Judge Jeanine Pirro: “This Administration Uses Drones to Kill American Citizens, but Not to Save Them”

◼ She also pointed out the irony of the Regime’s drone policy. “If you find a foreign terrorist, bring him to NYC and give an American jury a chance to hear the evidence and decide the case. But an American citizen on the President’s kill list DIES! Amazing,” she exclaimed. - Nice Deb

CFRW Endorsements:

The CFRW endorses Jim Brulte for CRP Chair, Harmeet Dhillon for Vice Chair, and Patricia Welch Foster for Secretary.

— CFRW Advocate (@CFRWadvocate) February 10, 2013

Newsweek's Tina Brown: 'Obama'd Be Impeached By Now For Drones If He Was Bush'

◼ Newsweek/Daily Beast editor Tina Brown said something Friday night that should wake up the Left and their media minions. - Newsbusters

Yet what was telling was how this was met with very little applause from Maher’s liberal crowd thereby proving Brown’s point: Obama can do anything he wants INCLUDING killing Americans and his devoted fans will continue to support him.

Awesome: Waiter who stood up for boy with Down syndrome brings gifts, donations to child’s school

this brought tears to my eyes! #Houston waiter honored for helping special needs child click2houston.com/news/Waiter-ho…

— karanolson (@karanolsoncnn) February 8, 2013

◼ In January, Twitchy told you about Michael Garcia, the Houston waiter who refused to serve a customer who insulted Milo Castillo, a five-year-old boy with Down syndrome. After he overheard the man say, ”Special needs children need to be special somewhere else,” Garcia told him, “I’m sorry, I can’t serve you.”

Garcia’s story lit up social media and letters, money and gifts poured in from all over the world, including Star Wars t-shirts and toys from Lucas Films. Garcia says all of it is going to Milo and his classmates at the Rise School of Houston, a school that serves children with and without developmental disabilities.

“I couldn’t keep one penny of it,” Garcia explained. “It wouldn’t be right. I’ve really taken a look at myself and it’s really changed me.”

Garcia presented gift cards and a check for $1,145 to the school, and the students honored their hero with a celebration.

7 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT DR. CARSON — THE PRAYER BREAKFAST SPEAKER WHOSE SPEECH IN FRONT OF OBAMA WENT VIRAL

◼ 7 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT DR. CARSON — THE PRAYER BREAKFAST SPEAKER WHOSE SPEECH IN FRONT OF OBAMA WENT VIRAL - (Read the entire article at The Blaze)

DR. CARSON IS A FAMOUS PEDIATRIC SURGEON - Carson, 61, is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital (he obtained this lead position at the age of 33). His career focus is on traumatic brain injury and brain and spinal cord tumors, among dire health issues.

According to his biography, he has written over 100 publications about neurosurgery and he has penned numerous books. On top of that, the renowned doctor has received more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees and President George W. Bush gave him the Presidential Medal of Honor (see other honors over at Bio.com).

HE’S A PIONEER IN THE SEPARATION OF CONJOINED TWINS

CARSON’S EARLY LIFE WASN’T EASY

THERE WAS A MOVIE MADE ABOUT HIS LIFE - Carson’s life and work are so coveted, in fact, that a feature film was made about the doctor. “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” was a made-for-television film that came out in 2009.

HE RUNS A NON-PROFIT AIMED AT HELPING YOUNG SCHOLARS

CARSON IS A CANCER SURVIVOR

HE’S ALSO A DEVOUT CHRISTIAN - In order for America to continue leading the world, Carson believes that it’s important to apply God’s standards to individuals’ lives. Rather than embracing partisan solutions, CBN notes that he wants the nation to “stop being political and start being logical” in addressing key issues.

For more about Carson, read his ◼ Bio.com profile and visit the ◼ Carson Scholars Fund’s web site.



◼ Ben Carson for President - Wall St. Journal

California no longer requiring eighth graders to take Algebra

◼ California will no longer require eighth-graders to take algebra — a move that is line with the Common Core standards being adopted by most states, but that may leave students unprepared for college. - Daily Caller

Last month, California formally shifted to the Common Core mathematics standards, which recommend that students delay taking algebra if they aren’t ready for it. Previously, algebra class was a requirement for all eighth-graders in the state.

◼ As previously reported: Terrorist Professor Bill Ayers and Obama’s Federal School Curriculum

Three years after the Department of Education announced a contest called Race-to-the-Top for $4.35 billion in stimulus funds, some parents, teachers, governors, and citizen and public policy groups are coming to an awful realization about the likely outcomes:

◼ A national curriculum called Common Core
◼ Regionalism, or the replacement of local governments by federally appointed bureaucrats
◼ A leveling of all schools to one, low national standard, and a redistribution of education funds among school districts
◼ An effective federal tracking of all students
◼ The loss of the option of avoiding the national curriculum and tests through private school and home school

How was it that 48 governors entered Race-to-the-Top without knowing outcomes?

It was one of the many “crises” exploited by the Obama administration. While the public was focused on a series of radical moves coming in rapid-fire succession, like the health care bill and proposed trials and imprisonment of 9/11 terrorists on domestic soil, governors, worried about keeping school doors open, signed on. Many politicians and pundits praised Obama on this singular issue, repeating the official rhetoric about raising standards.

“Race to the Top” required that states commit to yet-to-be-written Common Core standards in math and English/Language Arts (ELA). Today, Common Core has the support of Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and was included in the platform of the Democratic National Convention. It was embraced by former Republican Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, much to the consternation of Tea Party groups, who see this as an unconstitutional federal takeover of education. The Republican Party is divided....

The feds’ announcement echoes Common Core’s emphasis on personalized learning and leveling of achievement through technology and collaboration (the “21st century skills”). Common Core emphasizes “in-depth” reading of short passages, rather than long fictional or historical narratives. The Publisher’s Criteria reveal that a focus on short texts will equalize outcomes. Text selection guide B mandates that “all students (including those who are behind) have extensive opportunities to encounter grade-level complex text” through “supplementary opportunities.” The strategy of gathering students into groups to collaborate on short passages ensures that no one advances beyond others....

"We have once again been forced to drop the veil of humanity we sometimes hold up before this administration in order to keep our sanity."

◼ The Twisted Truth on Obama's Benghazi Response - Daren Jonescu/American Thinker

According to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, as reported at The Weekly Standard, President Obama was completely aloof from the events in Libya on September 11. He neither asked nor ordered anything. He did not respond to information sent to the White House. He was not involved at all, during the seven-plus-hour attack that resulted in the deaths of four American government employees, including an ambassador.

A few months back, when, for the sake of argument, we were all giving Obama the benefit of the doubt on being human, albeit wretchedly so, I felt compelled to qualify a critique of the president's conscienceless handling of Benghazi with this:

Was the president aware of these events during the first few of those seven long hours? Obviously, he would have been notified of such events immediately, were he available. Equally obviously, the president is always, in theory, available. If he could not be "reached" during those first hours, then the answer to the natural follow-up question -- "Why not?" -- is too twisted to contemplate.
Under questioning from Senator Kelly Ayotte, Panetta has at last set the record straight. We may all dispense with the niceties and call it as it is: Obama is too twisted to contemplate.

◼ Discussion at Lucianne

A Message From the Public Relations Committee Concerning the 2012-2013 Public Relations Award

Each year, the National Federation of Republican Women proudly presents the Public Relations Award to the State Federation that has shown a strong, viable presence through outstanding public relations at the local, state, and national levels.

This year's award is designed to honor the State Federations for their dedicated efforts to improving visibility and attracting media coverage of Federation accomplishments. Please note, a State may submit their State-level entry, or if they do not have a State PR program to submit, they may select an individual club program to represent their State for the NFRW PR Award. By submitting your State or local club finalist for this award, it will allow your members to receive the recognition they deserve!

In addition to being given this honor, a beautiful award will be presented to the State Federation at the NFRW Convention, with whom it will remain until the following convention when a new winner is chosen.

All submissions will be on display at the upcoming NFRW Convention in Kentucky, not only for recognition but to provide invaluable ideas for members to take back to their perspective states and their clubs.

