op ed review 8/8

THIS WEEK’S NEWS

The latest report from the liberal Democracy Corps poll run by former Bill Clinton advisers James Carville and Stan Greenberg won't do anything to cheer up the Obama White House or Democrats in Congress. "Democrats are lagging further behind Republicans on which party can best deal with the economy," Messrs. Carville and Greenberg report in their new survey of 1,000 voters who cast ballots in 2008. Among these voters, the GOP now enjoys a 49% to 36% edge on which party can best handle the economy. A striking 54% of these voters also believe President Obama's policies have done nothing to reduce the impact of the recession. A Democratic pollster says these figures are at "revolution levels"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703748904575411382379964828.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion

Missouri voters overwhelmingly rejected a federal mandate to purchase health insurance, rebuking President Obama and giving Republicans their first political victory in a national campaign to overturn the controversial health care law passed by Congress in March. With most of the vote counted, Proposition C was winning by a ratio of nearly 3 to 1. The overwhelming approval gives the national GOP momentum as Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma hold similar votes during midterm elections in November.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_c847dc7c-564c-5c70-8d90-dfd25ae6de56.html

A majority of probable voters favor repealing healthcare reform, according to a new Rasmussen poll. Fifty-nine percent of respondents favor repealing the legislation — the highest level of support Rasmussen has found — while 38 percent want to keep it in place.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/112137-poll-majority-favors-healthcare-repeal

A federal judge overturned the wishes of 7 million voters and declared California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional Wednesday, saying that "moral disapproval" was not enough to save the voter-passed Proposition 8.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/04/MNQS1EOR3D.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0vjtuxsNa

Oh, the judge in the new ruling is openly gay, but it looks like that doesn't matter.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gay-marriage-california-20100805,0,2696248.story

Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff Paul Babeu says that rather than help law enforcement in Arizona stop the hundreds of thousands of people who come into the United States illegally, the federal government is targeting the state and its law enforcement personnel.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/70324

Sheriff Babeu said his deputies are out manned and outgunned when it comes to battling drug cartels, so the Pinal County Justice Foundation is asking the public to donate money so that they can equip deputies with rifles.

http://www.kpho.com/news/24491181/detail.html

On the day parts of Arizona's immigration law, SB 1070, went into effect, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is in the news for another reason: there's a price on his head - allegedly offered by a Mexican drug cartel.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/immigration/mexican-drug-cartel-sheriff-arpaio-07292010

What’s the Justice Department doing about it? They’re threatening to sue Sheriff Arapaio for “unconstitutional searches and seizures.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_justice_maricopa

In a decision that could lay the groundwork for an Arizona-style immigration policy, Virginia's attorney general said state law enforcement officers are allowed to check the immigration status of anyone "stopped or arrested."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/02/virginia-attorney-general-rules-police-check-immigration-status/

Non-farm payrolls fell 131,000 last month, but "The First Lady is spending the next few days in a five-star hotel on the chic Costa del Sol in southern Spain with 40 of her 'closest friends,' expected to occupy 60 to 70 rooms. "Not exactly what one would call cutting back in troubled times…..Michelle Obama seems more like a modern-day Marie Antoinette.” The round trip flight will cost the taxpayers $148,000.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/38590746

President Obama flew Marine One from the White House less than six miles to Northwest D.C. where he delivered remarks on the economy and July employment numbers. According to Google maps, the drive would have taken about 20 minutes from the White House.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20012904-503544.html

President Obama couldn’t find time between media appearances to attend the Boy Scout Jamboree. In response to a recorded message from the President, the scouts return the compliment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAWsy7VV8oE&feature=player_embedded

To a liberal, this shows how tolerant we are; to a Muslim, this show how weak we are: New York City is paving the way for a new mosque to open just blocks from Ground Zero.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/landmark_vote_opens_door_to_ground_bglyGZSizoS6TzMo944NRJ

The EPA is considering a crackdown on farm dust. "If approved, would establish the most stringent and unparalleled regulation of dust in our nation's history……We respect efforts for a clean and healthy environment, but not at the expense of common sense. Whether its livestock kicking up dust, soybeans being combined on a dry day in the fall, or driving a car down the gravel road, dust is a naturally occurring event.”

http://www.news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=12899662

A federal appeals court in California has ruled that Chipotle Mexican Grill’s "distinct interior design" violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because the counters where the staff prepared tacos and burritos were too high to be visible for people in wheelchairs.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/1/chipotle-in-violation-of-disabilities-act/

The Justice Department has demanded that universities stop distributing the Kindle: if blind students can’t use the device, then nobody can.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Why-did-feds-claim-Kindle-violates-civil-rights_-1006723-99801389.html#ixzz0vVPCBqwR

Actor Andy Griffith has gone over to the dark side: : pitching President Barack Obama's health care law to seniors in a cable television ad paid for by Medicare.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20100730/D9H9EIV03.html

The Multnomah County District Attorney in Portland, Oregon has decided not to pursue a criminal case against Al Gore, despite allegations that the former vice president is a “crazed sex poodle.” Al Gore was allowed to respond to the investigation by answering 14 pre-reviewed questions, while his accuser was grilled under a polygraph. “According to investigators, "Gore's face became flushed and he stammered slightly as he responded, 'Absolutely not!'"

