Updates

Sen. Gillibrand of NY released a statement on her vote to continue tax payer funding of ACORN

"...while Senator Gillibrand finds the actions of certain Acorn employees to be reprehensible and will ask Acorn leaders for a full investigation and plan to prevent any further abuse, the truth remains that thousands of New York families who are facing foreclosure depend on charitable organizations like Acorn for assistance.”

They can still receive assistance, Senator.

Isn't she up for re-election next year?

While I was visiting Senator Warner's office last week, his Chief Counsel gave me his business card with an email address on it. I sent him an email to thank him for taking the time to meet with me. The email came back as address unknown.

Then they wonder why we don't like them.

The Nut is Cracking - ACORN Update

FINALLY -





The Senate has voted to cut off federal funding to this morally bankrupt organization.

Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay


Sanders (I-VT), Nay


Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay


Durbin (D-IL), Nay


Casey (D-PA), Nay


Burris (D-IL), Nay


Leahy (D-VT), Nay


These seven people need to answer the question why they feel that ACORN should continue to get MY money.

Scenes from Conservative Woodstock

I want to bask in the glory for one last post and show you some of the scenes from what has been dubbed Conservative Woodstock.

The below is one of my personal fav's.

Just doin' my duty

This past weekend had many activities beyond the big march on Saturday. One of which was the grassroots lobbyist activity. So I figured what the heck, and went ahead.

To be perfectly honest, I was not expecting much as far as having conversations with my representatives. My question was going to be the same for all three of them. I want them to sign a pledge that they will read all bills before voting on them. In my opinion, not to much to ask.

My first stop was to the offices of my congressman. The receptionist told me he was busy, and that she would get back to me. I wrote down my name and email address. But she didn't write down my question. So I am not holding my breath on getting an answer.

I then walked the few blocks to the Senate offices to get an answer from them. I had about the same experience with Senator Webb. The only difference between the two was that Senator Webb's office didn't even ask my name. I was just told that he does read all bills. Sen. Webb was rumored to be on the short list of VP for the President. He and the president are cut from the same far left cloth, and asking him to represent or care about my views is really just a complete waste of time.

I then walked down to my other Senator's office. Senator Warner seemed like reasonable man at his town hall. I was not able to ask questions at the town hall as my number was not picked. His receptionist asked me what I wanted, and told me to take a seat. A few minutes later his Chief Counsel and Policy Director came out to speak to me. We went into another office and had a conversation.

I was told that the senator will not sign the pledge and his explanation does seem reasonable. They are asked to sign many pledges and how do they decide which they sign and which they won't? OK, I can buy that. If one thinks about it, they would end up spending all this time answering questions about which pledges he signs and which he doesn't. The staff's time should be used for more useful things than that. I didn't really like the comparison he used though. Which color canaries does he like best and reading all bills before signing them. Not really comparable in my opinion. A better analogy should be used.

I did mention that I had been calling the office in DC and the phone goes directly into voice mail. He told me that "my side" was doing a good job, and their phones are ringing off the hook. This all reminds me of the movie Postcards from the Edge when Meryl Streep's character tells Dennis Quaid that she doesn't have sides, she is one side fits all. I didn't realize that I had a side. But I digress here.

We did get to talking about the town hall. Which as I have told you before was handled very well. His staff did a good job at keeping it as civil as possible, when it is a very emotional topic on both sides. We were talking about the mis-information that is out there. I pointed out that it is on both sides and I mentioned to him that he lied at the town hall. He didn't take too kindly to me saying that, so I re-worded and said he was mistaken.

As things stand right now with the bills that are floating out there abortions will be paid for with tax payer dollars. As much as the democrats want to deny that. One of the problems is that "we the people" are becoming more educated. At least, conservative girl is. You all may be much more understanding of how these work than I. One of the things that I have done some research on is the fact that the courts have ruled almost 100% of the time is that if the bill does not specifically require or specifically disallow something all one must do is take it to court and they will get a ruling in their favor. So, unless the bills have the language that abortion cannot be paid for with tax payer dollars it will become part of health care. That is a plain and simple fact.

The explanation that I got about this is that they realize that this is red meat (again) for "our side". Regular readers of my blog may remember that on more social issues I am pretty moderate and I am a little on the fence about Roe. I am one of the few people in the country that doesn't have a strong opinion on this either way; until you start talking about tax payer funds. My money should not pay for it; easy enough. I did ask why then wouldn't the senator put up an amendment to put the language in the bill? His committee assignments means that he is not working on the writing of the bills. So, we will see if and when it ever makes it to the floor that he would then stand up and put it in.

I was given his business card with his personal email address on it. I was warned that if I spammed him that he would be forced to change it; which I have no intention in doing. Not my style. All and all, the only thing that I got out of it is getting over the fear of going. I now know where all three of their offices are. So, I can start doing some of conservative girl adventures right on sight. I am sure they are going to be thrilled.

Pictures Really Do Speak Volumes - Do You Think This Will Make The NY Times?

I know that it may seem odd that I have mentioned how clean the Capitol was left on each blog post about the march.

You need to remember that I live here, so I know what happens after these protests.























These are immediately following the 9/12 March and immediately following the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

I personally believe this speaks volumes.