This year, the Gordon C. James Public Relations Company has graciously volunteered to judge our entrees. This PR firm has offices in Washington, DC as well as Phoenix, Arizona and has vast experience in this field.

To find the details for judging criteria and for submitting your State's entry, please click here. Please note, all entries must be postmarked by July 15, 2013.

We look forward to seeing the incredible work that has been accomplished throughout the country on behalf of NFRW. Let's continue to take back America, one step at a time.
NFRW Membership Survey

The NFRW has created a short survey for current and former members of the NFRW. It is the purpose of this survey to identify areas of concern and opportunity on local, state and national levels. The survey will be open February 1-20, 2013.

The ultimate goal is to use the information you provide in order to build an organization which honors its members by: addressing areas of concern so we will retain our current members, bring back former members, and gain new members. Click here to take the survey.

Clubs Send in 2012 and 2013 Contributions to Earn Points for NFRW Achievement Awards

Local clubs can send their 2012-2013 contributions to NFRW during 2013 to earn points for Achievement Awards which will be presented at 37th NFRW Biennial Convention at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky September 20-23, 2013.

2 Points: if in both 2012 and 2013 your club contributed to the Dorothy Kabis Internship Fund, which allows 3 college women to work at NFRW headquarters each summer. Make checks payable to Dorothy Kabis Internship Fund.

2 Points: if in both 2012 and 2013 your club donated a minimum of $10.00 to the Marion Martin Building Endowment Fund to help maintain NFRW headquarters. Make checks payable to Marion Martin Building Endowment Fund.

Add 4 bonus points: if your club contributed $20.00 or more in 2012 and again in 2013 years to the Marion Martin Building Endowment Fund.

2 Points: if in both 2012 and 2013 your club contributed to the Betty Rendel Scholarship Fund designed to assist an undergraduate Republican woman who is currently majoring in political science, government or economics. Make checks payable to Betty Rendel Scholarship Fund.

2 Points: if in both 2012 and 2013 your club contributed to the National Pathfinder Scholarship Fund. Make checks payable to National Pathfinder Scholarship Fund

Add 2 bonus points: if your club supported the NFRW Americanism Committee's program by contributing $16.00 to the Ford Theater Educational and Research Center to honor our 16th President. Make checks payable to the Ford's Theatre Society.

Add 3 bonus points: if your club established its own scholarship to benefit a needful Republican woman in your region.

Currently, only a small percentage of our NFRW clubs donate to these very worthwhile scholarships. Donate now and earn a possible 17 points toward your achievement award totals. Individuals can make a tax deductible donation to these NFRW scholarship and internship funds. These contributions are a wonderful way to help a young woman further her education or become an NFRW intern during the summer. Checks can be mailed in one envelope to NFRW at 124 N. Alfred Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Checks should be received at NFRW by June 1, 2013 to receive Achievement Award points.
2013 Regional Meeting Planning Underway

2013 regional meetings are being planned and details will be available through the Capital Connection and on the NFRW website as they are finalized. So far the calendar is as follows:

April 20-21, 2013: NFRW Region 5 meeting in Davenport, Iowa at the Best Western SteepleGate Inn. Click here for the registration form. Martha Jenkins is the Region 5 Director.

April 26-27, 2013: NFRW Region 2 meeting in Rapid City, South Dakota at the Hotel Alex Johnson. The registration link is forthcoming and the program includes Liz Cheney, Toni Anne Dashiell, Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, and Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska. The Region 2 Director is Eileen Sobjack.

April 26-27, 2013: NFRW Region 3 meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Hyatt Regency. Click here for the registration form. Confirmed speakers include Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and NFRW President Rae Chornenky. Invited speakers include New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez. The Region 3 Director is Carol Salmon.

May 17-18, 2013: NFRW Region 4 meeting in Sugar Land, Texas at the Sugar Land Marriott Town Square. Click here for the registration form. The guest speaker at the Region 4 meeting is George P. Bush. The Region 4 Director is Kathy Brugger.

To see the full NFRW calendar, ◼ click here.

February Campaign Management School in Richmond, Virginia

The NFRW is presenting a campaign management school in conjunction with the Virginia Federation of Republican Women on Saturday, February 23, 2013, in Richmond, Virginia. Mark your calendars! It will be held from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with lunch and the Campaign Management School manual included in the $100 registration fee. If you are interested in learning how to run a campaign or how to run for office yourself, join us in Richmond! If you currently work on or are running a campaign and have particular questions, you can meet one-on-one with the instructor after the class free of charge. Click ◼ here to register.

Your state can host an NFRW Campaign Management School. Simply contact political@nfrw.org for details.

Real life: Hitchhiker with a hatchet saves woman from rampaging, murderous lunatic

◼ Kai, Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker; KMPH Exclusive Interview *Warning: Extreme Language Alert - HotAir

◼ Humboldt’s Own Hero: Kai the Homefree Hitchhiker - Kym Kemp/Lost Coast Outpost

On Friday, February 1st, a man whose Facebook page identifies him as living in Eureka wielded a hatchet (smash, smash, su-mash) to stop a man in Fresno from hurting a woman. According to witnesses, a man identifying himself as Jesus deliberately drove his car into a black utility worker then began attacking a woman who was trying to help. The man’s passenger, a hitchhiker who was identified originally only as Kai, whacked the driver with a hatchet. The subsequent interview (see KMPH video above—they also have an extended version) became an internet sensation featured on The Colbert Report as well as many other sites. In fact, Kai now has several songs and other online tributes dedicated to him....

Marco Rubio to deliver GOP’s State of the Union response, Rand Paul for the Tea Party

◼ Who else could it have been? Jindal and Paul Ryan have already done it, Rand Paul’s probably still too close to the rEVOLution for Republican leaders to be comfortable with him in a spot like this, and Chris Christie would just end up talking about how terrific Obama’s speech was. - Allahpundit/HotAir

◼ Rand Paul to deliver ‘tea party response’ to State of the Union - Daily Caller

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will give the “tea party response” to the State of the Union next week, the group Tea Party Express announced Friday.

Obama is set to give his annual address to Congress on Tuesday. Also that night, Republicans have tapped Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to give the official GOP response to Obama’s speech.

“We are happy to see that the Republicans have selected tea party conservative Senator Marco Rubio to deliver their response,” Tea Party Express chairman Amy Kremer said. “Both Senator Rubio and Senator Paul will articulate pro-growth messages that will resonate with the American people.”

Obamacare: New HHS “family penalty” rule leaves spouses, children unprotected

◼ Just how complicated will ObamaCare get for employers, workers, and families? Politico’s analysis of a decision by the Obama administration and HHS may take several readings to understand exactly how a bill that purports to insure children and spouses may end up leaving them in the cold, and how employers may end up footing more of the bill than Congress claimed when it passed the ACA. - HotAir

At issue is the question of whether to subsidize additional insurance for workers who can afford their employer-based health care coverage for themselves, but not for their families. Not doing so forces either the worker or employer to pay more of the premium; doing so would explode the subsidy cost for ObamaCare, which has already gone up nearly 40% from original estimates before the first subsidy dollar has been spent. HHS decided against expanding the subsidy even further, but that has real-world implications that won’t make ObamaCare supporters happy...

GOP, Watch & Learn: Dr. Benjamin Carson’s Speech at the National Prayer Breakfast [Video]

◼ Dr. Benjamin Carson, director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions delivered a keynote speech at (the) national prayer breakfast that clearly had the president squirming in his seat, particularly when Carson laid out his thoughts on taxation, and alternatives to Obamacare—namely, healthcare savings accounts: - The Right Planet

Full Speech:




◼ Stand up and cheer - Le-gal In-sur-rec-tion

(From the comments: I just recently watched a movie about him: Gifted Hands, The Ben Carson Story. I highly recommend it. He was raised by a mother who had a tremendous amount of faith in him and his brother and made them work very hard in school. They didn’t have it easy. He had to overcome many obstacles to become a neurosurgeon. He became famous for separating conjoined twins at their heads.)