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/index.ssf/2010/07/backing_al_gore_into_a_corner.html

But Multnomah County officials were quick to crack down on a 7 year old girl, shutting down her lemonade stand for failing to get a $120 temporary restaurant license.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/08/portland_lemonade_stand_runs_i.html

Politicians like to complain about overpaid CEOs, and luckily now they don’t have to travel far to find them. While nationwide CEOs of top companies saw a 5.5 percent pay hike, Washington DC Beltway-area CEOs saw a 37 percent raise — more than in any other city.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/the-beltway-sucks-in-the-nations-wealth-as-government-grows-99756009.html

Elvis Presley is running for Arkansas governor. No, not that Elvis.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/05/elvis-presley-running-arkansas-governor/

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THIS WEEK’S FEATURED COLUMN

Washington Times, 8/4

Just under a million Missouri voters braved 102-degree heat Tuesday to cast ballots exempting the state's residents from Obamacare mandates. The verdict on the nationalized health care scheme could not have been more clear: More than 71 percent chose to tell the federal government to stop meddling with their personal health care choices. Missouri state Sen. Jane Cunningham introduced the legislation that placed the Health Care Freedom Act before voters. This act nullifies any statute that attempts to "compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care system."

Missouri State Sen. Jane Cunningham introduced the legislation that placed the Health Care Freedom Act before voters. This act nullifies any statute that attempts to "compel, directly or indirectly, any person, employer or health care provider to participate in any health care system." Obamacare's defenders insist the federal health care law trumps Proposition C under the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause, which is ironic considering the utter disregard for constitutional authority that went into drafting Obamacare itself. Leftist lawyers are already forum shopping for an activist judge willing to overturn the public will. Even if successful in some courtroom, Tuesday's vote stands as conclusive evidence that Obamacare has already lost in the highest court of all - that of public opinion. As Mrs. Cunningham put it, "Missourians didn't just send a message, they picked up a megaphone and shouted to Washington, D.C., to Congress and Obama."

Not surprisingly, Democrats have been working hard to downplay Tuesday's significance. The only reason the referendum vote was held during the less important primary season is that Democratic state senators used a filibuster threat to keep the measure off the November ballot. In advance of the vote, Democrats claimed that turnout would be meager and the final result not truly representative of the public mood. Their predictions proved unfounded as hundreds of thousands more voters turned out compared to the 2008 primary.

Tuesday's result was also universal. The proposition won handily in 111 of Missouri's 114 counties. As Mrs. Cunningham explained to The Washington Times, the measure's broad appeal came in reaction to the arrogance of Washington officials. "Missourians really felt that the government ignored their voices during the debate on the federal law."

The White House no longer has the luxury of turning a deaf ear to the cries of Obamacare opponents. Twenty-one states have filed suit to block the federal mandates as unconstitutional, with Virginia Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli earlier this week racking up a key procedural win on his lawsuit. In addition, anti-Obamacare initiatives will be on the November ballot in Arizona and Oklahoma, giving more people a platform from which they can voice their discontent. Of course, the most effective way to send a message to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. would be to evict the politicians who voted for Obamacare and deny the president his Democratic majority on Capitol Hill.

Members of Congress wishing to keep their jobs in November ought to think seriously about repealing the president's misguided power grab.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/aug/4/its-now-fact-the-public-hates-obamacare/

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FROM OTHER COLUMNS

"These are truly extraordinary times. With every passing day, we are witnessing what can only be called the People versus the Government. The distrust and disdain Americans of all political persuasions feel toward the White House and Congress is extraordinary."

-Alan Caruba

"Our liberties depend on our preserving the integrity of the Constitution and the mechanisms it established to deter tyranny. To the extent we dismantle those safeguards, we imperil our freedoms. When the political class is filled with those who are ideologically committed to certain political ends irrespective of the legality of the means used to achieve them, our system of checks and balances breaks down, which is one reason John Adams warned, 'Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.' November's elections cannot come fast enough."

-David Limbaugh

"In these tough and turbulent economic times, we need to look for small things we can be thankful for. For example, I am thankful President Obama is not a lifeguard, as I believe he would toss concrete blocks to drowning swimmers instead of life preservers. Why do I believe that? His economic policies are drowning our economy, leaving many Americans unemployed or underemployed, and he knows it."

