notably for pensions and health care—and the fiscal crises of state and local governments. Teachers and other public-employee unions went too far in convincing weak or complicit state and local governments to agree to obligations, particularly defined-benefit pension plans, that created excessive burdens on taxpayers.

In recognition of this fiscal reality, even the unions and their Democratic allies in Wisconsin have agreed to Gov. Scott Walker's proposed cutbacks of benefits, as long as he drops the restrictions on collective bargaining. The problem is that this "compromise" leaves intact the structure of strong public-employee unions that helped to create the unsustainable fiscal situation; after all, the next governor may have less fiscal discipline. A long-run solution requires a change in structure, for example, by restricting collective bargaining for public employees and, to go further, by introducing a right-to-work law.

There is evidence that right-to-work laws—or, more broadly, the pro-business policies offered by right-to-work states—matter for economic growth. In research published in 2000, economist Thomas Holmes of the University of Minnesota compared counties close to the border between states with and without right-to-work laws (thereby holding constant an array of factors related to geography and climate). He found that the cumulative growth of employment in manufacturing (the traditional area of union strength prior to the rise of public-employee unions) in the right-to-work states was 26 percentage points greater than that in the non-right-to-work states.

Beyond Wisconsin, a key issue is which states are likely to be the next political battlegrounds on labor issues. In fact, one can interpret the extreme reactions by union demonstrators and absent Democratic legislators in Wisconsin not so much as attempts to influence that state—which may be a lost cause—but rather to deter politicians in other states from taking similar actions. This strategy may be working in Michigan, where Gov. Rick Snyder recently asserted that he would not "pick fights" with labor unions.

In general, the most likely arenas are states in which the governor and both houses of the state legislature are Republican (often because of the 2010 elections), and in which substantial rights for collective bargaining by public employees currently exist. This group includes Indiana, which has recently been as active as Wisconsin on labor issues; ironically, Indiana enacted a right-to-work law in 1957 but repealed it in 1965. Otherwise, my tentative list includes Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, Florida, Tennessee, Nebraska (with a nominally nonpartisan legislature), Kansas, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The national fiscal crisis and recession that began in 2008 had many ill effects, including the ongoing crises of pension and health-care obligations in many states. But at least one positive consequence is that the required return to fiscal discipline has caused reexamination of the growth in economic and political power of public-employee unions. Hopefully, embattled politicians like Gov. Walker in Wisconsin will maintain their resolve and achieve a more sensible long-term structure for the taxpayers in their states.

Mr. Barro is a professor of economics at Harvard and a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.

h/t to Jared Law at the 912 Project

Related: 

Organized in Wisconsin  -  You Will Want to Read These!

Organized Fraud in Wisconsin - You Will Want to Read These!!

Obama's Cousin Exposes Dangers of WI Doctors' Fraud vs. Taxpayers & Howard Dean Bribes Wisconsin Fleebaggers to Stay Away and Not Vote

Dr. Milton R. Wolf is not just a Washington Times columnist and a board-certified diagnostic radiologist. He's also the cousin of one Barack Hussein Obama.

This is very informative and I think most of you will be better off for having read this excellent Op-Ed. He says it all, quite succinctly, and he covers things many of us haven't considered; you'll really want to read this:

Organized Medical Fraud in Wisconsin

Government doctors abandon their oath and target the public they serve
By Dr. Milton R. Wolf -The Washington Times | 7:19 p.m., Friday, February 25, 2011

"Primum nil nocere." First, do no harm. This bedrock principle in medicine is a foreign language to most politicians and, sadly, to some Wisconsin doctors, who have violated their oath and the public trust as they have defrauded Wisconsin taxpayers.

Several University of Wisconsin family physicians donned their sacred white coats and were caught distributing fraudulent "sick notes" free for the asking quite literally by the boxful - I wonder who paid for that printing - to teachers and others who skipped work to engage in political protest at the state Capitol in Madison. Whatever the merits of the teachers' protest, there's a word for what these doctors and teachers are perpetrating: fraud.
An army of citizen-journalist bloggers, including Tim Daniels of Left Coast Rebel and Ann Althouse, captured and publicized photographs and video allegedly of publicly funded University of Wisconsin doctors Kathy A. Oriel, James H. Shropshire, Lou Sanner, Hannah M. Keevil, Patrick McKenna and Elizabeth Kvach as they disseminated these fraudulent notes to Wisconsin's publicly funded teachers so the teachers could have a publicly funded day off.

"I'm a doctor. Need a note?" read one sign held high near Dr. McKenna as he openly defrauded taxpayers. "We see a lot of sore throats from speaking out, sore feet from walking, a lot of people kind of chilly, under stress. We say the best thing you can do is be with a large support group," said Dr. Sanner in a pathetic rationalization despite video confirmation that neither he nor his colleagues examined any throats or feet before making their diagnoses and issuing doctor's notes.

Meanwhile, taxpayers and students are paying dearly. According to the Department of Education, two-thirds of Wisconsin public school eighth-graders cannot read at a proficient level. And yet, while the average total compensation of a Milwaukee public school teacher is a staggering $100,005 per year, these entitled teachers demand that taxpayers pay them, quite literally, to agitate for more tax money.

If this degree of financial fraud were perpetrated against health insurance companies, the doctors would face civil and criminal charges. Taxpayers deserve at least as much protection. Concerned Wisconsinites may want to contact the Medical Examining Board at the Department of Regulation and Licensing as well as the University of Wisconsin, which, evidently, has overfunded its family practice department sufficiently to send its staff to political rallies. Finally, medical malpractice carriers certainly recognize the medi- cal-legal liability accepted by these scheming doctors inherent in each of the thousands of new doctor-patient relationships they formed. Wisconsin taxpayers, I suspect, may not think their public university should pay for that liability exposure.

These University of Wisconsin doctors have violated the very core of the Hippocratic Oath: "I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone." Providing blanket diagnoses and treatments without so much as examining a patient is a wild and dangerous departure from the standard of care. These doctors do so, in their own words, to pursue "social activism" rather than patient care.