◼ Neurosurgeon Lectures Obama on Obamacare... - Real Clear Politics

DR. CARSON: What we need to do is come up with something simple. And when I pick up my Bible, you know what I see? I see the fairest individual in the universe, God, and he's given us a system. It's called a tithe. We don't necessarily have to do 10% but it's the principle. He didn't say if your crops fail, don't give me any tithe or if you have a bumper crop, give me triple tithe. So there must be something inherently fair about proportionality. You make $10 billion, you put in a billion. You make $10 you put in one. Of course you've got to get rid of the loopholes. Some people say, 'Well that's not fair because it doesn't hurt the guy who made $10 billion as much as the guy who made 10.' Where does it say you've got to hurt the guy? He just put a billion dollars in the pot. We don't need to hurt him. It's that kind of thinking that has resulted in 602 banks in the Cayman Islands. That money needs to be back here building our infrastructure and creating jobs.

###

DR. CARSON: Here's my solution: When a person is born, give him a birth certificate, an electronic medical record, and a health savings account to which money can be contributed -- pretax -- from the time you're born 'til the time you die. When you die, you can pass it on to your family members, so that when you're 85 years old and you got six diseases, you're not trying to spend up everything.

You're happy to pass it on and there's nobody talking about death panels. Number one. And also, for the people who were indigent who don't have any money we can make contributions to their HSA each month because we already have this huge pot of money. Instead of sending it to some bureaucracy, let's put it in their HSAs. Now they have some control over their own health care.



◼ CONSERVATIVE DOC REVEALS WHY HE SPOKE OUT AGAINST OBAMA’S POLICIES AT PRAYER BREAKFAST — PLUS, WOULD HE EVER RUN FOR PRESIDENT? - The Blaze

With President Barack Obama sitting just feet away, Dr. Benjamin Carson stood up for conservative principles in his speech at Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast, discussing the national debt, political correctness and even healthcare. Readers loved his speech so much that TheBlaze’s story on it went viral.

On Friday, Carson appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” to explain why he felt compelled to speak out against the big government policies endorsed by Obama, in front of Obama.

Carson, a renown neurosurgeon, said the response to his speech has been “overwhelmingly” positive. However, he argued he didn’t make a conservative argument, but rather a “logical” and “common-sense” one.

“I don’t know where we left our brains,” he told host Sean Hannity....

◼ 7 FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT DR. CARSON — THE PRAYER BREAKFAST SPEAKER WHOSE SPEECH IN FRONT OF OBAMA WENT VIRAL - The Blaze

DR. CARSON IS A FAMOUS PEDIATRIC SURGEON - Carson, 61, is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital (he obtained this lead position at the age of 33). His career focus is on traumatic brain injury and brain and spinal cord tumors, among dire health issues.

According to his biography, he has written over 100 publications about neurosurgery and he has penned numerous books. On top of that, the renowned doctor has received more than 50 honorary doctorate degrees and President George W. Bush gave him the Presidential Medal of Honor (see other honors over at Bio.com).

HE’S A PIONEER IN THE SEPARATION OF CONJOINED TWINS

CARSON’S EARLY LIFE WASN’T EASY

THERE WAS A MOVIE MADE ABOUT HIS LIFE - Carson’s life and work are so coveted, in fact, that a feature film was made about the doctor. “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story” was a made-for-television film that came out in 2009.

HE RUNS A NON-PROFIT AIMED AT HELPING YOUNG SCHOLARS

CARSON IS A CANCER SURVIVOR

HE’S ALSO A DEVOUT CHRISTIAN - In order for America to continue leading the world, Carson believes that it’s important to apply God’s standards to individuals’ lives. Rather than embracing partisan solutions, CBN notes that he wants the nation to “stop being political and start being logical” in addressing key issues.

For more about Carson, read his ◼ Bio.com profile and visit the ◼ Carson Scholars Fund’s web site.

White House Outlines Devastating Consequences of President Obama’s Sequester

Today the White House released a detailed report outlining the consequences of the sequester proposed by and insisted on by President Obama. But the question remains: what is President Obama willing to DO to prevent it? Republicans agree the sequester is the wrong way to cut spending, and agree the consequences are harmful. That’s why Republicans have twice passed legislation to replace it with common sense cuts and reforms. But without a plan to prevent his sequester, the president is out of excuses. Here, from the White House itself, are some of the devastating consequences of the president’s sequester: ◼ link - speaker.gov

If I Live To Tell: A True Story

◼ This is a pre-order item: Expected release date is 13th Feb 2013 - Patriot Depot

If I Live to Tell follows one woman’s struggle to discover purpose and identity in the face of lifelong tragedy, betrayal, and abuse. Set on three continents, this gripping true story provides a rare glimpse into the world and heart of the largely invisible victimized woman.

Bio: Akeela Hayder Green has gone through it all—abused and abandoned by her English mother and Iraqi father, forced into an arranged Muslim marriage, betrayed and broken by all the people who ever promised to love and protect her. Yet she survived it all and lived to tell her story… a story like nothing you’ve ever heard before.

Obama 'volunteerism' site ignores snow storm--and Sandy victims

◼ President Obama has made volunteerism and public service a big part of his second term, but his United We Serve site, www.serve.org, has no mention of how people can help those being crushed by Friday's super snow storm in New England--or Hurricane Sandy victims who've been struggling for months. - Paul Bedard/Washington Examiner

Instead, the site includes a handful of requests from charity groups for unrelated help, many listings just repeated over and over. The entry for one Boston zip code, for example, includes 10 identical requests for a volunteer receptionist to help with new immigrants. Another Boston zip code entry includes repeated requests for people to help serve at regularly scheduled dinners for homeless vets.

Christopher Dorner Manifesto (Uncensored)

EX-LAPD WANTED IN COP SHOOTINGS...
Left 20-page manifesto on FACEBOOK...
Uncensored...
Supports gun control, Obama and Piers Morgan...
Wrote online message to Tebow...
Two innocent women shot by police in manhunt...
Statewide 'officer safety alert' issued...

◼ News Media Scrub Cop Murderer’s Manifesto of Pro-Obama, Hillary, MSNBC, CNN, Gay, and Anti-Gun Comments - Sooper Mexican

◼ THE VERY INCONVENIENT CHRIS DORNER - Human Events

Now we’ve got lunatic cop killer Chris Dorner, with three murders in Los Angeles under his belt, including one police officer, plus a female college basketball coach and her fiance. Two other cops were ambushed by Dorner in their patrol car; one of them is seriously wounded. Nervous police officers accidentally fired on at least three civilians in the wake of these attacks.

At the time of this writing, the killer is still at large, heavily armed, and incredibly dangerous. Dorner used to be an employee of the LAPD, but he was fired in 2009 for making false statements. The father of the basketball coach he murdered was his lawyer. ”I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own, so I am terminating yours,” Dorner said on his Facebook page. He said that he wanted to kill cops, and was not afraid to die himself....

Nobody Dorner says he likes or agrees with is in any way responsible for his actions. But quite a few of them have long, shameful histories of unjustly blaming their political opponents for the actions of other maniacs. If Sooper Mexican’s excerpts from the hidden pages of the manifesto are accurate – and he seems to have done his homework quite thoroughly – the deliberate suppression of Dorner’s political diatribes is unconscionable, considering how the media would be handling this if he was a big fan of conservative groups, or an avid Fox News viewer.

“Why did they edit all this out?” asks Sooper Mexican. ◼ ”Would they do this for a Tea Party shooter? Somehow I doubt it.” On the contrary, “they” have worked pretty hard to establish phantom links to the Tea Party, and other conservative critics of statist government, when none existed. I remember it very well. I was new to the pro blogging scene when the Tucson atrocity was perpetrated; I watched the “Climate of Hate” narrative take shape in real time, that very evening. No one on the Right will forget the rules the Left wrote that day.

Dorner is also very interested in politics… and according to blogger Sooper Mexican, who says he has been following the story very closely, the media is actively suppressing Dorner’s political leanings, including heavy redaction of his crazed manifesto. About half of the manifesto has been delicately excised from press reports… the parts where he praises gun control, Senator Dianne Feinstein, MSNBC, CNN (especially gun control sensationalist Piers Morgan), Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. On the other hand, he really hates the NRA, particularly Wayne LaPierre (who he incorrectly identifies as the organization’s “president” – that would be David Keene at the moment) and George Zimmerman.