Pictures from sweetness and light

Apathy No More - My New Heroes

Ladies and Gents: I didn't overdress did I? I was a little worried about that.

The last picture was just to show everyone how clean we left the Capitol grounds. We folded up our signs and put them in garbage bags. People actually brought garbage bags with them. Another reason to be very proud; we treated those grounds with respect.


I want to tell you a litte about who I met over the weekend.

I met some great people, and I have a new hero or two.

I met people from all over the country. Here is a taste:

I ate my picnic lunch with a really nice couple from New Jersey. She is a teacher and he works for the railroad. Both happy union members. Registered independents who have never been to a protest in thier lives. They got up at 4 am to hop on a chartered bus and turned around at 5:30 and went back home. An 18 hour day at least.


I met a retired minister from DC. He is black man who voted for the President. I asked him if his vote had anything to do with pride. He told me no; it was about the war. He was upset with President Bush and felt that McCain would have continued the same policy. I asked what changed his mind. He told me he was still upset about the war and the President not ending it; and he was furious with the President on life issues. He always carries his bible in his pocket. His shirt was a quote from scripture about reaping what you sow. He helped carry the flag down Penn. Ave.


I met a 25 year old New Yorker. He has never been to DC before, never been in involved in politics before. He works on Wall Street; and is terrified that President Obama is going to move towards a world currency and that his policies are bringing the dollar down near collapse. He told me to buy gold. He brought his 6 year old nephew who had a ball.


I met a group of nurses from Ohio. They had a raffle at their hospital to see who would take the weekend off to come down to protest against the current healthcare plan. They drove down for the weekend taking turns driving. They attended the medical professionals against HR 3200 rally on Friday night.


I met another nurse from PA. She is a divorced mom who just sent her baby away to college. She wasn't going to come, but heard the President's speech on Friday afternoon and got mad. She called AAA to find an affordable hotel room and got in her car and drove to Rockville, MD. She knows that health care costs will not go down until tort reform is inacted; as they will continue to practice defensive medicine. She told me that every patient that goes into her hospital gets an MRI so they won't be sued; even if they don't think they need them.


I met a stay at home mom from Ohio. She came down for the weekend on the train with 10 friends and family members. Her daughter's boyfriend is one of my new heros. He doesn't understand why liberals don't get the fact the conservative government allows you to have liberal communities. This is a 17 year old kid. What a future he is going to have. I told her daughter she needs to hang on to this one.

I met small business owners, stay at home moms, business people, and blue collar people. I met far right conservatives, moderate republicans, moderate democrats, independents, and libertarians. They were seniors citizens, twenty somethings, moms, dads, grandparents, and kids. They were white, black, Asian, Hispanic, and Indian, and everything in between. It was Americana. The only ones missing were the liberal elite. Actually, they were there as well. Counter-protesting with a chant of "Bring Back Bush". They were dressed in formal attire and carried a sign that said; Billionares for Wealthcare. Basically they were ignored; which I think made them a little mad.

I met black people from DC. I asked them if they were planning on telling thier neighbors they were here. One of the moms, said she didn't want her teenage son to talk about it in school. DC is more than 90% liberal democrat. They too are more of my heros. She is teaching her son to stand up for what he believes in even when it is hard and not popular.

I met a couple from Idaho. They really resented the fact that they had to use thier vacation time to come to Washington for this reason. They felt that the only way Congress would listen is if the number was big. They told me they couldn't have lived with themselves if they didn't show up.

I met a young couple from Georgia. Again, never had been to protest. They have realized that Congress counts on Americans to live their lives and take care of thier families and not pay too much attention to them. Apathy has been our mistake.

You couldn't swing your arm without hitting someone from Texas. My gosh, it seems like half of Texas was in DC over the weekend. Ohioans and Floridians were not far behind.

When I was walking down Pennsylvania Avenue singing God Bless America I was proud of myself and every other person who showed up.

Apathy no more.

More Sights from DC

I thought I would share some pictures from a store that sells President Memoriablia. There is one store that sold nothing but Pro-Obama things. I really wanted to get a picture of it, but the clerks knew I was conservative as I had just left a class on internet activism at a hotel. I was given a bag that said "Don't Tread on Me". They didn't look too happy to see me. But, they were selling bumper stickers that said "Conservatives Suck". I didn't think they would have taken to kindly to me taking pictures. I didn't get a chance to take a look on Saturday morning, but this particular store is right on the corner of Freedom Plaza - Where the march started. I wonder if they opened Saturday morning?

Aah, in the company of the angry mob

Being a conservative in the burbs of DC can sometimes be lonely. So, what a treat to have so many people who are appalled as I am to what is happening to this country. I, for one, will be sorry to see them all leave tomorrow. It is a real shame the first picture didn't come out better. The girl's t-shirt said Boob Czar. A shirt that I myself would be unable to pull off.

The signs were very inventive. It was almost like going to a family reunion. We came together like family. We sang the National Anthem, listened to a Levin fav; late great Ray Charles signing God Bless America, Ol' blue eyes belting out New York, New York, and ended the day to Twisted Sister signing "We're Not Going To Take It".

A good time was had by all. I took 400 photos, so there is no way I can post them all, but will relate some stories in the days to come.