Dr. Paul Hsieh, co-founder of Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine, spots an alarming trend: "[A] new form of medical ethics is being taught in medical schools that tells doctors to place the needs of 'society' ahead of individual patients. At best, it forces doctors to juggle the truth and the interests of their patients alongside 'social' considerations. At worst, it will give them license to sacrifice their professional integrity (and their patients' interests) in the name of 'society.' "

Americans should brace themselves for more social activism under Obamacare. Dr. Donald Berwick, President Obama's choice to head Medicare, advocates the alarming notion that "this isolated relationship [between doctor and patient] is no longer tenable" without government intervention. Central planners will decide who is afforded treatment and how much, and their primary concerns will be dedicated to society rather than the patient.
One glaring problem, of course, is that "society" is in the eye of the beholder. The University of Wisconsin's government doctors ordained that the society of government schoolteachers should be served but the society of Wisconsin private-citizen taxpayers should not. And that is the very essence of Obamacare - under which the powerful and connected can divide America into two camps: those who will find favor and those who will not.
Ordinary Americans who play by the rules and don't have special political connections deserve to be a part of "society," too. Thus read one sign displayed by a hardworking American taxpayer on the streets of Madison last weekend: "I would've come yesterday, but I had to work."

Dr. Milton R. Wolf blogs at miltonwolf.com.

Howard Dean Bribes Wisconsin Fleebaggers to Stay Away and Not Vote – NoisyRoom

http://noisyroom.net/blog/2011/02/26/howard-dean-bribes-wisconsin-fleebaggers-to-stay-away-and-not-vote/

Howard Dean Bribes Wisconsin Fleebaggers to Stay Away and Not Vote

From: 1389 Blog – Counterjihad!

Yes, you read this correctly. Failed presidential candidate Howard Dean has collected a slush fund for the express purpose of bribing the “fleebagging” Wisconsin Democrat State Senators to remain in hiding and not report to the legislature to vote.

Without Howard Dean’s slush fund, at least some of those Democrat legislators would find it necessary to return to the legislature to pick up their paychecks in person, thus providing enough State Senators to form a quorum. A quorum is required for voting on the Budget Repair Bill proposed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker that will require public employee union members to contribute more toward their benefits and restrict their collective bargaining privileges. The Republicans have enough votes in the State Senate to enact that legislation without delay.

A recent article in American Spectator follows the money to expose the flagrant corruption associated with this slush fund. However, like many articles in the media and the blogosphere, it stops short of drawing the necessary conclusion from the facts that it has established. The article talks about this slush fund as though it were nothing more than a campaign contribution that is well over the legal limit in amount. The article even admits that there is no election coming up in the near future for which the “fleebaggers” would need to collect campaign funds. It also shows that the funds are instead being used for lavish travel expenditures, thus rewarding the “fleebaggers” for their gross dereliction of duty.

It is time to stop pussyfooting around and start calling things what they are.

This slush fund is no campaign contribution. It’s naked bribery. Howard Dean is paying the Wisconsin “fleebaggers” to stay away from the legislature so as to block the enactment of legislation that Howard Dean wants blocked.

Free Online Law Dictionary: Legal definition of bribery

The offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of something of value for the purpose of influencing the action of an official in the discharge of his or her public or legal duties.

The expectation of a particular voluntary action in return is what makes the difference between a bribe and a private demonstration of goodwill. To offer or provide payment in order to persuade someone with a responsibility to betray that responsibility is known as seeking Undue Influence over that person’s actions. When someone with power seeks payment in exchange for certain actions, that person is said to be peddling influence. Regardless of who initiates the deal, either party to an act of bribery can be found guilty of the crime independently of the other.

A bribe can consist of immediate cash or of personal favors, a promise of later payment, or anything else the recipient views as valuable. When the U.S. military threatened to cancel a Texas relocation company’s contracts to move families to and from military bases, the company allegedly gave four representatives in Congress an all-expenses-paid weekend in Las Vegas in January 1989, and $2,500 in speaking fees. The former president of the company was indicted by a federal Grand Jury in 1994 on bribery charges for both gifts.

Read the rest.

Note that it is equally blameworthy to give or offer a bribe as it is to accept or solicit it.

The American Spectator: Howard Dean and the $100,000 Wisconsin Slush Fund

By Jeffrey Lord on 2.22.11 @ 6:09AM

You can call them “Dean Dollars.”

Former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a one-time presidential candidate, is the founder of a group that by mid-day of President’s Day had raised over $100,000 in a slush fund to “back” the on-the-lam Wisconsin Democratic State Senators.

The Dean Dollars are being specifically funneled to the Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC) — an apparent violation of Wisconsin election law that pointedly says, according to the Wisconsin Election Board’s Legal Counsel in a 2005 decision, that the “SSDC may not accept a contribution of more than $6,000 from a single committee in a calendar year.” (Note: the Election Board is now called the “Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.”)

The money, requested in an e-mail obtained over the weekend by The American Spectator, is being solicited in $14 dollar contributions through the Dean-founded million-member “Democracy for America” grassroots organizing group chaired by Dean’s brother Jim. There are no prohibitions on more generous donations of any amount. The funds are being collected through the left-wing “Act Blue” fundraising website, which identifies itself as “the online clearinghouse for Democratic action.”

The $14 dollar solicitation is symbolic — as in one dollar for every one of the fourteen Democrats in the Wisconsin State Senate. All of whom have now fled the state in a political battle royal over budget cuts and collective bargaining rights for public employees with the newly elected Republican Governor. On Monday, the Huffington Post quoted Senator Tim Carpenter, one of the fourteen, as saying of the decision to remain out of state: “We’ll be here until Gov. Walker decides that he wants to talk.”

Carpenter made no mention of who was paying his expenses.

The slush fund revelation comes on the heels of the discovery by both Fox News reporter Mike Tobin and the Wisconsin-based John K. MacIver Public Policy Institute of an organized effort by some Wisconsin doctors — who were deliberately handing out “doctor’s notes” to teachers feigning illness in order to protest the governor’s legislative plans. Which would be fraud, if proven in court. The Fox report uncovered at least one doctor connection to the presumably taxpayer-funded University of Wisconsin Family Medical Program. The MacIver video, posted over the weekend by my American Spectator colleague Philip Klein, is a particularly stunning depiction of both teachers and doctors quite publicly engaged in what appears to be outright fraud, a question raised by one reporter to an angrily defensive doctor on the MacIver video.

Read it all…

Question for you:

Would it be appropriate to call the FBI and ask them to investigate this matter further?

NWO Chaos Plan: Who Is Moving the Chess Pieces?

Three Part Series You Must See!!

The chaos around the world is not an accident!!  It is part of a Perfect Storm that has been brewing for a very long time.  Sadly the protestors in Egypt, Libya, Wiscairo (Wisconsin) are all being manipulated by the same the groups of people working together or at least in tandem to destroy what is good in America and in the World.  We are in the middle of what former WH Green Czar and self-avowed Communist and Soros operative Van Jones like to the call the “bottom up, top down, middle inside out” process’ the creation of chaos. If you haven’t read it ‘The Coming Insurrection’ (Semiotext(e) / Intervention) describes the process.

The first part of winning is knowing who the enemy is and realizing that you are in the fight of your life.