◼ Read Dorner's Manifesto - Boy With Grenade

◼ NBC STARS ADMIRED BY ALLEGED L.A. KILLER FALSELY LINKED PALIN TO TUCSON KILLINGS - Breitbart

media pushing narrative that Chris Dorner was a Naval Reservist; forgets to mention he was gun-control advocate and major Obamabot

— DepressiveBlogger69 (@AceofSpadesHQ) February 7, 2013

◼ Bam! Ace hammers MSM for smearing the Right while hiding lefty criminals’ politics - Twitchy

◼ If It Will Save a Single Life, We Must Get Piers Morgan's Stupid Fat Face off the Television - Ace of Spades

I bring this up because of the repulsive dishonesty in media reporting concerning the intersection of violence and politics.

If a conservative commits violence -- and, actually, you'll have to remind me when the last time that happened was, exactly; but if he does -- the media begins calling for the right to "tone down its rhetoric."

After all, this might "incite" people to commit violence. Eloquence might, as Holmes said, "set fire to reason."

And as Holmes might say: That's the whole bloody point of eloquence.

Now, the media claims the right must "tone down its rhetoric" -- make its rhetoric less inciting -- in order to Protect the Public Safety. Any pungent, tough-worded bit of rhetoric could spur a nutter to do something violent.

◼ Q: What makes someone who politicizes shootings call for a temporary moratorium on politicizing shootings? - Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin

A: When the person who pulled the trigger writes a manifesto saying he’s a fan...

Morgan would have written the same things he did in the Tweets (at the link) if the suspected killer had expressed support for the Tea Party or had voiced agreement with Rush Limbaugh, right?

Everybody mentioned in the “manifesto,” including Morgan, obviously aren’t to blame for the killings (unless we apply Morgan’s usual reasoning — or lack thereof). If only this particular situation were enough to make Morgan recognize the glaring flaw in his thinking. It won’t be enough — because what Morgan does isn’t thinking, it’s raw political opportunism that has been forced to take a brief hiatus.

Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin visited with Del Norte branch members as she kicked off a state tour Wednesday.

◼ ‘TAKING BACK’ DEL NORTE GOP - Del Norte Triplicate

“The people here in the Tea Party group have become very active in the Republican Party and are working to take it back,” Martin said of the Del Norters. “That’s something that’s happening in other places around the country where they feel like the Republican Party has too many RINOS, Republicans in name only.”

She said the locals told her they’d like to bring in more speakers from other parts of the country to reinforce the need to shrink the government.

Panetta: Obama Absent Night of Benghazi

◼ Panetta said, though he did meet with Obama at a 5 o'clock prescheduled gathering, the president left operational details, including knowledge of what resources were available to help the Americans under siege, "up to us." - Daniel Halper/Weekly Standard

In fact, Panetta says that the night of 9/11, he did not communicate with a single person at the White House. The attack resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Obama did not call or communicate in anyway with the defense secretary that night. There were no calls about what was going on in Benghazi. He never called to check-in.

...As Bill Kristol wrote in the month after the attack, "Panetta's position is untenable: The Defense Department doesn't get to unilaterally decide whether it's too risky or not to try to rescue CIA operators, or to violate another country's air space. In any case, it’s inconceivable Panetta didn't raise the question of what to do when he met with the national security adviser and the president at 5 p.m. on the evening of September 11 for an hour. And it's beyond inconceivable he didn't then stay in touch with the White House after he returned to the Pentagon."

◼ Petraeus and Panetta Speak—But Not the President - Bill Kristol/Weekly Standard

Seven weeks later, the White House still hasn't explained what President Obama did and didn't do during the seven hours of the attack on Benghazi on September 11. And there's been no response from the White House to questions ◼ linkasked by senators or ◼ linkTHE WEEKLY STANDARD or ◼ David Ignatius in the Washington Post.

We have, to be sure, heard from some government officials. But the information they've provided raises still more questions.

◼ Lingering questions about Benghazi - David Ignatius/Washington Post (Oct. 30)

◼ "Panetta said that Obama left operational details, including knowledge of what resources were available to help the Americans under seize, 'up to us.'" - Althouse

◼ Panetta: no one to blame for Benghazi - neoneocon

◼ Panetta Testifies that Obama Was Not Engaged During Benghazi Attack - Bryan Preston/PJM

...The attack went on for several more hours. Many have questioned why there have been no photos released of Obama monitoring the attack from the White House situation room. The answer appears to be that he never went to the situation room, and was not monitoring the attack.

◼ Obama Campaign: Vegas Fundraiser on Day After Benghazi Massacre was "Appropriate" - Guy Benson/Townhall (Oct.1)

“That database will have information about everything on every individual on ways that it’s never been done before..."

The true story of sequester

◼ link - Bill Wilson/Net Right Daily

A little discussed impact of sequestration, due to take effect on March 1, is the fact that after 2014, spending will increase every single year in both defense and non-defense categories, reports the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

In addition, there are real spending cuts, but they come nowhere near to totaling the $1 trillion figure that has been reported by various government agencies...

For example, sequester partially hits Medicare, but for that program spending will rise from its 2012 level of $551 billion to $592 billion in 2013, to $605 billion in 2014, and so forth. CBO never foresees a decrease there.

...The point that must be made is that the American people were promised these cuts.
To secure the votes needed to suspend the $16.394 trillion debt ceiling until May 19, House leaders had to promise members they would stick to the sequestration.

In fact, all of these cuts were the price for increasing the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion in August 2011. Imagine that, $2.1 trillion in new borrowing authority, that the government burnt through in less than two years — in exchange for just $115.3 billion of real cuts.

Now it’s questionable if those will even be kept in place. If the House caves on sequester, members’ promises of cuts down the road will forever ring hollow and empty to the American people. If the Republican Party does not stand for getting our fiscal house in order and keeping the tax burden low, what does it stand for?

It is time to stand strong on the sequester. This is no time to go all wobbly — because much, much more needs to be done down the road to save this country from certain bankruptcy. read the whole thing, at the link

Karl Rove sets the record straight and explains the details of the new Conservative Victory Project.

◼ Karl Rove appeared on Sean Hannity's show tonight to defend himself against conservative criticisms of his new PAC intended to help moderate Republicans against tea party challengers in primary races. - Rove.com

...Hannity brought up the criticism that sometimes the Republican party ends up with establishment Republicans who no one is happy with. Rove insisted he just wants "the most conservative candidate who can win," not just the incumbent candidate. He insisted that his group would have, for example, backed Marco Rubio in 2010. Hannity explained his main concern is that he doesn't want anyone within the Republican party doing anything to divide it.

Rove stuck by his message, saying that the Republican party needs to do better than Todd Akin if it wants to retake the Senate.

Fox News host Sean Hannity highlighted President Barack Obama’s “lies” during his show on Wednesday.

◼ ON THE ISSUE OF OBAMA’S ‘LIES’ - The Blaze

Fox News political analyst Juan Williams defended Obama’s health care law, saying that everyone knew the health care overhaul would be implemented in stages and associated costs are inevitable, just like they were with Social Security and Medicare.

Michelle Malkin was not as easy on the president. In fact, she called the president the “lying liar in chief.”

“Could you spell it out any clearer in all of those soundbites the comparison between what he promised and what people are getting?” Malkin began, adding that even unions are trying to get opt of Obamacare.

Malkin also lamented the payroll tax hikes that hit the middle class.

"Man is not free unless government is limited."

~ Ronald Reagan

"…we have strayed into dangerous territory when a member of our media is aghast that our President needs to back up what he says with proof. Are you freaking kidding me?"

◼ Matt Lauer on Obama releasing ‘skeet shooting’ photo: Now the president has to back up his words with proof? - Doug Powers/Michelle Malkin

◼ Media Is Shocked That Our President Needs To “Back Up His Words with Proof” - Curt/Flopping Aces

Scarborough Tears Into ‘American King’ Obama’s ‘Chilling’ Drone Strike Defense

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

conservativevideos.com

Sarah Palin: Happy birthday, President Reagan! In honor of the Gipper's 102 birthday, let's watch his 1st Inaugural Address again...

