A Time For Choosing

Over 45,000 Votes! NRO: Who Is The Better Conservative Standard Bearer? Sarah Palin 76% Rick Perry 24%

2011-09-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

An interesting poll from National Review Online. In a week long poll that ended on Tuesday, NRO asked it's readers to chose who was the better representative of conservatism, the better standard bearer, Governor Sarah Palin or Governor Rick Perry.

45, 503 people voted in their poll and the results are Sarah Palin 76% Rick Perry 24%.

Yes, the poll is unscientific, but that is a pretty lopsided, though not surprising outcome, given the two governors' records and actions over their long careers, thus worth mentioning.

Sarah Palin: Union Brothers and Sisters It's Time To Reconsider Following Your Corrupt Leadership

2011-09-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

As you know, on Monday, while giving a speech with President Barack Obama, union thug leader Jimmy Hoffa, Jr screamed "We’re ‘Army’ Against Tea Party; ‘Let’s Take These Sons of Bitches Out’."

This would be shocking if not for the fact that it's standard fair for the thugs who run and manage unions. It's not the rank and file, hell, most are union members simply because they live in slave states that force them to join a union in order to work. It's the cost of having a job. And not all unions are run by thugs, but the vast majority are, and the most powerful are joined to Obama at the hip.

We've all seen how Obama has stolen from shareholders of car companies, only to give it to the unions, and how his justice department has harassed non-union shops. This is crony capitalism at it's worst.

Today Sarah Palin addresses this by talking directly to union rank and file members, and reminding them thugs like Hoffa are living off their dues, without doing anything for them in return:

Welcome, Union Brothers and Sisters

In my speech on Saturday in Iowa, I said: "Between bailouts for Wall Street cronies and stimulus projects for union bosses’ security and ‘green energy’ giveaways, [Barack Obama] took care of his friends. And now they’re on course to raise a billion dollars for his re-election bid so that they can do it all over again." This was shamefully on display yesterday at President Obama’s taxpayer-funded campaign rally in Detroit. In introducing the President, Teamsters President James Hoffa represented precisely what I was talking about as he declared war on concerned independent Americans and on the freshman members we sent to Congress last November by saying, "Let’s take these son-of-a-bitches out!"

What I say now, I say as a proud former union member and the wife, daughter, and sister of union members. So, as a former card-carrying IBEW sister married to a proud former Laborers, IBEW, and later USW member, please hear me out. What I have to say is for the hard working, patriotic, selfless union brothers and sisters in Michigan and throughout our country: Please don’t be taken in by union bosses’ thuggery like Jim Hoffa represented yesterday. Union bosses like this do not have your best interests at heart. What they care about is their own power and re-electing their friend Barack Obama so he will take care of them to the detriment of everyone else.

To the same degree Americans are concerned about irresponsible, greedy corporate execs who got cushy bonuses from taxpayer-funded bailouts, we should also be concerned about greedy union bosses who are willing to tank our economy just to protect their own power. As union history shows, power and greed corrupt. Just because you claim to represent union members doesn’t mean you are on the side of the angels. The greed of too many of these union bosses has all but destroyed the labor movement in this country, helped chase away our jobs, and is killing the American dream.

To see where this leads, look at what’s happening to the working class in our industrialized cities. These cities are going to hell in a hand basket thanks to corruption, crony capitalism, and the union bosses’ greed. The union bosses derive their power from your union dues and their promise to deliver your votes to whichever politician they’re in bed with. They get their power from you, and yet their actions ultimately hurt you. They’re chasing American industry offshore by making outrageous, economically illogical demands that they know will never work. And now that they’ve chased jobs out of union states, they’re trying to chase them out of right-to-work states like South Carolina, so eventually the jobs will leave America altogether. But these union bosses will still figure out a way to keep their gig, and so will their politically aligned corporate friends. As long as these big corporations have a good crony capitalist in the White House, they can rely on DC to bail them out until the whole system goes bankrupt, which, I am afraid, is not very far off. When big government, big business, and big union bosses collude together, they get government to maximize their own interests against those of the rest of the country.

So, now these union bosses are desperately trying to cast the grassroots Tea Party Movement as being "against the workingman." How outrageously wrong this unapologetic Jim Hoffa is, for the people’s movement is the real movement for working class men and women. It’s rooted in real solidarity, and not special interests and corporate kickbacks. It represents the needed reform that will empower workers and job creators. We stand with the little guy against the corruption and influence peddling of those who collude to grease the wheels of government power.

This collusion is at the heart of Obama’s economic vision for America. In practice it is socialism for the very rich and the very poor, but a brutal form of capitalism for the rest of us. It is socialism for the very poor who are reduced to a degrading perpetual dependence on a near-bankrupt centralized government to provide their every need, while at the same time robbing them of that which brings fulfillment and success – the life-affirming pride that comes from taking responsibility for your own destiny and building a better life through self-initiative and work ethic. And Obama’s vision is socialism via crony capitalism for the very rich who continue to get bailouts, debt-ridden "stimulus" funds, and special favors that allow them to waive off or help draft the burdensome regulations that act as a boot on the neck to small business owners who don’t have the same friends in high places. And where does this collusion leave working class Americans and the small business owners who create 70% of the jobs in this country? Out in the cold. It’s you and your children who are left paying for the cronyism of Obama and our permanent political class in DC.

Ask yourself if the folks you heard demonize concerned, independent Americans yesterday really speak for the working class when they’re all too happy to burden your families with the bill to bail out the President’s friends on Wall Street.

We should not forget that for all his lofty rhetoric, President Obama is a Chicago politician. Graft, cronyism, and quid pro quo are the well-known methods of an infamous Chicago political machine, of which Barack Obama emerged. This corruption isn’t just the result of a few bad apples. It’s the nature of a skewed system that’s typical of one not allowing a level playing field. If one desires opportunity for all, then the only solution is sudden and relentless reform. I know of what I speak. I too served in public office in a state that had a corruption problem. The difference is that I fought the corrupt political machine. Barack Obama used the machine in his state to advance. He never challenged it. And he’s evidently brought the same Chicago "pay-to-play" practices to the White House.

It’s sad to see much of the labor movement fall lock step behind a President whom Hoffa calls upon to partner in "waging war" against patriotic Americans. I will never forget that as a governor, in trying to be a friend to the working men and women in our unions, I gave a speech on August 27, 2008, at the annual AFL-CIO meeting in Anchorage. There, union members humbled me with a standing ovation for fighting the corruption in Alaska and for bringing parties together for progress on energy development projects. Then just two days later I landed on the national stage as John McCain’s running mate, and the union leadership turned on me from that day forward even though I had not changed one iota in my plans, principles, vision, and commitment to jobs for working class Americans. The only difference was I was challenging the politician the union bosses were committed to electing. It was almost comical, this lesson learned with their new spots revealed so quickly.

Recently someone commented: "I’m a union member. I’ve been a Democrat all my life. Now I’ll vote for anyone with a plan to save America." I know what that person is feeling. I want all good union brothers and sisters to know that there is an alternative. The grassroots, independent Tea Party Movement articulates a real alternative rooted in free men and free markets, not the cronyism of Barack Obama and the permanent political class in DC. Their cronyism is why we have no job growth, massive unsustainable debt, and a housing market in the tank. Too many politicians are simply addressing the economic symptoms instead of fighting the underlying disease. The path forward is through reform. On Saturday, I outlined some ideas about that reform, and I will continue to do so.

In the meantime, good union brothers and sisters, don’t let Hoffa tell you what to do. He doesn’t represent the real interests of working men and women. He’s not doing you any favors. He’s just living off your paychecks.

~ Sarah Palin

Crony Capitalism is a huge problem in government and both parties practice it at both the federal and the state level. Heck, what am I saying, it's even done at the local level. This sort of corruption has permeated our society. We've come to take it for granted, which is wrong, wrong, wrong. When we have Presidents, and Governors working to enrich their big money supporters, at the expense of others, we have a serious problem.

Of course, just making the rich richer isn't the only thing a corrupt politician can do for their buddies. As Michele Malkin writes today, candidate Obama promised to end a federal probe into Teamsters Union corruption. President Obama made good on that promise.

This sort of thing is why the American economy is in a mess. Government picking winners and losers at every level is not only corrupt, and immoral, it goes against everything America stands for. Everything our founders fought and died for.

We must demand Liberty and Freedom for the working men and women. We must demand Liberty and Freedom for American business. Freedom from corrupt politicians and their union thug buddies. Freedom to work without having to pay someone for the privilege of doing so!

We must reform the way Americans work.

Here's a bit of video of Hoffa and how he operates: [H/T: Gulagbound.com]

We all remember how the purple shirted SEIU thugs attacked Kenneth Gladney in St Louis for simply being a Black man selling Tea Party stuff at a town hall event. This is who these people are.

We've been called terrorists, racists, and now sons-a-bitches, by some of the most violent elements of our society. Unions were built on violence and intimidation. Businesses that fought unions were violently attacked, and workers who wouldn't submit to union slavery were violently attacked.These unions are nothing more than government sanctioned organized crime.

We talk a lot about the Ruling Class in America. It's not just the permanent political class, it's union leadership and other special interest groups, that buy politicians off. This happens at every level of government. Local, state, and federal. It must be stopped. The American people must rise up and support sweeping reform.

One of the reasons we support Sarah Palin so strongly is the fact she has taken on corrupt politicians and crony capitalism since her very earliest days in public office. Twenty years ago she was going after her fellow Wasilla city council member over crony capitalism, she would do this throughout her time as a public servant.

The story of how she took on the entire corrupt Alaska Republican Establishment™ is well documented.

We need someone who will go after corruption no matter where or when they find it. Even if it's a friend who is engaged in the impropriety, like Sarah's friend, mentor, and fellow city council member Nick Carey was in Wasilla.

Sarah Palin Runs Well In Iowa

2011-09-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy Greta Van Susteren

By Gary P Jackson

Sarah Palin stopped by Storm Lake, Iowa Sunday morning and ran in the "Jump Right in and Run" half-marathon organized by the Storm Lake Running Club.

Greta posted the above photo earlier on her website.

Sarah ran as "Sarah Heath," her maiden name. The Des Moines Register gives us a copy of the finishing order. Sarah finished second in the Women's 40-49 class. Her time? 1 hour, 45 minutes for the 13.1-mile race.

Sarah tweeted thanks to Storm Lake for their hospitality:

Andrew Malcolm of the L.A. Times published this photo of Sarah and Iowans4Palin's "teledude" and his wife.

Read more from Andrew here.

As Sarah's supporters know, she is an avid runner, and her dad was a track coach. It's cool that she was able to slip in and compete at this event.

Sarah Palin in Iowa: The Defining Moment

2011-09-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Sarah Palin showed us Saturday how she will run her presidential campaign. Just as she did in Alaska, Governor Palin will take on the establishment, in both parties. There is corruption and crony capitalism everywhere in government. The American people know this and want it stopped. This will be a winning message that will attract Americans from every walk of life.

Unlike other candidates for high office, Sarah has an actual record of fighting corruption that goes all of the way back to her earliest days in elected office. As a member of the Wasilla city council, she went up against Nick Carney, one of the people who recruited her to run for office. Carney a fellow council member, owned a waste disposal business, and wanted to create a new law that would have required residents of new sub-divisions to pay for weekly garbage removal, by his company. Sarah fought him hard on this and defeated his plan.

What she did to the "Corrupt Bastards Club" is legendary. She turned a highly corrupt Alaska Republican Party on it's ear. I look at what she did in Alaska as a dress rehersal for what she will do as President. This is why you see so many in the Republican Establishment™ doing everything possible to stop her from even running. They know Alaska was just a warm up, as well! They also know the current so-called front runner is the absolute king of crony capitalism and will not survive with Sarah Palin in the race.

Sarah's speech in Iowa was great. She laid out a solid outline for restoring America. Besides talking about the corruption that has consumed government at every level, she gave a very specific tax proposal. Eliminating corporate income taxes, as well as closing loopholes in other taxes is a solid plan. Corporations don't really pay taxes as it is, as they simply build that into the price of their goods and services, so it's the consumer who ultimately pays this tax. The benefits of eliminating this, along with draconian regulations, could see one of the biggest booms in manufacturing that we've seen since WWII.

Speaking at the Liberty and Freedom Foundation in San Jose, California, in October of 2010, Sarah elaborated on her plan, why it would attract business to America, and how it all makes sense.

Sarah also talks about energy security and how it would benefit our nation. Her plan to make America energy independent, would create millions of good, durable, high paying jobs. It would also make us more secure. She calls on us to use our God given natural resources, and to build new refineries to process them. This is bold and decisive.

She has been saying these things for years, well before she was chosen as John McCain's running mate in 2008. No other candidate knows the energy sector better than Sarah Palin, and our untapped resources are the key to America's future.

The weather in Iowa was bad, thunderstorms rolled through the area in the mornming, and until Sarah Palin took the stage, it was raining. Still a crowd of between 2000-3000, the largest, by far, of any political event this season in Iowa, witnessed the speech in person.

After her speech, Sarah joined the crowd, sining autographs and posing for pictures with her supporters.

There are several good write-ups about the event, all with the same basic theme: Sarah Palin fired a shot across the bow of the Ruling Class. Both parties are in deep trouble with Sarah Palin in the race. Check 'em out.

From John Nolte:

Root Causes: In Iowa, Sarah Palin Lays Out a Governing Philosophy that Should Worry Both Sides of the Aisle

From Jedediah Bila:

Sarah Palin rocks Iowa: ‘The status quo is no longer an option’

From Scott Conroy:

Palin Sends Shot Across GOP Field's Bow in Fiery Iowa Speech

Photos from the event:

More here.

There are some crowd shots here, here, and here.

Hundreds Greet Sarah Palin At Local Iowa Restaurant Shouting "Run, Sarah, Run!"

2011-09-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin greets supporters at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale tonight. [The Register/Andrea Melendez]

By Gary P Jackson

Sarah and Todd Palin made a surprise visit to the Conservatives4Palin meet-up in Urbandale, Iowa Friday night.

From Jennifer Jacobs of the Des Moines Register:

Crowd chants ‘run, Sarah, run’ as Palin arrives at Iowa restaurant

Minutes after Alaska’s Sarah Palin arrived at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Urbandale tonight, the crowd of a couple hundred started up a chant of "Run, Sarah, run!"

Palin beamed, then asked Iowans about themselves as she shook hands and posed for photographs.

The possible presidential candidate didn’t make a speech and left for her Des Moines hotel with her husband, Todd, about half an hour after she arrived.

When a reporter asked Palin what she thinks about the current GOP competitors, she answered: "Happy with the field of candidates. I always think that there’s room for more, though, because spirited debate and more competition will allow an even better discourse and more rigorous discourse that the public deserves."

The event at the suburban restaurant, popular for conservative political gatherings, was organized by a Conservatives4Palin, an online group created by Palin aide Rebecca Mansour. (Mansour wasn’t there, but two other staffers, Michael Glassner and Jason Recher were at her side.)

Peter Singleton, a California lawyer who has been living in Iowa on and off as he talks up a Palin presidency, led a campaign rally of sorts tonight.

"This is not about Sarah Palin," he told the listeners jammed shoulder to shoulder in a back room with a long line out the door. "This is not about any candidate. This is about us as a people. But we need a leader."

Singleton, a volunteer organizer with Organize4Palin, continued: "There is no one who has the political courage and the vision of this woman."

The audience whooped and cheered when Singleton said he believes she could become the 2012 GOP nominee – and that she could be Democratic President Barack Obama.

More, including photos and audio, here.

Scott Conroy from Real Clear Politics was there and among his tweets:

Observation of hardcore Palin supporters: they are YOUNG. A lot of 20-somethings here. Ya don't see that in Iowa GOP politics

There's a short video here. [H/T: Linda]

The joint was crowded and Stacy Drake tweeted this photo with the headline: "Help... I can't get in"

Conroy: Palin to Rip "Crony Capitalism" [Rick Perry] in Iowa Speech

2011-09-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

It looks like Sarah Palin's speech Saturday will finally put an end to the notion that she will endorse Rick Perry!

Scott Conroy reports that her speech will take corruption head on. Specifically the sort of crony capitalism that both Rick Perry and Barack Obama trade in daily.

As I was writing about Perry's half million dollar payoff from AT&T, on Thursday, I couldn't help but think that Perry was the exact sort of corrupt politician she ran against, and defeated, in Alaska. She helped send many to prison, others, including the GOP party chair, paid massive fines.

Perry has some serious vulnerabilities here. It's not his only issue, as we are learning more and more about land deals that make the Obama/Rezko thing look legit. Look for a more in-depth report on this soon.

Conroy also reports Sarah will lay out some substantial policy initiatives in her speech. A true way forward.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Though she won't be a candidate when she delivers a major address at a tea party rally in Iowa on Saturday, Sarah Palin will make it clear that she if enters the presidential race later this month she will vociferously challenge Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s engrained image of solidarity with the tea party movement.

In her speech at the bucolic National Balloon Classic field in Indianola, Palin will lean on loaded phrases like "crony capitalism" and "permanent political class" in laying out her view of the U.S. political system’s deep-rooted ills, according to a source close to Palin and familiar with the content of the speech.

Though she will not call Perry out by name, Palin’s carefully couched rhetoric will leave the impression that she may soon draw more overt attention to one of the Texan’s potential vulnerabilities as a candidate: his history of doling out plum positions and other benefits to generous campaign donors during his nearly 11-year tenure as the nation’s longest serving governor.

"Part of what she’s going to be addressing is the frustration that many Americans feel that nothing gets done in Washington, D.C.," a Palin source told RealClearPolitics. "We know that we have a debt problem and that we need to rein in government waste, and yet nothing ever gets done. Why is that? What special interests are involved?"

Palin’s speech before what will likely be one of the largest crowds of the campaign season to date will come on the third anniversary of her 2008 Republican convention address in the Twin Cities, when she accepted the vice presidential nomination in an almost universally acclaimed speaking performance.

In another likely indication that she still has her sights set on a White House run, Palin will also tout her record as governor of Alaska, particularly in ushering in what an aide described as "sudden and relentless reform" to state government.

"She’ll also address her own record in the sense that she has fought the powers that be her entire career in taking on the political machine and a corrupt political class in her own state," the aide said.

Though she has lagged in third place in most recent national polls, Palin’s entry into the race would almost certainly turn the Republican field on its head and immediately alter the strategies of both Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- the two front-runners for the GOP nomination.

A Palin campaign would also threaten to further sap support for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who has sought to position herself as the ideologically purest small-government contender in the contest but who has faded in the polls since winning the Ames Straw Poll last month.

In her speech Saturday, Palin will "more clearly" and "more boldly" offer policy prescriptions that she has laid out in Facebook posts over the past few months.

Read more here.

As we have always thought, Sarah will not only run against the democrats and Obama, but also the Republican Establishment™ just as Ronald Reagan did in 1980. This is the right message and will certainly resonate with Conservatives and independents. The need to clean house in Washington is strong.

BTW, this is why you see the Establishment™ pushing back so hard. In the last few days all sorts of stories have come out saying how terrible it would be if Sarah runs. Damned right it will be terrible! It'll be terrible for the corrupt Republican Establishment™, terrible for the other candidates, and terrible for Obama.

It will, however, be downright awesome for the American people!

For $500,000! Rick Perry Backs AT&T Merger Plan With T-Mobile

2011-09-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

More crony capitalism from Rick Perry, the finest Texas Governor money can buy. We've talked about the pay-for-play deal Perry and his people had with Merck with Gardasil, but this is a lot bigger and has deeper ramifications.

Perry wrote a letter endorsing the proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. Nothing inappropriate in that, until you learn AT&T's PAC has given Perry over $500,000 since he has been in office, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.

From the National Journal:

In the May 25 letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and the other commissioners, the GOP presidential candidate urged approval of the controversial megadeal on behalf of a home-state company. AT&T is headquartered in Dallas. T-Mobile is owned by a German telecommunications company.

"I believe that this merger will continue to provide for great consumer choice, offer a wide range of service options, and spur continued innovation," Perry wrote. "The future rests in wireless broadband, and the federal government's swift approval of the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile would send a strong signal to employers, consumers, and states that our federal government is serious about meeting the communication and technology needs of Texans and all Americans." Perry cited "the commitment of at least an additional $8 billion in private investment over seven years as a result of this merger" as a reason to support the deal.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department sued to block the merger. "We believe the combination of AT&T and T-Mobile would result in tens of millions of consumers all across the United States facing higher prices, fewer choices, and lower-quality products for their mobile wireless services," Deputy Attorney General James Cole said.

Over the past decade, AT&T’s political action committee has given Perry more than $500,000, according to the Texas Ethics Commission’s records. Those contributions already have Democrats on the offensive.

"This is just one more example of Rick Perry’s pay-to-play network that represents the same old type of lobbyist-first politics. He might try to pretend to be some outsider, but as his record continues to come to light, the American people will see right through his facade," said Ty Matsdorf, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic opposition research organization.

Perry spokesman Mark Miner defended his boss's actions.

"AT&T is a highly regarded Texas-based company, creating thousands of good American jobs and providing critical communications services worldwide," Miner said in a statement to National Journal. "Gov. Perry believes the combination of the two telecom companies will be good for consumers, good for technology innovation, and good for American job creation."

Read more here.

Perry, as always spins this as "aw shucks, I was just tryin' to create some jobs." Yeah, jobs for his accountants.

This isn't an isolated incident. This is how Perry does business.

Glenn Garvin looks at Perry's record and compares him to Obama, in the way both try to use government to pick winners and losers:

The unfortunate fact is that Perry and Obama have a lot more in common than either would like to admit. They both think they’re smarter than the laws of economics and that they make wiser choices than markets do. And they both see taxpayer money as a giant trough for feeding their political pals. Perry is actually truthful about this, sort of. "I am a pro-business governor," he told Time magazine last week. "I will be a pro-business president." What he means is that he’s pro-certain-businesses, the ones run by his friends.

As governor of Texas, Perry controls hundreds of millions of dollars in state handouts to corporations for "job creation and economic development." Not surprisingly, it turns out that the funds are especially good at developing one particular sector of the Texas economy: Perry’s campaign funds.

The Texas Observer revealed earlier this year that of the 55 companies that have dipped into the $345 million Texas Enterprise Fund controlled by Perry, 20 have been have donated money either directly to Perry’s political campaign funds or to the Republican Governors Association, his Washington posse.

We’re not talking chump change: The Observer counted donations over $2 million. Meanwhile, The Dallas Morning News looked into the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, another of the taxpayer teats under Perry’s control, and found eight companies that received $16 million in subsidies who, totally coincidentally, donated $1.4 million to the governor’s campaign.

And Perry is not content to merely pick taxpayer pockets on behalf of his corporate friends; he’ll resort to strong-arm robbery when necessary. The biggest controversy of his decade in the governor’s mansion was an arrogant attempted land-grab called the Trans-Texas Corridor, a $185 billion system of super-highways for which the state would have had to acquire as much as a thousand square miles of territory.

To deal with troublesome property owners who didn’t want to sell, Perry persuaded the legislature to pass a new form of eminent domain known as "quick-claim," in which the state could have seized any land it wanted with just 90 days of notice, then "negotiate" the price later. The super-highway plan died in 2010 only because the federal government showed more concern for the rights of bugs and bunnies than Perry did for the property rights of his constituents, pulling the plug on its chunk of the budget out of environmental concerns.

President Obama’s enemies often refer to him as a socialist. But what he really has been practicing in Washington the past two and a half years is crony capitalism, using programs like TARP and the stimulus package to funnel trillions of dollars in swag to politically connected companies. The result has been an economy that barely rises to the level of narcolepsy in its best moments. Perry has been doing the same thing with a smaller budget in Austin, though the damage hasn’t been as great because he had the foresight to run for governor in a state floating on a lake of oil.

The only change we’ll get in Washington if he’s elected is to the names of the recipients of the corporate welfare checks.

For those not familiar with the Trans-Texas Corridor, that would have been one of the largest thefts of private land in history. Texans were angered like no time in recent memory. It was stopped, for now. The result of this fiasco saw Perry draw no less that 4 primary challengers in 2006, and several hard hitting independent challengers in the general election. Had one of those indies dropped out and threw their support to the other, Perry wouldn't be Governor today. As it was, Perry won re-election with 39% of the vote.