WE ROCKED DC

It was an amazing experience. People as far as the eye could see. I met people from 48 states. The only two missing were Vermont and Nevada. Yes, I met a couple that flew in from Hawaii.

I took more than 400 photos, but I am so tired that I will not get to those tonight.

We did such crazy things like signing the National Anthem, rocking out to Ray Charles' version of God Bless America.

We left the Capitol clean and everyone was friendly and respectful. Even to the counter protesters.

I got a call around 1:30 this afternoon, and the local ABC station estimated the crowd at 1.2 Million.

I met some of the nicest people. I think a good time was had by all. I heard that more than 800 buses came in from all the country. So many people drove hours just to be here for the day.

I took more than 400 pictures. I am just to tired to do anything with them tonight. My feet hurt, I am hungry and getting a tad cranky.

WE ROCK!!!

ACORN - Rotten to the Core

ACORN will not be used to help with our census.

Hannah Giles is my new hero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You

Project 2996 John Frederick Rhodes - Our Pledge to You

9.11.01 - A Fateful Day in the Life of America

Early Tuesday morning on 9.11.01 John "Jack" Rhodes made his way from Howell, NJ to the offices of AON Corporation on the 92nd floor of 2 World Trade Center. It was a beautiful morning in New York City. The summer humidity had come to end, but the chill of the fall had yet to set in. There was barely a cloud in the sky.

The beauty of that morning did not last long for New Yorkers. Shortly before 9 am, the first of two planes crashed into The World Trade Center. The innocence of our beliefs that our shores protected us was shattered. Within just a few short hours, four planes were hijacked, crashed into three buildings, a field in Pennsylvania, and both towers collapsed and the Pentagon was still burning. 2996 innocent people were brutally murdered. More than 200 from AON alone. America had been attacked.

John "Jack" Frederick Rhodes was among the dead. Jack was among other things, a husband and father. He was man who was described as a person who loved life and loved his family. His life was cut short at the age of 57. He still had so much life yet to live. He was not able to welcome the new family members over the past eight years. His plans for retirement with his lovely wife Linda will not happen. His daughter no longer has her daddy; and every girl needs her daddy. No matter what age she is.

In the past eight years your family has found a way to move on. To smile and laugh again. To remember your happy times and to hold the sweet memories close without feeling the overwhelming loss of your senseless murder. Just as you would want them to do.

Jack, we want to make a pledge to your memory. We will never forget the sacrifice that you made. We will honor your loss and we will honor your family by doing everything that we can to protect all Americans moving forward. Our pledge to you is that we will do everything within our power to make sure that no other person loses his life to a twisted and dangerous sense of God's will, and no other families will feel the pain that yours has experienced.

Rest in Peace Mr. Rhodes. While you cannot wrap your arms around your family, we will. Our love and support goes to your family not just today, but always.

Schedule For 9/12 March on Washington

Looks like I am going to be really busy this week.

If anyone is going to be at the meet and great on Friday let me know

DC March Activities

Thursday
9 - 12: Liberty Summit at DC Armory
1pm: Press Conference on Capitol Hill
1:30 - 5:30: Grassroots lobbying visits on Capitol Hill

Friday
9am: Internet Activist Workshop
9:30: Resistnet/Grassfire Tea Members meet at Grand Hyatt
10-5: ParentalRights.org Labbyist and Activism Training
1pm: Grassroots on the Ground Workshop
12-4: Intellectual Ammunition Workshop
2-4: Grassroots and Activism Training 101
2-5:30: Grassroots lobbying visits on Capitol Hill
4-6: Grassfilre/Resistnet Meet and Greet
4pm: Bueaucrash Happy Hour at Bullfeathers
5pm: Grassroots on the Hill Workshop
6:30-10pm: Remember 911 & Support the Troops @ Walter Reed Army Medical Center

September 12th Rally on Saturday!
Saturday

9:00: Crowd gathers at Freedom Plaza and program begins

Speakers

Andrew Moylan, National Taxpayers UnionHi Caliber,
Mr. Conservative (music)
Charles Lollar, Maryland
Nic Lott, Mississippi
Diana Reimer, Pennsylvania Tea Party Patriots
Phillip Dennis, Dallas Tea Party Patriots
Tom Gaitens, Florida
Debbie Dooley, Georgia
Lee Doren, Bureaucrash
Everett Wilkinson, Florida Tea Party Patriots
Angela McGlowan
John O’Hara, Heartland Institute
Toby Walker, Waco Tea Party Patriots
Matt Kibbe, FreedomWorks
Ashleigh Kenny, Georgia

11:30: March down Pennsylvania Ave to Capitol

1pm: Rally begins at US Capitol

Speakers
Dick Armey - FreedomWorks
Matt Kibbe – FreedomWorks
Mason Weaver, San Diego, CA
John Tate, Campaign for Liberty
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN)
Jenny Beth Martin, Tea Party Patriots
Darla Dawald, Resistnet.com
Brendan Steinhauser, FreedomWorks
Steve Elliot, Grassfire
Kellen Giuda, New York City
Deneen Borelli, The National Center for Public Policy Research/Project 21
Andrew Langer, Institute for Liberty
Stephen Baldwin and Kevin McCollough, X-Treme Radio
Yaron Brook, Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights
Lloyd Marcus, Tea Party Express
Rev. CL Bryant, Shreveport, Louisiana
Joel Aaron, Atlanta, Georgia
Chris Cassone
Phillip Dennis, Dallas, Texas
Jeff Anderer, entrepreneur
Rep. Tom Price (GA)
Doc Thompson, Richmond, Virginia
Mario Lopez, Hispanic Leadership Fund
Toby Marie Walker, Waco, TX
Andrew Moylan, NTU
Kelly Hoag, Austin, TX
Bruce Bellot
Yvonne Donnelly, The 912 Project
Bruce Webster, Denver, CO
Julian Kulski
Hector Barredo
Bob Levy, Cato Institute
Ashleigh Kenny, Georgia