ObamaCare Exchange Subsidy Cost Hiked By $233 Billion

Good God! ObamaCare Exchange Subsidy Cost Jumps By $233 Billion, now more than $1 Trillion bit.ly/11oyrE7 #TCOT via @ibdinvestors

— Andrew Malcolm (@AHMalcolm) February 6, 2013

◼ The CBO's new baseline estimate shows that ObamaCare subsidies offered through the insurance exchanges — which are supposed to be up and running by next January — will total more than $1 trillion through 2022, up from $814 billion over those same years in its budget forecast made a year ago. That's an increase of nearly 29%. - IBD

The CBO upped the 10-year subsidy cost by $32 billion since just last August.
In part, this jump is because more people will get insurance via the exchanges than it had forecast. Where the CBO had seen 22 million enrolled in an exchange in 2022, it now figures 25 million will be.

Iran: We're already nuclear

◼ Ahmadinejad: Iran already a nuclear state, but has no intention of launching attack on Israel - Jack Khoury/Haaretz

NFRW Survey

Dear Republican Women,

◼ The National Federation of Republican Women is striving to increase its impact and make a difference by speaking up for Republican women ... and all women, something which is needed, especially now.

I have asked the NFRW Public Relations Committee to develop a survey asking for your opinions regarding current and former membership.

Would you please take a moment of your valuable time to complete this 5 minute anonymous survey? We really want to know what you think.

Click here for the survey link: Survey Link ◼ (Click to follow link to survey.).
The survey will be open February 1 thru 20, 2013.

The ultimate goal for the information you provide is to build an organization which honors its members by:

1) addressing areas of concern to help retain our current members,
2) bringing back former members, and
3) gaining new members.

Please share this email with Republican women you know who were or are currently members of NFRW so that each one has the opportunity to provide input into this important survey.

The survey results will be presented at the NFRW March 8, 2013, Board of Directors meeting so that state presidet can take the data back to be used at the state and local levels.

Thank you for investing your time and for sharing your opinions with us.

Rae Chornenky, President
National Federation of Republican Women

Obama blinks on the sequester, GOP finally has upper hand

◼ n November 2011, President Obama lamented that “some in Congress are trying to undo these automatic spending cuts” that were part of that August’s deal to raise the debt limit. “My message to them is simple: No. I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending. There will be no easy off ramps on this one.” - Philip Klein/Washington Examiner @philipklein

Taxes would have gone up by $4.5 trillion on Jan. 1 if nothing was done, so Republicans were forced to agree to limit the damage. If there were no increase in the debt limit, any economic chaos that followed would have allowed Obama to blame Republicans and distract attention from the problems posed by the nation’s mounting debt, so they agreed to suspend it — a strategy I had described as Maneuver X.

Now Republicans have turned the tables on Obama. If nothing happens by March 1, about $1 trillion worth of spending cuts will go into effect automatically. Ideally, Republicans don’t want the military spending cuts, and they have voted in the House to replace them with other cuts. But they can live with them if nothing happens. Coming off the fourth quarter in which the economy contracted by 0.1 percent and was hurt by defense cuts, Obama doesn’t want to have headlines of defense contractor layoffs eroding his political capital in the short window he has to advance his second term agenda.

His suggestion that Republicans agree to raise taxes again to delay the sequester is laughable — they have zero reason to do it. Either he agrees to spending cuts of an equal amount, or the sequester will kick in.

FACT CHECK—CNN'S BLITZER: SHERIFFS CAN'T DEFY EXECUTIVE ORDERS

◼ Discussing gun control, CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday told a Utah sheriff that if Barack Obama issues an executive order, that order is the law and the sheriff must obey. However, jurisprudence on this topic reveals exactly the opposite. - Breitbart

As the head of the executive branch of the federal government, a president can issue executive orders only to employees of the federal government—and only regarding implementing federal laws or programs. A governor can likewise issue executive orders to employees of his state government regarding the laws or programs of that state.

Every sheriff is a county officer, elected by the voters of that county. The Supreme Court held in Printz v. U.S. in 1997 that the Tenth Amendment forbids the federal government from ever ordering any state or local official to carry out a federal program. Ironically, that case also involved a sheriff—Jay Printz of Montana—and a federal gun control law.

Sandy Hook Dad: "you`ll have to take my guns from my cold dead hands"

House GOP to Obama: take off “Superman cape” and put forth a budget

◼ The House GOP has a message for President Obama: you’re no superhero, so take off the cape and start acting like an adult. - Red Alert Politics

During a press conference on Tuesday morning, members of the House Republican Conference, the House GOP caucus, criticized the President for his inability to pass — or even propose — a balanced federal budget.

“We hope [the President] takes off his Superman cape and sends up a serious plan,” said Conference Vice Chairman Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.).

Jenkins spoke about the need for an “adult” budget strategy. She was joined by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Conference Chairman Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) and Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.), who also gave remarks.

The President is legally required to submit a federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year on the first Monday of February, as mandated by the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 and the Budget Act of 1974. This is the fourth year out of five that Obama has failed to do so.

What we need in the Republican party are some great #chess players.

What we need in the Republican party are some great #chess players. People who can stay 5 moves ahead of these progressives. Where are they?

— Chuck Woolery (@chuckwoolery) February 6, 2013

Leno Turns Obama-Clinton 60 Minutes Segment Into Cialis Commercial

◼ As NewsBusters reported, CBS's 60 Minutes did an absolutely gushing and fawning segment with President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this past Sunday. - Noel Sheppard

It was so bad that Jay Leno and Company turned it into a Cialis commercial on NBC's Tonight Show Thursday.

The Sequester Was Always About Raising Taxes

◼ President Obama’s proposal to delay the $1 trillion sequester with a “balanced” package of spending cuts and tax increases should come as no surprise. Since its initial conception back in August 2011 (it was Obama’s idea), the sequester has always been viewed by Democrats as a mechanism with which to exact higher taxes from Republicans. However, at this point, that strategy appears likely to fail. - Andrew Stiles/National Review

The assumption was that, because national security is apparently less of a priority for Democrats, the GOP would ultimately cave and agree to raise taxes in order to avoid the sequester, half of which would come from the defense budget. That is why the White House was somewhat baffled during the fiscal-cliff negotiations when House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) did not come to the table with an alternative to the sequester. Now, Republicans seem willing to let the sequester take effect, and insist that any effort to raise taxes is “dead on arrival.”

Yesterday, a federal judge ruled against Drakes Bay Oyster Co. It also denied an injunction that would have let the Lunny family continue to operate until they exhausted their appeal options.

◼ Raw Deal, Part II - Jillian Kay Melchior/National Review

It was never really a fair fight. The federal government threw millions of taxpayer dollars into its legal assault on the oyster farm. The Lunny family, which was simply trying not to go bankrupt, couldn’t afford to fight back. They were represented pro bono by Cause of Action, a government-accountability group that stepped up when it heard about their plight.

It was David fighting Goliath, and this time, Goliath won. The ruling essentially ruins the Lunny family. They’ll have to kill off their inventory of baby oysters, valued at nearly $5 million. They’ll be left with a $300,000 loan and no way to repay it. They’ll almost certainly have to declare bankruptcy. And they’ll lose their multi-generational cattle farm, which they used as collateral to clean and restore the land for the oyster company.

The ruling is also bad news for their 31 full-time employees, who will all lose their jobs. Fifteen had homes on the farm. Like the Lunny family, they now have less than a month to find a new place to live.

Kevin Lunny, the patriarch and owner, said it best in December: “It will completely destroy us.” That’s your federal government at work.

◼ Raw Deal - Bad science and contempt for the law allow the government to destroy a family oyster farm.