The TTC deserves more discussion and that will come. Meanwhile, for those that want more information, check out Corridor Watch's website here.

This is corruption, pure and simple. Perry talks a good line and is good at pretending to be a Conservative, but he is far from it. Between his pay-for-play schemes, and highly questionable real estate deals, Rick Perry has become quite wealthy while never really working at anything but a government job.

I don't care how you look at it, Rick Perry isn't much of an upgrade from Barack Obama. We can do so much better than this guy. We have to do much better than this guy. The nation can't survive much more corruption in public office, and Rick Perry is nothing more than more of the same.

America deserves better.

Breaking: Rick Perry Admits That He Is Indeed Dumb

2011-08-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

On Tuesday I addressed Rick Perry's letter in support of Hillary Clinton's plan to "reform" health care in America. I noted this was just one in a series of poor judgements, and even poorer policy, that render Perry unfit to hold the highest office in the land.

What I didn't address what his campaign's weasel words on the subject, as quoted in the Daily Caller: [emphasis mine]

Asked by TheDC about the 1993 letter, Perry’s presidential campaign defended it, saying the full scope of Clinton’s healthcare plan was not yet known when Perry signed it.

"You need to read the letter," top Perry political strategist Dave Carney told The Daily Caller. "He praised her efforts in trying to tackle the issue and urged her not to overlook rural Americans. The letter was at the onset of her efforts before she proposed anything. No one could have imagined the horrible monstrosity she cooked up, in fact not to be outdone until ObamaCare years later."

"As Agriculture Commissioner he was concerned that rural Americans would be overlooked and their options even more limited," Carney continued. "Working with the administration regardless of party, working with members of the other party, as long as you don’t violate your principles, is important to getting things done."

I'm getting old, but my memory of the events is Conservatives not only "could have imagined the horrible monstrosity she cooked up" but did from the second it was announced Hillary had started!

The socialist wing of the democrat party spent almost the entire 20th Century attempting to engineer a government take over of America's health care system. I posted video of Ronald Reagan talking about this in my previous article. It's worth revisiting.

Like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton is a Saul Alinsky communist. Unlike Obama, she knew Alinsky personally, to the point he tried to hire her as a "community organizer." Hillary wrote an analysis of Alinsky’s methods for her senior thesis at Wellesley College. They remained friends until Alinsky’s death in 1972.

This is rather common knowledge. Since many, if not most democrat politicians, are followers of Alinsky, surely Rick Perry knew of Clinton's communist leanings.Perry was a member of the democrat party until 1989.

One of Alinsky's teachings is to drop the openly radical nonsense, like the terror bombings Obama's buddy Bill Ayers was into. Alinsky advised his pupils to take a bath, cut their hair, and put on a smart suit. The idea was to blend in with the establishment, and eventually BECOME the establishment. It was a good plan that worked out well, for the hard left. They are now part of the establishment.

Hillary was able to blend in and look respectable, but Conservatives saw her coming a mile away when she pounced on health care. It was a disaster for Bill Clinton, as even some democrats opposed the idea, and would be one of the reasons the democrats lost their 40 year control of the House.

But Rick Perry's campaign would have you believe "No one could have imagined the horrible monstrosity she cooked up"? It's more like everyone, but Rick Perry, could imagine it!

This is nothing more than a typical politician trying to spin a horrible decision. A fellow who has a history of supporting plans that Conservatives will never approve of. A candidate who is saying don't look at my record, just listen to my pretty words.

In the end, there are only two possibilities regarding the Clinton letter. Rick Perry really didn't have a clue, which makes him incredibly dumb [and naive] or he and his campaign are being a whole lot less than truthful.

Either way, this is not the sort we need leading this nation. We already have Barack Obama, who is both dumb and a liar.

Sarah Palin To New Hampshire On Labor Day

2011-08-31T00:08:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

After what is expected to be a landmark speech in Iowa on Saturday, Sarah Palin will spend Monday, Labor Day, in the first primary in the nation state of New Hampshire. Sarah will headline a Tea Party Express event.

"We are always thrilled to have Sarah Palin join one of our rallies," Tea Party Express chairman Amy Kremer said in a statement released late Tuesday.

"She is an electrifying figure in conservative politics and a hero to the tea party movement."

Game on.

The Letter In Which Rick Perry Praises Hillary Clinton For Her Socialized Medicine Scheme Shows A Pattern

2011-08-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

One of our readers sent this a couple of days, now I see Drudge has picked up on it, and Team Perry is scurrying to explain it all. This is more than a letter from one democrat to another, it shows a pattern that Perry can't escape.

From the letter:

I think your efforts in trying to reform the nation’s health care system are most commendable.

I would like to request that the task force give particular consideration to the needs of the nation’s farmers, ranchers, and agriculture workers, and other members of rural communities," Perry continued, noting his administration’s focus on economic development for rural Texans. "Rural populations have a high proportion of uninsured people, rising health care costs, and often experience lack of services.

Again, your efforts are worthy, Perry concluded, "and I hope you will remember this constituency as the task force progresses.

Perry ends his letter:

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance

Now in all fairness, Perry was a democrat back then. But despite reports to the contrary, democrats in Texas were and are just as whacked out as any other democrat. And supporting socialized medicine goes against the very fiber of the American soul.

To me, this shows a pattern for Perry, and no, I'm not just talking about the Gardasil fiasco, which was nanny statism and crony capitalism deluxe. Earlier we reported that in 2001, as the REPUBLICAN Governor of Texas, Perry backed a bi-national insurance scheme that would have included Mexico.

Let's not forget that as Charmain of the Republican Governor's Association, Perry teamed up with his democrat counterpart, Joe Manchin to write a series of letters begging Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to pass TARP. Bi-partisanship at it's "finest"!

Patterns ....

Perry talks a different story now, but I'd much rather look at the man's actual record as Governor of Texas. No smears, no BS.

The more you dig into Perry's actual record the more you realize that he isn't all that much of an upgrade from the current president. Yes, Perry would make a better president than Obama, but so would almost anyone, that's not a very high standard.

Again, Perry has talked big lately, but with the campaign disavowing much of that fiery rhetoric, it all becomes meaningless.

We all give Mitt Romney hell for creating the first socialized medicine program in America, giving the Obama regime the needed blueprint for a national version of the same thing, on steroids. And we are right in giving Romney hell. That said what Hilary Clinton had proposed, and Perry enthusiastically backed, was not much different. Given the fact Perry backed a plan that would have not only included Texas, but another COUNTRY, please tell me how Perry is much different than Romney?

There's a lot of things in Perry's record as Governor to give Americans great pause. There are better choices.

As a reminder, here's what the great Ronald Reagan had to say about socialized medicine. This applies to HillaryCare, RomneyCare, and ObamaCare.

Flashback: Sarah Palin: Alaska’s Promise for the Nation

2011-08-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

One of my favorite things that shows up in my mailbox regularly is Imprimis from Hillsdale College. If you aren't a subscriber, you are missing some great commentary. It's free, so sign up here.

On August 2, 2008, before she was chosen as the Republican vice presidential nominee, Governor Sarah Palin gave a speech outlining Alaska's role in America's future. Specifically she's talking about energy independence, and national security. What strikes me most is Governor Palin's consistency. She was saying the same thing in 2008, before most Americans knew who she was, as she does today in 2011, when everyone knows who she is.

More importantly, she's just as correct today, as she was in 2008. Sarah is the only candidate who seems to understand the link between energy independence and national security. She's absolutely the only one talking about it. She's also the only one with actual executive experience in the energy sector. When she talks energy, she talks from first hand knowledge.

Sarah Palin actually has a solid plan for making America energy independent. A plan that will create millions of jobs, jump start our economy, and make us a lot safer and more secure.

From Imprimis online:

The following is adapted from a speech delivered on August 2, 2008, aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner in Juneau, Alaska, to Hillsdale College friends and supporters during the College’s "North to Alaska" cruise from Seward to Vancouver.

NEXT YEAR IN ALASKA we are celebrating 50 years of statehood. We are still a very young state, and we’re still experiencing some growing pains, perhaps, as we seek opportunities for Alaska to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on the federal government. And the key to our becoming self-sufficient—and doing our part for our fellow Americans—is to develop further our state’s vast natural resource wealth.

Fifty years ago, this was our deal with the federal government—that we pull our own weight. And we’ve already come a long way from being known as "Seward’s Folly," back when Alaska was purchased from the Russians for two cents an acre. We’re earning our keep, largely by tapping our energy resources such as crude oil and liquefied natural gas. In fact, Alaska has our nation’s only liquefied natural gas export facility, located in the south-central Alaska town of Nikiski. But Alaska could and should be doing much more.

Being an Alaskan today is especially exciting and historic, as the energy and fuel crisis in our nation spawns creativity and makes us reevaluate what is important and necessary. As we consider where our energy will come from in the future, Alaska can and must be a big part of the answer. In fact, Alaska has already begun to take the lead on a sorely needed national energy policy. Groundbreaking history was made just up the hill at the capitol building yesterday, as Alaska’s lawmakers voted to award TransCanada Alaska a license to proceed with fieldwork, permitting, and development of the biggest construction project in the history of North America—the building of a natural gas pipeline, a project we have been fighting to begin for three decades. Once constructed, this pipeline will supply four to four-and-one-half billion cubic feet of natural gas per day—roughly six percent of America’s demand—to our fellow countrymen in what we call "the lower 48."

Just to provide some perspective, Alaska has tens of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas under the surface, especially on the North Slope. Alaskans have longed for the right to access our gas and more of our oil to assist in supplying the U.S. market, and now we are finally on the road to doing so. This $30-40 billion infrastructure project—which will be built by the private sector—is one of the most exciting and progressive events in Alaska’s history.

This is a good start, to be sure. But Alaska has much more to offer in the way of resources. And let me tell you clearly that we can do so in a way consistent with good environmental stewardship. Each and every Alaskan recognizes that our most precious resource is the pristine environment in which we are privileged to live and where our "First People" still subsist to this day. No one can love or care for Alaska more than Alaskans. And we who live here recognize that sound science and constantly improving technology make it possible to extract oil and gas safely and responsibly. Furthermore, with gas and fuel prices reaching record highs, oil and gas must be extracted—even as we move in the direction of renewable and alternative sources of energy.

Because of the lagging economy, Americans do not have time for "all talk and no action." Here at home, Alaskans struggle with the highest gas prices in the nation—the cost of gas in parts of Alaska is four to five dollars more per gallon than gas in the lower 48—and many face the choice between heating their homes and putting food on the table. Now other Americans are experiencing the same challenges. And we are in this position only because Alaska’s vast resources are being warehoused underground by Congress—placing us in a ridiculous and difficult position.

The price of oil, and now gasoline, has always been sensitive and subject to events occurring outside the U.S. We have placed ourselves in the position of having to plead with Middle Eastern suppliers to increase production, when instead we could lift the development bans that are keeping us from our own resource independence—namely, the bans relating to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and offshore drilling.

Alaskans find it incredibly frustrating that others—many of whom have never even set foot in our state, much less lived here—dictate how and when we can best use our own resources. Whether over the barren tundra or in our majestic mountains, we have a strong history of responsible development. To date, Alaska has sent more than 15 billion barrels of oil, safely and efficiently, to the lower 48. One look at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System illustrates that development and wildlife can and do coexist.

I’ve heard it said by some politicians that Alaska doesn’t have enough oil to make a difference. I can tell you honestly that we do have enough. And while consultants and experts debate the current energy crisis, Alaska is already preparing for its next role—providing American consumers with a safe and secure domestic source of crude oil and natural gas. In fact, if energy imports were curtailed completely, Alaska could provide our nation with seven years of crude oil independence and an eight-year supply of natural gas. These are numbers that reflect known and recoverable oil and gas deposits.

To repeat, Prudhoe Bay has produced 15 billion barrels of crude oil, and there’s more where that came from in ANWR, which is home to more than ten billion barrels of oil and nine trillion cubic feet of natural gas. I know this is a controversial issue. But most Americans do not realize that of the 20 million acres that make up ANWR, we are asking for the right to access just 2,000 of them—a mere 1/10,000th of the total area. Opening up just that sliver of ANWR—which would create a footprint smaller than the total area of Los Angeles International Airport—could produce enough oil (an estimated one million barrels per day) to ease America’s fuel crisis and greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

It is also estimated that there are 24 billion barrels of recoverable oil and another 104 trillion cubic feet of natural gas offshore. In other words, offshore areas that are geologically promising, such as the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, hold roughly three-and-one-half years of U.S. oil consumption and four-and-one-half years of natural gas.

Congress can make it possible to take advantage of these resources right now, by streamlining access to offshore areas. As usual, outside interests are throwing up roadblocks and manipulating the legal system to achieve their agenda. But we need to bring some sanity back to the legal and permitting processes in the area of energy production.

In calling for bans to be lifted in order to get our nation out of the chokehold of high oil prices and dependence on the Middle East, I am certainly not rejecting the idea of alternative and renewable resources. I believe that we need to move in that direction, ultimately weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels. But we can’t do it overnight—or even over a decade. In Alaska, we have almost limitless opportunities for thermal, wind, solar, and hydroelectric energy. In fact, our capital city of Juneau receives 80 percent of its electricity from hydroelectric energy. Recently we have created a renewable/alternative energy fund with an initial $50 million that will build to $250 million over a five-year period. Yet until the science is fully developed, until all our vehicles are green, we must wisely and responsibly utilize known and given oil and natural gas resources so that we can provide for ourselves.

Alaskans are a very unique kind of people. We hear this on a regular basis from our visitors from the lower 48. One thing that makes us so unique is that we are at once fiercely independent and incredibly community-minded. It may seem as though these two qualities would be in conflict, but I believe they are the complementary qualities which, in tandem, drove the American Revolution. Our forefathers fought and died for liberty and independence, but they did so together. Today, as we seek freedom from dependence on foreign oil—and freedom from having to send our presidents to plead with the Saudis for more oil production—we must join together again, in the spirit of freedom and independence, to gain access to our own energy resources.

I say this to you not just as Alaska’s governor, but as the mother of a soldier—my son, Track, will soon be deploying overseas in service to his country and to a war that is certainly complicated by our dependence on foreign resources.

We must open ANWR and lift the ban on offshore drilling. The science and technology to harvest our resources responsibly and safely are in hand. The time for congressional action and leadership is now.

~ Sarah Palin

Happy Anniversary Todd and Sarah Palin

2011-08-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Todd and Sarah Palin are celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary today. Here's some photos of them together:

Todd and Sarah share each others adventures:

Aboard the USS Stennis:

The Iron Dog!

On this date in 2008 Sarah and Todd started out a big adventure:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg0darQB7r4?rel=0]

All things point to an even bigger adventure to come.

Here's wishing Todd and Sarah many more years of happiness together.

There is a neat slideshow of Sarah and Todd together here.

Perry Campaign: Everything in "Fed Up!" Was Meaningless BS

2011-08-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

I have a copy of Rick Perry's Fed Up! on my bookshelf. In the book Perry sounds like the kind of solid conservative Americans would like to have in the movement. I must say I enjoyed the book, and agreed with what was written. Thing is, it seems Perry himself does not.

One of the main themes of the book was going back to the Founder's original intent of a decentralized government, with the states more in charge and responsible for things affecting the people. The entire book is an homage to the Tenth Amendment.

Another strong theme is, Perry wants nothing to do with Washington, or it's politics. He also says [as he has many times] that being Governor of Texas is the "greatest job on earth." And yet, he wants to leave that and go to the cesspool that is D.C.? The D.C. that he said in his book he wanted nothing to do with? Hmm.

Perry has also said that Tenth Amendment stuff was just BS as well, if not in words, then by his actions.

When he first got serious about running for President, and the issue of gay marriage came up, he got it right, at first. It's a states' rights issue. Then when pressured, he flip-flopped faster than Mitt Romney on his best day, and said we need a federal ban on gay marriage.

Same goes for abortion. That Tenth Amendment became meaningless as soon as Perry was approached. The reason Roe v Wade is bad law is because it usurped states' rights. The federal government has no business dealing with this issue. Left alone, most states would ban, or severely limit abortion all on their own. Perry should know this, as Texas, thanks to our legislature, is doing everything it can to limit the slaughter of the innocent.

That said, you can't have it both ways. You either believe the Tenth is the law of the land, or you don't. You can't say you are 100% for it, except when it's inconvenient.

Recently Perry, who talks tough, was called out for statements he made about Social Security. Neil King Jr writes in the Wall Street Journal: [emphasis mine]

Texas Gov. Rick Perry used to be pretty frank when it came to the country’s Social Security system. In his fiery anti-Washington book, "Fed Up!", published last fall when he had no plans to run for president, Mr. Perry called the program, which turned 76 on Monday, "a crumbling monument to the failure of the New Deal."

He suggested the program’s creation violated the Constitution. The program was put in place, "at the expense of respect for the Constitution and limited government," he wrote, comparing the program to a "bad disease" that has continued to spread. Instead of "a retirement system that is no longer set up like an illegal Ponzi scheme," he wrote, he would prefer a system that "will allow individuals to own and control their own retirement."

But since jumping into the 2012 GOP nomination race on Saturday, Mr. Perry has tempered his Social Security views. His communications director, Ray Sullivan, said Thursday that he had "never heard" the governor suggest the program was unconstitutional. Not only that, Mr. Sullivan said, but "Fed Up!" is not meant to reflect the governor’s current views on how to fix the program.

The issue bubbled up Thursday, when a gaggle of protestors confronted Mr. Perry outside a café in Portsmouth, N.H., accusing him of trying to destroy Social Security and Medicare. Mr. Perry didn’t respond when one of the protesters inside the café accused him of believing the Social Security system was unconstitutional.

In an interview, Mr. Sullivan acknowledged that many passages in Mr. Perry’s "Fed Up!" could dog his presidential campaign. The book, Mr. Sullivan said, "is a look back, not a path forward." It was written "as a review and critique of 50 years of federal excesses, not in any way as a 2012 campaign blueprint or manifesto," Mr. Sullivan said.

The campaign’s disavowal of "Fed Up!" is itself very new. On Sunday evening, at Mr. Perry’s first campaign stop in Iowa, a questioner asked the governor to talk about how he would fix the country’s rickety entitlement programs. Mr. Perry shot back: "Have you read my book, ‘Fed Up!’ Get a copy and read it."

In the book, Mr. Perry dings politicians who don’t have the courage to take on Social Security. So what is his position now? "The governor wants to see the benefits for existing retirees and those close to Social Security be strongly protected," Mr. Sullivan said. Beyond that, "he believes a full review and discussion of entitlement reforms need to be had, aimed at seeing that programs like Social Security and Medicare are fiscally responsible and actuarially sound."

The fact that Perry's campaign is saying the book is not a "2012 campaign blueprint or manifesto" while Perry himself is saying "read my book" [rather than just answer a question] should bother voters. It should bother them a lot.

The Perry campaign is saying "don't believe a word in it, it's irrelevant now" while their guy is saying hey, go read my meaningless words!

We already know we can't trust the words written on the page, so why bother?

It's also hypocritical for to Perry call out others who don't have the courage to do something about Social Security, when it sure sounds like he doesn't either.

Now wait, hold the phone, as I write this, I see a new report from the Los Angeles Times. It's all OK now, Perry is back to attacking Social Security again![emphasis mine]

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is standing firm in insisting that Social Security, the federal government’s insurance programs for retirees and disabled, is a Ponzi scheme designed to deceive the young.

In a weekend campaign stop in Ottumwa, Iowa, Perry, who has surged into the lead in the Republican presidential sweepstakes in at least one major poll, repeated his characterization of the social insurance program that is generally supported by the electorate. He has made the same point before, especially in his book, "Fed Up!," though at one point his campaign tried to explain that he had softened his language.

There's more.

So Perry "softened" his rhetoric, his campaign disavowed his book, and now it's all back on. See, it's all better now!

The Hill reported a few days ago that something else Rick Perry was all for in the book, the "flat tax" is being distanced by the campaign:

The campaign of Texas governor and GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry is being hounded by statements he has made.

The Perry campaign on Monday was, once again, trying to distance itself from another policy prescription in Perry’s book, "Fed Up!," which was released last year.

In the book, Perry argues that the federal government should repeal the 16th Amendment — which grants Congress wide leeway to levy income taxes — and institute instead a "flat tax" that would tax all Americans at the same rate, regardless of income.

But a Perry spokesman conceded Monday that dramatic income tax reform was likely a non-starter, according to The Washington Post. The campaign declined to reaffirm support for the repeal of the 16th Amendment or the passage of a flat or national sales tax, despite continuing to assert that the current tax code is "onerous, complex and confusing."

Read more here.

So which is it?

The book is a full throated defense of the flat tax, and Perry laid out a reasonable plan, but now the campaign "declined to reaffirm support"? Does Perry believe a flat tax is the answer, or not? Or is it all just too damned hard?

How does one count this anyway? Is it a flip-flop, or pure political cowardice?

Sorry, but I want a candidate who says what they mean, and means what they say. I don't want "nuance" or "softened" rhetoric. I don't want someone who'll write a book, and when asked a question, instead of answering, refers people to that book, while at the same time his campaign is saying you can't really believe a word in that book!

I want someone, who when talking tough, and prescribing tough medicine, has the courage of their convictions. Someone who not only knows what must be done, but will actually do it, if elected.

This is vintage Rick Perry though. Talks a good game, but when it's post time, he comes up limp. Texans know this already.

I read Fed Up!. I enjoyed Fed Up!. I'd vote for the character "Rick Perry" portrayed in Fed up!. Sadly, "Rick Perry" is a fictional character, and doesn't exist. The real Rick Perry is just another politician, and not a particularly appealing one at that.

I've asked readers before to look at Perry's record. Not the media nonsense, not the smears, just his actual record as Governor of Texas. That's all one needs to know to understand Perry is not suited for the job of President of these United States.

The book deal proves Perry is just another pandering political hack who wrote Fed Up! because he figured that's what people wanted to hear. I'm not saying Perry didn't believe some of what he wrote. [though his campaign is] What I'm saying is Perry isn't prepared to defend what he said, or live by it.

Perry, like most career politicians can talk the talk, but has no intention of walking the walk.

America deserves better.

Audio: The Victory Sessions Stephen Bannon Hosts Jedediah Bila and Peter Singleton

2011-08-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

On Sunday night Jedediah Bila and Peter Singleton were guests of Stephen Bannon on KABC Radio’sVictory Sessions.

RuBegonia has the audio. Click here and listen.

Jedediah Bila: Hey Pundits, How About We Talk About Sarah Palin's Record?

2011-08-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Jedediah Bila takes on the chattering class in a big way. She challenges them to talk about Sarah Palin's actually record, instead of the ridiculous nonsense they are talking about now. It should be noted that she's talking to the Republican Establishment™.

While some pundits are busy calling Sarah Palin thin-skinned, claiming that there is "no space for her" in the 2012 race and incessantly speculating about her potential announcement date, some of us are sitting by laughing, sufficiently amused by typical establishment tactics that have grown tired, old and frankly a little boring.

In a previous column, Jedediah talks about attending a Manhattan cocktail party, filled with hard core lefties. They are quite worried and know that Sarah can win it all, and they understand why.

I'm amazed that it's been "" for Sarah Palin to enter the race for oh, about four months now. Funny how it wasn't "too late" for the establishment's favorite son Rick Perry to enter, and no one has said it was too late for Paul Ryan, Chris Christie, Rudy Giuliani, or anyone else. That rule only applies to Sarah Palin, no one else. Hmmm.

Jedediah goes on to list what we really need to be discussing. Here are just a few of them:

As governor in 2007, Palin was responsible for the largest veto totals in state history, while investing $1 billion in forward-funding education and fulfilling public safety and infrastructure necessities.

1. Palin invested $5 billion in state savings during a time of economic surplus.

2. Palin reduced spending by 9.5% from 2007 to 2010 and slashed earmark requests by over 80% during her time as governor.

3. Under Palin, Alaska’s total liabilities were reduced by 34.6% overall.

4. As governor, Palin was the CEO of the state and had substantial authority. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, "In Alaska, the Governor has line-item veto power over the budget and can only be overridden by a three-quarters majority of the Legislature."

Jedediah has much more, read it all here.