-Ted Nugent

"At this moment, two of their [Democrat] leaders from a supposedly disadvantaged minority are about to be tried for ethical transgressions (read: thievery) even Congress couldn't sweep under the rug. Never mind that these transgressions mostly exploit the very minority these people purport to represent. It's part of the game. Convince minorities they should act like victims. Extort guilt payments from the majority and keep the change. Meanwhile, nothing improves for the minority because it would interrupt the system."

-Roger Simon

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the world's worst cleaning lady. How has she fulfilled her vaunted promise to 'drain the swamp' and preside over the 'most ethical Congress in history'? By shrugging her shoulders, downplaying the gravity of myriad ethics charges against corruptocrat Democrat Rep. Charlie Rangel and waiting for the 'political chips' to 'fall where they may.' Imagine a custodial service that fixed toilet clogs by letting the overflowing waste and polluted waters 'fall where they may.'"

-Michelle Malkin

"Nancy Pelosi said that when it comes to cleaning up government, the Democrats have drained the swamp. The only problem with that is what's left after you drain the swamp: snakes everywhere."

-Jay Leno

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LEFTIST WATCH

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., spoke at a town hall in which he claimed that there are few limitations on the federal government. “I think that there are very few constitutional limits that would prevent the federal government from rules that could affect your private life. . The federal government, uh, yes, can do most anything in this country."

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/rep-pete-stark-there-are-few-constitutional-limitations-on-the-federal-government-99757209.html

Investors Business Daily explains this compulsion of the Left:: “Progressivism is a regressive framework of ideas based on some of man's worst urges. It seeks to control others through an administrative system of central planners who, backed by lawmaking and executive bodies that believe their authority is unlimited, can do most anything they want. In their core, progressives believe they have the answers to society's problems and are eager to force them on the state's subjects, even if doing so violates the natural rights that the Constitution guaranteed would be protected by a republican style of government. Stark is right: Washington has the power to do whatever it wants. But it doesn't have the moral authority, either in constitutional law or in the realm of human decency. When it crosses into the dark region where it does most anything it wishes, it's become a tyrant.”

Lefty protesters at the Seattle Seafair: "celebration of warships in our harbor helps bring about the normalcy of modern war."

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/archives/216602.asp?source=rss

If the case for gay marriage is really about equal rights (or God forbid, LOVE), then how are we to process Rosie O'Donnell's own motivation for tying the knot? During yesterday's Rosie Radio satellite broadcast, O'Donnell said George W Bush compelled her to "get on a plane and go get married" due to his supposed misplaced priorities. Love? It apparently played no role in what Rosie freely admits was a partisan political stunt.

http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2010/08/rosie-odonnell-reveals-motivation.html

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Caucus Immigration Task Force, accused Republicans who want to study the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship of "attacking" unborn children.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/113157-gutierrez-republicans-attacking-unborn-with-14th-amendment-concerns

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GLOBALONEY

New research by German and Russian scientists indicates that summer temperatures in the Arctic actually fell for much of the later 20th century, plunging to the levels seen at the beginning of the industrial revolution. The new results are said by their authors to indicate that solar activity exerted a powerful influence over Arctic climate until the 1990s, an assertion which will cause some irritation among academics who contend that atmospheric carbon is the main factor in climate change.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/02/arctic_treering_cooling_research/

“The Prince of Wales says he believes he has been placed on Earth as future King ‘for a purpose’ - to save the world.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1299099/Prince-Charles-My-duty-save-world.html

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ACTIVISM

A day long “Freedom Summit Challenge” at the Tacoma Trade and Convention Center. “How did we get to where we are now and what MUST we do to get our country back to a Constitutional Republic?” The Goal: Unite the various grass roots groups across Washington State, bring them together under one roof and issue a clarion call to what they must do between now and the November election. The target audience: Tea party, Campaign for Liberty, 2nd Amendment, Property Rights, Constitutionalist, Young People, Pastors, any frustrated US Citizen worried about unemployment, burdensome taxes, abuse of eminent domain, illegal immigration, protecting the integrity of our voting rights, or about our success or failure as a Sovereign nation

http://thefreedomsummitchallenge.com/

1st Annual All-Young Professional Networking Event. Co-sponsored by the King County Young Republicans. An opportunity to network with young professionals from across the Puget Sound. The event will also feature a panel of some of the states leading CEOs discussing their journeys to success. Wed Aug 18^th Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue

http://calendar.soundpolitics.com/cgi-bin/list.cgi?id=819

A conservative group has unveiled a series of online tutorials designed to train conservative and Tea Party activists ahead of the summer Congressional recess and November elections. Liberty Central -- founded by Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas – is partnering with the Leadership Institute (LI), the organization founded by long-time conservative activist Morton Blackwell, to produce the training videos and accompanying Web site, LibertyCentralTraining.org. In a memo obtained by CNSNews.com, Liberty Central told its members that