In Defense of Sarah

by Dewey Whetsell, Alaskan Fisherman - Written in Defense of his former governor from the latest Moveon.org ad

The last 45 of my 66 years I’ve spent in a commercial fishing town in Alaska. I understand Alaska politics but never understood national politics well until this last year.

Here’s the breaking point: Neither side of the Palin controversy gets it…It’s not about persona, style, rhetoric, it’s about doing things. Even Palin supporters never mention the things that I’m about to mention here.

1- Democrats forget when Palin was the Darling of the Democrats, because as soon as Palin took the Governor’s office away from a fellow Republican and tough SOB, Frank Murkowski, she tore into the Republican’s “Corrupt Bastards Club” (CBC) and sent them packing. Many of them are now residing in State housing and wearing orange jump suits. The Democrats reacted by skipping around the yard, throwing confetti and singing “la la la la” (well, you know how they are). Name another governor in this country that has ever done anything similar. But while you’re thinking, I’ll continue.

2- Now with the CBC gone, there were fewer Alaskan politicians to protect the huge, giant oil companies here. So, she constructed and enacted a new system of splitting the oil profits called “ACES”. Exxon (the biggest corporation in the world) protested and Sarah told them “don’t let the door hit you in the stern on your way out.” They stayed, and Alaska residents went from being merely wealthy to being filthy rich. Of course the other huge international oil companies meekly fell in line. Again, give me the name of any other governor in the country that has done anything similar.

3- The other thing she did when she walked into the governor’s office is she got the list of State requests for federal funding for projects, known as “pork”. She went through the list, took 85% of them and placed them in the “when-hell-freezes-over” stack. She let locals know that if we need something built, we’ll pay for it ourselves. Maybe she figured she could use the money she got from selling the previous governor’s jet because it was extravagant. Maybe she could use the money she saved by dismissing the governor’s cook (remarking that she could cook for her own family), giving back the State vehicle issued to her, maintaining that she already had a car, and dismissing her State provided security force (never mentioning—I imagine—that she’s packing heat herself). I’m still waiting to hear the names of those other governors.

4- Now, even with her much-ridiculed “gosh and golly” mannerism, she also managed to put together a totally new approach to getting a natural gas pipeline built which will be the biggest private construction project in the history of North America. No one else could do it although they tried. If that doesn’t impress you, then you’re trying too hard to be unimpressed while watching her do things like this while baking up a batch of brownies with her other hand.

5- For 30 years, Exxon held a lease to do exploratory drilling at a place called Point Thompson. They made excuses the entire time why they couldn’t start drilling. In truth they were holding it like an investment. No governor for 30 years could make them get started. This summer, she told them she was revoking their lease and kicking them out. They protested and threatened court action. She shrugged and reminded them that she knew the way to the court house. Alaska won again.

6- President Obama wants the nation to be on 25% renewable resources for electricity by 2025. Sarah went to the legislature and submitted her plan for Alaska to be at 50% renewable's by 2025. We are already at 25%. I can give you more specifics about things done, as opposed to style and persona . Everybody wants to be cool, sound cool, look cool. But that’s just a cover-up. I’m still waiting to hear from liberals the names of other governors who can match what mine has done in two and a half years. I won’t be holding my breath.

By the way, she was content to return to AK after the national election and go to work, but the haters wouldn’t let her. Now these adolescent screechers are obviously not scuba divers. And no one ever told them what happens when you continually jab and pester a barracuda. Without warning, it will spin around and tear your face off. Shoulda known better.

My Take on the President's Speech Tomorrow

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President:

Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today. Some against their parents wishes.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. So why then are you interrupting their day? I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could've stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility.
I"ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. Really? Your buddies at the NEA have stated that their most important goal is their job security. Maybe you should take this up with them.

I've talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I've talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve. Then why did you get rid of the very successful voucher program in DC? At the end of three years the students that received the vouchers were 21 months ahead of those who didn't.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Add applause here, he is asking someone to take personal responsibility instead of having the government care for you womb to tomb.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – Yes, maybe you can go work at The New York Times and write very positive articles about the democratic party. but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine Not if socialized medicine passes– but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team. Not if your a conservative.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to work for it and train for it and learn for it. You became the President without any training or real job experience.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS Again, not if socialized medicine passes; research funds will dry up, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment You can use Van Jones as your role model for this one. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free Life hasn't been fair since the dawn of time, but you can make it so, you are the ONE. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. Pretty hard to build a new business with your policies being so anti small business.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country. Yes Dear Leader

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. Yes Dear Leader

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother Weren't you primarily raised by your grandparents? who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of like cocaine? , and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama (Oh, I am glad you cleared that up because we didn't know that was who you meant), has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country. That is how is should be. There is nothing wrong with working hard.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right. Don't worry, we are going to make life fair.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall. Lucky for him Dr. Emmanuel didn't have his way, three is too young for expensive medical care.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. Repeat after me; yes dear leader.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community (ACORN is always looking for help). Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter. I think we have a lot of 'I am not feeling well' coming on, don't you?