BLAZE EXCLUSIVE: INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISTS ORCHESTRATE UNIONS‘ RALLY TO ’SAVE THE AMERICAN DREAM’

Video:  NWO Chaos Plan: Who Is Moving the Chess Pieces Part I

Video:  NWO Chaos Plan: Who Is Moving the Chess Pieces Part II

Video:  NWO Chaos Plan: Who Is Moving the Chess Pieces Part III

While the perfect storm has been brewing, the Progressives, the Fabians, the Muslim Brotherhood, the union leaders… the puppet masters have been distracting the public, the average man and woman and thereby controlling us through Dumbing Down Our Children (the Dumbing Down of America Series) and Brainwashing them with the ideas of the left, using Mind Control through media,  chemicals in the food, water, cosmetics and household products we all consume, vaccines and Big Pharma’s concoctions, and controlling discourse through political correctness.

Free Upload:  The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America e-book

The question is not whether this is true.  All thinking people have to do is look around to realize that it is and the results.  The question is what are we going to do about it before it is too late, if it isn’t already.

While world burns, White House parties

Friday, Feb 25, 2011 at 12:38 PM EST

Well, as the world burns down with riots and protests, the White House was able to find the time to throw yet another party. There must have been an opening on the President’s schedule. Among the guests was John Legend, who has been complaining about getting a tax “break”. Glenn gave his reaction to the story on radio this morning.

“Singer John Legend is very upset.  Why?  Because he’s a millionaire who got a tax cut.  Quote:  People fought to give me, a millionaire, a tax cut this year.  I don’t need it.  And all the other millionaires don’t need it, either,” Glenn said.

“You give away all the money to a charity of your choice.  That’s what I do.  I give a lot of money to charity.  Better yet, give it as a little gift to the U.S. Government.  Nobody’s stopping you from writing a bigger check to the U.S. Government.  Go ahead.  Look it up.  The address is online.  And give me a call when you’ve made and written that check to the IRS, you dope.”

“He’s in the news again because of the party at the White House while the world was burning last night, the White House was partying,” Pat explained.

Pat continued, “Last night the party included not just John Legend but Seal, Jamie Foxx, Nick Jonas I guess of the Jonas Brothers, Sheryl Crow was there.”

“By the way, John, you didn’t get a tax cut!  You’re going to pay the same taxes this year that you paid last year,” Pat said.

“I asked one of the guys who used to be the head of the IRS.  This is like five years ago.  I said, has anybody ever sent, intentionally, overpaid their taxes?  You know, some millionaire said, hey, I got a million dollars that I want to pay?  He said occasionally we’ll get somebody who say they want to apply it directly to the debt but nobody ‑‑ did I say Hollywood, anybody?  He said, no, nobody just says, hey, I’m going to pay extra, I just want to pay extra, give it to some of the other ‑‑ give it to the EPA and give it to DHS, give it to those guys.  Spread it around a bit.  No, no.  Nobody does it.  You know why?  Because they know charities are more effective than the federal government.  That’s why.  It’s ridiculous.  Ridiculous,” Glenn said.

While the World Burns, White House Parties… With the Elites

From Dennis Miller’s HBO Special, Brilliance

A little salty language in it…  But it’s legendary stuff. Miller is the Mark Twain of our age.

Or something.

Anyway, enjoy.

Video:  Dennis Miller  -  The Big Speech

Segment from recent HBO comedy special. Miller's take on Islam - Terrorists and Nancy Pelosi.

Government Unions vs. American Taxpayers

Heritage Foundation:

Government Unions vs American Taxpayers

The Washington Post reports today that "the daunting tower of national, state and local debt in the United States will reach a level this year unmatched just after World War II and already exceeds the size of the entire economy, according to government estimates." But there are a number of big differences between our national debt now and the debt in 1946. The Post reports: "State and municipal governments from Sacramento to Madison to Harrisburg have racked up about $2.4 trillion in debt, or more than 15 percent of GDP."

And even this total is understating the problem. Recent studies show that state and local governments are severely underestimating their pension and benefit promises, including a $574 billion shortfall for the nation’s top major cities and a possible $3.4 trillion shortfall for the states. The cause of these crippling pension and benefit obligations is no secret. The Post explains: "Public employees often enjoy more generous pension and health-care benefits, and these are at the root of the long-term budget problems confronting many states."

How did this happen? Why did so many state and local governments not only spend too much today but promise future spending far beyond the means of taxpayers to pay for it? Government unions. And across the country, legislators and governors are beginning to fight back.

The professional left (including the AFL-CIO, the SEIU, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the NEA, AFSCME and President Barack Obama) is trying to portray these budget battles as an assault against all unions. But as Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R), who is pushing legislation to curtail government union bargaining power, explained last night, this is just plain false:

The bill I put forward isn’t aimed at state workers, and it certainly isn’t a battle with unions. If it was, we would have eliminated collective bargaining entirely or we would have gone after the private-sector unions. But, we did not because they are our partners in economic development. We need them to help us put 250,000 people to work in the private sector over the next four years.

Walker is right: Government unions are inherently different from private-sector unions. The purpose of private-sector unions is to get workers a larger share of the profits they helped create. But government is a monopoly and earns no profits. All government unions do is redistribute more tax dollars from taxpayers to unions. The left used to understand this. Not only did President Franklin Delano Roosevelt write in 1937: "All government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service," but as recently as 1959, the AFL-CIO Executive Council stated that "government workers have no right [to collectively bargain] beyond the authority to petition Congress—a right available to every citizen."
Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) also recognizes the key difference between private-sector and government unions, telling the Associated Press Monday:

We have an $8 billion budget hole in Ohio. We have a third of our college students that leave Ohio after three years. We’ve lost 600,000 jobs in the last 10 years. Only California and Michigan have lost more than that. And part of the reason why we are pushing collective bargaining is we frankly want to give the managers in our local communities and our schools the ability to control their costs so they don’t have to raise taxes and drive businesses out and more jobs out.

By granting government workers the power to collectively bargain, government unions have completely politicized the civil service. State and local employees in 28 states are required to pay full union dues or get fired. Using this government coercion, government unions have amassed tremendous financial resources that they use to campaign for higher taxes and higher pay for government workers. The top outside spender in the last election was the American Federation of State and County Municipal Employees ($91 million).Governor Mitch Daniels (R–IN), who signed an executive order ending state worker collective bargaining his first month in office, spoke in support of Walker yesterday:

The people who are doing the demonstrating, and their allies … spent that state broke. … The most powerful special interests in America today are the government unions. They’re the leading financial contributors. They have muscle, a lot of times their contracts provide for time off to go politick and lobby.