We all know why the Establishment™ [in both parties] don't want to talk about Governor Sarah Palin's record. Not even Mayor Sarah Palin's record. Both independently and separately, either record shows more ability and success than Barack Obama or any of the current Republican candidates could ever muster.

If we talk about Sarah Palin's actual 20 year record, instead of all of the media created nonsense, it's all over for Obama, the other GOP candidates, and more importantly, the Republican Establishment™. And just like those ladies in Manhattan, they know it too.

**Here is what Sarah Palin's résumé looks like:

* Sports Reporter/Anchor, KTVA-TV Anchorage/KTUU-TV Anchorage/Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (1987 – 1992)

* Co-owner, Commercial Fishing Operation (1988 – present)

* City Council Member, City of Wasilla (1992 – 1996)

* Co-owner, Snow Machine, Watercraft, & All-Terrain Vehicle Business (1994 – 1997)

* Mayor/City Manager, City of Wasilla (1996 – 2002)

* Board Member, Alaska Municipal League (199x – 1999)

* President, Alaska Conference of Mayors (1999 – 2002)

* Chairperson, Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (2003 – 2004)

* Director, Excellence in Public Service, Inc. (2003 – 2005)

* Board Member, Valley Hospital Association (2005 – 2006)

* Governor, State of Alaska (2006 – 2009)

* Chairperson, Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission (2008 – 2009)

* Chairperson, National Governors Association Natural Resources Committee (2008 – 2009)

* Vice Presidential Nominee, Republican Party (2008)

* Founder, SarahPAC (2009 – present)

* Speaker, Washington Speakers Bureau (2009 – present)

* Author, Going Rogue: An American Life (2009)

* Contributor, Fox News Channel (2010 – present)

* Author, America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag (2010)

* Host/Executive Producer, Sarah Palin’s Alaska (2010)

Also:

* Board Member, Salvation Army

* Member, Alaska Miners Association

* Member, Alaska Outdoor Council

* Member, American Management Association

* Member, Chambers of Commerce (Various)

* Member, Iditarod Parent-Teacher Association

* Member, National Rifle Association

* Member, Resource Development Council of Alaska

* Member, Youth Court Steering Committee

* Coach/Hockey Team Manager, Valley Youth Sports

This doesn't include all of the work she did in 2010, helping take back the House, and add numbers to the Senate, or the work she did in local and state elections. Nor does it count the many ways she has changed the national debate since 2008. It does however show someone who has a wealth of experience both in politics and the real world. Please note that as Mayor, Palin was term limited, and the terms were three years long.

** H/T Pennsylvanians for Palin

Flashback Video: Mexican President Vicente Fox Thanks Governor Rick Perry For Dream Act

2011-08-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

On November 6, 2003, Mexican President Vicente Fox publicly thanked Rick Perry for offering in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

By Gary P Jackson

How is it, people from another country, whether they are here legally or illegally, can get a deal on college tuition, when American citizens from other states cannot?

Something to ponder, just as RomneyCare was the blueprint for ObamaCare, Rick Perry's Dream Act will serve as the blueprint for a national version. In fact, it already is.

Something else, how is allowing illegals a chance to attend Texas universities, and subsidizing it with in-state tuition, not a form of Amnesty? Think about it. Instead of arresting them, they are giving them a college I.D.

Is this the sort of America we want?

Gibson Guitars, Barack Obama, and Gangster Government

2011-08-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Barack Obama is a thug. A Chicago street thug, and nothing more. In case you really don't know what a "community organizer" is, at least as far as democrats go, they are like mob enforcers. Groups like ACORN, where Obama used to work, and the purple shirted SEIU union leg breakers, are nothing more than thugs for hire. They are paid mobs who show up where ever they are told to to intimidate whoever is being targeted. Often violence occurs.

This is the environment Barack Obama spent his formative years working in.

There are many examples of the Obama regime targeting specific businesses and organizations for destruction. The latest is Gibson Guitars. The regime has been hassling the company over the exotic woods it uses for it's fretboards. The same wood other companies use without any problems whatsoever.

Last week the regime's Justice Department went after Gibson again, over their use of Indian rosewood. It should be noted the Indian government, as far as we can tell, has lodged no protests or asked for any investigations. Again, other guitar companies use the same exact wood, and the regime has no issues with them.

It should also be noted that Gibson's CEO Henry Juszkiewicz is a Republican and support's Republican candidates. Also Gibson is a non-union shop. These tactics are an obvious attempt to intimidate Gibson in the fine tradition of another famous Chicagoan, Al Capone.

Dana Loesch interviewed Henry Juszkiewicz for her radio show:

This wood must be certified before it's used, and according to Juszkiewicz the wood Gibson is using has been certified as good to go.

The plot gets thicker, as it always does with the regime. John Nolte at Big Hollywood reports:

One of Gibson’s leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Company. The C.E.O., Chris Martin IV, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the DNC over the past couple of elections

Nolte goes on to point out Martin uses the exact same wood Gibson does. Read more about this here.

This is how Obama and the regime work.

The story of how Obama and his campaign chief-of-staff Pete Rouse, along with Phil Munger, recruited Alaska bloggers and other malcontents to harass Sarah Palin during the 2008 elections, and after she returned home, filing dozens of bogus ethics complaints, as well as planting false stories in the media, is well documented. Once in office, Rouse ran the operation out of the West Wing of the White House. In case you're not familiar with all of this, here's our latest on the subject.

This is not the only attempt by Obama to intimidate Governor Palin though. In 2009 Obama decided to target the surviving members of the Alaska Territorial Guard, the brave men who defended Alaska when the Japanese invaded during WWII. The group is now known as The Alaska Defense Force. We're talking a handful of men, 26 in all, but Obama cut off their pensions, citing priorities for a military spending bill. There was no reason for this, other than to mess with Alaska. As Commander-in-Chief of the ADF, Governor Palin took quick action, fought the regime, and got these men reinstated. She also signed into law a bill that insured they were paid by Alaska while all of this was going on.

This was a thuggish and childish act. The regime has tried to stop Governor Palin's gasline, as well.

There are plenty more examples: Also in 2009, when the regime basically took over the Chrysler Corporation, breaking centuries worth of contract law in the process, it was noted many of the dealerships forced to close were owned by Republicans. Mark Tapscott reported:

Evidence appears to be mounting that the Obama administration has systematically targeted for closing Chrysler dealers who contributed to Republicans. What started earlier this week as mainly a rumbling on the Right side of the Blogosphere has gathered some steam today with revelations that among the dealers being shut down are a GOP congressman and closing of competitors to a dealership chain partly owned by former Clinton White House chief of staff Mack McLarty.

The basic issue raised here is this: How do we account for the fact millions of dollars were contributed to GOP candidates by Chrysler who are being closed by the government, but only one has been found so far that is being closed that contributed to the Obama campaign in 2008?

Read more here.

Of the the action by the regime, Todd J. Ziwicki wrote:

The rule of law, not of men -- an ideal tracing back to the ancient Greeks and well-known to our Founding Fathers -- is the animating principle of the American experiment. While the rest of the world in 1787 was governed by the whims of kings and dukes, the U.S. Constitution was established to circumscribe arbitrary government power. It would do so by establishing clear rules, equally applied to the powerful and the weak.

Fleecing lenders to pay off politically powerful interests, or governmental threats to reputation and business from a failure to toe a political line? We might expect this behavior from a Hugo Chávez. But it would never happen here, right?

Until Chrysler.

We all remember the huge floods that devastated Nashville and the surrounding areas. Obama was nowhere to be found. And when half of Texas was on fire this year, the regime flat out refused to send disaster relief.

The regime is going after Boeing because they dared to build a new aircraft in the Right-to-Work state of South Carolina, out of the reach of union thugs.

One could fill an entire book with instances of Obama's gangster government intimidating businesses and groups. It's evil, and immoral.

I know one thing, if you are looking for a new guitar, check out Gibson's line-up. They could use our support. Don't let the regime get away with bullying them!

Let's end this with one of our favorite Gibson guitar slingers, Carolyn Wonderland from Austin, Texas, as we think about Obama's judgement day, which will come real soon:

Corporate Puppet Erick Erickson Weighs In On Sarah Palin With Predicable Conclusions

2011-08-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Erick Erickson, editor of Red State and CNN commentator, weighs in on Sarah Palin's potential run for the presidency. As expected he finds nothing new, or even creative, to tell his readers, only that Sarah Palin likely won't run, and surely couldn't win if she did.

I'll give him this, unlike the rest of his fellow travelers in the Republican Establishment™, at least he admits Sarah has said she won't be announcing on September 3, in Iowa, something Palin supporters already know.

That said, it's just the typical boring crap everyone else says, including the "she can't string her supporters along forever" tripe. Palin's supporters know her and trust her, most have been solidly with her since 2008, some of us long before. She's our candidate, not only because of who she is, but who she isn't. By that I mean she is not like anyone currently in the field. She has a solid record, can point to big accomplishments, and is by far the best vetted candidate we've seen in our lifetimes. There are no surprises with Sarah Palin waiting to bite us in the butt.

We don't think she's stringing us along, we feel she has a solid strategy and is sticking to it. We also feel she has the best record and by far the best ability to do what must be done to save our Republic.

What gets me about Erickson is he quotes Organize4Palin's Peter Singleton, a man he claims to "know and respect," in his little tirade. Our readers know who Singleton is. He spent much of the day with Sarah Palin when she was at the Iowa State Fair. In a lengthy interview with Tammy Bruce, Peter describes what he has been doing, and is asking for volunteers to mount a solid 2012 campaign.

An honest man, especially one who "knows and respects" Singleton, would understand that none of this would be going on if signals weren't sent during the meeting between Sarah and Peter. And yet ....

Of course, the truth wouldn't help Erickson's latest flavor of the month candidate, Rick Perry, who announced at Erickson's yearly get together. Now I know some will be angered at me for calling Erickson a Perry shill with an agenda. Deal with it..

Perry supporters have been spreading the "she'll sit this one out and endorse our guy" BS for months, something Governor Palin herself put an end to when she tweeted an article by Contributing Editor Whitney Pitcher, something we discussed here.

Since that won't work any longer, the "it's too late for her to run" or "she can't win anyway" silliness is in full bloom from these clowns. Funny, there are four or five others who have said they may jump in the race, and there is never any mention of it being too late for them. I wonder why!

Riddle me this: If it's too late, and she can't win, why is so much effort being expended trying to stop her from even attempting a run?

Erickson as much as admitted his nothing more than a puppet for his corporate masters when he abruptly stopped supporting solid Virginia Tea Party senate candidate Jamie Radtke and got behind George Allen, because Allen is buddies with the owners of Red State's parent company. All well and good, but it sort of takes Erickson and Red State out of the "trusted and respected" category of websites, doesn't it.

You'll be reading a lot more about the Red State- Radtke fiasco in the coming weeks, some are even calling it a "proxy war between Governor Palin and Governor Perry. I don't know about that, but according to what I'm reading, Erickson blew that last ounce of what little credibility he had, by the actions he's taken against Jamie Radtke, a fine, solid Tea Party candidate, he once supported.

In other words, Erickson is nothing more than the type of paid political mercenary we all detest. The sort whose convictions are tied to a paycheck. A paid shill.

Full disclosure, when I first started blogging, and was trying to figure all of this out, I had a dairy at Red State and was banned. Being a Palin supporter I was never all that welcomed, and several of the regulars there were loud and nasty Palin haters, posting the same old lies we've all seen before in the comments section. It seems they got quite upset when called out for it. And as our readers know, none of us here are bashful. We'll call people out. That didn't set well with the frat boys at Red State!

That was a blessing though as it got me off my butt, and I started my own blog.

That was a long time ago. This is today. And today we have a serious problem with a phony conservative posing as a journalist, giving an opinion of a candidate that is not based in reality.One who'll throw his support behind good candidates one minute, then throw them under the bus the next.

All of us have strong opinions, that's why we got into blogging in the first place, but most of us try to base our thoughts and opinions on facts, not who writes our paychecks.

Tammy Bruce Talks About Rick Perry, The Dangers of Gardasil, and Crony Capitalism That Surrounds Governor's Office

2011-08-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Meant to post this the other day after Stacy Drake wrote about some of the pay-for-play dealings Rick Perry is famous for. Since then we've learned more about the dangers of Gardasil.

Meanwhile, Tammy Bruce calls out Perry for wanting to inject this potential poison in Texas school girls. As she points out, in typical Perry weasel fashion, he claims he saw the error of his ways and backed off. The fact is, Texans raised holy hell, and the Texas legislature stopped Perry, something they've had to do before.

You see, the position of Governor of Texas is constitutionally weak. But unlike previous governors, Rick Perry has often chosen to usurp the legislative process and issue an executive orders time and time again. This almost always gets him in trouble, and the legislature has to deal with his messes.

The Gardasil mandate would have never made it through the Texas legislature, and Perry knew it.

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but Perry is the sort who would do the same thing in Washington. As Dan Riehl pointed out on Thursday, Rick Perry is very much aligned with the establishment. As he put it:

For what it’s worth, I’m getting a sense that, within the conservative movement, Perry may come to more represent the old line conservative movement, much of which is seriously compromised as a result of having been established in Washington for so long.

In other words, Perry represents business as usual, the very last thing we need in a new president.

It should trouble voters that Perry has no respect for the Texas Constitution and the legislative process set forth in it. It should trouble them even more that he was willing inject innocent Texas school girls with a drug that hadn't been fully tested, and has issues, all so his buddies at Merck could make a quick buck.

One correction to Tammy's monologue, it's not $120 per student, it's $360. It's a three shot regimen. That's retail, but even at wholesale prices a lot of money for Perry's cronies.

Something for voters to ponder. Between forcing people [mandating] a medical treatment, and all of the pay-for-play crony capitalism that surrounds the Texas governor's office, how exactly is Rick Perry much of an upgrade from Barack Obama?

Throw in the fact he's tripled Texas' debt since taking office and ... well ... you get the idea.

PPP Ohio: Governor Sarah Palin Highest In Favorablilty Ratings: A Key Finding

2011-08-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Ohio is one of the all important swing states, a must win, if someone wants to become President of the United States. Making a favorable impression on Ohioans goes a long way towards winning over the entire nation.

Though some national polls that over sample democrats and don't include likely voters [the only reliable group to sample] have shown Sarah Palin has a "favorability problem," every legit poll that specifically targets likely Republican voters and Republican leaning independents has shown Sarah Palin to have the best favorability among the candidates. This has been consistent since serious polling for 2012 started.

Ohio is no different. Democrat polling firm PPP's latest poll shows Governor Palin has 65% approval rating as compared to Rick Perry at 50%.

We're 15 months out from the general election of November 2012, and some 8 to 10 months away from settling the primaries. That's too far away to use votes as a guide as to who will be the Republican nominee. In fact, history shows those who lead early also peak early, and rarely make the final cut of candidates vying for the nomination. After all, other than a few debates, no one is really campaigning yet.

Favorability is the key this early on. The fact that Sarah's favorability is always higher than any one else, among the folks who will actually nominate her, is the key. High favorability means people will listen to what she has to say, and once she starts putting forth more of her plans to Revive, Renew, and Restore America, the likelihood of a large, receptive audience is far greater than with any other candidate.

A lot of folks live and die by polls that show supposed vote count, and over a long period of time one can spot certain trends, but the numbers to look at this far out are the ones measuring favorability. Those trends show Sarah Palin is consistently seen in the best light by Republicans and Republican leaning independents.

In my opinion, favorability equates to potential voters. At the very least it means a large group of people who will listen to what a candidate has to say.

In a key state like Ohio this spells trouble, not only for the rest of the Republican candidates, but Barack Obama too.

Sarah Palin's Libyan Statement Shows Leadership and Common Sense

2011-08-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Sarah Palin has released a strong, common sense statement on the Libyan revolution. Measured and concise, she shows once again the sort of leadership America needs. Recently both Caroline Glick and Walter Russell Mead have spoken of the Jacksonian/Reaganesque sort of foreign policy that needs to make a return to the U.S. Both have mentioned Sarah Palin as the sort who can bring this about, with Mead going so far asking if Governor Palin is our foreign policy "messiah."

Anyone who has kept up with Sarah's many op-eds and Facebook notes knows she's been very consistent about these sort of things. Cautious and reluctant to put American lives on the line in an effort to "spread democracy," which amounts to nation building, costs America blood and treasure, and rarely ends well.

Here she cautions the Obama regime, and others, not to get too excited about all of the latest developments in Libya. Instead she warns of the real possibility of a new government with direct ties to al Qaeda. She also points out we do have ways of supporting those who want a western style of democracy, and should do what we can to make sure they are victorious in this struggle, through diplomatic means.

From Sarah:

We join the Libyan people in gratefulness as we hear of Col. Gaddafi’s defeat. The fall of a tyrant and sponsor of terrorism is a great day for freedom-loving people around the world. But the path to democracy in Libya is not complete, and we must make wise choices to ensure that our national interests are protected.

First, the White House needs to avoid triumphalism. Gaddafi may be gone, but the fighting may not be complete. As we’ve seen in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, we must not celebrate too quickly. There are now mounting concerns that we will see tribal and sectarian fighting in Libya like we saw in Iraq. Let’s hope that is not the case, but it must be prepared for.

Second, we must be very concerned about the future government that will emerge to take Gaddafi’s place. History teaches that those with the guns usually prevail when a coalition overthrows a tyrant. We must remember that military power ultimately resides with the rebel commanders. This should be a source of some concern. The armed opposition to Gaddafi is an outgrowth of a group called Islamic Libya Fighting Group, and some rebel commanders admit that they have Al Qaeda links. The rebel fighters are from different tribes, and they have a variety of political views. Some are Islamists, some appear to favor some sort of western democracy. We should work through diplomatic means to help those who want democracy to come out on top.

That said, we should not commit U.S. troops or military assets to serve as peacekeepers or perform humanitarian missions or nation-building in Libya. Our military is already over-committed and strained, and a vaguely designed mission can be the first step toward a quagmire. The internal situation does not seem stable enough for U.S. forces to operate in a purely humanitarian manner without the possibility of coming under attack. Troop deployment to Libya would mean placing America’s finest in a potentially hostile zone that is not in our vital national security interest.

Finally, we must make sure that terrorist groups don’t try to co-opt the revolution, as Al Qaeda is trying to do in Syria. We should continue to use our intelligence assets to monitor the situation in Libya to ensure that potentially dangerous weapons are secured, and that terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda don’t gain a foothold in Libya.

People of Libya, be vigilant. May this opportunity be used to build a free and peaceful country.

~ Sarah Palin

Dan Riehl: It Will Take a Sarah Palin [Not a Rick Perry] To Re-Vitalize The Conservative Movement

2011-08-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Dan Riehl nails it, as usual. In just a few words he gets to the heart of the Palin vs Perry battle. Rick Perry is very much an establishment candidate, no matter the rhetoric he uses. He represents nothing more than more of the same.

Sarah Palin is the true outsider. Beholden to no one. A fresh voice and a true Reagan Conservative. Someone who's record proves she doesn't just talk a good game, she puts her words into action. She's been a Reagan Conservative throughout her 20 year career.

Dan doesn't get into either governor's record. He doesn't have to. This brilliantly sums up the entire issue:

For what it's worth, I'm getting a sense that, within the conservative movement, Perry may come to more represent the old line conservative movement, much of which is seriously compromised as a result of having been established in Washington for so long.

At the same time, I'm getting a sense that if the movement is to truly be re-energized and move forward from something it's been for decades - something already bound up in Washington - it may take a Sarah Palin to move forward along that path. If that does become the case, the two paths do lead to a different place.

Ultimately, I believe the older line path - Perry, ultimately may only lead to more of the same - a lot of good talk, but not a lot of change. It may take Sarah Palin, or a Sarah Palin, or some number of them over time to truly re-vitalize the conservative movement in America. But I'm far from certain of it at this point, it's simply beginning to look that way.

Riehl adds at the end that he's not exactly a Palinista, something many of us can attest to! That said, I've always found that even when he says something I don't agree with, he's always fair about it. In this day and age, that's getting harder and harder to find.

Read more here.

Gardasil’s Adverse Effects: The Institute of Medicine Report To Be Released Thursday

2011-08-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Stacy Drake wrote about the crony capitalism involved in Rick Perry's decision to mandate Texas school girls be injected with the highly questionable drug Gardasil. Perry's chief-of-staff lobbied for Merck, the drug's maker, and the CoS's mother-in-law, Dianne White-Delisi works with an organization that gets significant funding from Merck. Perry himself received campaign money from Merck.

That's bad enough, but now there are many concerns that Gardasil is not well tested, and at best, is ineffective, at worst, downright dangerous.

Diane Harper, a pioneering researcher in the field of HPV viruses calls what Perry and Gardasil wanted to do "a great big public health experiment":

Dr Diane M. Harper, a lead researcher in the development of the humanpapilloma virus vaccine, says giving the vaccine to 11 year old girls "is a great big public health experiment" The lead researcher who spent 20 years developing the vaccine forDr Diane Harper humanpapilloma virus says the HPV vaccine is not for younger girls as it has not been tested for effectiveness in younger girls, and administering the vaccine to girls as young as 9 may not even protect them all. And, in the worst-case scenario, instead of serving to reduce the numbers of cervical cancers within 25 years, such a vaccination crusade actually could cause the numbers to go up.

"There is not enough evidence gathered on side effects to know that safety is not an issue".

"Giving it to 11 year olds is a great big public health experiment", said Diane M. Harper, who is a scientist, physician, professor and the director the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Research Group at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire.

Internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field, Harper has been studying HPV and a possible vaccine for several of the more than 100 strains of HPV for 20 years - most of her adult life.

All of her trials have been with subjects ages 15-25. In her own practice, Harper believes the ideal way of administering the new vaccine is to offer it to women ages 18 and up. At their first inoculation, they should be tested for the presence of HPV in their system.

If the test comes back negative, then schedule the follow-up series of the three-part shots. But if it comes back positive?

"Then we don't know squat, because medically we don't know how to respond to that" Harper said

Harper is an independent researcher whose vaccine work is funded through Dartmouth in part by both Merck & Co and GlaxoSmithKline, which means she is an employee of the university, not the drug companies. Mercks's vaccine, Gardasil, protects against four strains of HPV, two of which cause genital warts, Nos. 6 and 11. The other two, HPV 16 and 18, are cancer-causing viruses.

Not tested on young girls

The idea is to inoculate them before they become sexually active, since HPV can be spread through sexual intercourse. But that idea no matter how good the intentions behind it, is not the right thinking, Harper said. The zealousness to inoculate all these younger girls may very well backfire at the very time they need protection most, she said. "This vaccine should not be for 11 year old girls", she reiterated. "It's not been tested in little girls for efficacy. at 11, these girls don't get cervical cancer - they won't know for 25 years if they will get cervical cancer."

"Also the public needs to know that with vaccinated women and women who still get Pap smears (which test for abnormal cells that can lead to cancer), some of them will still get cervical cancer". The reason she said, is because the vaccine does not protect against all HPV viruses that cause cancer - it's only effective against two that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancers.

For months, Harper said, she's been trying to convince major television and print media to listen to her and tell the facts about this vaccine. "But no one will print it", she said

Read more here.

The website Gardasil Side Effects announced the Institute of Medicine will release a report on Thursday afternoon that will include information on Gardasil and it's side effects. To find out more, and how you can participate in a question and answer session, click here.

All medicines have possible side effects, some severe, some mild. Even aspirin can kill you. That said, a quick look at some of the information on the Gardasil Side Effects website is enough to cause one great concern. Besides a report on "tainted debris" found in some lots of the vaccine, there are reports of serious side effects such as seizures and the development of other diseases, and their links to Gardasil injections.

Anyone with young daughters must take a look at this website and read the various articles. I can't stress this enough.

What's really maddening is, only now, are we finding out the dangers of Gardasil. Rick Perry had his little pay-for-play deal with Merck was going on in 2006!

Trying to usurp the legislative process, mandating school girls be injected with this questionable vaccine, through an executive order, Rick Perry showed Texans exactly what he thought of the Texas Constitution. Perry knew this deal would have never made it through the normal legislative process, so he tried to force it on Texans by executive fiat.

Thankfully, the Texas legislature overrode his executive order, possibly saving a whole lot of girls some serious health issues.