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work (No wonder they have that idea with all your talk of spreading the wealth and fairness)-- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." didn't he just say that they won't be basketball stars?

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Really? Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country. Yes, dear leader

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Maybe this is a good time to talk about the constitution; oh wait, you have completely forgotten about that. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country? They followed dear leader.

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions Our public school systems are a disgrace. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn You wouldn't know that by looking at the schools in DC. But you've got to do your part too.

So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it. Yes dear leader

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.Why is it OK for this President to say God bless you?


For the sake of clarity, I have never had a problem with the speech. I have a problem with the original Department of Education's lesson plan.

Comments From The Peanut Gallery

There is an interesting article in The Telegraph about President Obama's ecomonic policies, and how he is making the same mistakes made after the great depression. But what is much more interesting are the comments:

Here are a few:

Churchill said that socialism was the equal distribution of misery. The most miserable and destitute country in the western hemisphere is Haiti, which has been solidly capitalist for nearly two hundred years.Cuba, by comparison, is a paradise. Has this person been to Cuba? I don't think people would be sailing ninty miles in the ocean risking thier lives to get to the US if it were such a paradise, although I would agree that it is better than Haiti. Haiti is a capitalist country? They have not had a stable government in decades, you can't have capitalism without stability.

While it is true that Obama's Marxist policies will destroy the economy, it is also true that this is the whole object of the exercise. Obama promoted "share the wealth" and "equality of outcome" during the campaign for the presidency; now he is implementing those Marxist policies, and getting Marxist results (economic disaster, like the Soviets). The fact that bank, auto, and other shareholders have lost trillions of dollars is fine with the Marxists since these were mostly white "capitalists" who had their pensions and retirement funds substantially destroyed. The beneficiaries of the redistribution of wealth are primarily the Marxist themselves, followed by their political constituencies: ethnic, gender, demographic, etc. From the Marxists' point of view, everything is going quite well, thank you, including the reduction of the USA to third world status. Not a big fan of the US I guess.

No mistakes here ! Even Helen Keller can see that this disaster is manufactured by racist marxists. Obama and his cohorts are achieving exactly what they set out to do. Seen this stuff before in Germany - good luck America, you're gone need it ! I guess American conservatives aren't the only ones who think this.

The author and economists are wrong in assuming that the president does not know what he is doing. He knows exactly what he is doing and he thinks he can get away with it. Again, it isn't just us conservatives.

The US has been on this vector for decades. It'd be surprising if ignorant primates (all of 'em) could discover that freedom has been in short supply and their ever-increasing statism has [finally] killed the west. Sadly, this is too true

Socialism is taking over most western countries. And will continue to until the public realizes how bad it is. Unfortunately for all, the US is on the same road. It is going to get ugly, but hay morons don't deserve freedom.

Mr. Jones, Mr. Jones - I think you may want a refund from Yale

"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," Jones said in the statement. "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide." So says part of the statement given by Van Jones on his resignation early this morning.

Mr. Jones, you may find it hard to believe that my problem with you has nothing to do with healthcare or clean energy. My problems with you are the facts that YOU have described yourself as a communist, YOU have described white environmentalists as murders of urban minorities through the use of poison, YOU have signed a petition that says a former president was complicit in the murders of 3,000 innocent people on 9/11.

Your defense to this petition is that you did not understand what you were signing. May I ask, what did you think it said? Obviously you have some sort of disbelief of the 9/11 commission report.

Above and beyond that, why exactly would we want someone advising the president on how to invest $30 billion if you don’t pay attention to what you are signing? You are either crazy or lazy. Either way, it is not acceptable.

Mr. Jones, believe it or not there is a growing movement within the conservative community to reduce pollution and be better stewards of our world. One arm of the Christian conservative movement in this country truly believe that it is indeed a moral imperative that we care for the world that God lent us.

I agree with you that the energy sector is going to produce many jobs in the future and we need to start investing in it now. The more energy sources we can tap into in this country the better off we will be; as we can be rid of the likes of Chavez and Putin. Some of our goals are exactly the same. It is just that my reasons for doing them are different.

You are a very well educated man; I think that you may want to get some of your money back if you think that the reason people objected to you has to do with not wanting healthcare reform.

Van Jones and His Interesting Connections

By Cliff Kincaid
September 5, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

The Obama Administration refuses to say how communist Van Jones was hired as the “Green Jobs Czar” and who recommended him. The administration refuses to say who knew what about his communist background. The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), where Jones is employed, told me, in response to a series of Freedom of Information Act requests, that it had no documents about his hiring or communist background. But some possible explanations for the mysterious appointment are now coming into focus.