And lobby and politick government unions have. Across the country, from Arizona to California to Minnesota to Maine to New Jersey and more, government unions have pushed legislation and ballot measures that raise taxes and spending. In Trenton, New Jersey, last night, Governor Chris Christie (R) framed the debate:

In Wisconsin and Ohio, they have decided there can no longer be two classes of citizens: one that receives the rich health and pension benefits, and the rest who are left to pay for them. These ideas are not red or blue. They are the black and white of truth.

Conservative governors across the nation should absolutely work to reform the way public-sector unions drain our economy. As Governor Christie told MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' today: "We're not trying to break the unions, the unions are trying to break the middle class."

Video:  Radical Public Union Protest! ATL, GA

Related:

Van’s Grand Plan to Span the Land:  A Union Protest at Every State Capitol

Shocking Level of Influence Exposed:  Union Boss Trumpka Talks to White House Every Day and Visits a Couple Times a Week

Obama Triggers Union Uprisings – Wisconsin Governor:  GOP Won’t Be ‘Bullied’ by Union Bill Protestors

Not All Presidents Are Equal

The third Monday in February has come to be known—wrongly—as Presidents’ Day. But, this is not a day to celebrate every president in our Nation’s history. The president who fails to wear a coat in cold weather should not be honored as much as the one who defeats the British’s Hessian mercenaries during a blizzard. This is the day that we celebrate the man who led America to victory in the War for Independence, who was instrumental in the creation of our Constitution, and whose character forever shaped the executive branch. We celebrate George Washington. That’s why the holiday is called  Washington’s Birthday—not Presidents' Day.

What makes George Washington a great president, worthy of such celebration, an example to all other presidents? In short, he was committed to the principles of the American Founding: Liberty, Natural Rights, Equality, Religious Liberty, Economic Opportunity, the Rule of Law, Constitutionalism, Self-government, National Independence.

For nearly two centuries, Washington was celebrated every February 22^nd—his birthday. According to Alvin Felzenberg, Washington’s troops set aside that day during the War for Independence to honor him, especially for his surprise victories over the Hessian mercenaries at Trenton and the British troops at Princeton. Yearly celebrations continued during and after Washington’s presidency, but Congress did not officially recognize Washington’s birthday as a national holiday until 1870.

Congress made Monday the official day to commemorate national figures and events with the Monday Holiday Law in 1968 (Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July are exceptions to the Monday rule). Observance of Washington’s birthday was moved from February 22 to the third Monday in February. Contrary to popular opinion, no action by Congress or order by any president has changed “Washington’s Birthday” to “Presidents' Day.” Section 6103 of Title 5 of the United States Code still designates the legal federal holiday as “Washington’s Birthday.” It would be easy for the president to issue an executive order that would enforce the law and remind all Americans that George Washington ought not to be lumped in with every other president: good, bad, and the ugly (yes, James Buchanan, we are talking about you).

If anyone in American history (let alone a president) deserves to have a day celebrated in his honor, it’s George Washington. Henry Lee summed up Washington best when he said:

“First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in humble and enduring scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere; uniform, dignified, and commanding; his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting…. Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues…. Such was the man for whom our nation mourns.”

Such was the man for whom our nation celebrates this February 22^nd.

The Heritage Foundation

--------

It's Still George Washington's Birthday (Not President's Day)

"Washington was the directing spirit, without which there would have been no independence, no Union, no Constitution, and no republic. . . . We cannot yet estimate him. We can only indicate our reverence for him and thank the Divine Providence which kept him to serve and inspire his fellow man." Calvin Coolidge

February 22 is the birthday of George Washington, the man who, more than any other, made possible our republican form of government. The third Monday in February has come to be known - wrongly - as President's Day. America's political leaders should take this occasion to remember Washington's deeds, recollect his advice, and once again call the holiday celebrating him by its legal name: Washington's Birthday.

James Flexner, George Washington's greatest biographer, called him the "indispensable man" of the American Founding. Without Washington, America would never have won our War of Independence. He played the central role in the Constitutional Convention and, as our first President, set the precedents that define what it means to be a constitutional executive: strong and energetic, aware of the limits of authority but guarding the prerogatives of office. Washington not only rejected offers to make him king, but was one of the first leaders in world history to relinquish power voluntarily. His peaceful transfer of the presidency to John Adams in 1797 inaugurated one of America's greatest democratic traditions.

From 1775 onward, when the Continental Congress appointed him military commander of continental forces, Washington personified the American Revolution. For eight years, General Washington led his small army through the rigors of war, from the defeats in New York and the daring crossing of the Delaware River to the hardships of Valley Forge and the ultimate triumph at Yorktown. Through force of character and brilliant political leadership, Washington transformed an underfunded militia into a capable force that, although never able to take the British army head-on, outwitted and defeated the mightiest military power in the world. And when the job was done, Washington resigned his commission and returned to his beloved Mount Vernon.

Washington was instrumental in bringing about the Constitutional Convention, and his widely publicized participation gave the resulting document a credibility and legitimacy it would otherwise have lacked. Having been immediately and unanimously elected president of the convention, he worked actively throughout the proceedings, and an examination of his voting record shows his consistent support for a strong executive and defined national powers. The vast powers of the presidency, as one delegate to the Constitutional Convention wrote, would not have been made as great "had not many of the members cast their eyes towards General Washington as president; and shaped their ideas of the powers to be given to a president, by their opinions of his virtue."

Washington wrote extensively and eloquently about the principles and purposes of the American Founding; he was a champion of religious freedom, of immigration, and of the rule of law. His most significant legacy is his Farewell Address of 1796, which ranks with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as one of the greatest documents of the Founding. The Farewell Address is best remembered for its counsel about international affairs: Washington recommended commercial relations with other nations but as few political entanglements as possible. Often overlooked is his sage advice about the character of our political system:

1. Uphold the Constitution. Washington reminds us that the Constitution--by which our government is carefully limited yet strong enough to defend our rights and liberties--is our strongest check against tyranny and the best bulwark of our freedom. He warns us to guard against oppositions to lawful authority and those that seek to circumvent the rule of law, the customary method by which free governments are destroyed.

2. Beware of the politics of passion. Washington was concerned about the excessive partisanship that stirs up individual passions, bringing out the worst aspects of popular government. While partisan spirit is rooted in human nature, it should not come to dominate our politics to the exclusion of deliberation, persuasion, and reason but should, like other passions, be moderated by better motives.

3. Protect American independence. Although often remembered as an isolationist, Washington advocated an active policy of building the political, economic, and physical strength for America to defy external threats and pursue its own long-term national purpose. He wanted liberty to be the objective of our international relations and commerce, not conquest, to be the primary means by which America would acquire goods and deal with the world.