I'd love to say that Perry's heart was in the right place, even if his zeal was misplaced. I mean who DOESN'T want to wipe out cancer? Sadly, the more I read about the heavy lobbying done by Merck and the cash that changed hands, this seems to be nothing more than the typical Rick Perry crony capitalist, pay-for-play, way of doing business.

In 2010, while running for re-election, Perry was running ads with this image:

The sign should read "Rick Perry: 'Open for Business'"!

Rick Perry Won't Answer Voter When Respectfully Asked Why Texas Debt Is Up 184.2% On His Watch

2011-08-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

What happens when a college student respectfully questions Rick Perry on his record:

What I asked Governor Perry was "Considering state debt has nearly tripled and spending has increased by two thirds since you were governor, and also that ACORN considered your help their ‘proudest moment,’ what were the differences between him and the current liberal president?" As you can see, he immediately tried to excuse away the numbers.

~ Drew Hjelm

This is completely unacceptable.

The real Rick Perry showed himself when a student in Iowa and why Texas' debt has tripled on his watch. Perry, who claims to be a fiscal hawk, has a record that says something quite different. Debt is up 184.2% since Perry took office.

Drew Hjelm the young man who talked to Perry tells his story:

What I asked Governor Perry was "Considering state debt has nearly tripled and spending has increased by two thirds since you were governor, and also that ACORN considered your help their ‘proudest moment,’ what were the differences between him and the current liberal president?" As you can see, he immediately tried to excuse away the numbers.

I found the debt numbers at Politifact from Bill White, who quotes the Texas Bond Review Board. I asked Perry about the raw numbers, which show that in 2000 Texas state debt was $13.7B, and by 2009 that number had grown to over $34B (Mitchell Schnurman found more recent numbers for 2010: $37B.). Bill White at Politifact adjusted for inflation and found the debt merely doubled under Perry.

Perry’s record on spending can be found at Texas Budget Source. In 2000 when Perry took over, Texas spending was $49.7B and the latest numbers the site has available show that spending was $82.1B, a 67% increase. Adjusting for inflation and population growth, the growth in the size of the Texas government during his time as governor is a paltry 36%.

Finally, I found that Perry had good friends in ACORN, a community organization that Republicans love to hate. In 2006, Perry signed into law a bill which benefited low-income homeowners. ACORN called this their "proudest moment." When Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson opposed funding ACORN in 2007, he attacked her.

This brings me full circle back to my question, what are the differences between him and the current liberal president? The Republicans love to attack President Obama for being a tax and spend liberal, being friends with all sorts of liberal organizations, and so on. Governor Perry’s record shows that he isn’t much different than President Obama, and he didn’t want to comment on this. His campaign website spouts platitudes about a record of cutting spending, which don’t jive with the numbers.

Read more here.

Hjelm is a little off on his calculation, using numbers all of the way back to 2000, which was still Governor Bush's budget. Perry didn't have budgetary authority until FY2002. Whitney Pitcher took a hard look at the record of all five Governors who were potential presidential nominees, Huntsman, Palin, Pawlenty, Perry, and Romney.

Rick Perry is in a whole class by himself on this deal. Anyway you slice it, debt has grown at an average of just over 20% a year since Perry has been in office.Roughly double that of Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty, and more than five times that of Governors Jon Huntsman and Sarah Palin:

During the fiscal years for which Sarah Palin exercised budgetary authority as Governor of Alaska (FY08 through FY10)

• Debt outstanding increased 12.7%, or 4.2% per year

• Per capita debt outstanding increased 7.4%, or 2.5% per year

• Total liabilities decreased 34.6%, or 11.5% per year

• Total liabilities per capita decreased 37.7%, or 12.6% per year

During the fiscal years for which Jon Huntsman exercised budgetary authority as Governor of Utah (FY06 through FY10)

• Debt outstanding increased 21.0%, or 4.2% per year

• Per capita debt outstanding increased 6.8%, or 1.4% per year

• Total liabilities increased 41.1%, or 8.2% per year

• Total liabilities per capita increased 24.5%, or 4.9% per year

During the fiscal years for which Tim Pawlenty exercised budgetary authority as Governor of Minnesota (FY04 through FY10)

• Debt outstanding increased 66.0%, or 9.4% per year

• Per capita debt outstanding increased 58.5%, or 8.4% per year

• Total liabilities increased 40.7%, or 5.8% per year

• Total liabilities per capita increased 34.3%, or 4.9% per year

During the fiscal years for which Mitt Romney exercised budgetary authority as Governor of Massachusetts (FY04 through FY07)

• Debt outstanding increased 44.3%, or 11.1% per year

• Per capita debt outstanding increased 43.3%, or 10.8% per year

• Total liabilities increased 19.5%, or 4.9% per year

• Total liabilities per capita increased 18.7%, or 4.7% per year

During the fiscal years for which Rick Perry exercised budgetary authority as Governor of Texas (FY02 through FY10)

• Debt outstanding increased 184.2%, or 20.5% per year

• Per capita debt outstanding increased 140.4%, or 15.6% per year

• Total liabilities increased 60.6%, or 6.7% per year

• Total liabilities per capita increased 35.8%, or 4.0% per year

Even Mitt Romney looks like a serious fiscal hawk compared to Rick Perry!

I have several problems with this situation. One, the student asked a legitimate question of Perry, and was nice about it. For Perry to blow him off like that, and call him a liar is unacceptable. But it is typical Rick Perry.

During the 2006 gubernatorial election, Perry was neck deep in the Trans-Texas Corridor fiasco. The people who would have been effected by this half-million acre land grab weren't exactly pleased. The Blackland Coalition hosted several events including candidate forums. Perry refused to attend any of them and answer the public directly about this theft of land and the crony capitalism involved. We heard from all of the other candidates, even democrat Chris Bell. [Note, a democrat hasn't been elected to statewide office in almost two decades.]

This is how Rick Perry operates. Texans know this well. The rest of the nation better find out and find out fast.

Something else to think about. It's accepted fact among Conservatives that nominating Mitt Romney would be a disaster [on many levels] mainly because it takes ObamaCare discussions off the table. It's hard for Romney to credibly take on Obama over this since Mitt is the father of socialized medicine in America, and his plan served as the blueprint for ObamaCare.

The question America has to ask itself is how can Rick Perry can credibly take on Obama over his massive debt creation, when under his watch debt in Texas has tripled? The Obama regime will be on that like white on rice.You can take that to the bank!

My biggest fear is Conservatives will listen to Perry's rhetoric on the campaign trail, and not look at his actual record as Governor of Texas. While Texas is certainly doing better than the rest of the country, Perry inherited a state from George W Bush that was already business friendly and free of the tax policies and draconian regulations that make it hard to succeed. Texas was already the greatest place on earth! While it still looks good today, under the surface there are some serious fiscal issues that are about to boil over.

Caveat emptor.

Obamanomics: Half-Million Dollars Creates Exactly 1.72 Jobs

2011-08-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

The best of both worlds in this story. Government waste at it's worst, and "green jobs" all combine for exactly the kind of failure that is destroying the nation.

Oh and there is this little nugget as well:

The grant also funds Spanish-language training for Hispanics in the landscaping and tree care industry to "develop employability skills and increase job retention."

Conrad could not say how many, if any, jobs were created by that training.

I can't help but wonder why Americans, or legal immigrants, would have the need to learn basic English. I also wonder why it's the Clark County Urban Forestry Revitalization Project's responsibility to train them. I'm all for helping those who want to better themselves, and learning English will help them tremendously, but all of this stimulus money was supposed to create jobs.

A lot more than the 1.72 that it has.

From Peter Griffin at Fox News:

A federal stimulus grant of nearly $500,000 to grow trees and stimulate the economy in Nevada yielded a whopping 1.72 jobs, according to government statistics.

In 2009, the U.S. Forest Service awarded $490,000 of stimulus money to Nevada's Clark County Urban Forestry Revitalization Project, aimed at revitalizing urban neighborhoods in the county with trees, plants, and green-industry training.

According to Recovery.gov, the U.S. government's official website related to Recovery Act spending, the project created 1.72 permanent jobs. In addition, the Nevada state Division of Forestry reported the federal grant generated one full-time temporary job and 11 short-term project-oriented jobs.

It also resulted in the planting of hundreds of trees -- which critics say is about the only good thing that came out of this stimulus project.

"Looking at the failure of the stimulus to live up to its promises, not just in Nevada, but throughout America, I think the question becomes ‘is there any good use of stimulus money?'" said Douglas Kellogg, communications manager for National Taxpayers Union, in an email to FoxNews.com.

A Nevada state official has a simple explanation for the low job growth.

"If the question is ‘was this a job-creating project?’ the answer is 'no, it wasn't,'" said Bob Conrad, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "It was one of a number of projects that we do believe helped improve natural resources in the state."

Conrad said the $490,000 is being used for a number of projects. Those projects include tree inventories, salaries for staff at the nurseries through the Nevada Division of Forestry, plant material and plant supplies.

"The goal obviously was to make trees available to local government entities, parks, schools, things like that, at our state nursery," said Conrad. "We basically grew and provided about 2,000 trees to these local entities."

The grant also funds Spanish-language training for Hispanics in the landscaping and tree care industry to "develop employability skills and increase job retention."

Conrad could not say how many, if any, jobs were created by that training.

"We had to put together projects within very specific parameters. If the particular project you're referring to didn't create jobs necessarily, that's really something that's beyond the parameters of the program and it's really something you'd have to ask the federal government, the U.S. Forest Service."

Repeated calls by FoxNews.com to the U.S. Forest Service were not returned.

A project summary provided by Conrad showed an even lower amount of full-time jobs, with 1.37 full-time employees at the Las Vegas Nursery.

Conrad explained that the number of full-time jobs is low because most of the tasks, such as planting trees or driving plants from the nursery to participating schools or parks, are given to individuals on a short-term basis via a temp agency. For example, 11 people were hired temporarily for different aspects of the project, such as planters, trainers, drivers, and individuals to develop programs.

"You're not going to hire a driver full-time for this entire project if the driver is only needed for a limited number of hours," said Conrad. "It wouldn't make good business sense to hire a full-time person to do something that's really just a short-term need for the project."

Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, which, according to latest U.S. Department of Labor statistics, stood at 12.9 percent in July.

Kellogg said that the low job growth from this project could rub taxpayers the wrong way.

"Job-killing taxes, or more debt for a downgraded nation, are not likely to bring relief to our unemployment crisis," said Kellogg.

Conrad said that only 60 percent of the stimulus money has been used so far and of that amount, 90 to 95 percent of it is already allocated to salaries, sub grants, and other projects.

"The project isn't done," said Conrad.

But Kellogg believes it's a bad use of taxpayer money during these tough economic times.

"The president may well propose new stimulus efforts when Congress returns from recess," said Kellogg, "and those who learn from past stimulus debacles will not be fooled again."

I'm stunned. How was Nevada growing trees before this deal came along? Did the American taxpayer really need to pay a half-million dollars for this?

It's time for the Obama regime to get out of America's way and let us do what we do best. If Obama would take his boot off the neck of the American entrepreneur he and she will create more jobs than anyone can imagine.These stimulus programs are worthless.

Obama's New World Record of Debt: $4,247,000,000,000 in just 945 days!

2011-08-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

Please, no one tell President Obama what comes after trillion!

~ Sarah Palin

By Gary P Jackson

There's not a whole lot one can say here that doesn't involve an unnecessarily long, multi-sylable curse word filled rant! Obama is a menace. His record setting spending, along with record setting debt, is immoral and downright evil. He is enslaving generations with this. For the first time in the history of the United States, this generation won't be able to pass on to the next the prosperity and Freedom, it has known.

Since the founding of our great nation, every new generation has had it better than the previous. Thanks to Obama, that is no longer the case, and if someone doesn't stop him, it well never again be.

Obama and his radicals have spent out children's future. Their children's and their children's children's future as well. All to fund Crony Capitalism. Under Obama his rich supporters get richer, and the rest of us get poorer.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Swallow all liquids in your mouth before reading any further.

Updated numbers for the national debt are just out: It's now $14,639,000,000,000.

When Barack Obama took the oath of office twice on Jan. 20, 2009, CBS' amazing number cruncher Mark Knoller reports, the national debt was $10,626,000,000,000.

That means the debt that our federal government owes a whole lot of somebodies including China has increased $4,247,000,000,000 in just 945 days. That's the fastest increase under any president ever.

Remember the day the Democrat promised to close the embarrassing Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility within one year? That day the national debt increased $4,247,000,000. And each day since that the facility hasn't been closed.

Same for the day in 2009 when Obama flew all the way out to Denver to sign the $787 billion stimulus bill that was going to hold national unemployment beneath 8% instead of the 9.1% we got today anyway? Another $4,247,000,000 that day. And every day since, even Obama golfing and vacation days.

Same sum for the day Obama flew Air Force One nearly four hours roundtrip to Columbus, Ohio for a 10-minute speech about how well the stimulus was working in the politically crucial Buckeye state. Ohio's unemployment rate just jumped to 9% from 8.8% anyway.

Or last week's three-day Midwestern tour in the president's new $1.1 million Death Star bus? National debt went up $16,988,000,000 while he rode around speaking and buying ice cream cones.

Numbers with that many digits are hard to grasp, even for a Harvard head. So, let's put it another way:

One billion seconds ago Bill Clinton was nearing the end of his two terms and George W. Bush's baseball collection was still on the shelves in the Austin governor's office.

The nation's debt increased $4.9 trillion under President Bush too, btw. But it took him 2,648 days to do it. Obama will surpass that sum during this term.

Read more here.

I'm sure Obama and his people will tell us that if we just borrow [and spend] a few trillion more, it'll all be fine.

Walter Russell Mead: Sarah Palin: America’s Foreign Policy Messiah?

2011-08-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Governor Sarah Palin observes flight operations aboard the USS Stennis

By Gary P Jackson

While doing research for the article: Carolyn Glick: U.S. Needs Sarah Palin’s Foreign Policy, Not Rick Perry’s, I came across this piece from Walter Russell Mead, who Caroline Glick quotes in her article. Mead is a proponent of Jacksonian/Reaganesque foreign policy. The title of his article, written back in February, may be a bit much, but his thinking is spot on.

The rise of the Tea Party movement has been the most controversial and dramatic development in U.S. politics in many years. Supporters have hailed it as a return to core American values; opponents have seen it as a racist, reactionary and ultimately futile protest against the emerging reality of a multicultural, multiracial United States and a new era of government activism.

Nonetheless, the Tea Party movement has clearly struck a nerve in American politics, and students of American foreign policy need to think through the consequences of this populist and nationalist political insurgency.

As is so often the case in the United States, to understand the present and future of American politics, one must begin by coming to grips with the past.

The Tea Party movement taps deep roots in U.S. history. It is best understood as a contemporary revolt of Jacksonian common sense — the idea that moral, scientific, political and religious truths can be ascertained by the average person — against elites perceived as both misguided and corrupt.

And although the movement itself may splinter and even disappear, the populist energy that powers it will not go away any time soon. Jacksonianism is always an important force in American politics; at times of social and economic stress and change, like the present, its importance tends to grow.

In foreign policy, Jacksonians embrace a set of strongly nationalist ideas. They combine a firm belief in American exceptionalism with deep skepticism about the nation’s ability to create a liberal world order. The Obama administration is trying to steer U.S. foreign policy away from Jacksonian approaches just as a confluence of foreign and domestic developments are creating a Jacksonian moment.

Forecasting how this newly energized populist movement will influence foreign policy is difficult. Public opinion is responsive to events; a terrorist attack inside U.S. borders or a crisis in East Asia or the Middle East, for example, could transform the politics of U.S. foreign policy overnight.

Nevertheless, some trends seem clear.

The first is that the contest in the Tea Party between what might be called its Palinite and its Paulite wings will likely end in a victory for the Palinites. The Palinite wing of the Tea Party (after Sarah Palin) wants a vigorous, proactive approach to the problem of terrorism in the Middle East, one that rests on a close alliance between the United States and Israel. The Paulite wing (Rand Paul) would rather distance the United States from Israel as part of a general reduction of the United States’ profile in a part of the world from which little good can be expected.

The Paulites are likely to lose this contest because the commonsense reasoning of the American people now generally takes as axiomatic that security at home cannot be protected without substantial engagement overseas.

Terrorist attacks and events such as the Iranian effort to build nuclear weapons are likely to keep that sense of international danger alive (recent polls show that up to 64 percent of the U.S. public favors military strikes to end the Iranian nuclear program). Widespread public concern about perceived threats from a rising China will also strengthen public support for a strong military force and global American engagement.

Paulites and Palinites are united in their dislike for liberal internationalism — the attempt to conduct international relations through multilateral institutions under an ever-tightening web of international laws and treaties.

There is much in the Tea Party movement to give pause, but effective foreign policy must always begin with a realistic assessment of the facts on the ground.

Today’s Jacksonians are unlikely to disappear. Americans should rejoice that in many ways the Tea Party movement, warts and all, is a significantly more capable and reliable partner for the United States’ world-order-building tasks than were the isolationists of 60 years ago. Compared to the Jacksonians during the Truman administration, today’s are less racist, less antifeminist, less homophobic, and more open to an appreciation of other cultures and worldviews.

Furthermore, today’s southern Republican populists are far more sympathetic to core liberal capitalist concepts than were the populist supporters of William Jennings Bryan a century ago.

Foreign policy mandarins often wish the public would leave them alone so that they can get on with the serious business of statecraft. That is not going to happen in the United States. If the Tea Party movement fades away, other voices of populist protest will take its place. American policymakers and their counterparts overseas simply cannot do their jobs well without a deep understanding of what is one of the principal forces in American political life.

A robust foreign policy that concentrates on making sure our enemies are defeated is the best use of our blood and treasure. Blood and treasure that should never be wasted trying to be the world's policeman. Nation building is an exercise in futility. Yes, we can aid and help guide the willing, but it should never be our foreign policy goal.

Again, I'm not comfortable calling Governor Palin some sort "messiah" but I am confident she is the one person that, as President, would have the right strategy. Her doctrine of foreign policy is well defined and based on common sense.

One thing we can never say enough, is Sarah Palin's energy policy will have an incredible impact on our foreign policy. Energy is Sarah's strong suit. She was relentless in Alaska, not only with reform and safety, but with getting maximum production from the field.

A United States that is energy independent will change the world in many ways. It will change how America looks at problems around the world. Many of the conflicts we are involved in are due to the fact our oil supply is in peril. Instability in the Middle East, as well as an emerging China and Russia have made things complicated and volatile.

Remove energy dependence from the equation and all of a sudden things look a little different.

Most of America disagrees with what Mead calls the "Paulite" wing of the Tea Party, most notably Ron Paul's extreme views. [like it's OK for Iran to have nukes] I recently directed a reader, who is a Paul fan, to an article I wrote last December reporting that Iran was placing nuclear capable missiles in Venezuela. Missiles that could hit targets in the United States. So no, Iran having nukes is not OK in any way, shape, or form.

That said, there is a strong case to be made for people who support Ron Paul, because of foreign policy, to take a hard look at Sarah Palin. Her energy policy alone will mean that America will not only be stronger, but better able to aggressively prosecute the war on terror, without having to take interruptions in oil supply into consideration.

Reagan's foreign policy philosophy was "Peace through strength." A stronger America always means a safer world. Here are two Reagan quotes that say it all:

Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.

History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.

The Japanese attacked the United States on December 7, 1941 because they thought we were weak, based on our isolationist, "Paulite," sort of foreign policy. They didn't think the price of their aggression would be very high at all.

A strong America makes the rest of the world think twice before doing something that will destabilize the world. On the other hand, look at what's going on now, with Obama running things. Rogue nations and thug dictators world wide are emboldened now that America is perceived as weak.

Sarah Palin is cut from the same cloth as Ronald Reagan, and shares his "Peace through strength" ideals. Nothing could make America stronger or more secure than an aggressive energy policy with a goal of being 100% energy independent at it's core. This would help ensure not only our national security, but our financial security as well.

Governor Palin is not some sort of "messiah" [with all due respect to Mead] but she is America's best chance at having a leader who gets it. Someone who will bring common sense with her in all of her dealings.

SarahPAC: "Politics-As-Usual": Wrong & Misleading

2011-08-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

From SarahPAC:

Three years ago DC pundits predicted with glee the demise of Sarah Palin's political career. This past weekend their tune changed, citing false information that she has made a decision and set a date regarding a future campaign. Any professional pundit claiming to have "inside information" regarding Governor Palin's personal decision is not only wrong but their comments are specifically intended to mislead the American public.

These are the same tired establishment political games that fuel the 24 hour news cycle and that all Americans will hopefully reject in 2012, and this is more of the "politics-as-usual" that Sarah Palin has fought against throughout her career.

PS -Kudos to CNN for setting the record straight and including Governor Palin's own words.

The GOP Establishment Is Playing You, Sarah Palin Will Announce at the Time of Her Choosing, Not Theirs

2011-08-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

"Gentlemen, we've got to protect our phony baloney jobs!"

By Gary P Jackson

The Republican Establishment™ has a new meme they are trying out. After months of assuring America that Sarah Palin is not going to run for President, no way, no how, errand boys Dick Morris and Karl Rove started singing a new tune late last week. Now they and a few others are convinced she's absolutely running. At least that's what they are telling the people that don't immediately change channels when either come on to pontificate.

There is a strategery behind all of this. The "she's running" has morphed into she will "absolutely be announcing" on September 3rd at the Tea Party event in Iowa. This is a set up, don't fall for it!

The establishment, and a handful of sycophantic bloggers, are pushing this nonsense hot and heavy. Again, do not fall for it!

The idea is to proclaim loudly that when the September 3rd event comes and goes, and Sarah is not an official candidate for President, that she is just "stringing her supporters along" and just trying to get some attention. Rove is already calling the event her "drop dead date" for announcing. This would be hilarious if it wasn't so patently dishonest.

It's funny, there was never a "drop dead date" for Rick Perry, and certainly no "drop dead date" for Chris Christie, or whatever GOP establishment candidate these people fantasize about. Only Sarah Palin has to do everything right now or it's over. Bear in mind, guys like Perry and Christie suffer from relatively low name recognition nationwide, and have an uphill battle, while Sarah Palin enjoys high name recognition, and a media that follows her every move, and reports it all breathlessly! Sarah has the luxury of not having to worry about exposure.

Still, Rove prattles on with his nonsense.

Since learning of the event, we've consistently said it would be cool if she announced there, but it was highly unlikely. There are many considerations as to why Governor Palin is waiting as long as possible to announce, not the least of which is the longer she hangs back, the more the other candidates are vetted, and America learns theses are not the people they are looking for. This has been a solid strategy from the get-go.

On more than one occasion Sarah has said when she makes her announcement, you won't be able to miss it. I take that to mean she has something pretty spectacular planned. That it will be a stand alone event.

Look for the speech in Iowa to be like her fiery "Game On!" speech in Madison, Wisconsin. Lots of red meat. I look for her to use this speech as a way to set the battlefield. What we must do, and how we must do it, if we are to Revive, Renew, and Restore America!

Now for some facts. We all know that Peter Singleton has been in Iowa for over a year building an incredible organization of dedicated supporters. These are not paid mercenaries, instead they are independent voters who are passionate about Sarah Palin, her message, her record, and her ability to lead. Not only are these people not paid, they are putting their money where their mouth is, and spending it towards their goal of electing Sarah Palin.

We also know that Singleton spent quite a bit of time with Sarah at the Iowa State Fair. It was the first time they've actually met. Governor Palin is well aware of the time, money, and effort members of Organize4Palin have put into all of this. In fact, back in July at the world premier of The Undefeated in Pella, Iowa, Real Clear Politics' Scott Conroy asked Sarah about Organize4Palin and if she wanted to tell them to stand down. Her response was to praise the group and tell then to keep up the good work.

I don't care if you love Sarah Palin or hate her, I think we can all agree that if she wasn't running, she is not the sort of person who would have allowed all of this to go on. Too many people have so much invested. She would have certainly said something.

Back to Peter's time with Sarah. He's been quite vocal saying he feels she's running. He obviously has to choose his words carefully, as there are legal considerations. He's also now openly recruiting people to join Organize4Palin, and getting set up to make calls to Iowa voters. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what is going on.

Singleton was a guest on the Tammy Bruce Show and told listeners point blank that if they were coming to Iowa thinking they will witness Sarah announce her candidacy, they should just stay home.