On the Thursday edition of his Fox News Channel television program, Glenn Beck noted that Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, seemed to claim credit for the appointment during an appearance at a left-wing bloggers conference last month. Beck made the disclosure while noting evidence that Jones was a member of the 9/11 truth movement, which blames the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on U.S. Government officials. A video had previously surfaced of Jones calling Republicans “assholes.”

While Fox News correspondent James Rosen provided a report on the controversy on “Special Report with Bret Baier” on Thursday night, only Accuracy in Media has noted the embarrassing fact that the parent company of Fox News published Jones’ book, The Green Collar Economy, last year. The book was hailed by Harper Collins, a subsidiary of News Corporation, as “provocative, personal, and inspirational.”

Harper Collins described Jones as “a man who counsels President Barack Obama on environmental policy” but its official biography of the author, like the one distributed by the White House, said nothing about his communist background. The release of the book, which was largely the work of a professional writer and editor by the name of Ariane Conrad, was clearly a significant factor in propelling Jones to national prominence and getting him his White House job.
But the Valerie Jarrett comments highlighted by Beck may be important in understanding the process by which Jones actually got his job. Jarrett is well-connected in Chicago circles.
Blogger Trevor Loudon, who broke the story of Jones’ Marxism, reports that Valerie Jarrett’s late father-in-law, Vernon Jarrett, was an associate of Communist Party USA member Frank Marshall Davis and that they worked together in Chicago. Davis, the subject of a 600-page FBI file, is the mysterious “Frank” from Obama’s book, Dreams from My Father, and served as a mentor to a young Barack Obama in Hawaii.

But other evidence supports the idea that Rep. Barbara Lee, one of the most extreme members of Congress and an apologist for Fidel Castro, played a key role in the Jones appointment. Lee, perhaps best known for casting the lone vote in the House against U.S. military action to remove the Taliban regime in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, is a close friend of both Jones and President Obama.

But behind Lee and Jones is an influential network of communists known as the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS). Lee was a secret member of the group, a spin-off of the Communist Party USA, while Jones was the keynote speaker at a 2006 CCDS fundraiser.

Blogger Trevor Loudon reports that the title of the CCDS fundraiser featuring Jones was “Towards Building a Progressive Majority.” He notes that many members of the Jones communist group STORM (Standing Together To Organize a Revolutionary Movement) worked closely with the CCDS.

According to a history of STORM, several members of the group traveled to Cuba in 1999 as part of the notorious Venceremos Brigade. “As STORM seldom exceeded 20 members, it is very likely that Van Jones, as a leader of the organization, was on that, or another, Cuba trip,” Loudon writes.

It is significant that Lee issued the following statement after Jones’ appointment was announced:
“I am so very pleased that Van Jones, a constituent, friend and strong advocate for green jobs has been chosen to be a special advisor to the White House Council on Economic Quality.
“Van has been at the forefront of the green jobs movement and has shown us all the way to utilize green collar jobs as a pathway out of poverty. Were it not for Van, we would not have been able to establish the Green Job Corps in Oakland which provides local Oakland residents with job training, support, and work experience so that they can independently pursue careers in the new energy economy.”

“His expertise and vision in the area of green jobs will be a wonderful addition to the White House CEQ.”

An article on the website of the Life Science Foundation discloses that “Working with his colleagues and California Congress woman Barbara Lee, [Van] Jones was able to get the City of Oakland to adopt the Ella Baker Center’s Green Jobs Corps.”

This makes perfect sense, of course. Jones worked in Oakland, founded the Ella Baker Center in Oakland, and Lee represents Oakland. On November 11, 2008, after Obama’s election, Jones and Lee appeared together at an event in Oakland, along with actor Danny Glover. Stephen Mufson of the Washington Post attended the event and wrote a puff-piece about it.

“We want the federal government to buy into what is taking place here in Oakland,” Lee was quoted by one columnist as saying. “Once the federal government buys in, I believe our nation can see what can be done. We must go green.” These sounds like the words of someone who wanted to see Jones implement on the national level what he had done, with Lee’s support, in Oakland.

Nicole Y. Williams, communications director for Rep. Lee, did not return a telephone call seeking comment on Lee’s possible role in arranging the Jones appointment.

However, in her book, Renegade for Peace & Justice, Lee reveals that she served as an Obama presidential campaign adviser because “I liked his message of fundamental change, which was as close to a revolutionary message as we have had in decades.” Through her position as Obama’s Western Regional co-chair during the campaign, “I participated in rallies, phone banking, and behind-the-scenes advising on issues and politics.”

In her book, she declares her support for Communist Cuba, saying, “On many occasions I have taken people to Cuba to educate them about the realities of Cuban society so that they can make judgments for themselves whether the negative propaganda about Cuba that we consume in the United States is justified.” She attacks the Bush Administration for deposing Jean Bertrand Aristide, the Marxist proponent of “Liberation Theology” who once ruled Haiti.

Lee freely admits involvement in the “progressive” Black Panther Party, a group that regularly denounced police officers as “pigs,” and names one of the other members of the group as Angela Davis, “the noted African American member of the Communist Party.” Lee quotes a Panther official as denying that the Panther program was based on the Communist Manifesto but admits that she was called “Comrade Barbara.”

The CCDS connection is something that Lee and Van Jones have in common.