4. Encourage morality and religion. Public virtue cannot be expected in a climate of private vice, Washington reminds us, and the most important source of virtue is religion and morality. Religion is the bedrock of morality, and morality is the foundation of a good society, he believed; together, they teach Americans their obligations to each other and create the conditions for decent politics and public justice.

Although it was celebrated as early as 1778, and by the early 19th century was second only to the Fourth of July as a patriotic holiday, Congress did not officially recognize Washington's Birthday as a national holiday until 1870. The Monday Holiday Law in 1968--applied to executive branch departments and agencies by Richard Nixon's Executive Order 11582 in 1971--moved the holiday from February 22 to the third Monday in February. Section 6103 of Title 5, United States Code, currently designates that legal federal holiday as "Washington's Birthday." Contrary to popular opinion, no action by Congress or order by any President has changed "Washington's Birthday" to "President's Day."

Several times, legislators have introduced legislation to direct all federal government entities to refer to the holiday as George Washington's Birthday. Better yet: the President could issue an executive order that, in one stroke of the pen, would not only enforce the law, but also remind all Americans that this George W - George Washington, that is - still deserves to be "first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Matthew Spalding is Director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation.

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence. It is force. And force, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." President George

---

NOTABLE QUOTES FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON:

My ardent desire is, and my aim has been...to comply strictly with all our engagements, foreign and domestic; but to keep the U States free from political connexions with every other Country. To see that they may be independent of all, and under the influence of none. In a word, I want an Americancharacter, that the powers of Europe may be convinced we act for ourselves and not for others; this is in my judgment, is the only way to be respected abroad and happy at home.

Letter to Patrick Henry, October 9, 1775

Our own Country's Honor, all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions.

General Orders, July 2, 1776

The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American People.

First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789

It is now no more that toleration is spoken of as if it were the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights, for, happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.

Letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, September 9, 1790

To point out the importance of circumspection in your conduct, it may be proper to observe that a good moral character is the first essential of man, and that the habits contracted at your age are generally indelible, and your conduct here may stamp your character through life. It is therefore highly important that you should endeavor not only to be learned but virtuous.

Letter to George Steptoe Washington, December 5, 1790

The Constitution which at any time exists, 'till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole People, is sacredly obligatory upon all.

Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness--these firmest props of the duties of Men and citizens.

Farewell Address, September 19, 1796

ON WASHINGTON:

His example is now complete, and it will teach wisdom and virtue to magistrates, citizens, and men, not only in the present age, but in future generations, as long as our history shall be read.

John Adams, Message to the U.S. Senate, December 19, 1799

First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in humble and enduring scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere; uniform, dignified, and commanding; his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting.... Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues.... Such was the man for whom our nation mourns.

Official eulogy of Washington, written by John Marshall
and delivered by Representative Richard Henry Lee, December 26, 1799

Perhaps the strongest feature in his character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration, was maturely weighed; refraining if he saw a doubt, but when once decided, going through with his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed. His integrity was pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known, no motives of interest or consanguinity, of friendship or hatred, being able to bias his decision. He was, indeed, in every sense of the words, a wise, a good, and a great man.

Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Walter Jones, January 2, 1814

To him who denies or doubts whether our fervid liberty can be combined with law, with order, with the security of property, with the pursuits and advancement of happiness; to him who denies that our forms of government are capable of producing exaltation of soul, and the passion of true glory; to him who denies that we have contributed any thing to the stock of great lessons and great examples; to all these I reply by pointing to Washington.

Daniel Webster, Address at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1842

Wherever men love liberty, wherever they believe in patriotism, wherever they exalt high character, by universal consent they turn to the name of George Washington. No occasion could be conceived more worthy, more truly and comprehensively American, than that which is chosen to commemorate this divinely appointed captain.

Calvin Coolidge, address marking the 150th anniversary of Washington's taking command of the continental army, July 3, 1925

Published on February 13, 2004 by Matthew Spalding, Ph.D.

His integrity was most pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known, no motives of interest or consanguinity, of friendship or hatred, being able to bias his decision. He was indeed, in every sense of the words, a wise, a good, and a great man.   ~ Thomas Jefferson on George Washington in a letter to Dr. Walter Jones

Some additional great information on George Washington at: EarstoHear.net

For more quotes, visit westillholdthesetruths.org

The Real George Washington

A Patriot's History of the United St...

George Washington's Sacred Fire

Washington wrote August 20, 1778: "The Hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this-the course of the war-that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more wicked that has not gratitude to acknowledge his obligations; but it will be time enough for me to turn Preacher when my present appointment ceases."

"No man has a more perfect reliance on the alwise and powerful dispensations of the Supreme Being than I have, nor thinks His aid more necessary." …George Washington, May 13, 1776, in a letter to Rev. William Gordon

REP. ALLEN WEST TELLS ‘KORAN-WIELDING‘ CAIR

Shark Tank:

At a townhall meeting hosted by Congressman Allen West on Monday evening in Pompano Beach, the Q&A segment of the meeting featured a Koran wielding Nezar Hamze, Executive Director of the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Hamze confronted Congressman West and asked him to point out where in the Koran does it give marching orders to Muslims “to carry out attacks against Americans and innocent people”. West quickly pointed out that the Koran was written long before America even existed and that it does indeed tell believers to kill infidels, and then proceeded to chronicle a lengthy list of historical Muslim acts of aggression.

Video:  CAIR Confronts Allen West

(h/t to WeaselZippers who adds, “His awesomeness makes my head want to explode.”)

Related:

Extremist Cleric to Lead White House Protest Calling for Muslims to ‘Rise up and Establish Islamic State in America’

Hannity:  The Face of Radicalism

Former Al Qaeda-Linked Associates Warn of Future Attacks

Rumors of War – Catch-up on the Middle East Crisis

Radicalism ~ Sean Hannity

Sharia Law Already in America

The Chechen State Dress Code

Extremist cleric to lead White House protest calling for Muslims to 'rise up and establish Islamic state in America'

By Daily Mail Reporter  -  Last updated at 3:03 AM on 20th February 2011

Call to arms: Muslim extremist Anjem Choudary will call for Sharia law to be established across the U.S.

A hardline Muslim cleric who sparked anger across the U.S. with his anti-American comments in a television interview this month is to hold a protest outside the White House.

British extremist Anjem Choudary - who once said 'the flag of Islam will fly over the White House' - has announced he will lead a demonstration calling on Muslims to establish the Sharia law across America.

The rally, planned for March 3, is to take place just weeks after his on-screen row with Fox News presenter Sean Hannity.