NFRW: Political Briefing

Gun Control: Interesting Facts

Ron Dreher, editorialist for the American Conservative, on January 30, 2013 wrote "Never Mind the Facts, Let's Pass Gun Laws." In it he states:

1) Strict gun control laws have done nothing to stem the tide of homicidal violence in Chicago, a city with strict gun control laws;
2) The Sandy Hook shooter used guns that had been legally obtained under strict gun control laws;
3) The Sandy Hook shooter could have killed as many children with pistols as with his 'assault rifle;'
4) According to FBI statistics, 90 percent of gun homicides are committed with handguns and only five percent with rifles; and
5) A survey cited by the Justice Department reports 80 percent of inmates imprisoned for a crime involving a gun say they got the gun through family, friends or illegal means; which is to say they did not go through the channels that would have allowed gun control to prevent them from obtaining the weapon.

Mr. Dreher cites Chicago's gun control laws banning civilian gun ranges, assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, gun shops and handguns (overturned in 2010 by the U.S. Supreme Court) and its position as "the only state in the nation with no provision to let private citizens carry guns in public." Nevertheless, Chicago, he documents, has experienced gun violence which resulted in more than 500 homicides last year and at least 40 killings thus far in 2013.
While Dreher admits to having "no problem in principle with gun regulations, up to a point," (e.g, banning guns for felons and the mentally ill, banning large capacity clips) he does point out that the vast majority of American gun owners use guns responsibly and the conversations regarding gun control cannot be driven by emotion.

Affordable Health Care A Thing of the Past

Research from the Republican National Committee shows that "the Obama administration adopted a strict definition of affordable health insurance on Wednesday that will deny federal financial assistance to millions of Americans with modest incomes who cannot afford family coverage offered by employers." (Robert Pear, "Federal Rule Limits Aid to Families Who Can't Afford Employers' Health Care Coverage," The New York Times, 1/30/13). Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Loise Radnofsky explains the decision "means some low income Americans whose employer-plan premiums are beyond their means won't be eligible for the main perk of the law" as Obama pedaled it to Americans before and after the 2012 elections.

IRS regulations issued Wednesday failed to fix what's being called "a glitch" in the administration's overhaul law (The Associated Press, 1/30/31). The Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University has reported that they can "see kids falling through the cracks" as access to affordable family-based coverage is blocked. Hailed as "a very significant problem" by the organization Families USA, an advocacy group that supported the overhaul from its early days, that organization called for repair of the law through legislation and not the administration's regulatory process.

Politico reports that not only has a recent survey of insurers found that ObamaCare may actually triple premiums for some young and healthy men, but the law would make "the premium for a relatively bare-bones policy for a 27-year-old male nonsmoker ... nearly 190 percent higher." When the law takes effect in 2014, a young male who currently has a plan that does not include all of ObamaCare's required benefits, will almost certainly see increased premiums according to The Washington Post's Fact Checker, 08/10/12. The RNC cites Obama's speeches made while he was a U.S. Senator and details from FactCheck.org that show Obama broke his promise to make "health care affordable and available to every single American." In addition, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected 23 million persons will remain uninsured - some because they cannot afford coverage. (D'Angelo Gore, "Promises, Promises," FactCheck.org, 01/14/12).

“President Obama first proposed the sequester and insisted it become law,” Boehner said in a statement. “Republicans have twice voted to replace these arbitrary cuts with common-sense cuts and reforms that protect our national defense... We believe there is a better way to reduce the deficit... Americans do not support sacrificing real spending cuts for more tax hikes”

◼ Speaker John Boehner is signaling he will not accept revenue increases that President Barack Obama is expected to propose to delay the automatic spending cuts that take hold at the beginning of March. - Politico

CBO: Obamacare will cost 7 million workers healthcare coverage

◼ President Obama's health care law will push 7 million people out of their job-based insurance coverage — nearly twice the previous estimate, according to the latest estimates from the Congressional Budget Office released Tuesday.

CBO said that this year's tax cuts have changed the incentives for businesses and made it less attractive to pay for insurance, meaning fewer will decide to do so. Instead, they'll choose to pay a penalty to the government, totaling $13 billion in higher fees over the next decade.

◼ PLUS: Amnesty would add $2 trillion to the long-term cost of Obamacare... - Caroline May/Daily Caller

◼ The federal health care law could nearly triple premiums for some young and healthy men, according to a forthcoming survey of insurers that singles out a group that might become a major public opinion battleground in the Obamacare wars. - Politico

That’s because the same new insurance market rules that will make coverage more affordable for older and sicker people will make insurance for young and healthier people more expensive.

Most other studies have tried to estimate average premium increases, which have ranged anywhere from negligible to 85 percent and higher. This survey looks at individual examples in specific markets to show the itemized impact of the major Obamacare reforms.

Founder of 'Ground Zero Mosque' allegedly used $167K in project funds for 'personal' gain: suit

◼ Robert Leslie Deak, a major backer of Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf’s nonprofit, the Cordoba Initiative, says he discovered that the religious leader had allegedly used the funds for “his personal use” including “a luxury sports car, personal real estate, entertainment, lavish trips, and vacation” with an unidentified woman named Evelyn Adorno, the court papers, filed late yesterday, claim - New York Post

Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s Making Life Work speech

◼ link - Conn Carroll/Washington Examiner @conncarroll

◼ Cantor Lays Out New Priorities for House GOP - Corey Boles/Wall St. Journal

◼ Excerpts Of Congressman Cantor's Major Policy Speech: #MakingLifeWork - cantor.house.gov/press-releases

We will advance proposals aimed at producing results in areas like education, health care, innovation, and job growth. Our solutions will be based on the conservative principles of self reliance, faith in the individual, trust in the family, and accountability in government. Our goal – to ensure every American has a fair shot at earning their success and achieving their dreams.

***

In America, we do have higher expectations for our nation. Since our founding, we believed we could be the best hope to mankind. That hope led generations of immigrants to risk everything, to endure a tough journey to our shores, looking for a better future. The driving motivation for millions of immigrants passing by Lady Liberty in New York Harbor was the generation that came after them. And because of that hope, those high expectations, coupled with a determination to see them come true, every generation since has had it better off than the one before. Until now.

***

Lately, it has become all too common in our country to hear parents fear whether their children will indeed have it better than they. And for all of us parents, that is a scary thought. Our goal should be to eliminate the doubt gripping our nation’s families, and to restore their hope and confidence in being able to protect tomorrow for their children.

***

Government policy should aim to strike a balance between what is needed to advance the next generation, what we can afford, what is a federal responsibility and what is necessary to ensure our children are safe, healthy and able to reach their dreams.

***

One of our priorities this year will be to move heaven and earth to fix our education system for the most vulnerable.

***

Explaining that rising health care costs are depressing take-home pay is little consolation to a working mom. Her grocery bills are higher, her kids' school needs are more expensive, rent is up – and now, she's just trying to get by. And getting by is not the American Dream.

***

If you're a working parent, you know there’s hardly ever enough time at home to be with the kids. Too many parents have to weigh whether they can afford to miss work even for half a day to see their child off on the first day of school or attend a parent-teacher conference.

***

In 1935, the Form 1040 was accompanied by a two-page instruction booklet. Today, taxpayers must wade through over 100 total pages of instructions. Just filling out a W-2 at a new job is confusing. You shouldn’t need a worksheet to know how many dependents you have. *** Scientific breakthroughs are the result of – and have helped contribute to –America being the world’s capital of innovation and opportunity in nearly every field. For this and many other reasons, people across the globe want to become a part of our country. We must never diminish that desire, or worse, become a place that is no longer desirable.

***

While we are a nation that allows anyone to start anew, we are also a nation of laws, and that’s what makes tackling the issue of immigration reform so difficult. We must balance respect for the rule of law and respect for those waiting to enter this country legally, with care for people and families, most of whom just want to make a better life, and contribute to America. *** We are committed to ensuring that the next generation does indeed have it better than the one before it. Because, when we lose that promise, we lose the absolute promise of everything that has been built before us.