Herbert Romerstein, a former professional staff member of the House Intelligence Committee, explains, “In 1992, while a member of the California State Assembly, Barbara Lee was elected to the National Coordinating Committee of the Committees of Correspondence. Most, but not all, of the members of this group had been active in the Communist Party USA.” However, exposure of Lee’s role in the controversial pro-communist group led one of the members to propose a “non-public” status for those wishing to be active behind-the-scenes.

While Lee was apparently embarrassed by the public exposure of her involvement with the Communist Party spin-off group, Jones spoke to the CCDS openly in 2006, prompting blogger Trevor Loudon to comment, “Maybe Jones didn’t realize he was addressing a Marxist-Leninist function? Maybe he thought it was a Rotary or PTA group?”

After getting to the bottom of how Jones got his White House job, Glenn Beck should turn his attention to how Jones got his book published by Harper Collins, a subsidiary of the same company, News Corporation, which owns the Fox News Channel and employs Beck.
Harper Collins also published the book, Underground: My Life With SDS and the Weathermen, by former communist terrorist Mark Rudd, who said he was paid $50,000 as an advance.

As we noted in our previous column, the Van Jones book includes endorsements from Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, TV host Tavis Smiley, former Senator Tom Daschle, Arianna Huffington, and Larry Brilliant of Google.
Huffington’s far-left website, the Huffington Post, has been defending the Van Jones appointment and attacking Glenn Beck for exposing his communist background.

Draft of President's Speech to Schoolchildren - An Honest Version

A little Humor for the holiday weekend

The Washington Examiner’s satire columnist, Scott Ott, imagines an unusually honest presidential address next week:

A draft copy of President Barack Obama’s planned September 8 address to America’s public school children, tells students that “If you want to grow up to be like me, you should beg your parents to put you in private school, right now.”
Although Obama attended public school in Indonesia early in life, he soon switched to a private Catholic school, and from fifth grade through graduation went to a private college-prep school in Hawaii. His own daughters now attend a private school in Washington D.C..
“Do you think you’re going to get into Harvard University with your one-size-fits-all public school diploma?” the president will reportedly say. “Come on! Don’t make me laugh. You’ll be lucky to survive through graduation. Seriously, you gotta get out of this mediocrity machine. Go ahead! Get up right now. Run for the door. What are you waiting for?”
While the White House would not confirm the content of the leaked speech draft, a spokesman acknowledged that “You don’t get to be as smart and cool as Barack Obama by sitting in P.S. 152, listening to some union lackey droning on, and then eating government surplus in the cafeteria.”
On Tuesday, the president will bypass parents, taking his message directly to kids in the classroom “in hopes that you’ll pester Mom until she gets a second job to pay private-school tuition so you can escape the swirling vortex of ignorance and despair that is our government-run school system.”
“The only thing standing between you and success,” the president will allegedly say, “is the mentality that the government will take care of you. Once you shake that, there’s no limit to your achievement. Pay any price. Bear any burden. Just get your fanny out of that fiberglass chair, go buy yourself an Oxford shirt, a pair of slacks and a clip-on tie, and go to a place that faces constant economic pressure to improve.”

Dear Mr. President

Dear President Obama:

I am writing to you to let you know of the growing frustration that I am feeling in regards to your presidency. You were swept into office on the promise of change. You have given us change alright, but I don’t think this is the type of change that people were envisioning. You were touted as being above race, you believed in reaching out to all members of our society.

Since taking office your rhetoric and actions have just made the already shaky race relations in this country worse. Your knee-jerk reaction in regard to a white police officer in Cambridge showed a great deal about your thought processes. It never occurred to you that your friend could have over-reacted to a police officer doing his job by answering a call regarding an alleged break-in. People in this country gave you the benefit of the doubt about your pastor and the church you sat in for more than twenty years. All one had to do was read your book to know that you knew exactly what type of rhetoric Reverend Wright was preaching. It was there for all to see. Is Van Jones just part two of your lies of not knowing?

Now we are being told about your advisor on green jobs, Van Jones. This is a man who has publicly stated that anyone that dares to be a republican is an asshole. A man who has described himself as communist, who has signed a petition saying that former President Bush has a level of responsibility for the worst terrorist attack on American soil that caused the death of three thousand innocent people. A man who was involved with Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, a Marxist and revolutionary organization, not an organization that seems to have my best interests as an American at heart.

Mr. President you promised the American people that you would have the most transparent administration in history, you promised me that you were going to change how the government worked. Your wife told people during the campaign that you just get it. Well, Mr. President, I don’t get it. I don’t get why you would put a man with this past in charge of 30 billion tax dollars of hard-working Americans. How is it that you expect me to believe that this man can be trusted? This is a man who very recently has stated that white environmentalists are trying to poison urban black people. I don’t get how this man got through the extensive vetting process that you promised me. All one has to do is to Google his name and lots of disturbing information is at your finger tips. Did no one in your administration check out his past? Or Mr. President, is it that you don’t care? Is it, Mr. President that your agenda for “fundamental” change is really your belief that Van Jones’ view of the world is correct? That me, as a white person, is trying to poison blacks? Is it that since I identify my political views leaning more toward republican than democrat that I am an asshole? Is this the change that the American people voted for? Is this, Mr. President, your view of being above racial politics? I certainly hope not. Although I don’t agree with your particular brand of politics, I want to believe that you have the best interest of this country in your heart. But your choices and your actions are making that harder and harder for me to do.