Mr Choudary, 43, called Americans 'the biggest criminals in the world today.'

The former leader of outlawed group Islam4UK told the Daily Star 'we expect thousands to come out and support us.'

Mr Choudary said the March rally was organised by the Islamic Thinkers society, an extremist group based in New York.

Two other British extremists,  Abu Izzadeen and Sayful Islam, have also been asked to speak at the demonstration.

Izzadeen is the hate preacher who caused fury last year when he called British soldiers 'murderers' the day he was released from jail after a three-and-a-half year sentence for inciting terrorism.

Mr Choudary told the newspaper: 'The event is a rally, a call for the Sharia, a call for the Muslims to rise up and ­establish the Islamic state in America.'

Furious reaction: Cleric Anjem Choudary made headlines when he was interviewed by Fox News presenter Sean Hannity earlier this month

However, whether the three will be able to enter the U.S., especially Izzadeen, remains to be seen. Even a tourist visa requires applicants to answer questions on whether they have been involved in acts of terrorism or plan to commit crimes in the U.S.

'This is a unique event taking place in Washington, outside the White House which, Inshallah, (God willing) will garner huge support.'

He hit U.S. headlines just two weeks ago after his furious exchange with Mr. Hannity on Fox News. The presenter became so enraged with his anti-American comments he ended the interview by calling him a 'sick, miserable, evil S.O.B'.

The East London-based cleric's anti-American stance is well-documented. Last year he led protesters in burning the American flag outside the U.S. embassy in London on September 11.

British extremists: Sayful Islam, left, and Abu Izzadeen, right, have also been invited to speak at the White House rally, which will call for Sharia law in the U.S.

And in October, he told an ABC chat show that 'one day the flag of Islam will fly over the White House.'

He told the Daily Star: 'They have seen our activities in the UK and Europe and have decided they want to challenge the vacuum in ­freedom and democracy and the ­people in the front line of the struggle against Islam and Muslims - the ­American ­government and the ­establishment.

'They have invited and ­myself and Sayful Islam from Luton to come over to address the crowd and rally support.'

Scene of protest: British extremist cleric Anjem Choudary plans to mount a pro-Islam demonstration outside the White House next month

'We are going to address ­corruption in the Senate, corrupt foreign ­policy, the mayhem around the ­Muslim world, the drug and ­alcohol culture, ­promiscuity and the pandemic of crime in America.

'It is only right the call is made in the heart of Western ­civilization in front of the biggest pharaoh that ­exists today, which is Barack Obama.'

He added: 'I think the American people’s hearts and minds are open to receive Islam as an alternative way of life. We expect thousands to come out and support us.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1358792/Extremist-cleric-le...

Related:

Hannity:  The Face of Radicalism

Former Al Qaeda-Linked Associates Warn of Future Attacks

Rumors of War – Catch-up on the Middle East Crisis

Radicalism ~ Sean Hannity

Sharia Law Already in America

The Chechen State Dress Code

U.S. Gov‘t Software Creates ’Fake People’ to Spread Message via Social Networking

AP File

Sean Kerrigan

The US government is offering private intelligence companies contracts to create software to manage "fake people" on social media sites and create the illusion of consensus on controversial issues.

The contract calls for the development of "Persona Management Software" which would help the user create and manage a variety of distinct fake profiles online. The job listing was discussed in recently leaked emails from the private security firm HBGary after an attack by internet activist last week.

Click here to view the government contract (PDF)

According to the contract, the software would "protect the identity of government agencies" by employing a number of false signals to convince users that the poster is in fact a real person. A single user could manage unique background information and status updates for up to 10 fake people from a single computer.

The software enables the government to shield its identity through a number of different methods including the ability to assign unique IP addresses to each persona and the ability to make it appear as though the user is posting from other locations around the world.

Included in HBGary's leaked emails was a government proposal for the government contract. The document describes how they would 'friend' real people on Facebook as a way to convey government messages. The document reads:

• "Those names can be cross-referenced across Facebook, twitter, MySpace, and other social media services to collect information on each individual. Once enough information is collected this information can be used to gain access to these individuals social circles.
• Even the most restrictive and security conscious of persons can be exploited. Through the targeting and information reconnaissance phase, a person’s hometown and high school will be revealed. An adversary can create a classmates.com account at the same high school and year and find out people you went to high school with that do not have Facebook accounts, then create the account and send a friend request. Under the mutual friend decision, which is where most people can be exploited, an adversary can look at a targets friend list if it is exposed and find a targets most socially promiscuous friends, the ones that have over 300-500 friends, friend them to develop mutual friends before sending a friend request to the target. To that end friend’s accounts can be compromised and used to post malicious material to a targets wall. When choosing to participate in social media an individual is only as protected as his/her weakest friend."

Other documents in the leaked emails include quotes from HBGary CEO Aaron Barr saying, "There are a variety of social media tricks we can use to add a level of realness to all fictitious personas... Using hashtags and gaming some location based check-in services we can make it appear as if a persona was actually at a conference and introduce himself/herself to key individuals as part of the exercise, as one example."

Additional emails between HBGary employees, usually originating from Barr, discuss the vulnerability social networking causes.

One employee wrote, "and now social networks are closing the gap between attacker and victim, to the point I just found (via linked-in) 112 females, wives of service men, all stationed at Hurlbert Field FL - in case you don't know this is where the CIA flies all their "private" airlines out of. What a damn joke - the U.S. is no longer the super power in cyber, and probably won't be in other areas soon."

Barr also predicted a steady rise in clandestine or secret government operations to stem the flow of sensitive information. "I would say there is going to be a resurgence of black ops in the coming year as decision makers settle with our inadequacies... Critical infrastructure, finance, defense industrial base, and government have rivers of unauthorized communications flowing from them and there are no real efforts to stop it."

The creation of internet propaganda software is only one of HBGary's controversial activities. According to Wikileaks competitor and occasional collaborator Cryptome.org, several other progressive organizations were intended to be targeted including anti-war activist, anti-torture organizations and groups opposed to the US Chamber of Commerce.

The emails also include a number of other embarrassing entries including the purchase of the book "The Multi-Orgasmic Man: Sexual Secrets Every Man Should Know" from Amazon for $6.76.

For more information on this and other stories click here.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: US Gov. Software Creates 'Fake People' on Social Networks to Promote Propaganda - National Social Media | Examiner.com - http://www.examiner.com/social-media-in-national/us-gov-software-creates-fake-people-on-social-networks-to-promote-propoganda#ixzz1EXzIB0L9

Source:  Sean Kerrigan  -  Social Media Examiner - Sean is a freelance journalist covering emerging forms of new media and its effect on society. He specializes in covering cable news

Video: Glenn Beck: Is Google Just A Shill For The United States Government?