Monday, Iowa4Palin co-coordinator Michelle McCormick echoed Singleton's words by tweeting:

Reports of Gov. Palin "announcing" on 9/3 in IA are at best, speculative; at worst, mendacious. Come expecting a great speech-nothing more

The newest reports are there will be a "major announcement" at the September event. I have no insider knowledge, but do remember that in Pella, during an interview, Sarah said she had talked with a Tea Party group, likely Tea Party of America, about a combined bus tour. Again, I have no inside knowledge, but this may be what the big announcement is.

There is little doubt, among people who are actually paying attention, that Sarah Palin is running. There is also little doubt the Republican elites are running scared and will do absolutely anything to stop her and her supporters. These people know full well what she did in Alaska, taking on corruption at every level, and not caring which party the offending person belonged to. She even saw to it the GOP party chair paid the largest fine in Alaska history, for his misdeeds.

Guys like Rove and Dick Morris will have no place in a Palin administration. More terrifying, for them, is Sarah Palin represents a true move by the people to take our government back from the career politicians and corrupt insiders. If she is successful, and there is no reason to think she won't be, the elites, Rove, Morris, and others will become obsolete.The days of business as usual in Washington will be over.

This is why you can't afford to buy into what they are selling. The Republican Establishment™ will betray you every time.

Tea Party of America Releases First Ad For September 3 Event Featuring Sarah Palin

2011-08-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Yes, I know the event has been moved to the National Balloon Classic field, east of Indianola, Iowa. I just love the "Sarahstock" artwork created by our friends at HillBuzz.

As Peter Singleton noted when talking with Tammy Bruce, the event was moved from Waukee because of logistical considerations. The field is larger to accommodate the expected crowd, but it's also better suited in case of bad weather. There was concern if it rained, the many buses would get stuck and it would take days to clear them out. Also ingress and egress is much better at the balloon fields.

That said, Tea Party of America, promoter of the Restoring America event, has released their first radio ad promoting the event to .Revive, Renew, and Restore America. You can check it out by clicking here.

For more information on the event, visit Tea Party of America's website.

Carolyn Glick: U.S. Needs Sarah Palin's Foreign Policy, Not Rick Perry's

2011-08-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

The Jerusalem Post's Carolyn Glick writes about the dilemma facing the United States, and the world: What sort of foreign policy will our next president have?

Glick goes into detail discussing the three different schools of thought out there: Isolationism, neo-conservatism, and Jacksonian/Reaganesque. We know isolationism doesn't work, and as Glick points out, America's isolationist foreign policy in the last century actually led to two world wars, as the enemies of Liberty and Freedom were emboldened by a passive United States.

Neo-conservatism, nation-building, has been a disaster in many ways, and has us fighting in three different wars with no real master plan or objective.

It's Jacksonian/Reaganesque foreign policy that Glick advocates, as do most Americans. It's a policy of intervention when it makes sense, and with a specific goal and outcome in mind. Speaking of Reagan and the Jacksonian principles, she writes:

In truth, the dominant foreign policy in the Republican Party, and to a degree, in American society as a whole is neither neoconservativism nor isolationism. For lack of a better name, it is what historian Walter Russell Mead has referred to as Jacksonianism, after Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the US. As Mead noted in a 1999 article in the National Interest entitled, "The Jacksonian Tradition," the most popular and enduring US model for foreign policy is far more flexible than either the isolationist or the neoconservative model.

According to Mead, the Jacksonian foreign policy model involves a few basic ideas. The US is different from the rest of the world and therefore the US should not try to remake the world in its own image by claiming that everyone is basically the same. The US must ensure its honor abroad by abiding by its commitments and standing with its allies. The US must take action to defend its interests. The US must fight to win or not fight at all. The US should only respect those foes that fight by the same rules as the US does.

The U.S. president that hewed closest to these basic guidelines in recent times was former president Ronald Reagan. Popular perception that Reagan was acting in accordance with Jacksonian foreign policy principles is what kept the public support for Reagan high even as the liberal media depicted his foreign policy as simplistic and dangerous.

For instance, Reagan fought Soviet influence in Central America everywhere he could and with whomever he could find. Regan exploited every opportunity to weaken the Soviet Union in Europe. He worked with the Vatican in Poland. He deployed Pershing short-range nuclear warheads in Western Europe. He called the Soviet Union an evil empire. He began developing the Strategic Defense Initiative. And he walked away from an arms control agreement when he decided it was a bad deal for the US.

Throughout his presidency, Reagan never shied away from trumpeting American values. To the contrary, he did so regularly. However, unlike the neoconservatives, Reagan recognized that advancing those values themselves could not replace the entirety of US foreign policy. Indeed, he realized that the very notion that values trumped all represented a fundamental misunderstanding of US interests and the nature and limits of US power.

If a Jacksonian president were in charge of US foreign policy, he or she would understand that supporting elections that are likely to bring a terror group like Hamas or Hezbollah into power is not an American interest.

He or she would understand that toppling a pro-American dictator like Mubarak in favor of a mob is not sound policy if the move is likely to bring an anti-American authoritarian successor regime to power.

A Jacksonian president would understand that using US power to overthrow a largely neutered US foe like Gaddafi in favor of a suspect opposition movement is not a judicious use of US power. Indeed, a Jacksonian president would recognize that it would be far better to expend the US's power to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad -- an open and active foe of the US and so influence the identity of a post-Assad government.

For all the deficiencies of the neoconservative worldview, at least the neoconservatives act out of a deep-seated belief that the US as a force for good in the world and out of concern for maintaining America's role as the leader of the free world. In stark contrast, Obama's foreign policy is based on a fundamental anti-American view of the US and a desire to end the US's role as the leading world power. And the impact of Obama's foreign policy on US and global security has been devastating.

From Europe to Asia to Russia to Latin America to the Middle East and Africa, Obama has weakened the US and turned on its allies. He has purposely strengthened US adversaries worldwide as part of an overall strategy of divesting an unworthy America from its role as world leader. He has empowered the anti-American UN to replace the US as the arbiter of US foreign policy. And so, absent the American sheriff, US adversaries from the Taliban to Vladimir Putin to Hugo Chavez to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are empowered to attack America and its allies.

In the coming months, Republican primary voters will choose their party's candidate to challenge Obama in next year's presidential elections. With all the failings of the neoconservative foreign policy model, it is clear that Obama's foreign policy has been far more devastating for US and global security.

Still, it would be a real tragedy if at the end of the primary season, due to neoconservative intellectual bullying the Republican presidential nominee was forced to choose between neoconservativism and isolationism. A rich, successful and popular American foreign policy tradition of Jacksonianism awaits the right candidate.

Read the entire article here.

In her article, Glick names names. Obviously Ron Paul is the leader of the very dangerous isolationist movement. Anyone who saw the latest Republican candidate debate, where Paul said it was quite OK for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, understands why that kind of thinking is not only dangerous for the United States, but the entire world. Yes, other nations have nuclear weapons, but mostly as a deterrent. Iran is the one nation that would most certainly use these weapons without regard for the consequences.

We're familiar with the neo-conservatives. George W Bush was pulled in that direction after September 11. Before that, he had been dead set against nation building and even preemptive strikes. Obviously the events of the worst attack on American soil changed things. As noble as his intentions were, we are still in Iraq and Iran for the foreseeable future, with no clear direction.

Rick Perry has surrounded himself with Bush's foreign advisors including Donald Rumsfeld, and Douglas Feith, a man who General Tommy Franks describes as "the dumbest f*cking guy on the planet!"

Rumsfeld disagrees, but Feith's record is troubling:

Feith's office was also responsible for the oversight of military prisons, including Abu Ghraib. And it turns out that Feith himself masterminded the policy of ignoring the Geneva Conventions against torture. Nevertheless, Secretary Rumsfeld defended his deputy in August 2004 when he told the press that Feith is "just a rare talent"

"He is one of the intellectual leaders in the administration" and "without question one of the most brilliant individuals in government." After his 2005 resignation, the Pentagon's Inspector General investigated Feith's office for supplying pre-war intelligence assessments -- at odds with findings of the intelligence community -- outlining strong ties between Iraq and al-Qaeda. The Inspector General's office found Feith's work "inappropriate" but not illegal.

Other than his long standing open borders wish for Mexico and Texas, Perry has said very little on foreign policy, except the usual soundbites we get from politicians. So the only way we can really judge Perry is by the company he is keeping. It appears he will be following in the tradition of the Bush administration and be a nation building neo-con.

That brings us to the Jacksonian, or as I prefer, Reaganesque school of foreign policy. Of all the candidates for President [and yeah, she's a candidate] Governor Sarah Palin is the only one who has a solid, stated, foreign policy. The "Palin Doctrine" if you will.

Speaking at Colorado Christian University (CCU) on May 2, 2011, in tribute of our troops, Sarah Palin went into detail concerning her foreign policy: [emphasis mine]

There’s a lesson here then for the effective use of force, as opposed to sending our troops on missions that are ill-defined. And it can be argued that our involvement elsewhere, say in Libya, is an example of a lack of clarity. See, these are deadly serious questions that we must ask ourselves when we contemplate sending Americans into harm’s way. Our men and women in uniform deserve a clear understanding of U.S. positions on such a crucial decision. I believe our criteria before we send our young men and women—America’s finest—into harm’s way should be spelled out clearly when it comes to the use of our military force. I can tell you what I believe that criteria should be in five points.

First, we should only commit our forces when clear and vital American interests are at stake. Period.

Second, if we have to fight, we fight to win. To do that, we use overwhelming force. We only send our troops into war with the objective to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible. We do not stretch out our military with open-ended and ill-defined missions. Nation building is a nice idea in theory, but it is not the main purpose of our armed forces. We use our military to win wars.

And third, we must have clearly defined goals and objectives before sending troops into harm’s way. If you can’t explain the mission to the American people clearly and concisely, then our sons and daughters should not be sent into battle. Period.

Fourth, American soldiers must never be put under foreign command. We will fight side by side with our allies, but American soldiers must remain under the care and the command of American officers.

Fifth, sending in our armed forces should be the last resort. We don’t go looking for dragons to slay. However, we will encourage the forces of freedom around the world who are sincerely fighting for the empowerment of the individual. When it makes sense, when it’s appropriate, we will provide them with material support to help them win their own freedom.

We are not indifferent to the cause of human rights or the desire for freedom. We are always on the side of both. But we can’t fight every war. We can’t undo every injustice around the world. But with strength and clarity in those five points, we’ll make for a safer, more prosperous, more peaceful world because as the U.S. leads by example, as we support freedom across the globe, we’re going to prove that free and healthy countries don’t wage war on other free and healthy countries. The stronger we are, the stronger and more peaceful the world will be under our example.

Read more and watch her speech here.

Like any policy Governor Palin sets forth, you can state the essence of the "Palin Doctrine" in two words: Common sense. We can't be the world's policeman, and we can't right every wrong. That said, we can indeed remain the strongest power for good in the world, and lead by example. A strong United States always means a safer world. Remember, Reagan, with his "Peace through strength" policies, won the Cold War without firing a single shot.

In furtherance of her doctrine, Sarah hired Peter Schweizer, the man who literally wrote the books on how Reagan won the Cold War. Schweizer is a fellow at the Hoover Institute, and rock solid as an adviser.

One more piece of Governor Palin's strong foreign policy, is also a strong national security policy, and something no one else is really talking about, and that's an aggressive national energy strategy.

Sarah Palin will be the Energy President. She will be aggressively working to make the United States energy independent with an "all of the above" approach that will include opening up exploration of our own resources as well as the use of alternatives that make economic sense.

A strong energy policy, one that makes dependence on foreign sources of energy obsolete, will put the United States in a stronger position to deal with rogue nations and foreign powers, that work against our best interests, without the concern of interruptions in our energy supply. This is a bigger deal than most imagine.

It's seems with our economy in free-fall, and all of the disastrous policies the Obama regime is implementing, foreign policy has sort of dropped off the map. People aren't paying much attention. The fact is, a successful president must have a strong understanding of how the world works, and a solid policy for dealing with it. Sarah Palin is the one candidate who has this, and has had it for years. Sarah Palin is the one proven leader who will make it work. The one leader we can trust.

Essential Listening: Tammy Bruce Interview's Organize4Palin's Man In Iowa, Peter Singleton

2011-08-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Tammy Bruce samples her weekly Palin Report where she interviews Peter Singleton, the Iowa Coordinator for Organize4Palin. As our readers know, Peter has been in Iowa for over a year building an incredible ground game. His work has inspired others to do the same in other states across the nation.

This is a solid conversation, not only about organizing, but what President Palin will need in the way of support once she is in office. Tammy and Peter remind everyone it will be on us to do the hard work once Sarah announces. We are sovereign citizens and must take on the responsibility of helping elect our new leader.

From Tammy:

As a sneak peak, here’s about 40 minutes of this week’s "Palin Report" featuring my interview with Iowa Palinsita Peter Singleton. If you enjoy media such as this, please do subscribe–becoming a member is what makes all my work possible. In addition to the weekly "Palin Report," subscribers get a variety of exclusive media including the live show "On Demand," the daily TAM Briefing podcast, TAM Chat room and other exclusive media.

If you would like to contact Peter about how you can get plugged in to the Organize4Palin efforts in Iowa and across the country you can reach him at Iowa–at–organize4palin.com

Both Tammy and Peter mention Contributing Editors Stacy Drake and Whitney Pitcher as people whose articles are always a must read. [Obviously, I agree!]

Both make another strong point. No one expects Sarah to announce on September 3. Of course, no one will be surprised if she does.

Their point is two-fold, if you are only going to Iowa in anticipation of an announcement, it might it not be a bad idea to reconsider. Many of us look for the Governor to announce later in the month. That said, just like her powerful event in Madison, Wisconsin, this will be a historic speech. That alone, as well as the rest of the event, will certainly be worth the effort.

Listen to this essential interview here.

If you are not a TAM, it's worth the few bucks a month to be a member. Join up while you are at Tammy's website!

If you haven't, make sure you read Organize4Palin's National Coordinator Karen Allen's letter to Governor Palin's supporters about how you can get involved, and help us elect a true leader, here.

Walking the Early States is the Path to Sarah Palin's Nomination

2011-08-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Organize4Palin has been quietly setting up one of the strongest support networks any candidate has ever had. And they have been doing it own their own, independently of Sarah Palin.

Pete Singleton, O4P's man in Iowa has a standing army ready to roll when the Iowa caucuses start. Singleton's people blanket the state and participate in every GOP meeting at every level.

In New Hampshire similar activity is taking place, South Carolina too. I fact, Organize4Palin is building an army of volunteers in all 50 states. You see, unlike some, Palin supporters, like Governor Palin herself, are not about to write off any state. We plan to challenge Obama in all 50 of them.

Karen Allen, the hardest working woman I know, Is the national coordinator for Organize4Palin. Here are her thoughts and directions for all Liberty and Freedom loving Americans on how we can make sure our next President is the honorable Sarah Palin from the Great State of Alaska!

Reprinted in full with permission:

Walking the Early States Path to the Nomination

Dear Friends,

We are profoundly grateful for the commitment, hard work, and insight of the California4Palin and Organize4Palin community who are working across the nation to support the values and leadership of Gov. Palin. This is truly a team effort, as we work alongside each other, pounding with boots on the ground and fingers on the keyboard. We are fortunate to serve with you and to know you.

Recently, we’ve received requests asking how to help in the most time critical efforts. We believe it’s crucial now to get behind O4P’s early state efforts en masse! O4P has chapters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, and Florida. The path to the nomination will go through these states.

We have a number of ideas as to how the community can get behind these efforts, some of which are underway even now quietly. Most of these don’t cost any money at all, as we are an army of volunteers. However, other efforts do cost: advertising to reach other Palin supporters, providing literature on Gov. Palin’s accomplishments to potential voters, and reserving spaces at fairs and events to share information are just a few.

One vitally important way we can together support the early states effort is by donating to Organize4Palin’s Early States Fund. Reaching those early primary states and then spreading that success across the nation will provide Gov. Palin with an organized and strong network of volunteers should she decide to run, as we believe she will.

We have received a generous donation by a long time C4P-er who wishes to remain anonymous. Our C4P friend was inspired by “Charter’s Challenge” on July 10 to challenge us once again. For every $100 donated to the Early States Fund, this C4P-er will match that donation, up to a total of $1,000, for donations made through Sunday, August 21.

If you have the ability to do so in these challenging financial times, we urge you to give generously to the Early States Fund! Either way, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all that you are doing for this great country and in support of a great leader, Governor Sarah Palin. Again, it’s an honor and a privilege to serve with you in this great cause!

Click here to donate to the Early States Fund:

With American hearts,

Peter Singleton, Organize4Palin Iowa state coordinator

Michelle McCormick, Organize4Palin Iowa state co-coordinator

Karen Allen, Organize4Palin national coordinator

P.S. Before we go…anyone want to take a crack at what Gov. Rick Perry must have been thinking when he saw these volunteer placed O4P palm cards? Your help in the early states will place more of these cards in the hands of potential primary voters. Please help now!

Sarah Palin on Greta: Obama Tickling His Toes and Burying His Head in the Sand

2011-08-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Governor Palin talks about President Obama's inability to lead, wrong headed ideas, and his vacation from reality. Reminds us what makes America great, and how we can get back on track.

Greta and Sarah also talk about another round of stimulus, and how she and other Conservative governors vetoed attempts by their legislature to accept all of these funds in 2009, because of the strings attached.

Note, the difference on this, as Governor Rick Perry not only accepted TARP funds, but as chair of the Republican Governors Association, teamed up with his counterpart in the Democrat Governors Association, Joe Manchin, and was begging Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid for TARP to be passed.

Greta asks Sarah about bi-partisanship, and Sarah say both parties have their issues, and for the good of the nation, should embrace the Tea Party and the American people.

In the second video Greta and the Governor talk foreign policy and how Obama was too busy packing for his 10 day vacation at Martha's Vineyard to worry about it, sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton out to comment on the latest developments in Syria. Sarah also speculates that at this point, if they had a do-over, democrats might just chose Clinton over Obama, as Clinton was far more presidential in her appearance that Obama has ever been.

Greta can't figure out why candidate Obama was so good and President Obama sucks. Sarah never misses a beat and pounds home the point Obama was never vetted and the corrupt media covered for him, never pressing him on the issues.

As we see an effort by some in the Republican Party to quell any attempt to vet their candidate's record.

Finally Sarah talks about the American spirit and how we can get things back on track. How we don't need government to do it for us. Speaking to the Tea Party event on September 3, Labor Day weekend, says she wants to help empower Americans to do what they must ti get our country back on track.

Video courtesy of SarahNet

Sarah Palin Talks to Lou Dobbs

2011-08-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Jobs, stock market, and 2012. Governor Palin talks about the need to vet our candidates. Says the candidates need to take their gloves off.

Video courtesy of SarahNet

The Glaring Differences Between Palin & Perry

2011-08-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

By Stacy Drake

After his announcement last weekend, Rick Perry’s record has come under considerable scrutiny from the media and the blogs. One of the most notable items of discussion has been about an executive order that Perry signed, mandating young girls to receive the HPV vaccine known as Gardasil. It was so controversial that the Texas State Legislature stepped in and repealed the law just weeks after Perry had pushed it through.

Tuesday evening, Michelle Malkin published a very detailed column about Perry’s Gardasil mandate. She wrote:

In February 2007, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed a shocking executive order forcing every sixth-grade girl to submit to a three-jab regimen of the Gardasil vaccine. He also forced state health officials to make the vaccine available “free” to girls ages 9 to 18. The drug, promoted by manufacturer Merck as an effective shield against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) and genital warts, as well as cervical cancer, had only been approved by the Food and Drug Administration eight months prior to Perry’s edict.

Gardasil’s wear-off time and long-term side effects have yet to be determined. “Serious questions” remain about its “overall effectiveness,” according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. Even the chair of the federal panel that recommended Gardasil for children opposes mandating it as a condition of school enrollment. Young girls and boys are simply not at an increased risk of contracting HPV in the classroom the way they are at risk of contracting measles or other school-age communicable diseases.

Perry defenders pointed to a bogus “opt-out” provision in his mandate “to protect the right of parents to be the final authority on their children’s health care.” But requiring parents to seek the government’s permission to keep an untested drug out of their kids’ veins is a plain usurpation of their authority. Translation: Ask your bureaucratic overlord to determine if a Gardasil waiver is right for you.

Libertarians and social conservatives alike slammed Perry’s reckless disregard for parental rights and individual liberty. The Republican-dominated legislature also balked. In May 2007, both chambers passed bills overturning the governor’s unilaterally imposed health order.

Fast-forward five years. After announcing his 2012 presidential bid this weekend, Perry now admits he “didn’t do my research well enough” on the Gardasil vaccine before stuffing his bad medicine down Texans’ throats. On Monday, he added: “That particular issue is one that I readily stand up and say I made a mistake on. I listened to the legislature … and I agreed with their decision.”

Perry downplayed his underhanded maneuver as an aberrational “error,” and then — gobsmackingly — he spun the debacle as a display of his great character: “One of the things I do pride myself on, I listen. When the electorate says, ‘Hey, that’s not what we want to do,’ we backed up, took a look at what we did.”

Are these non-apology apologies enough to quell the concerns of voters looking for a presidential candidate who will provide a clear, unmistakable contrast to Barack Obama? Not by a long shot.

There is a ton of information in Malkin’s piece and she went to great lengths to link all of her research. I strongly recommend reading the entire column if you have not so already.

While Rick Perry’s executive order to mandate vaccines for children is raising eyebrows in the Republican party, I think it would serve us to take a look at what Governor Palin has said on the record about a state government taking such action.

Located within the mountain of emails that were released months ago from Governor Palin’s time in office, is a small quote from her that sums up her philosophy about the government’s role in such matters. She wrote this in response to an email from her staff in 2008 about chicken-pox immunization regulations:

“I would not propose govt mandating anything like shots for our kids.”

I never questioned for a moment whether or not Governor Palin would have done something akin to what Perry did in Texas with Gardasil. That’s the luxury of being a Palin supporter. We know her philosophy and we know she’s remained steady in her belief of limited government. We also know that she never governed for the benefit of any cronies.

The more I read about Rick Perry, the more I see in him what Governor Palin fought so hard against in Alaska. The Gardasil issue is just one instance in many that it appears Rick Perry put the interests of his financial backers above those of his constituents.

Timothy Carney wrote an eye-opening article for the Washington Examiner called “The cowboy corporatist rides to the rescue.” In it, he details some of the other recipients of Perry’s ‘assistance’ after donating money to his political operation. Carney writes:

In his next State of the State address, Perry pushed the Legislature to create the Texas Enterprise Fund, giving the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker the power to hand out multimillion-dollar grants to businesses seeking to relocate to or expand within the state. Two years later, Perry and the Legislature created another subsidy bank, called the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, using taxpayer money to invest in high-tech companies. Perry made government a venture capital fund.

Muckrakers at the Los Angeles Times and the Austin American Statesman have shown a strong correlation between Perry’s biggest campaign contributors and the money handled by these funds and Perry’s other public-private partnership. Almost half of Perry’s “mega-donors,” according to the Times, have received profitable favors from the Texas government. Poultry magnate Joe Sanderson, for instance, gave Perry’s campaign $165,000 and received $500,000 from the Texas Enterprise Fund to open a facility in Waco, the Times reports.

The Austin paper documents the unsavory case of $80,000 Perry donor David Nance winning a $4.5 million grant from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. A regional board had denied the grant to Nance’s Convergen LifeSciences, but Perry intervened and ushered the grant through.

And just as President Obama uses renewable energy as an excuse for steering taxpayer money to big business, Perry also loves green corporate welfare. Perry was a featured speaker at the national wind lobby’s 2008 conference, where he touted his 2005 law requiring Texans to purchase wind and solar energy — all in the name of “job creation” and business growth. If you force people to buy a product, of course the businesses selling that product will grow.

How the conservative establishment plans on selling this guy as a bridge between the Tea Party and the GOP establishment, through the duration of the primary campaign is beyond me. Rick Perry’s views on the role of government and corporate welfare fly in the face of Tea Party values. Padding one’s political piggy bank with the money of people and entities who expect a much larger return on their “investment” is an abuse of the system. The idea that taxpayers go into debt paying out large sums to these “investors” to keep elected officials in their seats of power, is not the sort of behavior you will find any Tea Party activist supporting.