“@gopleader: We are committed to ensuring that the next generation has it better than the one before it #MakingLifeWork 1.usa.gov/MakingLifeWork

— Reince Priebus (@Reince) February 5, 2013

WashPost's New Managing Editor Denies There's Widespread Liberal Bias in National Media

◼ Kevin Merida: "I think that most journalists are really conscientious about, you know, really looking at all sides of issues and subjects." - Ken Shepherd/Newsbusters

Schoolchildren Taught to Design Communist Flags, “the prelude to having the Obama Common Core Standards in our schools”

◼ Notice socialist/communist nations use symbolism on their flags representing various aspects of their economic system. Imagine a new socialist nation is creating a flag and you have been put in a [sic] charge of creating a flag. Use symbolism to represent aspects of socialism/communism on your flag. What kind of symbolism/colors would you use? - Moonbattery

This story is from Austin, unsurprisingly, but the rot doesn’t stop there; nor is the flag assignment is a fluke:

Members of the Senate Education Committee [last] Thursday grilled the creators of a curriculum system used across Texas that critics say promotes anti-American values and stifles classroom flexibility.

Committee Chairman Dan Patrick, R-Houston, called it “a mess.” One witness compared the system to “mind control,” and an algebra teacher wept as he described quitting because he felt he was “aiding and abetting a crime” by using CSCOPE in his classroom.

CSCOPE is an electronic curriculum management system that offers Web-based lesson plans and exams designed to help teachers adhere to state education requirements. It is used in 875 school districts — more than 70 percent of districts statewide…

A string of witnesses before the Senate Education Committee criticized the program for promoting liberal values they said are anti-Christian at best and openly socialist at worst.

Democrats selling voter data to retailers?

◼ The success of the Democratic effort in 2012 was credited in large part to a massive data-mining effort and hyperaccurate microtargeting. - HotAir

...ProPublica reports today that other Democrats may be selling all of that collected data not just to other activist groups, but also to big businesses...

In the future, voters will become a lot more cautious about sharing that kind of information, once they realize that Democrats sold it for a few bucks. Talk about killing the goose laying the golden eggs.

Jon Favreau, President Obama's head speechwriter, is departing

◼ Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau, who at times lit up social media as well as the president's addresses, is leaving. - LA Times

DRONE STRIKES ON AMERICANS 'LEGAL'

◼ NBC EXCLUSIVE: Justice Department memo reveals legal case for drone strikes on Americans - Michael Isikoff/National Investigative Correspondent, NBC News (photo via Drudge)

A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be “senior operational leaders” of al-Qaida or “an associated force” -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.

The 16-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, provides new details about the legal reasoning behind one of the Obama administration’s most secretive and controversial polices: its dramatically increased use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects, including those aimed at American citizens, such as the September 2011 strike in Yemen that killed alleged al-Qaida operatives Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were U.S. citizens who had never been indicted by the U.S. government nor charged with any crimes.

The secrecy surrounding such strikes is fast emerging as a central issue in this week’s hearing of White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, a key architect of the drone campaign, to be CIA director.

...“This is a chilling document,” said Jameel Jaffer, deputy legal director of the ACLU, which has sued unsuccessfully in court to obtain administration memos about the targeted killing of Americans. “Basically, it argues that the government has the right to carry out the extrajudicial killing of an American citizen. … It recognizes some limits on the authority it sets out, but the limits are elastic and vaguely defined, and it’s easy to see how they could be manipulated.”

On Monday, a bipartisan group of 11 senators -- led by Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon — wrote a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to release all Justice Department memos on the subject. While accepting that “there will clearly be circumstances in which the president has the authority to use lethal force” against Americans who take up arms against the country, it said, “It is vitally important ... for Congress and the American public to have a full understanding of how the executive branch interprets the limits and boundaries of this authority.”

◼ The Justice Department’s White Paper on Targeted Killing - Jameel Jaffer/Deputy Legal Director, ACLU

...The paper initially suggests, for example, that the government's authority to use lethal force is limited to people who present "imminent" threats, but it then proceeds to redefine the word imminence in a way that deprives the word of its ordinary meaning. The paper does something similar with the phrase "capture is infeasible." It initially sounds like a real limitation but by page 8 it seems to mean only that the government won't use lethal force if capture is more convenient. It's the language of limits—but without any real restrictions.

Even more problematic, the paper contends that the limits on the government's claimed authority are not enforceable in any court. ("There exists no appropriate judicial forum to evaluate these constitutional considerations.") According to the white paper, the government has the authority to carry out targeted killings of U.S. citizens without presenting evidence to a judge before the fact or after, and indeed without even acknowledging to the courts or to the public that the authority has been exercised. Without saying so explicitly, the government claims the authority to kill American terrorism suspects in secret.

...My colleagues will have more to say about the white paper soon, but my initial reaction is that the paper only underscores the irresponsible extravagance of the government's central claim. Even if the Obama administration is convinced of its own fundamental trustworthiness, the power this white paper sets out will be available to every future president—and every "informed high-level official" (!)—in every future conflict. As I said to Isikoff, that's truly a chilling thought.

Carney on drone strikes: "These strikes are legal, they are ethical, and they are wise."

— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) February 5, 2013

Now, Admin says the kill memo was 'just a draft.'Hey, let's write a memo abt killing Americans w/no due process just for the heck of it.

— kirsten powers (@kirstenpowers10) February 5, 2013

◼ Bolton: Leaked ‘drone attack on Americans’ memo consistent with US policy and appropriate to the threats we face - The Right Scoop

John Bolton doesn’t take issue with the leaked memo, arguing instead that it’s consistent with U.S. policy and that it is appropriate to the threats of terrorism we face. He does take issue with the ‘due process’ argument against it, suggesting that’s more an argument within the ‘law enforcement paradigm’ rather than the ‘war paradigm’ which is where this memo falls.

Please explain why waterboarding top-level terrorists to gain intel is terrible, but *killing* US citizen terrorists w/o due process is ok

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) February 5, 2013

◼ Feinstein demands more details on armed drone strikes against US citizens - The Hill

Remember all those folks who subjected themselves to waterboarding to show how bad it was? Dial 1-800-DRONE-ME. Operators standing by!

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) February 5, 2013

National Federation of Republican Women to Bring Campaign Management School to Richmond

Local Republicans to Train with National Expert for Upcoming Elections

RICHMOND, Va. – Local Republican candidates and campaign workers will train with a nationally-recognized expert as part of the National Federation of Republican Women's (NFRW) long-standing and acclaimed ◼ Campaign Management School.

The seminar will be held Saturday, Feb. 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Embassy Suites Richmond, 2925 Emerywood Parkway. Campaign fundamentals to be covered include creating a campaign budget and a finance plan, earned and paid media, social media and the Internet, strategy and message development, opposition and issue research, voter targeting and voter identification, get-out-the-vote activities, recruiting and managing volunteers, direct mail, organizing events, asking for money, and putting together a finance committee.

Holly Robichaud, a nationally-recognized campaign consultant, fundraiser, political analyst and columnist from Massachusetts, will conduct the training.

Registration is $100 per person and includes lunch and materials. Online registration is available through Feb. 22.

To register or for more information, visit www.nfrw.org/programs/political_education.htm, or contact Maria Jeffrey, political director, at 703-548-9688.

Founded in 1938, the NFRW has thousands of active members in local clubs across the nation and in several U.S. territories, making it one of the largest women’s political organizations in the country. The grassroots organization works to promote the principles and objectives of the Republican Party, elect Republican candidates, inform the public through political education and activity, and increase the effectiveness of women in the cause of good government.

For more information about the NFRW, visit www.nfrw.org.

Newtown Calls for Armed School Officers

◼ The Newtown Board of Education wants more armed police officers in the town's four elementary schools after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. - By George Colli/NBC Connecticutt

...(T)hey decided to ask the town to approve the request to include one additional full-time Newtown police at each of the elementary schools in next year's budget....

Parents said security means more than a police presence.

“My main concern is with accessibility to these school, said Neil Johnson, a parent of two Newtown students. “On December 14th, that was the main bare-boned reason that occurred.”

“After what happened in our community, I just think we should go over and above and provide a shining example for the rest of the world and protect our kids,” said resident Donna Lorenz.

THE BITE

◼ Gasoline costs take biggest share of household income in three decades... - THE HILL

Trips to the gasoline pump in 2012 and 2008 took their biggest share of U.S. household income in several decades, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The Energy Department’s statistical arm reported Monday that the average household spent $2,912 for gasoline in 2012, which makes up almost 4 percent of pre-tax income, tying 2008 for the highest percentage in roughly 30 years.