Related:

Google’s Censorship of Search Results

HuffPo:  10 More Websites Glenn Beck Doesn’t Trust, Other than Google (In Pictures)

Beck on Egypt, World Revolution, 12th Imam and Google

Facebook’s Persecution of Conservatives:  Examining Evidence of Bias

Alert:  Last Chance to Stop Obama From Taking Control of the Internet

ALERT: LAST CHANCE TO STOP OBAMA FROM TAKING CONTROL OF THE INTERNET

President Obama has the POWER TO PULL THE PLUG on the Internet here in the United States, just like Hosni Mubarak's administration did in Egypt during the uprising. The FCC's Net Neutrality Act, passed by a vote of 3-2 along party lines on December 21, 2010, gives "kill-switch" authorization to the federal government.
The full implementation of this Act will take place 60 days after the date of the Act, which is FEBRUARY 21, 2011.

THAT MEANS ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE CONTROL OF THE INTERNET UNLESS WE ACT TO STOP THEM.

If we allow this FCC Act to go unchallenged, the government will be able to REGULATE THE INTERNET and any other interstate communication service they choose, WITHOUT Congressional oversight.

We have organized a fax campaign on this very important issue. CLICK THIS LINK TO FAX CONGRESS RIGHT NOW and tell them to overturn the FCC's Net Neutrality Act and rein in their power grab!

Help us make sure that hundreds of thousands of faxes are piled up in their offices on Monday morning. Your participation is critical as we work to protect free speech in America and defend against an overreaching bureaucracy.

THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE - PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!
Republicans in the House and Senate have introduced a Resolution of Disapproval, seeking to reverse the FCC's net neutrality rules. The Resolution was introduced in the House by Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI); and in the Senate by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). IT IS FILIBUSTER-PROOF.

Walden, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, said, "The FCC shouldn't be in the business of picking winners and losers by advantaging web companies over broadband providers."

"There's a broad chorus of congressional voices that agree the FCC overstepped its bounds. That's what we're going to raise with the five commissioners in front of the subcommittee next week, and that's why we'll offer a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act."

We have organized a fax campaign on this very important issue. CLICK THIS LINK TO FAX CONGRESS RIGHT NOW and tell them to overturn the FCC's Net Neutrality Act and rein in their power grab!
Make sure your faxes are piled up in their offices on Monday morning. Your participation is critical as we work to protect free speech in America and defend against an overreaching bureaucracy.
THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE - PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!

You've seen what is going on in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. The "democratic demonstrations" in the streets of Egypt were fueled by use of the Internet and social communication networks like Facebook and Twitter. At the height of the revolution, President Hosni Mubarak's administration pulled the "kill switch" and closed off Egypt's citizens from the information superhighway.

WHAT HAPPENED IN EGYPT CAN HAPPEN HERE.

The new rules will give government bureaucrats power over Internet carriers, which is in direct opposition to our free market system - and the freedom we have always enjoyed on the Internet.
This is yet another in a long line of examples of the Obama administration overstepping their authority and concentrating more power with the government - and against the wishes of the American people.

According to Rasmussen, only 21 percent of the country supports the idea of network neutrality - but the Obama administration continues to push for more and more control over every aspect of our lives in an effort to suppress free speech and dissenting opinion!

We have organized a fax campaign on this very important issue. CLICK THIS LINK TO FAX CONGRESS RIGHT NOW and tell them to overturn the FCC's Net Neutrality Act and rein in their power grab!
Make sure your faxes are piled up in their offices on Monday morning. Your participation is critical as we work to protect free speech in America and defend against an overreaching bureaucracy.
THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE - PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!

The FCC does NOT have the authority from either Congress or the U.S. Constitution to assume control of the Internet!
The White House does not have the authority from either Congress or the U.S. Constitution to use the "kill-switch!"

Three federal judges warned the FCC before they passed the Net Neutrality Act. They believe the Internet has First Amendment protection, exactly the same as printed media - so what is next for Obama? Assuming control of our newspapers and magazines?

President Obama does not like dissenting opinion, and there's a lot of that lately because his big government agenda is not popular. If he can't silence his critics through debate, he will use his radical FCC to do it for him! Just like we saw in Egypt!

As we saw in Egypt, a "kill-switch" can have overwhelmingly disastrous consequences. You, as an individual, would be drastically affected; but think of the millions of businesses that depend upon the Internet for their commerce. The fallout would literally CRIPPLE the already-shaky U.S. economy!

This is a violation of your rights and of the U.S. Constitution!

There is nothing "neutral" about the Net Neutrality Act. The government wins, and you lose.

We have organized a fax campaign on this very important issue. CLICK THIS LINK TO FAX CONGRESS RIGHT NOW and tell them to overturn the FCC's Net Neutrality Act and rein in their power grab!
Make sure your faxes are piled up in their offices on Monday morning. Your participation is critical as we work to protect free speech in America and defend against an overreaching bureaucracy.
THIS IS AN URGENT ISSUE - PLEASE SEND YOUR FAXES NOW!

We have an FCC that is openly hostile to our First Amendment rights.

You may not notice it today, and you may not notice it tomorrow - but unless we get the Net Neutrality Act overturned, you will wake up soon and find that the government has assumed total control over the Internet, and your speech will be restricted.

Free speech is one of America's most precious freedoms, and I ask for your urgent support so we can defend it, before it's too late.

Sincerely,

Tony Adkins, Conservative Action Alerts

California’s Delta Smelt is Raising Your Food Prices

The Commerce Clause that regulates interstate commerce is at issue in the legal battle of Obamacare.  Can the federal government tell individuals that they must buy insurance?  Not as well known is how the same commerce clause is destroying farms and raising food prices by stopping the flow of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Rivers to the Central Valley in California.      The feds at the urging of the state government has literally turned off the tap, destroying prime farmland in order to benefit the sex lives of the Delta Smelt.

Approximately 85-90% of the water from this primary source has been shut off to the Central Valley.   The smelt is a fish so insignificant that no one other than the Bezerkely-enviro-wackos and some local fisherman have heard about this tiny fish.

The smelt is fish that is native to California and, for the most part, is known to fisherman simply as “bait”.   The California enviros’ zeal to increase the population of smelt has led to a terrible federal, legal decision that shut down the water to thousands of farmers in the Central Valley; the nation’s largest and most productive farm land.    Thousands of farmers there are suffering with unemployment over 20%, scores of farms have been lost and tens of thousands of agricultural workers are now without jobs.   If California didn’t have enough economic problems, you can add shooting yourself in the foot.  The inmates are now officially running the asylum.   If we needed a poster for enviro-insanity it would be the promotion of the lowly smelt over the interests of: farmers, food production, food prices, jobs and California families.