Governor Palin’s history of service stands in direct contrast to most politicians, including Rick Perry’s. She went against the grain of the deep-rooted corruption in Alaska, and even in her own party. She was independent enough to call out those who were abusing the system, and taking a strong stand against them. The only “interests” that Governor Palin focused on, were those of her constituents. That includes respecting their personal liberty by not “mandating anything like shots” for their children.

More on the Insane and Dangerous Palin Stalking Family Just Arrested by the FBI

2011-08-19T01:02:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

We just reported the father and son stalking duo of Craig and Shawn Christy were indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage, Alaska and arrested by the FBI in Pennsylvania.

Kelly over at Barbaric Thoughts has been keeping watch on these people for some time and reports:

I’ve been popping into the Facebook pages of these two from time to time just to see what crazy stuff they’ve come up with lately. The father is more nuts than the son. He thinks that Palin is in love with his son, that she built her home in Tucson for her and Shawn and not her and Todd. He’s also said that the Palins tried to kill him in PA as he was chopping wood in March of 2009. The latest crazy idea they came up with is that Willow has autism

Bear in mind, these Facebook posts are from the FATHER, not the son. He is most certainly is as crazy as the son, and the son has threatened to rape and kill Sarah, her daughters, as well as one of Sarah's oldest friends, who like Sarah, has a federal restraining order against the family.

This may be what triggered the action by the FBI:

Again, this is the father, NOT the son.

On April 27, Craig Christy left this comment on our blog:

Ask Sarah to explain why she announced she was leaving office on 7-3-09 one hour after my son Shawn Christys psych evaluation with the Secret Service.He was mentally sound to testify about their sexting affair in Feb-March 2009.Facebook Stand Strong Shawn Christy.

You know when the United States Secret Service is evaluating your metal stability you've crossed over into another dimension. What troubles me is the fact mother Karen was not arrested and remains at large. She is just as crazy as her husband and son, and just as dangerous.

H/T: Ladybug

Breaking: Father and Son Palin Stalkers Arrested by FBI, Indicted By Federal Grand Jury

2011-08-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

We've reported on the Christy family before. The son, Shawn, is incredibly disturbed, and besides claiming to have had a "sexting affair" with Governor Palin, he's also threatened to rape and kill not only Sarah Palin, but her daughters, and even one of her best friends.

This has been a going on since the 2008 election season was over. As we have written, this is a family affair, with mom and dad actively involved in harassing the Palin family, along with their friends. Though we've not published them, choosing to archive them instead, Craig Christy, Shawn's father, has left comments on our website. These people are delusional and quite dangerous. You can read our take here.

Today The Washington Post reports the father Craig and son Shawn were placed under arrest by the FBI after the pair was indicted by a federal grand jury in Alaska.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The FBI said Thursday that a Pennsylvania man and his son were arrested on charges of harassing Sarah Palin’s family and lawyers.

Craig Christy and his son, Shawn Christy, were placed under arrest at the FBI office in Allentown. The pair were indicted by a federal grand jury in Alaska on Wednesday.

They are accused of harassing members of the former Alaska governor’s family as well as her attorneys and employees of the law firm. Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, is also a possible presidential candidate.

A magistrate in Alaska had previously issued restraining orders against both men.

Karen Christy, Craig Christy’s wife and Shawn’s mother, said in a telephone interview Thursday the family has been persecuted by the Palins and law enforcement officials for more than two years.

They contend Sarah Palin had a sexting relationship with the teen in 2009.

"All of these things have been happening to my family, and the police and the FBI and the federal agents don’t seem to (care) ... about going after Sarah Palin because she’s a big political figure," Karen Christy told The Associated Press.

Palin has said she feared Karen and Craig Christy because she says they wrongly believe she had a sexting relationship with the teen two years ago. Recordings of telephone calls made to Palin’s attorney by Shawn Christy are peppered with profanity-laced tirades and vows to continue calling nonstop.

Karen Christy said Craig and Shawn were invited to the FBI office for an interview and were taken into custody.

The family, which lives in McAdoo, Pa., does not have an attorney.

It comical to hear Karen Christy talking about "persecution." These people have been in court numerous times, and have restraining orders against them. What part of "you brought all of this on yourself, you moron" doesn't this mentally disturbed woman get?

I've never seen a stalker family before. This is beyond comprehension. When I first learned of this, I thought this all might be another stunt the ankle-biters in Alaska are famous for, but over the years I've been convinced these people actually believe what they are saying, as insane as it is, and the parents, Craig and Karen are just as crazy as the son, Shawn.They are a clear and present danger.

Death threats against anyone should never be tolerated, period. What this family has done has shown they have intended to carry them out. Here's to hoping these two spend a significant time in federal prison, and the mom gets the mental health care she so desperately needs.

Think ObamaCare is Bad? Rick "Open Borders" Perry Wanted a Bi-National Plan That Would Include Mexico

2011-08-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Texas Governor Rick Perry with former President of Mexico Vicente Fox discussing the virtues of open borders.

By Gary P Jackson

Legislation authored by border legislators Pat Haggerty and Eddie Lucio establishes an important study that will look at the feasibility of bi-national health insurance. This study recognizes that the Mexican and U.S. sides of the border compose one region, and we must address health care problems throughout that region.

That’s why I am also excited that Texas Secretary of State Henry Cuellar is working on an initiative that could extend the benefits of telemedicine to individuals living on the Mexican side of the border.

~ Rick Perry

As a Texan, born and bred, I like to think we lead the world in all things that matter. Texas is one of the most beautiful, and diverse places on earth. Big country. Texans have big fun. If you can't enjoy yourself in Texas, you are incapable of the emotion! We have a rich heritage of hard won Freedom and Liberty.

Unfortunately, sometimes we lead on the wrong things. Rick Perry most certainly has. Right from the start, when Perry assumed office, to finish out George W. Bush's second term, he started leading the way for an open border between the United States and Mexico. And while he may be trying to sound tough on border control now, as late as 2006 he was attempting to steal a half million acres of some of the best land in Texas to build a superhighway [complete with high speed rail] that would run from the Texas-Mexico border in Laredo straight through the state and eventually to Kansas City.

When Governor Jan Brewer signed Arizona's common sense immigration bill into law, Perry was quick to say it "wasn't right for Texas."

Texas and Mexico do have a special relationship. The great Mexican heritage of Texas is loved and respected. Texas wouldn't be Texas without it. That said, illegal immigration is killing our state, and as Governor, Rick Perry has put in place many policies that encourage it. Perry signed into law the Dream Act, that would give illegals the right to pay the same tuition as Texans. The legislation floating around Washington resembles Perry's law.

Before there was there was RomneyCare and before there was ObamaCare, Rick Perry was pushing for a bi-national health insurance plan that would serve both Texans and Mexicans. Americans, and Mexicans.

On August 22, 2001, almost 10 years to the day of this article, Rick Perry spoke at a border summit. Below is the transcript of the speech from Governor Perry's official state government website.[Emphasis mine]

Thank you Senator Lucio. President Nevarez, UT-Pan American is to be commended for its vision and leadership in hosting this unprecedented border summit in the beautiful Texas town of Edinburg. My friends from Mexico, including Governor Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba of Tamaulipas, and Governor Fernando Canales Clariond of Nuevo Leon, it is an honor to be in your presence. I want to extend my gratitude to our Mexican neighbors for hosting me this July as I sought to learn one of the world’s great languages, Spanish. I enjoyed your hospitality, and was grateful for your patience as I worked on my vocabulary. No longer do I refer to "la verdad" as "la verdura." I am delighted to see friends from the U.S. side of the border as well, including our distinguished members of the Legislature, and our county and city leaders along the border.

Today we begin a new dialogue about our shared future, a future of promising potential if we work together to solve the challenges we both face. It is fitting that we convene this summit where the great, meandering river known as the Rio Grande – or the Rio Bravo – forms the long border between Texas and Mexico. In years past, that famed body of water has been seen by many as a dividing point, If you were to walk along its banks and look to the other side, based on the stereotypes of the past, you would think you were seeing things a million miles away, instead of a stone’s throw away. But I am here today to say that while we have honest differences, there is more that unites us than divides us. The Rio Grande does not separate two nations, it joins two peoples. Mexico and the United States have a shared history, and a common future. And it is along this border where we will either fail or succeed in addressing the education, health care and transportation needs of our two peoples.

Critical to our future is meeting our border infrastructure needs. We must get traffic moving along the border so that businesses along the border and thousands of miles away can deliver products on time, and continue to grow. Companies from Spokane, Washington to Concord, New Hampshire depend on Texas highways and Texas bridges to move their products south. Seventy percent of all U.S.-Mexico truck traffic goes to, or through, the Lone Star state. Fifteen of our twenty-seven border crossings with Mexico are located in Texas. Fifty-four percent of all U.S.-Mexico trade crosses just between Brownsville and Laredo. This year the Texas legislature appropriated approximately $1 billion more in transportation funding. But more can be done.

With Texas serving as the Gateway to Mexico, it is time that we receive congressional funding that reflects the instrumental role our state plays as a port of entry. With a Texan in the White House, I believe there is no greater opportunity to end the funding discrimination that crippled Texas infrastructure under the previous administration. Good infrastructure is essential to the free flow of commerce. It is a matter of economic fact that free trade lifts the tide for all the boats in the harbor. U.S. trade with Mexico has increased by 500% since 1994. Exports and imports between Texas and Mexico now exceed $100 billion dollars annually. Thousands of jobs have been created for Texas and Mexican workers, confirming the indisputable fact that trade with Mexico is big business for Texas.

The fruits of NAFTA have just begun to ripen. At the same time, we must not allow the roots of the tree to become poisoned. The NAFTA agreement not only signaled a new era of economic possibility, but a new era of bi-national cooperation. That is why it is wrong, and inherently detrimental to our relationship with Mexico for the U.S. Congress to pursue a protectionist policy that forbids Mexican trucks from U.S. roadways. It is bad public policy, and it violates the terms of the NAFTA agreement we agreed to. Mexican trucks that meet our safety standards should be given the same access to U.S. roads as our Canadian neighbors to the north.

Mexico, too, must be vigilant in realizing its treaty obligations. For more than half a century, under the 1944 Water Treaty our two nations have cooperated so that the water needs of both countries are met. But as of late, Mexico is behind in delivering the water it has promised to the U.S. A Mexican judicial injunction now threatens the livelihood of our Rio Grande Valley farmers, and has become a source of contention between our two nations. It is time to end this dispute. I would ask that the Mexican government meet its obligation under the treaty, Texas growers are depending on it.

There are other challenges that require a unified approach, especially in the area of health care. A lack of preventative medicine means conditions that could have been eliminated through childhood immunizations show up in disturbing numbers later in life. Limited availability of medical specialists means conditions like heart disease and diabetes go untreated at alarming rates. In Texas, we recently placed a strong emphasis on preventative care when we expanded access to Medicaid for more low-income children by making the Medicaid enrollment process simpler. We allocated an additional $4 billion to the Medicaid program, and more than $900 million to the Children’s Health Insurance Program. I urged legislators to pass a telemedicine pilot program that will enable, through technology, a sick border resident of limited financial means to receive care from a specialist hundreds of miles away. But the effort to combat disease and illness requires greater cooperative efforts between our two nations. It is a simple truth that disease knows no boundaries. An outbreak of drug-resistant tuberculosis, for example, endangers citizens of both our nations. We have much to gain if we work together to expand preventative care, and treat maladies unique to this region.

Legislation authored by border legislators Pat Haggerty and Eddie Lucio establishes an important study that will look at the feasibility of bi-national health insurance. This study recognizes that the Mexican and U.S. sides of the border compose one region, and we must address health care problems throughout that region. That’s why I am also excited that Texas Secretary of State Henry Cuellar is working on an initiative that could extend the benefits of telemedicine to individuals living on the Mexican side of the border.

As a compassionate state, we know that for our children to succeed, they must not only be healthy, but educated. The future leaders of our two nations are learning their fractions and their ABC’s in classrooms all along this border. Immigrants from around the world are being taught in Texas classrooms, and our history is rich with examples of new citizens who have made great contributions. We must say to every Texas child learning in a Texas classroom, "we don’t care where you come from, but where you are going, and we are going to do everything we can to help you get there." And that vision must include the children of undocumented workers. That’s why Texas took the national lead in allowing such deserving young minds to attend a Texas college at a resident rate. Those young minds are a part of a new generation of leaders, the doors of higher education must be open to them. The message is simple: educacion es el futuro, y si se puede.

We also know that poverty is not unique to either side of the border. Some of Texas’ poorest citizens live in colonias all along the border. They often lack basic infrastructure many of us take for granted. Just today, the North American Development Bank announced it will provide $6.3 million in funding to hook up colonia residents in six border cities to water and wastewater lines. More than 18,000 residents will benefit from these water or wastewater hookups. And this November, by approving Proposition 2, Texas voters can ensure that their neighbors in colonias have quality roads so that school buses, emergency vehicles and postal trucks can reach residents, and residents can get to a job or a school reliably.

President Fox’s vision for an open border is a vision I embrace, as long as we demonstrate the will to address the obstacles to it. An open border means poverty has given way to opportunity, and Mexico’s citizens do not feel compelled to cross the border to find that opportunity. It means we have addressed pollution concerns, made substantial progress in stopping the spread of disease, and rid our crossings of illicit drug smuggling activity. Clearly we have a long way to go in addressing those issues. At the same time we must continue to deepen our economic ties, expanding opportunities for Mexican and U.S. companies to do business on both sides of the border. The outlook is promising, even if the road to prosperity is a long one. We share a bond as neighbors, and we find our culture north of the Rio Grande to be increasingly defined by the strong traits of people of Hispanic descent. Texas has long enjoyed a unique identity, an identity forged by an independent spirit, and the convergence of many different peoples. We must welcome change in the 21st Century as we have in every century before it.

Today, as we look to the south, we see a rising sun. It is perched above a people whose best days are in front of them. Let us endeavor to make the most of this new day through a new dialogue. Let us work together to combat disease, expand trade and provide educational opportunities. If we do, there are no limits to what we can accomplish for the betterment of all of our citizens. Thank you, and God bless you.

Can you imagine the disaster we'd be seeing had Rick Perry's vision of an international insurance been fulfilled? We all know who would be footing the bill for it!

In case you don't speak Spanish:

The message is simple: educacion es el futuro, y si se puede

Perry is saying "education is the future" and throwing in a praise that Socialist Caesar Chavez was fond of, and Barack Obama adopted for his very own: "Yes we can" Si se puede indeed! Now Perry is right education IS the future, however in Texas their future is unclear.

English is the universal language of business, and the predominant language of the United States. However, in Texas, children of illegals, many of whom only speak Spanish, are greatly disabled by the state, which has decided to teach them in their native language, rather than immerse them in English classes.

Chapter 29 of the Texas Education Code declares: "English is the basic language of this state." In 1982 the United States Supreme Court ruled that Texas MUST educate all children, even illegals. An educated people is better than an uneducated one. Thing is, if we are going to educate them, why not make certain they know and understand the prevailing language of the nation they are in?

Illegal immigration is a modern form of slavery. Because they are in this country uninvited and unannounced, illegals are forced to work for lower wages, live in deplorable conditions, and are subject to the whims of those who employ them, rather than the law of the land. By not educating their children in English, we are sentencing them to slavery as well.

Rick Perry, as Governor of Texas has put policies in place, like the Dream Act, that do nothing but encourage more illegals to come to Texas and end up in bondage.

In 2010 Somos Republicans, a Hispanic group named Rick Perry "Number One Hispanic-friendly U.S. politician of the year." saying: [Emphasis mine}

Governor Rick Perry has proven his executive leadership as he had to confront the slow economic growth during the great recession much like the rest of the nation; however, Texas’ decline has been milder than the rest of the country. More importantly, when asked about the harsh Arizona anti-immigration law, Governor Rick Perry said such a law "would not be the right direction for Texas" and would distract law enforcement from fighting other crimes.

The organization believes Governor Perry should be recognized for making a courageous statement with regard to the controversial immigration law during a time in which extreme anti-immigrant messaging has been on the rise. They are encouraging the rest of the GOP to embrace and emulate such a "courageous" position. Somos Republicans strongly believe Governor Perry should receive recognition for being the #1 Hispanic-friendly 2010 politician in the nation, because he did not cave in to perceived popular sentiment. Latinos who have remained as registered Republicans have been worried as they have watched Hispanic support for the Republican Party decline by almost 15 points.

This praise comes from knowing Perry is an open borders guy, and his "courageous" stance against Arizona's popular common sense immigration bill. I never knew it took so much "courage" to pander as hard as Perry does.

As a Texan, I can say Hispanics have made this state what it is. There are no better people on earth. But even most Mexicans in Texas are against open borders, and those who immigrated legally from Mexico vs being born of the Texas soil, are dead set against illegal immigration. Legal immigrants are often the most outspoken against those who refuse to follow the law.

Texas has a very special relationship with Mexico that is similar to that of the United States and Great Britain. We fought a bloody war in order to gain independence from Mexico. But since that fight we have become trading partners, and share a lot of culture and traditions. It's a beautiful thing.

That said, an open border policy with Mexico, especially now that we are seeing such violence on our borders is suicide. As Governor, Rick Perry has done everything to promote open borders, and almost nothing to stop illegals.

In his speech, Perry advocates a bi-national health plan because as he put it "disease knows no boundaries." Well guess what, neither does the violence and crime that illegals bring with them. That's a disease as well. It's just one Perry hasn't spent much time trying to cure.

Conservatives had the fight of their lives when George W Bush was President. He was pushing hard for amnesty for illegal aliens. Bush had a Republican House and a Republican Senate, plus a democrat party that was literally chomping at the bits to vote for it. It's an absolute miracle that enough people rose up and spoke out.

If Rick Perry is elected President, you can bet amnesty for illegals, as well as a national version of his Dream Act, will become the law of the land in short order. Perry has embraced the open borders policy with a lot more zeal than Bush ever did.

We fought George W Bush on this with him setting in the White House. We can fight Rick Perry at the ballot box and make sure we won't have to fight him in the White House!

Rick Perry Teamed Up With Democrat Governor's Association To Pressure Congress For TARP

2011-08-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

In his capacity as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Rick Perry teamed up with his counterpart over at the Democrat Governors Association, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to put pressure on Congress to pass TARP, which turned out to be nothing more than welfare for the Wall Street set. $1 trillion worth of crony capitalism at it's finest.

Perry and Manchin both signed a series of letters addressed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader John Boehner.

The body of text reads:

As leaders of our respective organizations, we don't always see eye to eye on policy, but we come together today with one clear purpose. We strongly urge Congress to leave partisanship at the door and pass an economic recovery package. We both believe that it’s time to stand together for our country.

There is a time for partisanship and there is a time for getting things done. No one likes the hand they've been dealt, and now is not the time to assign blame. It is time for Washington, D.C. to step up, be responsible and do what's in the best interest of American taxpayers and our economy.

This economic crisis is not just impacting Wall Street; it is also making life harder for everyday Americans. Americans across the country and in every demographic are feeling the pinch. If Congress does not act soon, the situation will grow appreciably worse. It's time for leadership. Congress needs to act now.

History tells us Congress took their advice and did act. History also shows us we would have achieved roughly the same results had we gathered up that $1 trillion, taken it down to College Station, placed it in a large pile, hosed it down with gasoline and had a bonfire that would make an Aggie proud!

You can read copies of all the letters here.

That's not all, doing his best Mitt Romney/John Kerry imitation, Perry, who was in a tough re-election battle, flip-flopped and came out against the very crap sandwich he helped shove down the American people's collective throat!

Non-Texans who think Rick Perry is the second coming don't realize before the 2010 election, Perry could barely spell conservative, let alone pretend to be one. Unlike Mitt Romney who sticks his finger in the wind AFTER events happen, then reacts, Perry sticks his finger in the wind too, but has the ability to act before the wind gets too far past him.It makes him look like he's been there all along. That is if you don't look too hard.

Perry, a Big Government establishment guy if there ever was one, saw the writing on the wall, and reinvented himself as a "Tea Party" kinda conservative in 2010. Even wrote a book about it.

Truth is, under Rick Perry, Texas debt exploded a mind blowing 184.2% or 20% a year. That's AFTER taking bailout money from Uncle Sam. As Whitney Pitcher points out, Governors Huntsman, Palin, Pawlenty, and yes, even Romney, have far better records, as fiscal Conservatives, than Perry.

Perry is calling himself a conservative these days, and he talks the sweet talk, but when one looks at his actual record, they quickly find Perry's boots aren't made for walking the walk!

Perry's flip-flop on TARP:

Was The Attempt To Blame Palin For Tuscon Shootings A "Fast And Furious" Cover up?

2011-08-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

After seeing the report by John Hayward back in June, I thought someone would look at things and ask questions, but alas, no one has.

For those not familiar with the "Gun Walker" AKA "Fast and Furious" scandal, let me give you the Readers Digest version:

In 2009, not long after President Barack Obama took office, his people started a propaganda campaign that pounded home the idea guns manufactured in the United States were ending up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, and other assorted thugs. The claims were, most gun violence in Mexico came from weapons traced back to the United States.

In fact, Mexico's President Felipe Calderón used the same talking points the White House was using, when he spoke before a joint session of Congress, and in interviews. This was a highly choreographed affair, and the world's media did their part by breathlessly reporting it all with headlines like: US Guns fuel violence in Mexico. All cited a Congressional report, created by a then democrat controlled House and Senate.

In fact the BBC is still reporting:

A US Congressional report suggests some 70% of firearms recovered from Mexican crime scenes in 2009 and 2010 and submitted for tracing came from the US.

Here's the thing, we now know all of these guns in question came from the United States government. That's right, The Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms had been putting these weapons directly in the hands of Mexico's drug cartels and violent gangs.

Why would they do this? The claim is they were running some sort of sting. The truth is more disturbing. It seems The Obama regime cooked this all up as a way to finally disarm the American people, a time honored goal of the democrat party for the better part of 100 years.

The idea was to make it seem guns simply couldn't be effectively regulated, and since there was no way to make sure guns couldn't fall into the hands of bad people, the only cure was to take everyone's guns away. Anyone who's paid attention has seen all of the renewed talk of gun regulations by democrats, even though the Supreme Court recently affirmed the American people's God given right to own and maintain fire arms, a right guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

We now know this treasonous scheme goes all of the way to the Oval Office. Attorney General Eric Holder is in on the deal, as are ATF supervisors and even members of the FBI. Congressman Darrell Issa, of California is currently holding hearings into the matter. Suffice it to say, this set up makes Iran-Contra look like a Sunday afternoon at the local gun show. It's big and should not only lead to resignations and prison time for all involved, if the link to Obama himself can be well established, impeachment.

That brings us to the Tuscon shootings. As John Hayward reported:

After Gun Walker automatic rifles were found at the scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s murder, an agent testified that "there was a sense like every other time, even with [Representative Gabrielle] Giffords’ shooting, there was a state of panic, like, oh, God, let’s hope this is not a weapon from that case." There was more panic when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata was shot while sitting in his car in Mexico.

To the relief of the ATF, it does not appear that Gun Walker weapons were used in either the Giffords or Zapata shootings, but that doesn’t make Agent Terry any less dead. The House Oversight Committee concluded his death was "likely a preventable tragedy," and the Gun Walker project "contributed to the increasing violence and deaths in Mexico"… a result met with "giddy optimism by ATF supervisors hoping that guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico would provide the nexus to straw purchasers in Phoenix." Hopefully the Mexican government will be relieved to know its citizens died for a good cause.

Read the entire report here.

As our readers know, Jarred Lee Laughner, a left wing loon who had been stalking Congresswoman Giffords since 2007, went to an event she was holding in Tuscon and not only shot Giffords, but injured 12 more people, and killed 6, including 9-year-old Christina-Taylor Green.

What has always bothered me is how quickly the left started blaming Sarah Palin for all of this. Local EMS were still at the scene and authorities on the ground were still trying to sort things out, when Markos Moulitsas, who runs the Daily Kos was tweeting it was Sarah Palin's fault. Within the next few hours the entire left had seized on this.

Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, whose men recently killed a war hero by mistake, was on the air, and full on crazy, blaming Sarah Palin, and Conservatives, en masse. It wasn't long before the entire Tea Party, along with Sarah, were accused of mass murder. The blood libel carried on for weeks.

The left focused on "crosshairs" on a map of districts targeted by SarahPAC as areas the Republican Party could win. These were districts the McCain/Palin campaign had won handily in 2008. Congresswoman Giffords district was one of them.

We've talked about all of this before, and pointed out that Moulitsas' own website had put a bulls-eye on Giffords, a "blue dog democrat" also targeting her for defeat, and calling her a sell out.

HillBuzz reported that just days before the attack, one of the Kos bloggers, who lives Tucson, wrote that Giffords was "dead" because she didn't vote to make Nancy Pelosi House minority leader.

Back to the effort to indict Sarah Palin and the entire Tea Party for mass murder. We know the White House coordinates everything with the corrupt media. The folks at MSNBC's Morning Joe have bragged about getting texts from the White House while they are on the air. Others have admitted the collusion as well.

Anyone with half a brain, seeing that everyone was using the same talking points, knows there was a coordinated effort to blood libel Sarah and the millions of Tea Party members. We all learned how the media works when the infamous JounoList scandal broke.

At the time, most of us just though this was the left being their normal, evil self. Now, knowing more facts, one has to ask, was all of this done to cover up the Gun Walker affair? To hopefully avert everyone's attention IF the gun Laughner used was one of the ones the Obama regime had put out there? Was all of it a "Fast and Furious" coverup?

Think about it, those involved were scared the gun was one of theirs, and at the time, didn't know any more about all of this than the rest of us did. Even once Laughner was caught, there was still a serious question of where his gun came from. How hard would have been for the people involved to contacted Eric Holder, who is up to his eyeballs in this, and in turn Holder contact Obama, and then do what they do best by never letting a good a good crisis go to waste?

Look, I have no proof here, this is all speculation on my part. But the effort to blame Sarah Palin immediately, and then eventually the entire Tea Party, was just too well coordinated. It could be the left was just doing what it always does, but these new facts raise a lot of questions.

Hopefully someone with a larger megaphone than I have will ask the same questions. Even if I turn out to be totally wrong, I sure would love to find out the truth. Wouldn't you?

Why Would a "Fiscal Conservative" Spend More Than $180,000 To Win A Meaningless Straw Poll?

2011-08-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Some rituals in politics both amaze and befuddle me. Straw polls are one of them. Oh, they are fun, and we all report on them, but what do they really mean? Not much. Most in person straw polls are conducted at events where a group of folks, who paid to attend, are offered a chance to vote for a candidate of their choice. Many don't even bother, others are actually paid to attend these events, specifically to vote in the straw poll, in order to help their candidate win.

Ron Paul's bunch has been doing this for years. It's why he wins all of these things. They've made a joke out of CPAC with all of their shenanigans.

Mitt Romney's people have learned how to do this as well. In April of 2010 we covered Romney's Louisiana [Straw Poll] Purchase at the annual Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. At the time we pointed out that this particular poll was beyond meaningless as Senator Bill Frist had won it in 2009.

Both Romney and Paul had bought tickets in bulk, at $119 a pop, and gave them away, on the condition you voted for them. In the end one single vote separated the two, more or less a tie. We also noted SarahPAC was there. Though not actively buying tickets [or votes] they were handing out tasty treats to one and all. Governor Palin came in second behind Mitt and Ron, and was first choice on the second ballot.

We ended the article with this observation:

Romney- Buys 500 $119 tickets= $59,500 =TIE FOR FIRST

Paul- Buys 800 $119 tickets= $95,200 =TIE FOR FIRST

Palin- Buys 500 Caribou Jerky= $1,500 = SECOND PLACE

WHICH ONE IS FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE?

WHICH ONE GOT MORE FOR THEIR MONEY?

You can read more here.

That brings me to Iowa, and the Ames Straw Poll. It's a great event, and it allows Iowans to see the participating candidates up close and personal. It's also used as a fundraiser for the Iowa Republican Party. And the ticket prices are a very reasonable $30. It's all good.

The part I don't get is the ritual of vote buying. Or better put, knowing about the vote buying, why would anyone take this straw poll and it's winners seriously, or look down on the losers? Candidates openly buy votes. It's part of the ritual.

Here's how it goes. Candidates buy up tickets in bulk, and hand them out so people can attend the event. Most campaigns will even bus attendees to the event, just to get their vote.

Michele Bachmann, who won the straw poll, reportedly handed out 6000 tickets, $180,000 worth, and got 4823 votes. As Ed Morrissey at Hot Air put it: "Not exactly a big endorsement." Oh, and that $180,000 doesn't include whatever the Bachmann campaign spent on the buses [plural] to ship folks over to vote.

Ed: The fun of the Ames straw poll came to an end this afternoon as the ballot count shows that 16,892 votes were cast, and Michele Bachmann (4823) won a narrow victory over Ron Paul (4671) — less than 200 votes difference. Tim Pawlenty finished in a distant third (2293), followed by Rick Santorum and then Herman Cain. Bachmann comes away with a win, but not by much — and since reports had her giving out 6,000 tickets to the event, it’s not exactly a big endorsement.

Rick Perry, like Mitt Romney, was not on the ballot. However his group put together an effort to do a write in campaign, trying to make it seem like there was a "grass roots ground swell" of sorts. Perry's astroturf efforts netted him 718 votes. A bargain at $21,540 as he got about the same media coverage for his astroturf efforts as Bachmann did actually working the Iowa crowds!

Organize4Palin was also in Ames with a booth, but they purposely stayed away from the straw poll, choosing to respect it's intent, and shooting down any attempt to do an astroturf write-in campaign similar to Perry's. Instead Iowa4Palin is focused 100% on winning the Iowa caucuses. The vote that actually counts.

Here's a great interview with Pete Singleton, the O4P coordinator for Iowa, that details the work they doing.

We know the Ames Straw Poll is tradition and respect that. It's obviously a good way for real people to get an up close and personal look at someone who might just be the next President of these United States!

I just find it hard to take the poll serious. Especially since the winner of the poll rarely wins the Iowa Caucus, or moves on to be President. Rare meaning, by my research shows George W. Bush is the only one to pull it off.

I guess my biggest issue, besides the fact people take this poll seriously, is the money spent. Presidential campaigns run on money. Other people's money. Is spending other people's money this way the best way to go, especially if you claim to be a fiscal Conservative?

Don't know, you tell me.

CNN's Don Lemon Talks About His Fun Inteview with Sarah Palin and Being Assaulted By Marcus Bachmann

2011-08-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

CNN's Don Lemon reportedly spent an hour or so with Governor Sarah Palin on Friday as she took in the sights and sounds of the Iowa State Fair as part of her One Nation tour. If you haven't seen his report, click here.

In the video above Lemon talks about the time he had with Sarah and both he and Wolf Blitzer comment on how wonderful it was she talked with him and all of the reporters. As you know, when the Governor was touring the East Coast earlier in the summer, Scott Conroy reported Sarah's press availability was so great, on more than one occasion, he actually ran out of questions to ask her.

Unfortunately Don Lemon's day wasn't all peaches and cream. He would later encounter the Bachmann campaign.

Let me set the scene for you.

First, as Jason Clayworth of the Des Moines Register reports, Bachmann was 30 minutes late to speak at her scheduled Iowa State Fair soapbox event. Yup, they actually stand on a soapbox and speak to the crowd. Each candidate is allotted 20 minutes to state their case. A few minutes in the wheels came off the wagon:

She said she was going to shake hands but left the makeshift stage quickly when 17-year-old civil rights advocate Gabe Aderhold of Edina, Minn., loudly questioned her husband Marcus about his counseling techniques to "pray the gay away."

Most of her three minutes consisted of frequent campaign rhetoric that she says at many of her stops, such as her chant to make President Obama a "one-term president."

"It’s going to be a great election that’s coming up and Iowans are going to send the signal," Bachmann said. "This is where Barack Obama got his start, this is where he’s going to come to his end. In Iowa."

At this point two blonde female "security" guards started pushing and shoving people out of the way as the Bachmanns made a hasty exit, leave her stunned fans just standing there. During the melee, CNN's Don Lemon, an openly gay Black man, was roughed up pretty good by Michele Bachmann's husband, Marcus.

This isn't the first time a network reporter has had problems with Team Bachmann. ABC's Brian Ross alleges he was attacked in South Carolina after trying to ask Michele a legitimate question about her migraine headaches.

The Bachmann's have a history of problems with the gay community. Besides the clinic where Marcus claims to cure gays, Michele, whose sister is gay, has a history of some truly bizarre statements and actions.

Bachmann is on the record calling Disney's Lion King gay propaganda, and an attempt to "normalize" being gay. She came to this interesting take on the popular kids movie because Elton John performs the musical score and in her mind teachers may use this as an example that gay people can be creative too. Well hell, all one has to do us watch any random show on HGTV to figure that out!

Bachmann, who considers homosexuality some sort of mental disorder, actual called the police once claiming she'd been kidnapped by lesbian nuns! As Business Insider points out here, Bachmann has a habit of calling the police with complaints that most people would just deal with, or ignore.

We've long held that Michele Bachmann has some serious issues, as does her husband Marcus, who calls gays "barbarians" who "need to be educated and disciplined." [you figure it out]

Two things are for certain. The President of the United States is the President of all people, not just those they agree with. Anyone with such an open hatred, and such extreme views, of their fellow human beings, just might not be best person to sit in the Oval Office. We have a President now who is openly hostile to half the country. We need to move away from that.

Keeping that thought in mind, we also already have a thug in the White House who isn't above sending out his supporters to intimidate those who disagree with him. They aren't afraid to use violence either. Again, we don't need this sort of thing. The American media is, for the most part, biased and corrupt. Deal with it. .

Lastly, we need a leader who can walk into the belly of the beast, face violent opposition head on, look it dead in the eye, and keep on doing what they are doing, instead of running away at the slightest resistance.

Here's how it's done:

We must elect leader who will be President of ALL the people, not just those she likes!

Standing at the Crossroads of History

2011-08-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

By C. A. Bamford

Imagine a world without America. Imagine a world where there is no one to stand proudly and boldly in defense of liberty. To whom will those suffering under oppression or need turn for help? As Ronald Reagan so famously said, “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.”

Our nation is at a crucial crossroad. The presidential election of 2012 will be one of the most important in the history of our Republic. Our choice will determine our future, our children’s future, and that of the United States of America. Never have the stakes been so high. Never has the choice been so clearly defined. We face experience and accomplishment vs. empty rhetoric and unfulfilled promises; American exceptionalism vs. apologetic mediocrity. Will we remain the Greatest Nation on Earth, or will we become just one of many managed and regulated units in a homogenized, global community working for the good of a few and the freedom of none?

First, let us define what is meant by American Exceptionalism. It does not mean we think that we are better than everyone else. It is a statement that America is different than all other nations because of where we came from, who we are, and what we stand for. Our Founders believed that we were brought together on this continent by Providence. They believed that God had a hand in bringing together the people who made this nation. It is faith in the idea that in this nation, people of all races and creeds can unite around a universal belief in opportunity, shared values, and our natural rights and responsibilities under God.

As Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and the rest of our Founders knew, American exceptionalism is about human freedom and holding yourself to the highest standard of which you are capable. No other country on earth has ever tried such an experiment as this representative democracy governing the independent states according to the Constitution; the Constitution, which was openly and contentiously debated, and painstakingly crafted by the founders in order to protect our new country and to ensure the individual rights of all. America was indeed founded as, and has endured as an exceptional nation.

But if we mistakenly demand that the rewards of the sacrifice of blood, toil, and treasure that created this exceptional nation be given to all without regard; if we demand that shared wealth regardless of participation, not shared opportunity, is the right of all, then we will no longer be exceptional. If we cease to hold ourselves to the highest standards of which we are capable, then we will cease to be an exceptional nation and we will become no more than any other country, be it Greece, Venezuela or Iran.

Over the past two and a half years, the inept and incomprehensible policies of the current administration have brought us to the brink of disaster and have eroded and threatened to destroy those things we once held dear…self-reliance, honor, and freedom.

We know that Governor Sarah Palin believes we are an exceptional nation. President Obama has told us he believes that America is no more exceptional than Greece, Iran, or any other nation in the world. Governor Palin has proven that she is willing to sacrifice much of what she holds dear for this exceptional nation. President Obama has asked us to sacrifice for his vision of a fundamentally changed country; one that is no longer an exceptional nation. The difference in their vision for America is clear. Let us now compare their experience and leadership.

Experience and Accomplishments: Governor Palin

Private sector experience: Sarah Palin worked at local businesses, on fishing boats and canneries to pay her way through college. She and her husband, Todd Palin, own and operate an Alaskan commercial fishing business. Palin has written two books, both #1 NY Times Bestsellers which sold over 2 million copies. She is a political commentator for FOX News and hosted a highly rated TV series about Alaska on the Learning Channel. Palin is an in demand international speaker.

1992-1996 - Palin was elected by wide margins and served two terms on the City Council of Wasilla, Alaska

1996—2002 - Elected in 1996 with 75% of the vote in a 3-way race, Palin served two successful 3-year terms as Mayor of Wasilla. Under her stewardship, infrastructure was improved, property taxes cut.

Her policies to attract business into the area were so successful that the tiny town of Wasilla became the fasting growing city in the nation.Tens of thousands flock to Wasilla to shop in the stores Palin brought to town, thanks to her positive, pro growth policies.

1999-2002 - Mayor Palin was elected President of Alaska Conference of Mayors by her peers. She led dozens of other mayors in dealing with statewide issues, such as municipal revenue sharing, and advocating for local government control of important local issues.

2003-2004 - Appointed to and named Chair and Ethics Supervisor of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

2003-2005 - Palin served as one of three Director of Senator Steven’s Excellence in Public Service group devoted to advancing women in conservative politics.

2007 Assumed Chairmanship of Interstate Oil and Gas Compact

2006-2009 - Palin was elected Governor of Alaska, the second most powerful gubernatorial office in the country. Governor Palin, the youngest person and first woman to be elected governor of Alaska, earned bipartisan approval ratings of over 90% making her the most popular governor in America.

She co-wrote and signed into law the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), negotiated with Canada on building a natural gas line from Alaska to the lower 48 states (an achievement that prior governors had attempted but failed to achieve for over 30 years), passed landmark bi-bipartisan ethics reform, cut billions in spending from the budget and put $5 billion into the state’s rainy day savings fund, and left her state with a $12 billion budget surplus.

She successfully fulfilled every one of her campaign promises, both as Mayor and as Governor. Her fiscally conservative policies earned Alaska a Aaa rating, the highest rating given.

As governor, she served as Commander in Chief of the Alaska National Guard, the only National Guard on 24-hour standby. Alaska's unique role as the first line of defense means as Governor, Sarah Palin has a top level national security clearance, and received regular briefings. Though never discussed, Palin's level of security is reportedly as high as ranking members of Congress' national security council membership, second only to the President.

She was also Commander-in-Chief of the Alaska Defense Force, a reserve military and police force that is a recognized militia by Homeland Security. It was the ADF that bravely defended Alaska during World War II, when the Japanese invaded the territory.

Governor Palin was a frugal budgeter as the Governor of Alaska. During her tenure, she cut spending 9.5% while also vetoing nearly half a billion dollars in spending, and she wisely did this during strong economic times.

Whitney Pitcher spells it all out here.

Governor Palin has nine years of Executive Experience, more than three times as much as President Obama. Twenty years of public service in total.

Experience and Accomplishments: President Obama

Private sector experience - Barack Obama’s education was funded by federal programs and unknown donors. He has published two best-selling books, and one unsuccessful children’s book. He has no other known private sector business experience other than a reported part time job at an ice cream shop during his teen years.

1992-96 - Lectured at the U of Chicago Law School.

From April-Oct 1992 Obama also directed ACORN's Illinois Project Vote, a voter registration drive that achieved its goal of 400,000 registered African Americans.
.
He and Michelle spent several months in Bali in 1992 working in vain to finish a book, which was later published in 1995 with the help of domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, who reportedly ghost wrote much of it.

1993-96 - Obama joined a law firm specializing in civil rights litigation, as an associate.

1995-1999- Chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a "foundation" created and guided by terrorist Bill Ayers.

1996-2004 - Obama was a senior lecturer at U of Chicago, teaching courses in due process and equal protection, voting rights, and racism and law. He published no legal scholarship, and turned down tenured positions

1995-2004 - Obama announced his candidacy for the Illinois Senate in 95, and served eight years (97-04) while continuing to work part time at the university, He proposed no major legislation and voted “Present” 130 times.

1996-2004 - Was counsel from 96-04, with his law license becoming inactive in 2002. During the four years Obama worked as a full time lawyer at the firm, he was involved in 30 cases. He also continued to work part time for the university and as a State Senator.

2004-2008 - Was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and began his fulltime campaign for the presidency in 2006. Introduced no significant legislation.

2009 - Obama elected President of United States. He began his campaign for re-election shortly thereafter. Under his administration, debt has tripled, the deficit widened, unsustainable spending, record unemployment has crippled the US economy.

Our AAA credit rating has been downgraded for the first time in our history. Onerous regulations have hampered energy exploration and development and are destroying our jobs creators, small businesses throughout the country. Government has become a bloated, uncontrolled entity that no longer answers to the people, but seeks instead to control and use them. Under his administration we have become a nation divided.

At the end of the 1970s, after three years of Jimmy Carter, America could not wait to vote for someone else. That someone turned out to be the greatest president of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan knew what he believed, was passionate about expressing it, and once in office, carried through with the goals he had articulated during the 1980 campaign.

When the history of the 2012 presidential election is written, what will we remember? That a conservative Republican challenged a socialist nightmare for the leadership of the country — and won? Or that the Republican Party nominated another squish who allowed the worst president in our history to follow through on his promise to "fundamentally transform the United States of America."

~Doug Patton

History will record whether we had to courage and wisdom to choose a leader who is passionate about America, and who has proven herself to be a fearless and effective fiscal reformer and advocate for the people she serves, or if we choose to continue to blindly follow those who are destroying our nation. America is indeed a blessed and exceptional nation.

It is now up to us to ensure that it remains so. One may again quote one of our greatest presidents:

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.

~ Ronald Reagan

Ray Stevens: Obama Money

2011-08-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Washington's problem set to music. God Bless Ray Stevens!

H/T: Granitepaw

In Her Own Words: Sarah Palin's American Adventure

2011-08-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

A nice mini-documentary on Sarah Palin using excerpts from the audio version of Going Rogue, An American Life Governor Palin's multi-million copy, best selling book from 2009.

Attention Getter of the Day: U.S. Debt Isn't $14 Trillion, It's Actually $211 Trillion

2011-08-12T12:32:00.001-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Just a little something for readers to contemplate over the weekend. Oh, and remember our nation's annual GDP is only $14 trillion, give or take a billion or two.

From NPR:

When Standard & Poor's reduced the nation's credit rating from AAA to AA-plus, the United States suffered the first downgrade to its credit rating ever. S&P took this action despite the plan Congress passed this past week to raise the debt limit.

The downgrade, S&P said, "reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's medium-term debt dynamics."

It's those medium- and long-term debt problems that also worry economics professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff, who served as a senior economist on President Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers. He says the national debt, which the U.S. Treasury has accounted at about $14 trillion, is just the tip of the iceberg.

"We have all these unofficial debts that are massive compared to the official debt," Kotlikoff tells David Greene, guest host of weekends on All Things Considered. "We're focused just on the official debt, so we're trying to balance the wrong books."

Kotlikoff explains that America's "unofficial" payment obligations — like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits — jack up the debt figure substantially.

"If you add up all the promises that have been made for spending obligations, including defense expenditures, and you subtract all the taxes that we expect to collect, the difference is $211 trillion. That's the fiscal gap," he says. "That's our true indebtedness."

We don't hear more about this enormous number, Kotlikoff says, because politicians have chosen their language carefully to keep most of the problem off the books.

"Why are these guys thinking about balancing the budget?" he says. "They should try and think about our long-term fiscal problems."

According to Kotlikoff, one of the biggest fiscal problems Congress should focus on is America's obligation to make Social Security payments to future generations of the elderly.

"We've got 78 million baby boomers who are poised to collect, in about 15 to 20 years, about $40,000 per person. Multiply 78 million by $40,000 — you're talking about more than $3 trillion a year just to give to a portion of the population," he says. "That's an enormous bill that's overhanging our heads, and Congress isn't focused on it."

"We've consistently done too little too late, looked too short-term, said the future would take care of itself, we'll deal with that tomorrow," he says. "Well, guess what? You can't keep putting off these problems."

To eliminate the fiscal gap, Kotlikoff says, the U.S. would have to have tax increases and spending reductions far beyond what's being negotiated right now in Washington.

"What you have to do is either immediately and permanently raise taxes by about two-thirds, or immediately and permanently cut every dollar of spending by 40 percent forever. The [Congressional Budget Office's] numbers say we have an absolutely enormous problem facing us."

Listen to audio of the full interview here.

Not to worry though, our "betters" say we can just print more money!

All is well!

Shades of Weimar Republic: Alan Greenspan: "U.S. Can Pay any Debt,We Can Always Print Money" To Pay Debts

2011-08-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

I wish I could say former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan was just senile and let it go at that, however, his sort of thinking is embraced by the Ruling Class as the Obama regime looks to start a third round of quantitative easing, [QE3] something Governor Sarah Palin recently talked about.

From RealClearPolitics: [emphasis mine]

David Gregory, moderator of "Meet The Press" on NBC: "Are U.S. treasury bonds still safe to invest in?"

Alan Greenspan, Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve: "Very much so. This is not an issue of credit rating, the United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So, there is zero probability of default."

Read more and watch the video here.

Of course Greenspan is right. The United States Treasury can print money until it exhausts the world's paper and ink supply. There's just one problem: Hyper-inflation. As we have seen with the Obama regime's QE1 and QE2, inflation is already hurting the economy significantly. Food prices are up, hurting the nation's poor the most. Part of the increase in gasoline prices is a result of monetizing our debt.

As insane as Greenspan's statement sounds, those in control of monetary policy are getting ready to do just as he suggests.Print more money. QE3 is coming.

It's obvious our "betters" slept through history class or they'd have learned exactly where they have us headed.

If only the nation's "thought leaders" had studied Germany's Weimar Republic from the 1920s [or even modern day Zimbabwe] they would see the writing on the wall for the United States if we continue down this path of irresponsibility from our government. We've all heard the stories of needing a wheelbarrow full of worthless German money to buy bread. But the real disaster of the Weimar government's money policy, it's real legacy, is the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The monetary policy collapsed the government and the Nazis filled the void.

I'm firmly convinced Barack Obama is using the Cloward-Piven strategy of manufactured crisis and fully intends to bring about the collapse of American society in order to bring about radical change. Change that would destroy the very fabric the nation was created from.

Obama has called the Constitution a flawed document filled with "negative rights." What Obama means is the Constitution was written to restrain government. To restrict what government can and cannot do. Totalitarians like Obama can't stand this as it doesn't allow them to create a command and control central government that rules every aspect of the citizens' lives, while at the same time making their cronies rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Obama and the Fed must be stopped and stopped now. We don't have time to wait for 2013 when a new President will be sworn in.

Call Congress, get involved. Do.It.Now.

We Are ACORN Mighty, Mighty ACORN: Rick Perry Edition

2011-08-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Notice the lovely woman in the Houston ACORN shirt standing with a smiling Rick Perry.

Someone might want to talk with Houston's King Street Patriots and their fight against Mighty ACORN in Houston with their True the Vote program.

In other ACORN news: A Nevada Judge fines ACORN but wanted prison for ACORN's leaders.

Read BREAKING: ‘Banana Republic’ ACORN Hit with Maximum Fine in Voter Fraud Scheme over at Big Government for the entire run down.

As you know President Barack Obama used to work for ACORN. His job was training the rent-a-thugs the finer points of communist Saul Alinsky's manifesto Rules for Radicals

Over the last few days a lot of people have been hammering Rick Perry because he was once a democrat [at a time most Texas politicians were] and was Al Gore's Texas campaign chairman in 1988. That's kind of silly.

The great Ronald Reagan was also a democrat before, as he said, the party left him. He was also a big supporter of Franklin Roosevelt, the president who did more to support Marxism in America than any other before Obama.