◼ OBAMA: 'NO DOUBT' WE NEED MORE NEW TAXES... - BLOOMBERG

Gallup: Conservatives (Still) Outnumber Liberals in 47 Out of 50 States

◼ The percentage of individuals who identify as conservative in 2012 outnumber those who identify as liberal in 47 out of the 50 states, in addition to the District of Columbia (D.C.) according to a Gallup poll released on Feb. 1. - CNS News

Nationally, the amount of self-identified conservatives (38 percent) still outnumbers liberals (23 percent). The disparity between conservatives and liberals has remained consistent since Gallup began its tracking in 2008.

“America has become a slightly more liberal and a slightly less conservative nation than it was in 2011 – based on residents' self-reports of their ideology – but conservatives still outnumber both moderates and liberals,” according to the poll’s summary. “The geographic dispersion of ideology across the states follows what are by now familiar lines of political demarcation.”

◼ Alabama, North Dakota, Wyoming Most Conservative States - Gallup

◼ Morning Bell: What Ideas Are Conservatives FOR? - Heritage

Many looked at the results on Election Day and saw disaster. At The Heritage Foundation, however, we see opportunity. Americans are asking: “What do conservatives stand for?” This is the opportunity to tell them....

For the next four days, the Morning Bell will cover Heritage’s detailed plan to revitalize America.

WHY IS GOVERNMENT STOCKPILING GUNS, AMMO?

◼ Joseph Farah examines Obama's plan for 'civilian national security force' - WND

Is the U.S. government getting ready for a war we don’t know about?

And, if that’s why Washington is stockpiling massive amounts of ammunition (hollow points, by the way), why is Homeland Security doing the buying instead of the Defense Department?

I have some theories.

Many of you will remember a story I broke a long time ago – about presidential candidate Barack Obama’s little-noticed announcement that, if elected in 2008, he wanted to create a “civilian national security force” as big, as strong and as well-funded as the Defense Department.

Here’s what he actually said at a campaign stop in Colorado July 2, 2008: “We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”



Could what we see happening now in the Department of Homeland Security be the beginning of Obama’s dream and our constitutional nightmare?

We’ve learned more about Obama’s vision since then. Maybe it’s time for a review... at the link

Think about it.

Why does the civilian Department of Homeland Security need billions of rounds of ammunition?

This is the agency that is responsible for policing the border. But it doesn’t.

This is the agency that is responsible for catching terrorists. But it doesn’t.

House Speaker John Boehner: Washington on notice

◼ No budget, no pay — it's that simple. - Tribune-Review

Together, President Obama and his Democrat majority in the Senate hold the lion's share of power in Washington. They have the capacity — right now — to solve the spending problem that is chasing good jobs overseas and causing so much anxiety about our future. They can stop a debt crisis.

A budget is a logical place to start. Passing a budget is one of the most basic responsibilities of governing. But the Senate has failed to fulfill this responsibility for nearly four years. In that time, our debt has risen to the point that it now exceeds the size of our entire economy.

This year has been shaping up to be no different. The president's second inaugural address made barely any mention of our economy or our spending problem. The word “debt” was never used. His budget, due Monday, will be at least one month late. In addition, he and his allies in the Senate are making familiar demands for more tax increases that will hurt small businesses and destroy more jobs.

Meanwhile, outside the Beltway, families are stretching every last penny to live by a budget. Many are paying more and more for groceries, gasoline and other everyday items while their incomes are flat or falling, thanks to the president's misguided policies. Taking more in taxes and putting off tough choices would just pinch Americans even further.

The economy shouldn't be an afterthought — it should drive everything we do. That's why Republicans will press the Democrats' majority to act on solutions that bring jobs home and get our economy moving again....

We welcome ideas for combating poverty and expanding opportunity to all Americans. Too much is at stake for the Democrat majority in Washington to waste this opportunity.

It's their call....READ THE REST.

Boehner statement notes today marks the 4th time in 5 five years that the Obama administration will not meet the budget deadline.

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 4, 2013

I'm disappointed the President missed his budget deadline. Every missed deadline is a missed opportunity. 1.usa.gov/YOKHMB

— Paul Ryan (@RepPaulRyan) February 4, 2013

◼ Leadership: Obama misses budget filing deadline for 4th time in 5 years - Twitchy

Video: Pro Gun Sheriffs Discuss 2nd Amendment Battle on Justice with Judge Jeanine Pirro

◼ Judge Jeanine Pirro had on Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio from Phoenix and San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christessen from Santa Fe on her show to discuss the gun proposals being debated in Washington. - Nice Deb

“...We’re not going to enforce those laws, and will do everything we can to protect the citizens of New Mexico.”

Arpaio suggested the feds enforce the laws that are already on the books, (a good idea since the Obama Regime has not made enforcement of existing guns laws a political or policy priority.)

◼ NRA Winning the Influence Battle Over Gun Control

The gun control debate is clearly one of the most contentious and controversial issues in America today. And the battle over gun control is now being waged through intensive media campaigns from both sides of the political spectrum to influence public opinion and to assert pressure on policy makers. So who’s winning?

Forbes Insights and Appinions looked at the data for the week prior to the Sandy Hook tragedy and trended the data over the subsequent 5 weeks to determine the ebb and flow over the gun control debate. We found that the NRA and the pro-gun rights voices are winning the influence battle and will continue to be strong and more influential if the pro gun control voice remains fragmented. On the flip side, the pro gun control voice could certainly gain influence if they establish a more united voice. Here are some other interesting observations from the data:

Republican politicians are missing from the debate. The debate is an influence battle between President Barack Obama’s Democrats and Wayne LaPierre’s NRA. Of the top 25 stakeholders in the debate, there is only 1 prominent Republican politician (Chris Christie – who is pro-gun control). Barack Obama leads the pro-gun control voice with a net influence score of 268. LaPierre leads the anti-gun control side with a net influence score of 240.

It’s a Marathon, not a sprint. It seems the NRA has the stamina to out-run the pro-gun control movement. They are persistent, un-yielding and gaining influence. It will be interesting to see how the pro-gun control voice responds and how the influence between the two groups changes as the debate persists.

The pro-gun rights voice is rapidly gaining influence while the pro-gun control voice has tapered in recent weeks. Momentum is shifting ...

United Nations – Agenda 21 – Sustainable Development and the Regional One Bay Area Plan

◼ It will transform the lives of over 9 million people and towns in 9 counties over the next 25 to 30 years into high density stack and pack housing next to mass transit all in the name of saving the planet and reducing GHGs (Green House Gases).

Private property outside of city and county urban limit lines will be highly restricted and/or off limits as part of the first ever statewide re-wilding and corridor system in California is created. The crazy thing is no one seems to know about it. Bay Area residents and taxpayers have been kept out of the process. Most have never heard of the regional unelected bodies pushing these plans or the legislation we are now being asked to follow, but all will be affected by it in some way in the near future.

Although I will be focusing on the regional plan in the Bay Area, this is happening all over the state and country under different names, so don’t feel left out. I have done thousands of hours of research over the past few years and discovered the genesis of these plans and who is behind it. I am hoping that by providing the historical timeline and links to back up my findings that it will be clear that these plans are not being pushed by the people of the Bay Area, the local municipalities or by state level mandates. These plans were hatched long before the state legislation was enacted by a small group of NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations), stakeholders, foundations and regional unelected bodies funded with tax payer money.

There are three main pieces of legislation that are being followed in California to complete the transformation and socially re-engineer our lives; SB375 (2008 Sustainable Communities Strategy), AB32 (2006 Global Warming Act) and AB2785 (2010 California Essential Habitat Connectivity Map). All of these bills were signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger....

The few, regular citizens, who have found out about the One Bay Area plan were horrified and attended workshops and hearings in an attempt to stop this plan from being adopted. Where did this plan come from? And why are unelected regional agencies dictating how and where the people of the Bay Area will live in the future?

...These regional agencies are unconstitutional and the elected officials appointed to them have in my opinion violated Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution by joining an international alliance with ICLEI and should be at the very least investigated and/or abolished.... more at the link.