Fortunately, the GOP is now leading the charge is to cut funding for the programs that help the smelt at the expense of the farmers.  This could lead to turning on the tap to the farmers.  But California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is fighting the farmers; leading the opposition in the Senate and choosing to stand by the smelt over people.    The Pacific Legal Foundation, (PLF) a non-profit public interest group has sided with the farmers was recently successful in obtaining a new federal district court decision to force the state to re-examine its justification for turning off the spigot.

On Tuesday, the PLF made their case in front of the Ninth “Circus” Court of Appeals hoping for permanent relief.  They argued that the Commerce Clause doesn’t allow the feds to regulate intra-states species (species that don’t cross state lines) with no commercial sales.  Let’s just hope the people prevail over the bait, however, with the insane Ninth Circus Court no outcome is certain.

Source:  Big Government

Related:

San Joaquin Valley Federally Created Dust Bowl

Sean Hannity Travels to California’s Fields to get the Water Turned On

Federally Created Dust Bowl in CA – Another Test Crisis??

Journalist Files Charges Against WHO and UN for Bioterrorism and Intent to Commit Mass Murder

Charges Filed Against Obama, WHO and UN For Bioterrorism and Intent to Commit Mass Murder {1 of 3} – Video

AGENDA 21 Videos and Why Are Americans IGNORANT of ‘ AGENDA 21’

Land Grab by the Federal Government

h/t to: California’s Delta Smelt is Raising Your Food Prices  by Adam Sparks

Obama Triggers Union Uprisings - Wisconsin Governor: GOP Won't Be 'Bullied' by Union Bill Protesters

FNC/AP/NBC News TMJ4

President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits and planning similar protests in other state capitals.

Obama accused Scott Walker, the state's new Republican governor, of unleashing an "assault" on unions in pushing emergency legislation that would change future collective-bargaining agreements that affect most public employees, including teachers.

The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to get thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals.

Their efforts began to spread, as thousands of labor supporters turned out for a hearing in Columbus, Ohio, to protest a measure from Gov. John Kasich (R) that would cut collective-bargaining rights.

By the end of the day, Democratic Party officials were organizing additional demonstrations in Ohio and Indiana, where an effort is underway to trim benefits for public workers. Some union activists predicted similar protests in Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

READ THE FULL STORY IN THE WASHINGTON POST

DNC Caught Organizing Wisconsin Protests

AP

The Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America arm -- the remnant of the 2008 Obama campaign -- is playing an active role in organizing protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's attempt to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights.

OfA, as the campaign group is known, has been criticized at times for staying out of local issues like same-sex marriage, but it's riding to the aide of the public sector unions who hoping to persuade some Republican legislators to oppose Walker's plan. And while Obama may have his difference with teachers unions, OfA's engagement with the fight -- and Obama's own clear stance against Walker -- mean that he's remaining loyal to key Democratic Party allies at what is, for them, a very dangerous moment.

OfA Wisconsin's field efforts include filling buses and building turnout for the rallies this week in Madison, organizing 15 rapid response phone banks urging supporters to call their state legislators, and working on planning and producing rallies, a Democratic Party official in Washington said.

The @OFA_WI twitter account has published 54 tweets promoting the rallies, which the group has also plugged on its blog.

Fox News

Wis. governor: GOP won't be 'bullied' by union bill protesters

By Jordan Fabian - 02/18/11 07:55 AM ET

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) says his party has been emboldened by massive protests against his controversial budget plan.

Walker said demonstrators who filled the state capitol building in Madison and the boycott by state Senate Democrats — some of whom fled the state in protest — have steeled the resolve of members of his party.

"If anything, I think it's made the Republicans in the Assembly and the Senate stronger," he told Fox News's Greta Van Susteren in an interview Thursday night. "They're not going to be bullied. They're not going to be intimidated."

Walker also fired back at President Obama, who sided with the public employees, saying on Fox News Friday, "We are focused on balancing our budget. It would be wise for the government and others in Washington to focus on balancing their budgets, which they are a long way off from doing."

The unrest in Wisconsin has attracted attention from national lawmakers and political figures, who have incorporated the state's tussle over Walker's budget proposal into the debate over the federal government's fiscal woes.

Public-sector workers are upset with the plan, which calls on them to pay to receive pension and health benefits and removes collective bargaining rights for some.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a statement backing Walker's proposal, saying governors like Walker "are daring to speak the truth about the dire fiscal challenges Americans face at all levels of government, and daring to commit themselves to solutions that will liberate our economy and help put our citizens on a path to prosperity."

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, meanwhile, has called the plan an "assault" on the middle class and compared Walker's plan to drastic cuts House Republicans in Washington want to make.

"This federal budget madness echoes pound-foolish actions we're seeing in state after state, where Republican legislators and governors elected with lucrative CEO support are ignoring the jobs crisis and playing politics as usual with the lives of working families," he wrote in a Huffington Post op-ed.

Wisconsin Democrats in Congress have called for the plan to be taken off the table. President Obama on Thursday weighed in, also accusing Walker of waging an "assault" on unions.
Walker's words are his latest attempt to goad state Democrats back to the capitol to vote on his plan. He held a press conference on Thursday afternoon, urging them to return to the state after some fled to neighboring Illinois in order to avoid state law enforcement from bringing them back to Madison.

Asked if he has the authority to retrieve them out-of-state, Walker said, "That's a really big question for us.

"I mean, the bottom line is very — very much similar to when you've had redistricting battles, lawmakers go to other states, as well, from other states," he said. "I think in Texas and Oklahoma years ago, that happened. Again, I hope it doesn't get to that. That would be ridiculous."

-- This post was updated at 9:31 a.m.

AP

Associated Press

A leading Wisconsin senator who fled to Chicago with fellow Democrats says they could stay out of Wisconsin for days or even weeks.

Senate Democrats are boycotting a vote on a bill that would strip public sector workers of their collective bargaining rights.

NWO: Jesus vs. the 12th Imam

Video:  Jesus vs. the 12th Imam

Related:

Rumors or War:  Catch-up on the Middle East

Video: NWO Busted: Man who exposed Bilderberg reveals conspiracy secrets to EU

Video:  NTEB: Minnesota Under Attack From Sharia Law

Iranium  - Watch the Trailer:  Here  -  Did you know that the Iranian regime was behind the 1983 attack on U.S. peace-keeping forces in Beirut, the largest terror attack on U.S. interests prior to 9/11?