This is a dumb thing to hit Perry on.

The relationships people need to question Perry about are his ties to groups like ACORN, as well as open borders, race-baiting groups like LULAC and La Raza [literally, The Race] that advocate illegal immigration and support the Reconquista of the Southwestern United States.

We'll have more on Perry's ties to these groups and his sorry record on illegal immigration to come.

Rick Perry upon signing Texas' supported DREAM ACT, granting in state tuition to illegal aliens:

"Educacion es el futuro, y si se puede."

Translation: "Education is the future" and throwing in Cesar Chavez’s slogan: [and Obama's] "Yes we can!" for good measure.

Coach Mike Ditka Praises Sarah Palin (Again), But Lamestream Media Refuses to Report It (Again) Lou Holtz Too!

2011-08-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

I understand Sarah Palin spoke here last year. I admire her. She’s a great lady, mother and wife, and that’s more important than the [bull****] the media spreads about her.

~ Coach Mike Ditka

By Gary P Jackson

Legendary football coach Mike Ditka knows a winner when he sees one and in Sarah Palin, he sees a true winner. As AWR Hawkins over at Andrew Breitbart's Big Journalism points out, if you rely on America's corrupt, lamestream media, you'd never know this.

Now why would the media want to suppress news of one of America's most beloved sports figures praise for one of America's most iconic leaders? It's almost like they have an agenda!

[Emphasis mine]

While speaking at the Washington Area Community Center’s Lessons for Leaders (Washington, IL) on August 6, Coach Mike Ditka lambasted the mainstream media (MSM) and heaped praise on Gov. Sarah Palin. Said Ditka:

"I understand Sarah Palin spoke here last year. I admire her. She’s a great lady, mother and wife, and that’s more important than the [bull****] the media spreads about her."

Ditka has offered up a strong defense of Palin before. For instance, in 2010, during an interview on Fox and Friends, he said "Sarah Palin is one of the greatest people I’ve ever met."

When he stumped for Palin/McCain in 2008, Ditka said Palin "epitomizes all the good qualities of this country." He also called on audience members to put party affiliation and anything else that divided them aside long enough "put Country First" for a change. (Ditka lead by example by unashamedly admitting he was a Republican and a conservative, and most importantly, he said, "I am an American.")

Of course, I don’t recall hearing Chris Matthews, Matt Lauer, or anyone in the MSM mention Ditka’s kind words for the Governor in 2010 (nor do I remember them making fun of him for being a Republican). And since that was back in the days when Keith Olbermann still had a show, you’d at least think Ditka would have made the "Worst Person in the World" list.

But alas, just silence.

Come to think of it, I don’t recall hearing them talk about Ditka’s kind words for Palin on the campaign trail in 2008 either. (I’ve got a feeling Matthews, Lauer, and Olbermann would rather pick fights with people who don’t fight back, and they all know Ditka isn’t the type to just shut up and take it. That’s why they fear him and that’s why we love him.)

That’s also why we love Palin.

For the record, I won’t be expecting any MSM outlets to cover Ditka’s most recent praise of Palin at all. They’ll be too busy carrying water for Obama’s sinking ship or talking about how great it is to see Eric Holder sue another state for passing legislation aimed at protecting their borders.

Coach Ditka isn't the only coaching icon to consistently heap praise on Sarah Palin. After the Governor's stellar performance at the 16th Annual CLSA Investor’s Forum in Hong Kong, in September on 2009, famed Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz has this to say:

Sarah Palin excites me. She stands for something.

By the way, the Wall Street Journal said of Governor Palin's speech:

The former vice presidential candidate understands Beijing better than the Obama Administration does.

And this was way back in 2009!

Read more about all of that here.

Let's see, two of the greatest men to ever coach the game, men whose careers depended on them being able to spot great talent, find Sarah Palin to have it. One would think that would be at least a bit newsworthy, wouldn't one?

Sarah Palin Fires The Bus Back Up! One Nation Tour Headed To Iowa Now!

2011-08-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

SarahPAC has just announced that Sarah has fired the One Nation Tour bus and is heading to Iowa this week. Reading the letter below, sounds like she is fired up and ready to rumble. So are we!

From Sarah:

We are very happy to jump back on the bus for another leg of our "One Nation Tour"! We accept with gratefulness an invitation to meet folks at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this week. The heartland is perfect territory for more of the One Nation Tour as we put forth efforts to revitalize the fundamental restoration of America by highlighting our nation’s heart, history, and founding principles.

In a grossly weakened economy – especially when recovery is thwarted by today’s Obamanomics – prudent Americans make sensible decisions to live within their means. This includes seeking affordable participation in more community events, local patriotic parades, and traditional all-American venues like state fairs. State fairs hold a special place in our nation’s history and heritage, so my family is honored to highlight one of them on one stop along the One Nation Tour route – America’s historic Iowa State Fair! (I’m also excited to try some of that famous fried butter-on-a-stick, fried cheesecake-on-a-stick, fried twinkies, etc. I’ll enjoy them in honor of those who’d rather make us just "eat our peas"!)

Unlike next week’s Obama Bus Tour, taxpayers aren’t funding our tour, which is why we so appreciate your support in allowing us to be out there on the open road to visit with you to highlight small towns, big-hearted people, and the important role they play in our most exceptional nation.

You can participate with support for the "One Nation Tour" through SarahPAC.com and following virtually by bookmarking the SarahPAC website. We’ll have updates from the road as our Constitution-draped bus travels to shine a spotlight on more of our nation’s fine history. Watch this video and let the American road inspire you!

Thank you for your continued support of SarahPAC. Let’s stay committed to the worthy cause – restoring all that is good and strong and free in America!

Thank you sincerely,

~ Sarah Palin

If you like to donate to SarahPAC click here.

"Have seen a few of these around Iowa"

2011-08-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

From Scott Conroy of RealClearPolitics via Twitpic.

You can [and should] follow Scott on Twitter.

Sarah Palin Is Used To Facing Adversity, Tough Challenges, and Coming Through a Winner

2011-08-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Before Sarah Palin fought corruption as a member of the Wasilla city council, actions that would lead to her becoming a successful two term mayor and president of the Alaska Council of Mayors.

Before Sarah Palin took on the corrupt Republican establishment "good old boy" network, the "Corrupt Bastards Club," first as the Chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Compact Commission, then as a private citizen, actions that would lead to her becoming Governor.

Before Governor Sarah Palin took on Big Oil and reformed the industry, as well as tackling problems that had festered for decades, balanced budgets and created billions in surplus, becoming the highest rated Governor in the United States.

Before Sarah Palin became a candidate for Vice President of the United States.

Before all of this, there was the Wasilla High School basketball team. The team no one thought could win.

Sarah Palin was point guard and co-captain of the team. She earned the nickname "barracuda" for her no nonsense, take no prisoners kind of play. A trait that would follow her as she became a public servant.

As the story goes, Sarah, number 22, had injured herself in a game leading up to the state championship final. It would turn out to be a stress fracture to her ankle. Sarah played through the pain and would end up scoring what would be the game winning point with 10 seconds left on the clock.

From ESPN's Outside the Lines:

Why is this important? There are some who think Sarah Palin can't win the 2012 presidential election. If people will be honest and look at Sarah Palin's life, from her championship basketball days and throughout her career as a public servant, they will see a pattern. Nothing can stop a determined Sarah Palin. Nothing. Underestimate her at your own peril.

Anyone who's read her latest from Facebook knows she's determined to Revive, Restore, and Renew America.

The 2012 elections will be the most important in our nation's history. America will face it's toughest questions ever.

Do we give Barack Obama four more years? Four more years to finish what he's started? Four years that will most certainly see the absolute destruction of the United States as we know it? The end of Freedom and Liberty, and the enslavement of every American going forward?

Or do we choose another path.

Do we choose to get behind a proven leader who has tackled every challenge placed in front of her? A leader who has served the people who have elected her with the utmost integrity and accountability. Someone who understands how to turn around disasters in the making, and has actually done it. [not just talk about doing it] Someone who has not only balanced budgets but created a budget surplus in excess of $12 billion. Someone who isn't afraid to make the tough choices. The choices others are far too timid to make.

The choice is easy for me. I want a proven winner. I want Sarah Palin

Unreal: Mitt Romney Flip-Flops On Debt Deal and Gives "President Downgrade" Aid and Comfort To Boot!

2011-08-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

Human windsock Mitt Romney is at it again. Back on August 1st we noted that Romney, Profile in Courage that he is, waited until the debt deal was a fait accompli, and seeing the rage from the American people against it, did what he always does and shouted: "Me too!"

Sarah Palin took Romney to task in her interview with Sean Hannity a day later, licking her finger and sticking it in the air to symbolize Romney's "leadership" style.

Well now it seems Romney has flip-flopped on his "courageous" stance. From the Wall Street Journal:

CONCORD, N.H. — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on Monday that Standard & Poor’s downgrade of America’s credit rating was not just President Barack Obama‘s fault, stepping back a bit from a statement he issued Friday.

"I don’t think it’s simply the president’s fault," Mr. Romney said in reply to a question at a Chamber of Commerce meeting here. "I’m sure there are many people to share responsibility for the excessive spending in Washington over the past couple of decades."

But Mr. Romney said the president should have found a way "to work with Republicans, to work with Democrats to establish a relationship of trust to determine what can and couldn’t be done politically." And he added that Mr. Obama "is primarily for responsible for the failure of this economy to re-ignite."

He also suggested he was referring to Republicans of years’ past, not the crop of tea party-leaning freshmen elected in 2010.

Doesn't think it's the President's fault? Really Mitt? Really?

Holy crap.What a gutless milquetoast this guy is,

Oh, and it gets better:

Also on Monday, Mr. Romney released another statement contrasting S&P’s rating for Massachusetts while he was governor and its handling of the U.S. rating under Mr. Obama, and sought to link the president with one-term Democratic President Jimmy Carter. "The president’s failure to put the nation’s fiscal and economic house in order has caused a massive loss of confidence that resulted in an embarrassing downgrade, " he said. "In the Carter era, it was called ‘malaise.’ Under President Obama, it’s called meltdown."

On Friday, Mr. Romney squarely blamed Mr. Obama for the downgrade, issuing a short statement:

"America’s creditworthiness just became the latest casualty in President Obama’s failed record of leadership on the economy. Standard & Poor’s rating downgrade is a deeply troubling indicator of our country’s decline under President Obama.

His failed policies have led to high unemployment, skyrocketing deficits, and now, the unprecedented loss of our nation’s prized AAA credit rating. Today, President Obama promised that ‘things will get better.’ But it has become increasingly clear that the only way things will get better is with new leadership in the White House."

Read more here.

This is incredible. At this point I think flip-flopping is pathological with this guy. And there is plenty of evidence to back this up!

This Mitt Romney has absolutely no core values and no core convictions. He's not a leader or really even much of a follower. He's like a rudderless ship that just floats around from position to position on the map with no real discernible direction whatsoever.

Romney mentions Massachusetts' AA credit rating from S&P on his watch. It's also AA under tax and spend Governor Duval Patrick. Knowing what RomneyCare is doing to the state's budget, one wonders how long that rating would hold.

Speaking of credit ratings, Contributing Editor Stacy Drake reminds readers that because of Governor Sarah Palin's superior ability to manage debt and liabilities, and the policies she put in place, Alaska was rewarded the highest rating [Aaa] that credit rating agency Moody's gives a state.

One thing about it, Mitt Romney cannot be trusted to maintain any position on any subject. The guy is all over the place. we need solid, steady, and consistent leadership from someone who has a set of core values and never compromises them. We know who that is, and it sure ain't Mitt Romney!

A musical dedication to Mitt:

It's A Girl!

2011-08-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

By Gary P Jackson

It's a girl! Track and Britta Palin have announced the birth of a beautiful baby girl: Kyla Grace Palin.

Congratulations to the happy parents and grandparents.

Track and Britta are high school sweethearts. Track is an Iraq war veteran and is now helping run the Palin family fishing business.

Sarah Palin Lays Out Her Platform To Revive, Restore, and Renew America

2011-08-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

America must regain its optimistic pioneering spirit again. Our founders declared that "we were born the heirs of freedom." We are the heirs of those who froze with Washington at Valley Forge, who held the line at Gettysburg, who freed the slaves, carved a nation out of the wilderness, and allowed reward for work ethic.

We are the sons and daughters of that Greatest Generation who stormed the beaches of Normandy, raised the flag at Iwo Jima, and made America the strongest and most prosperous nation in the history of mankind. By God, we will not squander what has been given us!

~ Sarah Palin

By Gary P Jackson

This may be the most powerful thing Sarah Palin has ever written. She hammers a very deserving Barack Obama, and she points out that she has been warning everyone about the disaster that has befallen us since day one. [and at a time when the GOP presidential wannabees were silent]

This document is much more than that though. It's forward looking and optimistic. We have real problems. Dire problems. Sarah offers some real solutions to these problems while reminding the everyone that the American spirit can never be defeated. We are the same people who beat the most powerful army on earth to win our Liberty and Freedom. We are the same people who fought a civil war and emerged even stronger and more united. We are the people who fought two world wars to ensure the entire would wouldn't be engulfed in tyranny and oppression.

It won't be easy to attain, nothing worth having ever is, but as Americans we can all unite and overcome the disaster the Ruling Class has gotten us in.

Sarah Palin's strong record proves she is the one to unite behind. She's been down this road before, in Alaska. The scale of our national problem may be larger, but the job is the same. Governor Sarah Palin excelled at the job.

At the end the Governor implores all Americans to get off the couch and get involved in the process saying:

Please get engaged in 2012 electoral politics and support experienced, vetted, pro-free market fiscal conservatives who will dedicate all to preserving our Republic and protecting our Constitution.

Readers should note that, thanks to the rabid left-wing media, Sarah Palin is quite possibly the most vetted person in U.S. history.

From Sarah Palin:

Conquering the Storm

In the coming days we’ll sort through the repercussions of S&P’s downgrade of our credit rating, including concerns about the impact a potential interest rate increase would have on our ability to service our suffocating $14.5 trillion debt.

I’m surprised that so many people seem surprised by S&P’s decision. Weren’t people paying attention over the last year or so when we were getting warning after warning from various credit rating agencies that this was coming? I’ve been writing and speaking about it myself for quite some time.

Back in December 2010, I wrote: "If the European debt crisis teaches us anything, it’s that tomorrow always comes. Sooner or later, the markets will expect us to settle the bill for the enormous Obama-Pelosi-Reid spending binge. We’ve already been warned by the credit ratings agency Moody’s that unless we get serious about reducing our deficit, we may face a downgrade of our credit rating." And again in January, in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address I wrote: "With credit ratings agency Moody’s warning us that the federal government must reverse the rapid growth of national debt or face losing our triple-A rating, keep in mind that a nation doesn’t look so ‘great’ when its credit rating is in tatters."

One doesn’t need a Harvard Law degree to figure this out! Just look across the pond at Europe. European nations with less debt and smaller deficits than ours and with real "austerity" plans in place to deal with them have had their ratings downgraded. By what magical thinking did we figure we could run up perpetual trillion dollar deficits and still somehow avoid the unforgiving mathematics of a downgrade? Nothing is ever "too big to fail." And there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Didn’t we all learn that in our micro and macro econ classes? I did at the University of Idaho. How could Obama skip through Columbia and Harvard without learning that?

Many commonsense Americans like myself saw this day coming. In fact, in June 2010, Rick Santelli articulated the view of independent Tea Party patriots everywhere when he shouted on CNBC, "I want the government to stop spending! Stop spending! Stop spending! Stop spending! STOP SPENDING!" So, how shamelessly cynical and dishonest must one be to blame this inevitable downgrade on the very people who have been shouting all along "stop spending"? Blaming the Tea Party for our credit downgrade is akin to Nero blaming the Christians for burning Rome. Tea Party Americans weren’t the ones "fiddling" while our country’s fiscal house was going up in smoke. In fact, we commonsense fiscal conservatives were the ones grabbing for the extinguishers while politically correct politicians and their cronies buried their heads in what soon became this bonfire.

With S&P and others now warning that we could face another downgrade if we don’t get serious about our debt problem (i.e., recklessly spending money we don't have), Washington needs to wake up before things get worse! We’re already hearing murmurs about QE3, which is just madness and will further debase our currency at a time when the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency is already being questioned. The loss of the dollar’s reserve currency status would adversely impact us in every conceivable way. Our standard of living would decline as imports become more expensive (including imports of foreign oil), government wouldn’t be able to finance deficits as cheaply, and American corporations – employers – would lose a competitive edge. It would be another crack in our status as a financial superpower.

Last May, I gave a speech at Westhills Community College in Lemoore, California, to an audience that included farmers from California’s Central Valley. I tried to paint a picture for them of where all of this was heading. The following is an excerpt from my prepared remarks:

Now we’re all getting hit with rising food prices too. Back in November of last year, I predicted this would happen when the Federal Reserve dropped a $600 billion money bomb called QE2 on us! That’s short for "quantitative easing 2." It’s a fancy term for running the printing presses and creating money out of thin air – which drives down the value of the dollar and makes the price of everything more expensive.

As I predicted six months ago, these policies will lead us down a path where for the first time in our history our fate will be taken out of our own hands and placed in the hands of the world’s capital markets. They will force us to make the responsible decisions that our leaders are unwilling to make. Just as the destinies of the Central Valley farms have been taken out of your hands by the federal government’s overreach into your water rights, so the destiny of our nation will be taken out of our hands because our leadership has failed to get our financial house in order.

This isn’t some theoretical threat any more. It’s already happening. The world’s biggest bond investment fund PIMCO announced last month that it was dumping U.S. Treasury bonds. The head of PIMCO, Bill Gross, one of the world’s preeminent debt investors, warned that the U.S. is in serious risk of default with our trillion dollar deficits and no end in sight. And last week, credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded our credit outlook to "negative" – that’s the first time that has happened to us since the attack on Pearl Harbor. The IMF has even given us formal notice that, unless we do something to deal with our debt problem, we could tip the world economy into another recession.

It is a disgraceful and embarrassing situation when the United States finds itself justifiably chastised in the same tone normally reserved for near-bankrupt economies.

And in this, like in shutting off your water, the federal government has failed you. Their reckless spending and destruction of the dollar will make access to available credit for farmers and small business owners harder to get. And it will make transportation costs higher because it will hit everyone at the gas pump. You see, because the Obama White House won’t let us drill domestically, we’re forced to import oil that we pay for in dollars. So, when the value of the dollar drops, the price of gas goes up. And if you think $4 a gallon is bad, wait till you see what life is like at $6 or $7 a gallon.

Last November, the so-called smart people all laughed at me when I warned them of this. They told me not to make such a big deal about rising prices. Well, guess what – it became a big deal all on its own.

In fact, there was an editorial in the New York Sun that said – and I quote: "As gasoline is nearing six dollars a gallon at some pumps, the cost of groceries is skyrocketing, and the value of the dollars…has collapsed to less than a 1,500th of an ounce of gold. Unemployment is still high. Shakespeare couldn’t come up with a better plot. But how in the world did Mrs. Palin, who is supposed to be so thick, manage to figure all this out so far ahead of the New York Times and all the economists it talked to?"

Well, I’m sure the New York Times writers will remember the famous line: "You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." And right now the American economy is in the howling, hot headwinds of a gathering storm. We’re printing up and buying up our own notes at an unprecedented rate, and the Fed is artificially holding interest rates down to nearly zero. Anyone with commonsense could see what was coming. Unfortunately, common sense is in short supply among our leaders. It’s like they never believe that the rules of common sense apply to them. They think somehow we'll escape from the consequences of their policies. It’s the same magical thinking that allows them to run up trillion dollar deficits and still think that we can "win the future."

Every other generation has weathered recessions by sacrifice and belt tightening. But our leaders today decided that they could magically paper over the tough decisions by running the printing presses. A little history lesson might have showed them how well that worked out for Germany in the 1930s. The Weimar Republic inflated its currency so much that it took a wheel barrel full of paper money to buy a loaf of bread. That might be the main thing I remember from Mr. Crum’s history class at Wasilla High, but it told me all I needed to know about the inflationary dangers of a weak currency and why we must avoid it. What a shame Mr. Crum didn’t teach at Harvard.

That was just three months ago, and things have already gotten worse. We have to face this storm head on. It won’t be easy, but there are real solutions to grow our economy and reduce our debt.

First, we need to get serious about our deficit. No more accounting gimmicks. No more cuts in "out-years" that never materialize. The permanent political class in D.C. might be fooling themselves with these Enron-like accounting games, but they’re not fooling the world’s capital markets. And we don’t need any more happy talk from the White House about "investing" in solar shingles and really fast trains. The White House shouldn’t even bother floating these new spending programs. We can’t afford them. Period. We need to stop this deficit spending, balance our budget, repeal Obamacare, cancel all unused stimulus funds, and reform our entitlement programs. We have to have an adult conversation about our spending commitments; circumstances have changed, and we must adapt. I know none of this will be easy, but, "thick" or not, the average American outside the D.C. politico bubble knows that we no longer have a choice! We will have entitlement reform and a balanced budget; it’s just a matter of how. We can do it ourselves in a calm, methodical, and responsible manner, or we can wait for the world’s capital markets to ram it down on us. Let’s be responsible and do it ourselves. And let’s get serious about reducing the size of government across the board and rooting out waste. How many more reports (that today are destined to merely gather dust on the shelf) do we need about duplicative and unnecessary programs before we actually do something about government waste?

We need to get this economy moving again, and the real stimulus we’ve been waiting for is domestic energy development. We must reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil by responsibly developing natural resources here. This will provide good paying jobs, reduce our trade deficit, increase federal and state revenue, ensure environmental standards, and actually stimulate our economy without incurring any debt. That’s real stimulus! Affordable, plentiful, and secure energy is the foundation of every thriving economy. Let’s make it the foundation of ours. Let’s do the opposite of President Obama’s manipulation of U.S. energy supplies. Let’s drill here, build refineries, and stop kowtowing to foreign countries in asking them to ramp up energy production which makes us even more beholden to them as we rely on their foreign product. Let’s move on tapping our massive domestic natural gas reserves. Natural gas is the perfect "bridge fuel" to a future when more renewable sources are available. It’s clean, it’s green, and we’ve got a lot of it. Let’s drill. Let’s build an infrastructure for natural gas cars and power plants. Energy development can help kick start our economic engine.

In addition to energy security, I embrace a pro-growth agenda that can make American corporations far more competitive on the global stage. (I will be writing more about this in the coming days.) We need to tell the world, "America is open for business again!" And let’s welcome industry by reducing burdensome regulations. The Obama administration keeps strangling businesses in red tape. From the EPA’s rulings to that nightmare known as Obamacare, the Obama administration is hanging one regulatory albatross after another around the private sector’s neck. Let’s get government out of the way and give the private sector room to breathe, grow, and thrive. We can provide businesses confidence to expand and hire Americans in a stable environment.

Be wary of the efforts President Obama makes to "fix" the debt problem. The more he tries to "fix" things, the worse they get because his "solutions" always involve spending more, taxing more, growing government, and increasing debt. This debt problem is the greatest challenge facing our country today. Obviously, President Obama doesn’t have a plan or even a notion of how to deal with it. His press conference today was just a rehash of his old talking points and finger-pointing. That’s why he can’t be re-elected in 2012.

Our economic news is disheartening and the task before us can seem daunting, but we must not lose our sense of optimism. People look around today and may see only the negative. They see a culture and a nation in decline, but that’s not who we are! America must regain its optimistic pioneering spirit again. Our founders declared that "we were born the heirs of freedom." We are the heirs of those who froze with Washington at Valley Forge, who held the line at Gettysburg, who freed the slaves, carved a nation out of the wilderness, and allowed reward for work ethic. We are the sons and daughters of that Greatest Generation who stormed the beaches of Normandy, raised the flag at Iwo Jima, and made America the strongest and most prosperous nation in the history of mankind. By God, we will not squander what has been given us!

Our destiny is still in our own hands if we pick ourselves up and act responsibly and quickly. We must all get involved. Concerned Americans must seek truth, work harder than ever, and be willing to sacrifice today to ensure freedom tomorrow. Please get engaged in 2012 electoral politics and support experienced, vetted, pro-free market fiscal conservatives who will dedicate all to preserving our Republic and protecting our Constitution.

- Sarah Palin