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/70355

http://libertycentraltraining.org/

King County Republican Party's 2010 Family Picnic, Homestead Park in Mercer Island, Saturday, August 14^th, 11am – 3pm

http://www.kcgop.org/sitemax/

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ARTICLES

Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle sees her campaign as a battle to stop Democrats in Washington who want to expand entitlement programs and "make government our God."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100805/D9HD13H00.html

Sharron has raised over $2.5M so far online to defeat Harry Reid.

http://sharronangle.com/splash/donate-now

Republicans may not be able to repeal the Democrats’ health care reform law next year, but they’re eyeing the next best thing: Deny the Obama administration the money it needs to implement the law. GOP candidates across the country are running on a promise to repeal the law. But simply winning the House and the Senate wouldn’t get them there; they’d need to corral two-thirds majorities to overcome what would be an almost certain veto from President Barack Obama. Resigned to that fact, Republicans are now readying a campaign trail message that voters should grant them the power of

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/40536.html

Rejoice conservatives, rejoice. We have been given a gift that will keep on giving right up to November. The travesty of Clinton-appointee Judge Susan Bolton's decision blocking key components of the Arizona immigration law is a Godsend: it will be up to Democrats to explain why they stand on the side of border-busting lawbreakers--against citizens of the United States. They thought people were angry when Democrats rammed an unpopular health care bill down their throats? They ain't seen nothin' yet.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0810/ahlert.php3

A new report by two Republican senators argues the stimulus is riddled with wasteful projects that do not create jobs. The report, released by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and John McCain, R-Ariz., highlights 100 stimulus projects that they say have "questionable goals," are "being mismanaged or were poorly planned" and are even "costing jobs and hurting small businesses. An example: a study on how cocaine affects monkeys. The Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center was awarded $71,623 to study what the report calls, "Monkeys Getting High for Science."

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/summer-recovery-slammed-stimulus-waste-report-released/story?id=11309090

They weren't even alive when he was president, but 18-year-old Nick Jonas and 21-year-old "American Idol" champ Jordin Sparks are huge Ronald Reagan fans.Jonas and Sparks are leading a committee of 35 prominent young people touched by the life of the Gipper, the nation's 40th president who left the White House in 1989. He died six years ago. The National Youth Leadership Committee of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration includes athletes, entertainers and student leaders who are under age 25. They have been inspired in a personal way by Reagan's vision and the committee will honor Reagan's 100th birthday

http://www.kolotv.com/entertainmentnews/headlines/99774839.html

The website, must see:

http://www.reagancentennial.com/

“The world has been turned upside down: Socialism is on the rise in the U.S. and capitalism is on the rise in China. The former is a result of an uneducated electorate that fails to understand socialism's history of producing poverty; the latter is a result of pragmatic leadership able to put aside communist ideology to embrace capitalism because it produces prosperity. Thomas Jefferson, recognizing that the cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate, said that "whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government."

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/08/the_cornerstone_of_democracy_r.html

To Mayor Bloomberg of NYC, if you oppose a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, you are indulging in religious bigotry and do not understand the Constitution. Here is the mayor explaining how the heroes of 9/11 died so that mosques might be built anywhere in New York City.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=38428

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NOTEWORTHY WEBSITES

New Dick Muri ad targeting Rep Adam Smith

http://nwdigest.com/politics/08-02-2010/muri-hits-smith-on-3-billion-boondoggle-in-new-ad/

A hard-hitting new ad planned to air on cable this week, in which women talk about domestic-violence charges against Rep. Geoff Simpson and urge, "Get help, Geoff." (Editors note: The unions that rally support for Simpson don’t seem to care that he has a history of domestic violence.)

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/politics/2010/08/02/ad-targets-geoff-simpson-over-domestic-violence-charge/#ixzz0veGy56ym

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LATE NITE

Jay Leno: In Portland, Oregon, a 7-year-old girl's lemonade stand was shut down by the police because she didn't get a $120 business license. On the bright side, by closing her business, she's now eligible for a $108,000 government bailout…… Happy birthday to President Obama. If you want to get him a present, he’s registered at Bed, Bath, and Blame Bush……They got him a huge cake. He didn’t blow out the candles, he just taxed them until they gave up on their own……Raul Castro said that his government will ease controls on small businesses, will lay off unnecessary workers, and will allow more self-employment. Apparently, he sees how bad socialism is working in America, they don’t want it to happen there.

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WISE WORDS

"[W]hen all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another."

-Thomas Jefferson