Just a Conservative Girl

Conservative Girl Adventures - Senator Warner Town Hall

So, tonight my Senator finally decided to give his town hall at an expo center that would hold up to 3,000 people.

First, I would like to say what a great job the Senator's staff and the police did keeping the people orderly and civil. At least as much as these can be.

I would say that ratio was about 60/40 against the public option.

I did not see any SEIU members that were all over the Moran/Dean town hall. The union members that I did see were from the Communications Workers Association. They wore their matching red shirts and hats and carried more of the union printed signs promoting a public option. These signs were the exact same signs that were handed out Moran/Dean town hall.

It is a little hard to see, but the top picture has a woman holding a sign that said that 77% of people want a public option. I don't know where the heck she got that number from.

Senator Warner was at one time our governor. Virginia has a one term limit for that office. As governor I would say he ran and governed as a fiscally responsible moderate. Personally I thought he did a decent job. I didn't agree with everything, but he did leave office with a balanced budget and a surplus.

Now that he has become Senator, his voting record has taken a turn to the left. He has for the most part followed the party line and has voted with Obama I believe 100% of the time.

One very big shock for me was that we started with The Pledge of Allegiance. Isn't that sad that I was so shocked by this?

The senator told us the following:

1. He would not vote for anything that was not budget neutral.

2. No illegal aliens will get coverage.

3. He would read the bill before voting on it.

4. Abortions will not be covered by tax payer funds.

5. President Obama is indeed a patriot would loved America. (this was an answer to a direct question/statement)

6. He does not want a single payer system and does believe in competition.

7. He does support tort reform and does feel that is a component of lowering costs.

Now lets take a couple of the above listed things.

The CBO has said that the current plans are not budget neutral, which means he would have to vote no.

The courts have ruled over and over again that if the language is not specifically disqualifying something, that means that it is included. So, unless an amendment is added abortions will be performed at tax payer expense. When he was asked if he would add an amendment on abortion he just ignored the question. So, I guess that means no.

I have called and called this man's office when I was trying to get a date for the town hall. During these conversations I have asked if he would sign the pledge to read the bill and the answer was always no. I was not picked to ask a question, so I was not able to find out why he won't sign the pledge. But, I think I may very well be making some more calls next week to get an answer on that.

Senator Warner is walking a tight rope. He is trying to please the party and still stay true to his "moderate" views. It seems to me that party is winning. Ultimately I think he will support the bill because they will find a way to tell us that it is budget neutral.

I met a very nice retired couple who have become very active in the past few years. They concentrate mainly on state issues but have joined their local 9/12 group and go around on the weekends telling people what is being voted on in the Virginia legislator. Meeting them was well worth the drive. They have both heart and passion. I hope I still have that when I am their age.

Moran/Dean Townhall Part 2

I realize that this is a bit late, but a busy schedule of late has kept me from posting these.

With the latest news today of the president making an appearance in our schools across the country, I thought that these two scans are an interesting addition to the debate.

These are just two of the many handouts that I received at the Moran/Dean town hall.

When I was given the hand-out of the email, I was thinking to myself that this could have easily have been faked. I received this right on arrival. Once I started looking around I realized that more than half the people there had on blue shirts and pre-printed signs that said "Thank You" (for what I am not sure) and health care reform now signs.

The little buckslip that is also above is interesting not due to the content, but due to the small codes along the bottom of the piece. In what seems like a lifetime ago, I did direct mail fund-raising. So, I know printing. This buckslip has a version/plate change code along the bottom. As well as the recycled paper code is a union shop label. For those that don't know, union printing shops are relatively hard to find. A very small percentage of shops are unionized.

The version code is of particular interest because it shows that they are printing these for town halls around the country. This is proof of a very well organized effort to fill up the town hall meetings with pro Obama-care people.

In the case of my particular town hall the union members came from Front Royal. Front Royal is more than 100 miles from where I live in Fairfax County, Virginia. The town hall took place at a high school in Reston, VA.

At one point before the people were allowed into the school for the meeting, we (being the people against Obama-care) were surrounded by these union people while they were shouting "no astro-turf". Now, the local people who showed up for this meeting came with home-made signs and we were just wearing our work clothes for the most part. Yet, we get called astro-turf.

I and a fellow 9-12er spoke to a few people who were in the unions. There were at least two different unions there. Shocker!! SEIU was well represented. There was also an elevator union that I have never heard of before.

When asked what they thought of the bill: "No problem, it wouldn't affect them"

Do you think the bill is fair? "That is the way it is".

So I guess when it doesn't affect you, it doesn't matter what it does to the rest of the country. The sad fact of the matter is they are in for a big surprise. This is only a Trojan horse to a single-payer system that will affect them. I wonder if they will regret showing up at these meetings then?

This is also the infamous meeting that Howard Dean admitted that tort reform isn't included in the bill due to the fact that they (the dems) are unwilling to take on the trial lawyer lobby. Even he knows that tort reform needs to be done in order to lower costs.

For those who are interested, my senator, Mark Warner will be hosting a town hall on September 3 at 7 pm that will be streamed live on his website:

http://warner.senate.gov/

If you look carefully, you may just see me there!!